I'm the King of the Castle by Susan Hill. - Throughout the novel, what is the relationship between Hooper and Kingshaw?
James Davies Year 11 English Course work November 2002 I'm the King of the Castle by Susan Hill. Q. Throughout the novel, what is the relationship between Hooper and Kingshaw? In this novel there is one main theme, it is based around the hatred and animosity between Hooper and Kingshaw. Straight from the start of the two meeting Hooper makes sure to let his feelings be shown. Throughout the novel Kingshaw and Hooper are continually battling against each other and Hooper takes on the role of being a very nasty bully. As soon as Hooper finds out that someone else will be living with him, he immediately shows that he is not happy about it. Hooper's mother had died a while before and it seems that he had taken it rather badly. This is the only reason the book shows why Hooper is like he is. He wants to be alone; he likes to shut everyone away from him. When Hooper's guest, Kingshaw, arrives he straight away tries to make Kingshaw feel unwelcome. Before Kingshaw gets through the front door, Hooper throws down a lump of plasticine. It read: ' I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO COME HERE'. When the boys meet in Kingshaw's new bedroom, there is a lot of tension. "Why have you come here?" Fearfully Kingshaw did not know how to react, he backed away. Straight away Hooper starts to make fun of Kingshaw. He jokes about his poverty and then teases and taunts him about his
how does susan hill create tension in the story
How does Susan Hill create tension in the story? During the last few weeks I have been set out to read the book called "the woman in black."I thoroughly enjoyed the book and now in this essay I will talk about how Susan Hill creates tension in the story. The main features I will talk about are the setting, the plot, and the dialog and how she creates tension in these things. I will also dwell upon some other things which the writer has created to make tension in the story. By the end of this story I would how clearly summed up when she creates tension and how. First I will talk about the setting. The place in which the story is set is Eel Marsh House. The house is in the middle of many marshes and is completely isolated from the rest of the world. The only way to get to Eel Marsh House is on a narrow gravel causeway called the nine lives causeway which can only be crossed at low tide and if you veer off the causeway you would be sucked in to the mud of the marsh. When the main character of the story Arthur first arrived at the house he described it as "gaunt" and that the place had a sense of "loneliness" about it. On the grounds of Eel Marsh House is a dreaded grave yard and a cemetery. I think that the setting of this story which is based at Eel Marsh House lifts the tension a great deal as it is the perfect place for unusual happenings and a gothic horror story. The
Susan Hill's short story The Woman in Black.
Suspense is an integral part of Susan Hill's short story, in creating a truly chilling and tense experience. In adhering to the gothic convention, the feeling of uncertainty when reading The Woman in Black is heightened, and the reader is forced to read on in search of an outcome. A psychological feeling of curiosity or expectation is created within the reader, often tinged with anxiousness, created by delaying the resolution of the conflict. As a result of the abundance in suspense and tension Arthur Kipps, to whom much sympathy is drawn, is seemingly put in a position of inexplicable, yet inevitable danger. Though we as readers are never told this, sub consciously our imagination takes control, in a search for the outcome. It is the underlying, psychological fear of the unknown which indeed makes this short story a gothic success. We experience a psychological journey alongside the ever rational Mr Kipps, in search of the outcome of the tension filled proceedings. From the outset, it is what goes unsaid, that grips the reader with both excitement and anxiety. We are held in suspense by Arthur Kipps, the self-described 'even-tempered' man, who, in the very first scene, curiously loses his temper at a Christmas Eve family gathering. The reader is simply told that "'it was not a story to be told for casual entertainment, around the fireside upon Christmas Eve". This
'Woman in Black'
'Woman in Black' The story of Arthur's haunting by Jennet Humphrey is told with an effective narrative technique. The most obvious device employed, initially, by Susan Hill, is to tell the story in flashback. As soon as Arthur decides to commit his story to paper we leave the present narrative. In 'Christmas Eve', the opening chapter of the story starts full of 'Cheerfulness and bustle'. Susan Hill interests the reader when she sets up a happy atmosphere. The peaceful beginning contrasts well with the dramatic ending of violence, suddenness and 'cold fear', which seems to be dealt with briefly to prevent pain for Arthur. At the beginning of the novel the writer drops seeds that point to the future and give hints of something dreadful to come, 'Long shadow of the past', 'woven into my fibres'. Hill is signalling that something awful has happened that will always be with Arthur. This leaves many unanswered questions for the reader to think about, 'what has happened in the past to make Arthur so unhappy?' Further on in the novel the reader is introduced to Stella, Arthur's fiancée. We are left to wonder what happened to her and how come he ends up happily married to Esme. Arthur's story is labelled not, 'casual entertainment,' but a story of, 'haunting and evil, fear and confusion, horror and tragedy'. The cosy atmosphere becomes slightly soured. At the end of chapter one
The Woman In Black How does Susan Hill build suspense in the Woman In Black?
Toqeer Hassan The Woman In Black How does Susan Hill build suspense in the Woman In Black? In the Woman In Black Susan Hill uses various types of characters and the way the characters react in the story therefore creating suspense. Firstly Mr Bently his reaction and change of mood in the story when Arthur asks him questions about Mrs Drablow 'Children? Mr Bently fell silent for a few moments' (...) "According to everything we've been told about Mrs Drablow "he said carefully "No, there were no children" (29) Here Mr Bently seems to be hiding something from Arthur by the way he pauses and falls silent for a few moments, therefore causing slight suspense from the reaction of Mr Bently, and the way Mr Kipps reacts on the hearing of Mrs Drablows name as if she was like an evil witch "I'm here to attend a funeral - Mrs Drablow, of eal marsh house. Perhaps you knew of her?" his face flickered with ... what? (42). There you can see that Mr Kipps knows something about Mrs Drablow something not very nice but wasn't saying, not telling Arthur what he was hiding to himself. Susan Hill also uses first person narrative which tells the reader there is something wrong. I also think Spider the dog causes suspense especially when the events happen in the house. 'I realised that Spider was up and standing at the door, every hair of her body
"I'm the King of the Castle" - with close references to the text discuss the relevance of the novel's title.
GCSE coursework: Discursive Writing (800- 200words) "I'm the King of the Castle": with close references to the text discuss the relevance of the novel's title. This novel tells the story of two boys who, basically, are at war with each other. At first, it is hard to understand what the point in them being at war is. There seems to be no special prize for the winner, and it is hard to find any goal which they are aiming to achieve. However, what is evident , is that there is a strong drive to war behind one of the boys, and this rubs off on to the other boy has he tries to counteract. 'I'm the king of the castle... and your the dirty rascal' This is well known children's playground saying. It is said by a child who finds himself in a position, where he perceives himself standing higher, than any other child around him. This saying is usually just passed off as a bit of child play. However, I believe that it illustrates a natural instinct amongst humans. And, as a dominating theme of this novel is human instinct, we can see that there is a relevance to the title. The human instincts that are illustrated are, the desire to have their own home and space, where they are free to do what they like, and also to acquire territory. If you take a look at almost any history text book, you will see that wars dominate. The whole of human history is riddled
Drummonds was the educational institution Hooper had been attending
Question: The places in I'm the King of the Castle have affected the growth and development of the characters in this novel. Do you agree? I'm the King of the Castle is a story that revolves around the theme of status and power and set in Warings. However, there are also other places that mould the characters in this novel. Hence, looking at it generally we can say YES that all the places, regardless of what happened there, shaped the plot and contributed to it greatly. First of all, we will look at where this story begins - Warings. This house is essentially the main setting for the entire novel. On first sight, we can see that Warings is not a very ideal place for living. It possesses an ugly exterior and is "entirely graceless". Joseph Hooper I also planted yew trees at the back of the house. These yew trees are commonly grown at graveyards and they represent death hence bringing a sense of foreboding. The ominous aura around it hints that nothing good will ever happen there. However the influence of Warings goes beyond its physical appearance. The interior of Warings "is too dark" and "smells un-lived", "like a museum". This heightens the ominous feelings and affects Kingshaw. We will now see why. Without a doubt, the room that affected Kingshaw most is the Red Room. Two things about this room instill a sense of fear in him. One being the colour of the room and the
Compare and contrast the presentation of Charles Kingshaw and Edmund Hooper in I'm the King of the Castle with Gregory and the narrator in The Half Brothers.
I'm the King of the Castle - Susan Hill The Half Brothers - Elizabeth Gaskell Compare and contrast the presentation of Charles Kingshaw and Edmund Hooper in I'm the King of the Castle with Gregory and the narrator in The Half Brothers. Examine their respective relationships, comment on the behaviour of the adults and explain how it affects the boys and helps influence the outcome of each text. I'm the King of the Castle is a fairly recent novel compared The Half Brothers, a pre 20th century text. The two texts deal with the issues that arise from family relationships. However, I'm the King of the Castle portrays bullying within a family relationship and The Half Brothers portrays jealousy in a family relationship. In I'm the King of the Castle Edmund Hooper, the son of Joseph Hooper who is the owner of Warings shows many similarities with the narrator in The Half Brothers. Both boys are the sons of successful, dominant men who are the heads and owners of their houses. Because of the influence of their fathers, both boys are dominant and enjoy the feeling of being in control. Like his father, Edmund lacks friends and has a detached outlook on life. He is displeased at the news of Kingshaw joining his home, but is not concerned about Kingshaw interfering with his relationship with his father as the family relationship is dysfunctional anyway. Joseph Hooper says '[he] had
The Go-Between
The Go-Between Chapter four Reading chapter four it is clear to see that Leo fells like a new person. He loves his new clothes and is so happy that he is the centre of attraction at the lunch that takes place at the Maids head. Pg 48 'My appearance was greeted with ones of acclaim as if the whole party had been living for this moment' and 'I had to wait until tea for the public acknowledgement...' Leo seems to really want to please the Maudsley's and all the guests that naturally are at a high status. I feel a bit sorry for him because it shows that he lacks self confidence, and just like his mother is sensitive to public opinion (pg 24 line 3). Leo only is feeling a lot more confident around the Maudsley's maybe because he now looks like one of them. Marian's actions are a bit suspicious in this chapter. She asked Leo to meet her by the statue of Thomas Browne after shopping, but Leo says: pg 48 'She seemed to be saying goodbye to someone...' and 'Then she waved her parasol with its foamy edges and quickened her step'. The novel does not say who Marian was waving to, and the fact that she quickened her step, most probably was, because she wanted to get away from where she was, fearing being seen. Marian's mother asks her if she saw anyone in Norwich earlier that day and Marian replies by saying 'Not a cat.'Pg 49 and Leo supports her...forgetting the hour he had spent in
In this essay I am going to attempt to analyze to which extent the other characters in the book contribute to Kingshaw's death. Firstly I will explain each of the characters roles to which put Kingshaw to death.
God Helped the Trio of survivors, " Analyze to the Extent that the parents and Hopper contribute to the final tragedy." In this essay I am going to attempt to analyze to which extent the other characters in the book contribute to Kingshaw's death. Firstly I will explain each of the characters roles to which put Kingshaw to death. Before Kingshaw moved to Warnings his mother paid a great deal of attention and interest to Kingshaw. When the moved she became superficial and unloving, this is shown very early on in the book," Mrs. Helena Kingsaw threw herself eagerly into the planning of the Sunday morning cocktail party, to which so many important people were coming, she thought, My life is changing, everything is turning out for the best. Oh how right I was to come here." This quote shows the immense bridge through which parent and child have to pass through. Mrs. Kingshaw places great amounts of pressure on Kingshaw because he is the housewife's son so he has to be good and friendly. The situation from where Mrs. Kingshaw doesn't want to help her son or under stand his problems follows a parael line to the happiness of the relationship between her and Mr. Hooper. As she lacks a husband and Kingshaw lacks a Father she must think that it is a phase that all boys pass through at some stage in their lives. A quote shows how she misunderstands Kingshaws unhappiness in chapter ten