Colour symbolism in John Fowles' "The Collector".
Colour Symbolism in The Collector Colour plays a vitally important role throughout ‘The Collector’ in terms of how it manages to sway thinking and cause reactions. The use of colour in literature is particularly stimulating as it conveys meanings in two ways- natural associations and psychological symbolism, it is clear that Fowles has an acute understanding of how and why colours communicate meaning. With this understanding he uses colour symbolism in several different ways, the main two being; to emphasize obsession and to demonstrate how different the two main characters are. The reader is aware that Fredrick Clegg is an obsessive character instantly, his infatuation with Miranda is emphasized as he describes the fantasy life he daydreamed about in which she is ‘all pretty with her pale blonde hair and grey eyes and of course the other men all green round the gills.’ Colour symbolism here is used in several ways; firstly, ‘green round the gills’ meaning jealous, illustrates the longing Clegg feels to be superior and envied, perhaps because he has felt socially inferior for so long. Though more interestingly, this very obvious link between the colour green and jealousy reveals the simplicity in which Clegg expresses himself. His speech is so formal it feels uncomfortable, this dated, old fashioned phrase and the child-like associations he makes, feel to me, as
The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. Discuss The Effects of the Creole Society upon Edna Pontellier
Anne Childs AP English Literature Novel Two: The Awakening Research Essay The Effect of the Creole Society upon Edna Pontellier “The Awakening”, by Kate Chopin follows a woman as she discovers herself in a society that expects women to be solely mothers and homemakers. Edna, the main character “awakes” on summer holiday, and realizes how unhappy she is with her life. Edna’s journey of self discovery is eventually ended by her suicide. Edna’s self awakening and suicide are the products of the society she married into and the people who formed that society. These are the factors that propel Edna into the ocean where she makes her last act of defiance, a decision that showed how much she prized her newfound freedom, for she gave herself up to the “waters that awakened (her).” (Richards) The Creole Society in the late nineteenth century wasn’t a place for women with new ideas. Especially ideas about women’s roles and rights in the home and in their lives. This was the society that Edna married into. The Creoles of “The Awakening” were white or mixed race people who spoke french, and “celebrated their French Culture”. (loyno.edu) Women were expected to live “as wife and mother, keeper of the household, guardian of the moral purity of all who lived therein”. (Veraquez) Edna did not fit into this mold, this expectation of a wife and Chopin
How is John Hilliard's character developed, in the novel "Strange Meeting" by Susan Hill?
How is John Hilliard’s character developed, in the novel Strange Meeting, by Susan Hill? Most of Hill’s novels explore the details of the relationship shared between people. The setting of The Great War allows Hill to present the story of how relationships are created between people in tragic situations. Strange Meeting is a story about an officer, called Hilliard, who discovers love in the midst of the desolation of the Great War. Hilliard is the ideal protagonist to present a change of character when portraying themes of love, friendship and loneliness; he is like a blank canvas, therefore the reader is able to observe how Hilliard’s character changes through Hill’s use of form structure and language. Hilliard is a lonely and reserved before he meets Barton. When he returns to the western front in 1916, he undergoes a change from his original reserved to character to a more open character. This change is due to the influence of Barton, an officer he meets on his return to the front. Strange Meeting also addresses socio –historic ideologies during the period of the Great War, ideologies such as conservatism, liberalism and realism are explored in Strange Meeting. Hilliard’s reserved character is a product of the lack of sentiment he had in his childhood, although, Hilliard becomes more open and sentimental because of his meeting with Barton. “He had been
How does Faulks present death throughout the novel?
Sharon Maj How does Faulks present death throughout the novel? Sebastian Faulks portrays death as brutal and horrific throughout the war. Faulks emphasize how futile it was by using vivid imagery of Jack, John, Tipper, Douglas and other soldiers deaths. In World War One literature death is procured in many ways as horrific, violent and tragic and also as patriotic however in this novel death is shown as being futile and cruel as many soldiers experience horrible deaths and suffer psychological trauma from their experience . Through the death of Reeves and Douglas, Faulks’ shows death is not heroic in the trenches but is brutal. Faulks uses horrific language to show the cruel and brutal side of war through Reeves’s death: ‘His ribcage was missing on one side…The ragged edges of skull from which the remains of his brain were dropping’. The use of the progressive verb ‘dropping’ gives the reader a horrific image which makes them understand how a brutal death like this cannot be considered heroic, as it was not a peaceful death but an atrocious inhuman death also, the progressive verb is used to give the idea that the pain continues. Faulks uses the adjective ‘ragged’ to show the brutality of the poor condition of the man and the pain that he must have been in. The choice of the word “ribcage” is a shocking image to the reader as it sounds very painful
Explore the Ways Sebastian Faulks Presents the Psychological Effects in 'Birdsong'.
Explore How Faulks Presents the Psychological Effects of War in ‘Birdsong’ Throughout ‘Birdsong’ Sebastian Faulks presents the psychological effects through themes, characters and setting. The persistence of psychological trauma haunts characters throughout the novel and presents readers with a sense of true horror through the physical and mental conditions Faulks creates for his characters. This essay will be examining the way the author does this through his exploration of language, characters and techniques. Men had to leave their homes; family, wives and women were left behind when going off to war. Once leaving their women and their femininity behind, the men become deprived of sexual encounters and experiences, forgetting how to treat women. Stephen describes a woman as ‘a soft creature’ to create emphasis that he only sees women just to either scorn or pity them. This implies because of the psychological effects of sexual deprivation, Stephen doesn’t know how to perceive human beings because he’s seen many horrendous things during the war, thus making things unidentifiable for him; leaving the readers to have a sense of sympathy for him. The reader witnesses Stephen’s tainted perception when approaching the prostitute, Stephen’s mind ‘emptied’ and ‘his tenderness was replaced by revulsion’. The structure in which the author portrays this
What impression of Sal & Dean and the world they live in emerges in the opening of On the Road?
What impression of Sal, Dean and the world they live in emerges in the opening of ‘On the Road’? ‘On the Road’ is a novel of characters more than of plot, of moods and places, visions described, and above all, the unceasing movement of the characters. It is narrated by Sal Paradise but the novel is undeniably centred on the hero, the manic ‘young jailkid’, Dean Moriarty. The opening scene is set with exposition of descriptions of Sal's life before Dean, and foreshadowing of their sadder, older lives after this period. In the opening line, Sal describes how he has just split with his wife and recovered from a serious illness ‘feeling that everything was dead’. He feels depressed and tired and overall, he is ‘beaten’. Dean's arrival and personality reinvigorates Sal Paradise and rescues him from depression and despair. Sal has always dreamed of the West, where he has never been, and Dean, the personification of Sal's dream of the West, arrives and acts as a catalyst for the beginning of their journey ‘On the Road’. Sal is a strong believer of the traditional American Dream and Dean, Sal’s saviour, epitomises this. Sal believes that if he goes West, he will be able to make a living and find a wife as overall, he wants to find perfection. This constant search for perfection leads to Sal travelling back-and-forth across America, ultimately searching for
Explore the depiction and the significance of the journey in Jack Kerouacs On the Road
Explore the depiction and the significance of the journey in Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the Road’ In Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road” Sal Paradise, an intelligent and romantic idealist narrates his journeys across America in a conversational and frenetic style; one that reflects the impulsive ideology that he and his “beat” friends lived by. He journies with his best friend, Dean Moriarty, “a young jailkid shrouded in mystery”, who arguably epitomises the ‘beat generation’ with his perpetual desire to keep moving, mimetic to the breath-taking rapidity at which the plot moves. Dean arrives in the opening of the novel like a “manic angel” to rescue the narrator from depression and boredom with the promise of a journey. Furthermore, as is the case for much of the rest of the novel, the powerful bond between Sal and Dean drives the story and ultimately becomes the foundation for their aimless ‘ping-ponging’ across America . The journey is also a search for Sal’s self-identity which is arguably fulfilled at the end of the novel after he leaves Dean. You could argue that Dean and Sal’s journey is hedonistic. The purpose of the journey is to achieve true happiness rather that enlightenment or spirituality, whether that be through intoxication or genuine ‘pure’ thrills. An example of this manner of ‘pure’ pleasure can be seen when Sal is travelling
How typical are the pages 234-237 of Bret Easton Ellis portrayal of Patrick Bateman as a psychopath in the text American Psycho?
How typical are the pages 234-237 of Bret Easton Ellis’ portrayal of Patrick Bateman as a psychopath in the text ‘American Psycho’? Word count with quotations: Word count without quotations: How typical are the pages 234-237 of Bret Easton Ellis’ portrayal of Patrick Bateman as a psychopath in the text ‘American Psycho’? ‘American Psycho’ is a genre defining novel written by author Bret Easton Ellis in 1991. The novel is known for its vivid description and imagery during acts of extreme violence, dark humour and satire comedy. ‘American Psycho’ has always been an immensely controversial novel, however, now critics and readers have looked past the disturbing imagery and the novel is “generally acknowledged as a modern classic.” ‘American Psycho’ is narrated from a first person perspective, allowing the reader inside the mind of our main protagonist Patrick Bateman. This literary technique allows Ellis to completely immerse the reader in Bateman’s life and enables us to see many situations differently, through the eyes of a psychopath. The technique effectively portrays his insanity and shows the sheer variety between the mind of Patrick and the average person. The passage opens to a conversation between Patrick and his ex-girlfriend Bethany. Though from the outside it seems nothing unordinary, from the narration, Patrick seems mischievous,
The Kite Runner
What techniques does Miller use to create tension between John and Elizabeth at the start of act two? The crucible was a play written by Author Miller; he is a successful contemporary dramatist whose work often reveals his compassion for vulnerable people who are victimised by society. For me, this play exemplifies that people's confidential desires have considerable consequences that in the near future can advance to become exceedingly huge for the person to control. A prime example would be Abigail's lust and yearning for John Proctor; a man whose names echoes with pride and fear throughout Salem, though, as an audience we do not witness his first encounter with Abigail, we are told that he had a secret affair with her, and it is this mistake that forms "an everlasting funeral" around Elizabeth's heart. In return, this triggers the inferior tension concerning Elizabeth and John. There are also themes of compassion, betrayal, power and integrity highlighted during act two. These several themes are achieved through Author Millers use of literary techniques such as the use of contrasts and parallels, the insertion of the characters dialogue (short questions and answers), the inclusion of stage direction and the roles of the puritans during that period of time. Act two commences with a description of the nature and the setting. There is a reference of the "fields outside"
Lamb to the Slaughter Essay
Lamb to the Slaughter Essay “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl is a short story with a surprise ending. The theme of the story is deception. In the story Mr Patrick Maloney, a police officer, seemed a happy married man to his pregnant wife, Mrs. Mary Maloney. Mr Maloney comes home one night, shocking his wife with the news he is leaving her. Mrs. Maloney is in great shock and she kills her husband, with a frozen leg of lamb. Throughout the opening section of the story Roald Dahl takes great care in revealing Mary Maloney's character as being content with her situation in life. The narrator describes Mary's home as being “...warm and clean”: “...the two table lamps alight- hers and the one by the empty chair opposite...” This shows she is eagerly waiting for her husband’s return and has everything ready and waiting for him. This description suggests that Mary’s home is a friendly place where she and her husband live happily. At this early stage in her life it seems that Mary is very much contented with her life. The author depicts Mary as being the perfect housewife and the reader is not suspicious of her in any way. Mary is waiting for her husband to return home after a long hard day of work so that they can go out because she hasn’t “made any supper because it’s Thursday”. Mary is in her: “...her sixth month with child” This