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Analyse the ending of " Vernon God Little". Explore why Pierre leaves the ending ambiguous and the effect this has on the reader.

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Introduction

Analyse the ending of Vernon God Little. Explore why Pierre leaves the ending ambiguous and the effect this has on the reader. Towards the end of the novel as Vernon faces the death penalty for a crime he didn?t commit, he has an outer body experience. The ending is indefinite as the reader is left questioning whether Vernon is alive or dead. The uncertainty of Vernon?s fate is worth exploring. From chapter twenty-six onwards, a chain of events alter Vernon?s fate, leading to the culmination that he doesn?t die. The lead up to the ending creates a sense of anxiety for the reader for the outcome of Vernon. ?Little ? your pardon came through? suggests that Vernon has been proven innocent just as the anaesthesia of execution comes over him. This creates uncertainty for the reader as to whether Vernon really is a ?free man? again, because just when it seemed definite what would happen, the plot transformed into what ostensibly appears to be a happy ending. ...read more.

Middle

An analogy of ?metal balls? in which Vernon likens his life to having a chosen destiny, and how every action has a ?cause-and-effect-?, implies death for Vernon as being inevitable. ?The one?s I gave my clacker-balls too? metaphorically suggests that Vernon gave his fate away in dying. Pierre uses pathetic fallacy to reflect the mood of the day, ?It seems gray and cool out?. ?Gray? connotes a dark, hazy, and foreboding prospect. ?Cool? shows how Vernon is calm because he believes his ending is beyond his control. Pierre?s use of asyndeton creates a feeling of urgency. Pierre constructs sentences without conjunctions, where the clauses run into each other. ?Bless the motherfucker to hell. Bless his bones smashed...bless his mouth... ? which shows the urgency of Vernon and how his thoughts are running away with him. Pierre makes references to Vernon making himself cry to seem innocent. ?You want toothpaste, or you think you can make it on your own??. This suggests Vernon needed to make himself seem like the victim, which symbolises his struggle to prove himself innocent even in his dying moment. ...read more.

Conclusion

This means we would want to believe that he doesn?t die, and in leaving his fate ambiguous, it allows us as a reader to do so. A sudden happy ending would be unrealistic in the context of this novel, despite the element of perverse humour Pierre uses. The entire story is reflects a mire of corruption; from the corrupt justice system, his warped relationships, his fate, and oppressive Martirio. Pierre?s dystopian vision of the American dream, in Vernon?s eyes, means that for Vernon to survive it simply wouldn?t fit, and leaving his fate vague pleases this along with the feelings of the reader. His receiving the ultimate punishment for a crime he didn?t commit, ironically reinforces the corruption. Pierre has created an ambiguous ending so we can choose Vernon?s own fate. If Vernon dies, he?s a martyr, and if he survives, the hero has won. I personally believe that Vernon died because I think a happy ending would be too sudden, and in him dying it completes the narrative instead of simply ending it. I empathize with Vernon and think dying would be an option for him to escape his misery and the corruption enveloping. Word count: 1092 ...read more.

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