Curley's Wife
Discuss/ Write About the Significance of a Character of Your Choice: Curley's Wife Of Mice and Men is not kind in its portrayal of women. In fact, women are treated with contempt throughout the course of the novel. Steinbeck generally depicts women as troublemakers who bring ruin on men and drive them mad. Curley's wife, who walks the ranch as a temptress, seems to be a prime example of this destructive tendency-Curley's already bad temper has said to be only worsened since their wedding. Most of the ranch workers brand Curley's wife as a "tart". In fact she is portrayed as such whenever she appears, obviously playing up to and teasing the men. She is cruel to Crooks, Candy and Lennie in Crooks' room, and later on she tempts Lennie, letting him stroke her hair in the barn. She walks round the ranch dressed inappropriately and seductively. She admits to Lennie that she doesn't like her husband and regrets marrying him. She seems to be of limited intelligence, as she was taken in by other men's promises of film parts. She is frequently associated with the colour red, a colour symbolizing an impure woman, as well as one calculated to enrage a "bull" such as Lennie. It is partly her desire to be petted and admired and allow Lennie to stroke her hair, which in turn leads to her death at Lennie's hands. Throughout Steinbeck's novel, she is only ever known as "Curley's wife" who
Discuss the presentation of Gatsby's character through Carraway's narrative perspective
Discuss the presentation of Gatsby's character through Carraway's Narrative Perspective In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald tells the story through the narrative perspective of Nick Carraway, a character within the novel who has a somewhat peripheral role in the story. The effect of this is that the reader learns about Gatsby's character through the eyes of Carraway, thereby revealing information about Gatsby gradually; the effect of this is to keep the reader interested in finding out more about Gatsby; were the reader to find out his past at the beginning of the novel, part of the character's appeal would be ruined: his mystery. The mystery surrounding Gatsby is something that Carraway's Narrative perspective plays the key role in creating; that Carraway and the surrounding characters don't know much about his past, other than rumours and fragments of information to begin with is mirrored in what Fitzgerald reveals to the audience, creating an empathy with Carraway. This empathy with Carraway means that Carraway's opinions are likely to be shared by readers on some level, as Fitzgerald gradually reveals information. That Gatsby's past is shady presents him as a secretive character, and stimulates contemplation regarding how Gatsby acquired his wealth; as Carraway speculates within the novel, 'Young men didn't... drift casually out of nowhere and buy a place in Long
To what extent and in what ways is Fitzgerald purely critical of Gatsby's dreams?
To what extent and in what ways is Fitzgerald purely critical of Gatsby's dreams? One of the main themes of 'The Great Gatsby' is that of dreams, none of which is more noticeable than Gatsby's own dream of five years in his pursuit of Daisy. What is less obvious is how Fitzgerald wants us to react to these dreams, and whether he is being purely critical of them or whether he in fact does also reveal some good in them. In this essay I aim to show that although in a lot of ways Fitzgerald is critical of Gatsby's dreams, for example by ensuring that Daisy can never live up to the vision of herself which Gatsby has created, he is not entirely disapproving and in several cases even goes as far as to suggest that dreaming is what makes us human. One way in which we may be unsure about Fitzgerald's presentation of Gatsby's dreams is whether they are meant to appear romantic or slightly pathetic. At face value it can seem to be extremely romantic that Gatsby has waited these five years and remained so loyal to Daisy, and I think that it this way Fitzgerald wants us to be on Gatsby's side. Gatsby himself is portrayed as being a very romantic character and this can be seen in his speech when he talks about the past, for example telling Nick that "His heart beat faster as Daisy's white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable
Alice Walkers depiction of men in The Color Purple has been controversial - Explore the opinions of the two critics printed below and explain your own view of the way Walker presents men in The Colour Purple.
Alice Walkers depiction of men in The Color Purple has been controversial. Explore the opinions of the two critics printed below and explain your own view of the way Walker presents men in The Colour Purple. In The Color Purple, Alice Walker's depiction of men has been seen by some as controversial. Walker seems to be attacking black men because of their mistreatment of black women. Although, there is another force at work in this powerful, and emotional, book. That force is the unwitting testimony which Walker cannot control, because it was not deliberately written to be part of her story. Between the lines of her story is the strong message of personal rage: rage which cannot be hidden. The rage can be seen throughout the novel in numerous forms; the words used by Walker, that are strong and emotive; the portrayal of the characters, from innocent, like Celie, to evil, like Mr. Alphonso and the realism in which the characters are brought to life, because of the real anger used to describe them. Therefore, in considering the opinions of the two opposing critics, this circumstance must be borne in mind. The first critic, Tony Brown, wrote an article about The Color Purple for the Carolina Peacemaker. He has many views on the book, and expresses those views confidently. Brown admits in his article that some men have raped their daughters, "...some black men have raped their
Why is symbolism in the Catcher in the Rye so important?
Andre Malan (word Count 1064) Why is symbolism in the Catcher in the Rye so important? Symbolism is an essential element in any literary work. This is especially true for J.D. Salinger's novel the Catcher in the Rye. Salinger's main character, Holden finds it difficult to communicate with the outside world and therefore with us, the reader. Salinger uses symbolism as a subtle way of communicating Holden's emotions and faults to us the reader, without compromising the consistency of his characters by forcing Holden to do so. Salinger also uses symbolism to relate events in the novel to society at the time and expose its faults to public ridicule and criticism. Finally Salinger uses symbolism to highlight the idea of Holden making a journey and to make the reader aware of when Holden's journey has reached an end. Holden hides his emotions from himself and from those around him. He says that his breaking of the car windows was 'just for the hell of it' (Salinger 39), when it is patently obvious to the reader that this violent reaction was due to anger and pain caused by the death of his brother Allie. Salinger uses the symbol of Holden's hand that 'still hurts me once in a while' (39) to show us that the death of Allie still causes Holden great emotional pain. He also uses the hand to show that The death of Allie has weakened Holden 'I can't make a real fist anymore - not a
How does McEwan capture a sense of desperation in Part 2 of 'Atonement'?
How does McEwan capture a sense of desperation in Part 2 of 'Atonement'? The title 'Atonement' hints at a dark secret, a need for retribution and weighty themes, which McEwan duly delivers. The desperation in the narrative format of Robbie the soldier is paralleled by Briony's increasing desperation to obtain penance for her crime. It is a desire further complicated by her omnipotent narrative role; McEwan steps in and out of his characters' minds with unfettered confidence and in Part 2 he provides Briony with the same gift so that she might assume the mind of Robbie. This can therefore provide her with only a fabricated atonement, of which she is subconsciously aware will never fully purge her of her sin. Briony says that "it isn't weakness or evasion, but a final act of kindness, a stand against oblivion and despair, to let my lovers live and to unite them at the end." The second half of the story opens as Robbie, is released from jail only to land himself in the British Army retreating toward Dunkirk. Along with Robbie's terror and his desperation to return to the woman he loves Briony, now a nurse, has realised the true nature of her error, and she greatly wishes to reverse her actions and Part 2 follows her crime's repercussions through the chaos and carnage of World War II. The emotional trauma of the war and the wounded is developed in a manner that allows us to
Analysis of the opening chapter of 'Atonement'
Atonement -The Opening Chapter As stated by Geoff Dyer the opening of Ian McEwan's Atonement "is almost perversely ungripping..." Set to inform rather than attract the reader, the first chapter of the novel is seemingly boring and pointless, on first inspection. However on deeper analysis the opening is found to be effective in setting up the rest of the novel, and foreshadowing the tragic events that occur as a result of the crime committed on that hot summers day. The focus of the opening chapter is to explore and describe the novels main character, Briony, and the aspects of her personality that lead to the novels conflict and heartbreak. This chapter also introduces many of the novels other main characters and relates them to the novels key concerns. The most important function of the opening chapter is to explore the character of Briony. From the opening sentence of the novel Briony is established as an imaginative and idealistic young girl, whose dedication to writing is lightly humoured by McEwan "the play was written in a two-day tempest of composition, causing her to miss a breakfast and a lunch." The seriousness Briony sees in missing a "breakfast and a lunch" highlights a girlish innocence and naivety, which evidently fades as the novel progresses, and Briony's views on life change. Up until this point Briony has lived a relatively protected life, away from the
Explore F.Scotts Fitzgeralds presentation of class and wealth in The Great Gatsby and The Diamond as Big as the Ritz.
Explore F.Scotts Fitzgeralds presentation of class and wealth in 'The Great Gatsby' and 'The Diamond as Big as the Ritz'. Wealth and social class permeate much of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' and 'The Diamond as Big as the Ritz'. Set during the roaring twenties when many people had newly accumulated wealth after the war, both texts seek to explore and satirise the complexities of wealth and social class. They particularly focus on how far people may go to fit into a social class or protect their fortune. Despite 'The Diamond as Big as the Ritz' being set within the fantasy genre, elements of Fitzgerald's own life run as undercurrents throughout both texts. Fitzgerald's life features heavily in the texts, be it through the characterisation of Nick and Gatsby or the underlying references to his personal experiences. The experiences of the main protagonists' form parallels with Fitzgerald's interactions with the wealthy, both at Princeton and Great Neck and in his relationship with Zelda. 'The Diamond as Big as the Ritz' satirises the exuberant wealth experienced by Fitzgerald when visiting a Princeton classmate. 'The Great Gatsby' on the other hand, is more reliant on aspects of Fitzgerald's own life which forms the emotional foundation of the novel. Gatsby's relationship with Daisy mirrors Fitzgerald's turbulent relationship with Zelda who much like Daisy, was
Why would a Victorian reader find "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" shocking yet fascinating?
Why would a Victorian reader find "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" shocking yet fascinating? Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Jekyll and Hyde in 1886 in the middle of the Victorian era. This book is both shocking yet fascinating to a Victorian reader, I will explore this further. "Polar twins ... continually struggling," this quotation is talking about the struggle between Jekyll and Hyde; they are struggling to gain dominance over each other in Jekyll's body. They are polar twins, Jekyll is good and Hyde is Evil, this quotation shows that Jekyll and Hyde are linked, and this idea that they are linked in body and soul would be shocking to a reader yet it would also be fascinating because it shows the dual nature of man, the ability to do good and evil. There are many themes in Jekyll and Hyde that a Victorian reader would find shocking and fascinating at the same time, like Science vs. religion, civilisation vs. savagery, the dual identity of man, the way Stevenson portrays London, the gothic elements of the story, and the description of the characters and their relationships. Jekyll manipulates science to resurface the dual identity of man, only God should be able to do this, Jekyll is going against his god and dwells on the thought of committing suicide to get rid of Hyde, a Victorian reader would find this shocking because almost all Victorian people at this time
What do you think of the view that obsession with money and the new consumer culture of the 1920s dominates human thinking and behaviour in The Great Gatsby?
What do you think of the view that obsession with money and the new consumer culture of the 1920s dominates human thinking and behaviour in The Great Gatsby? (21 marks) It can be seen that money and consumer culture dominates behaviour and thinking in The Great Gatsby. I think that this is the case because of Daisy's strong link to money, Dr T.J. Eckleburg and Gatsby's need to better himself. Daisy is an example of the obsession with money and consumerism when she is shown round Gatsby's house, "I've never seen so many beautiful shirts". She notices the expensive things about his house, suggesting that she is interested in having an affair because of his money and the status it gives him. Daisy and Gatsby were together in the past and before she hears Jordan mention his name she doesn't appear to have shown any interest in contacting him. She is also hesitant to go to Gatsby's house without Nick, who she then allows to leave after she's been shown around and seen what wealth Gatsby has. Gatsby associates wealth with Daisy, "Her voice is full of money". This suggests that Daisy produces a sense that she has always been provided for, and educated around rich people, so she speaks as they would, in a carefree manner that those who do not have a lot of money don't have. Thus making Daisy representative of money in the 1920s. Dr Eckleburg's eyes represent the negative effect
