Commentary on a passage taken from Laurence Fearnleys "Edwin and Mathilda"

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 In this excerpt taken from Laurence Fearnley’s Edwin and Mathilda , the narrator is extremely shocked when he discovers that his father has deceived him about the fact that his mother is alive; he experiences complete and total emotional distress when he realizes the reality that his mother left him.  The text explores various forms of deception that are effectively conveyed through the third-person limited point of view, thus raising the theme of appearance versus reality and as a result, bringing forth the theme of emotional destruction as Edwin struggles with the reality of his mother’s disappearance.

Various forms of deception are revealed through the third-person limited narrator in this extract, thus highlighting the theme of appearance versus reality. Edwin, the main character, is introduced with a rather strange image, in which he is eating a “ limp pizza”. This image is, although seemingly simple, is quite indicative of his current emotional state, mostly due to the use of the word “ limp”, which is a form of diction that emphasizes lifelessness. Therefore, from the very beginning there is some sort of subtle foreshadowing that something is not quite right. . Likewise, visual imagery is used, “as if experiencing the aftershocks of some electrical surge that continued to flow through his body”, to emphasize on Edwin’s feelings and thoughts when he discovers that his mother is still alive. Despite all these suggestions that Edwin is undergoing complete internal conflict, the narrator reveals that “ he had barely spoken since returning from Francesca’s house”. Moreover, this sets the idea that there is a contrast between his thoughts and actions, which is a main form of deception throughout the text. Additionally, Frances is “ watching him like a hawk”, a simile that could indicate that she is watching him with such scrutiny in order to determine how well he is coping with the realization that his mother is alive, possibly since he is not letting her on to his emotions. For example, the narrator indicates that Edwin wants to “protest” that he “ had her first”, referring to his mother, but “instead, he repeated ‘ Do you know where the picture was taken’”. The fact that he avoids expressing his dismay is another form of deception and also shows how Edwin’s appearance is different from the reality. This clash between Edwin’s appearance and the reality of his thoughts and actions continues as Edwin hides his frustration and distress and acts completely normal when he talks to Frances which is indirectly shown through the sentence structure. Edwin uses complete and clear sentences when he talks to Frances, whereas his thoughts are expressed in fragments, excessive commas, and run-on sentences. Furthermore, this play on the structure reveals how Edwin appears to be calm and collected on the outside, but in reality he is extremely distressed.  The theme of appearance versus reality is also emphasized through the clash between Edwin’s memory of his father, and the reality of who he turns out to be. According to Edwin, his father appeared to be a “kind, quiet man” who had been a loving father to Edwin—an appearance—but in fact, he is really “ little more than a liar”. The positive descriptions and connotations are quickly changed to negative connotations and descriptions portraying the father as a deceiving liar who hid reality. Nevertheless, this is a form of deception that Edwin faces when he discovers that the appearance of his life was far from the actual reality. Throughout Edwin’s thoughts and by the use of visual imagery, it is noticeable  that Edwin’s father misses Jess and still has feelings for her “the expression of loss so deeply lined in his face”, however; the father pretends to forget about her by claiming that she is dead. Also, this image is completely deceptive, since he appears to be mourning his wife, but in reality his “expression of loss” is due to her leaving. What is more, Edwin always believed his mother was dead but when he learns that she is alive and married at the same time, he experiences a great feeling of deception from both of his parents since they both lied to him. The excerpt ends with Edwin’s discovery of his mother’s deception, “ Thomas. Her Husband. He was such a wonderful man.”, but does not reveal his reaction. The final sentence is very effective and shocks the reader, and by doing so, it indicates the possible shock that Edwin is experiencing at that precise moment. All of these ideas about deception support the theme of appearance versus reality, and give rise to another theme as Edwin copes with these realizations of deception—emotional destruction.

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            Edwin’s feelings are shown through several literary elements to demonstrate his nervous breakdown and bring forth the theme of “emotional destruction”. One of the literary elements the narrator uses is diction to show Edwin’s emotional state; the narrator uses diction such as “limp” in the opening of the excerpt to describe Edwin’s lifeless state. In addition, Edwin’s brain is displayed as “buzzed” from the shocking information he receives about his mother. Similarly, Edwin thinks “bitterly” of his father when he discovers about his lies; this shows how Edwin feels anger towards his father after ...

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