“Ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence” (Althusser). Discuss with reference to the texts on the course.

The first 200 words of this essay...

"Ideology represents the imaginary relationship of individuals to their real conditions of existence" (Althusser). Discuss with reference to the texts on the course.

Each of the central characters in "Open Secrets" by Alice Munro and "Paradise Lost" by John Milton are driven and sustained by the relationship between the realities of their existence and their personal ideologies. The conflict between ideology and reality is an important theme in the work of Munro and Milton and both the obvious discrepancies and the more subtle references to this define many aspects of the plot and characterisation. An examination of the reactions of characters to the restrictions placed on them by the reality in which they exist, and their perception of this reality is fundamental to understanding the ideologies which they possess. Their ideologies are the crucial influence on the experiences and eventual fates of each character. Ultimately the question of whether or not these relationships and conflicts are resolved or overcome is the key to gaining a deeper insight into the texts, and simultaneously provides the reader with evidence of the authors' own beliefs and ideologies.

In Paradise Lost, Milton makes use of the ideas of contrast and opposition in order