Moon Tiger: Sibling Rivalry

Sibling rivalry is common in a family household, where the competition can get very dangerous. In Penelope Lively book “Moon Tiger”, Claudia and Gordon Hampton are searching for ammonites in “shelving plateau of the cliff”. The brother and sister rivalry over the ammonites becomes very intense. Lively uses literary devices such as imagery, dialogue, and narration to reveal the complex relationship between the siblings and their mother. The imagery captures the environment scenery like the cliff, where the sibling are looking for ammonites. The dialogue between the characters reveal the interconnection they have with each other. Dialogue allow the readers to understand an individual character’s viewpoint. Narration shows the truth of what occurs, and allows the reader to see the whole picture. Lively encapture competition between siblings and the aftermath of the end of the competition.
In the search for ammonites Claudia is envious of Gordon possibly finding ammonites, and Claudia is consume with “suspicion and rivalry”. In the effort, Claudia attempts to pass Gordon by going higher than him on the cliff. The diction Lively uses to encompass the

Their competition clogs their judgement. Claudia reveals in her dialogue she is determine to retrieve move ammonites than Gordon. Gordon depict himself as a self-center person. He says “Anyway you can’t come here. I said this is my bit, you find your own”. Their attitude changes after Claudia’s fall and their mother enters into the scene. Claudia is now determine to explain to her mother that Gordon is to blame for her fall. Gordon tell his mother with sincerely that he was not at fault for Claudia’s fall. The mother, Edith Hampton, is the peacemaker “Don’t argue.” she says trying to be the voice of reason as the parent. Dialogue is a key part to conveying the story, and Lively uses dialogue to show each character’s