Humanity is often subjected to experiencing the eerie sense of deja vu; the situation seems familiar, but just out of the grasp of perception. Due to this phenomenon, it is easy to identify with Marla, the main character of Margaret Atwood’s “First lives club: Pretend Blood.” Atwood’s use of characterization highlights the foreshadowing and conflict that ultimately results in tragedy.
Atwood approaches the detrimental transition of Marla’s character through gradual changes in Marla’s point of view and perception of events. Before entering the world of PLAYS, Marla is portrayed as a pessimistic person with a negative perception of others, initially describing Sal as “thirty-five and tubby, with a pasty complexion and an overbite.” Upon learning of PLAYS, Marla is skeptical of it’s legitimacy, but is drawn in by it’s entertaining qualities upon joining. Her uncertainty fades after she begins to connect with her chosen persona, Queen Mary, through educating herself on the life of the Scottish monarch.
Her increased participation within PLAYS becomes the turning point of her descent into the belief that she was once Queen Mary. As she learns more, Marla’s point of view reveals she is no longer pretending. She became convinced she is one with the deceased Queen’s experiences and
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relationships, referring to events as if she had witnessed them in the first person. “She remembered with anguish the murder of her Italian secretary, clever David Rizzio, though she had mixed feelings about her useless husband Darnley being found dead in the garden after they blew up his house, the poxy shit.” This manner of thinking begins to reflect on how she viewed other role players on PLAYS, basing her opinion of them on their personas. This is prevalent in her brief attempts at romance through the website. “She turned down dating invitations from several Darnleys: the man had been a snot in his past life and surely wouldn't be any better now.” This transition alters Marla’s perception of the world around her, leading to further conflict as the story develops. Atwood’s development of Marla is essential to the conflict of the story. Before Marla had joined PLAYS, she had already harbored resentment towards her more successful and wealthy friend, displayed in her reaction to Sal’s first engagement, “unlike Sal – the new Sal – she had a dead-end job and no man in sight. Marla hadn't missed that gloating subtext. It irritated her.” It was Atwood’s use of developing Sal into Queen Elizabeth that enabled Marla to act on this resentment, due to the history between the two muses. Atwood used the relationship between Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary as a mirror to Marla’s and Sal’s friendship.
“Just like Elizabeth the First, thought Marla: her clothes were always better than mine, even before she was keeping me cooped up in those draughty, damp castles, with nothing at all to spend on decent cloaks. So cheap of her.” Marla found her justification to her internal conflict towards Sal due to the pre-established negative relationship between their two muses. Atwood spun the conflict of both parties together to prepare for the climax within the Holyroodhouse, with Sal referencing the alleged affair between Mary and Rizzo, as well as commenting on Marla’s weight and
hair. Besides the foreshadowing brought about by the characterization and conflict of this piece, Atwood incorporates other subtle details of foreshadowing throughout the piece. Bob’s death foreshadowed further deaths that were related to the historical details of their personas. “Bob/Marc had fallen off a boat, on the Nile … Sal was heartbroken: they never should have gone back there, it was bad luck for them.” The reference of this bad luck became relevant when Atwood introduced the Holyroodhouse, the scene of a significant death in Queen Mary’s life. The final nail in the coffin were Sal’s heels, which became the scapegoat of her death. Marla references the heels as not being suitable for sightseeing, an indirect hint that the pair of shoes would somehow become significant to future events. Atwood delivered a compelling piece about how hiding behind a persona can bring out an individual’s true colors. The combined use of characterization, conflict, and foreshadowing elements were effectively combined to deliver a well executed twist ending through indirect and discrete changes in style and perception. The reader is left to question their own perception and sense of identity, and to ponder the thin line between recreation and obsession.
Life has been tough for the teenagers on the street, they all find out about the struggles of living in these cold hard streets. Barbara Haworth-Attard shows us life on the streets of the four main characters in her book theories of relativity. Living on the streets is tough, and these four kids found out the hard way. Most of them will be stuck on the streets forever such as amber, twitch, and Jenna, but Dylan might be able to make it out
The relationship Edna has with Mademoiselle Reisz guides her transformation from a wife and mother to a single woman. Reisz acts as a role model for her, someone who does not conform to society’s expectations. Mademoiselle Reisz lives how she wants and accepts both positive and negative consequences of her lifestyle. From the first time Edna sees her play, she admires Mademoiselle Reisz. “The woman, by her divine art, seemed to reach Edna’s spirit and set it free” (623). The music she plays helps calm Edna’s spirit. Mademoiselle Reisz allows Edna to read the letters Robert wrote to her and she supports her in her decision to follow her heart and be with Robert. In doing so, she kindles the passionate flame Edna has for Robert. As Edna wishes t...
The Power of an Author Authors have the ability justify the worst actions. Authors have a way of romanticizing certain situations in order to convey a specific message. A good author has power to influence the reader into believing whatever it is the author wants. When it comes to the story of Hannah Dustan, authors such as John Greenleaf Whittier have romanticized her captivity story along with the actions she took throughout her journey. Introducing a character that will be seen in the story is one of the most vital parts when creating a piece of literature.
Speak, by Laurie Halse anderson is novel about a girl known by the name of Melinda Sordano.In the novel Melindas transforamtion as the main protagoinst is represented by a tree. Three ways in which a tree represents Melinda are through the strugle to find who she is, her growth, amd life.
Carmen Sternwood is described with profoundness but in a different (less sexual) sense than her sister is. Marlowe encounters her on many occasions and is thorough in describing her--from her first flirtations to her continuous irritations. In t...
Margaret is an intelligent, articulate, and ambitious woman who desires to rise up in social status by marrying a man of higher social rank. She attends to those above her, in hopes of elevating her status as she becomes closer to the upper-class. As a minor character, she plays a small yet crucial role in advancing Don John’s plot to slander Hero and spoil her wedding. As a lower-class character, Margaret serves as a foil to the rich girls, particularly Hero, who embodies every attitude and mindset Margaret does not. But she also offers an alternative perspective on the upper-class characters in the play. Because Margaret is victimized because of her social ambitions, punished for wanting to rise above her ...
a lot though the play, at the start she is a very obedient and 'a
The dialogue a narrator uses with characters in a short story reflects on how the story is being understood by the reader. A character’s dialogue is assumed to be controlled by the author, and then the reader comprehends the dialogue through different points of view in which is told by a narrator. Which point of view the author uses can change how the reader may understand the story. Understanding a story is not just based off the ability to comprehend the plot, setting, characters, and theme. But importantly, understanding what point of view the narrator is in and whether the narrator has dialogue with characters within the story is important. The short story “Lusus Naturae”, written by Margaret Atwood, it’s a short story told by a first person narrator who is a main character in the story but has very minimum dialogue with the other characters. Another short story, “Sonny’s Blues”, written by James Baldwin, is
At the beginning of the story Nora is very happy, and everything with her family is going great. Nora responds in joy when Torvald brings up all the extra money that he will bring to the family with his new job. But as the story goes on Nora says she is not just a “silly girl” as Torvald says she is. Torvald does not agree that she understands all the business details referring to debt that she incurred to take out a loan to preserve Torvald’s health. She thinks that if she knows all these things about business that she will think that Torvald will see her as an intelligent person that knows more than just being a wife. But the fact that she is willing to break the law just to show her courage for Torvalds health.
At the outset, Atwood gives the reader an exceedingly basic outline of a story with characters John and Mary in plotline A. As we move along to the subsequent plots she adds more detail and depth to the characters and their stories, although she refers back with “If you want a happy ending, try A” (p.327), while alluding that other endings may not be as happy, although possibly not as dull and foreseeable as they were in plot A. Each successive plot is a new telling of the same basic story line; labeled alphabetically A-F; the different plots describe how the character’s lives are lived with all stories ending as they did in A. The stories tell of love gained or of love lost; love given but not reciprocated. The characters experience heartache, suicide, sadness, humiliation, crimes of passion, even happiness; ultimately all ending in death regardless of “the stretch in between”. (p.329)
...ters. Yet, this is not all that she does. She also refuses to listen to the opinion of the men of the house. She is a very strong woman and argues with them to make sure her opinion is heard. She may play a fool, but she also plays a fool that is opinionated and is not afraid to argue with the men. This is not something that was common in the 17th century. During this time, men were believed to know all. Women were meant to listen and follow. Marianne plays the subservient daughter. She is willing to marry a man that she does not want to marry simply because her father demands it. Yet, she plots with her maid Dorine to help her get out of the situation. This is something that does not follow gender norms. A good daughter of the time would listen to her father religiously. Every woman in this play defies gender norms, even if some of they do it in a very minor way.
In addition, Maria plays the role of the lady in waiting who essentially doesn’t do anything for herself except take orders. Later on the reader soon realizes that, Maria is a strong witty character that takes matters in to her own hands. Maria developes a strategy, first she goes for the messed up drunken Sir Toby and her goal is to straighten him out. Maria confronts Sir Toby about his drunkenness, “That quaffing and drinking will undo you: I heard my lady talk of it yesterday” (1.3.128). Sir Toby begins to take notice in Maria. Maria begins to plot with Toby to bring down Malvolio (the condescending butler) as a practical joke. Through the process of plotting against Malvolio with Toby, Maria develops a back bone something she was not known for with Olivia. Maria took the lead in the plotting and Toby starts taking her orders, “Observe him, for the love of mockery, for I know this letter will make a contemplative idiot of him” (2.5.18-19) As a result of the jokes success, Mari...
There are many female writers, some known better than other. Female writes most of the time focused their stories in experiences or personal point of view on what is going on around them. Other women write fiction of unusual worlds and character that people can relate to with the struggle or experiences. Margaret Atwood the “Canadian nationalist poetess is a prominebt figure concerned with the need for a new language to explore relations between subjects and society“ (Omid, Pyeaam 1). Atwood wrote her first novel called, “The Edible Woman”; this first novel categorized her as feminist, based on the main character of a strong woman. In an interview with Emma Brockes, Atwood affirms, "First of all, what is feminism? Second, which branch of it? Am I against women having rights? Actually, no. Am I really a puppet of the women's movement? No, I'm too old for that. I've been writing since 1956 and there was no women's movement in sight at the time”. Atwood does stands for women’s right but she never thought of being feminist while writing her stories. Atwood writes about strong women because just like any other female they are tired of reading about weak and submissive woman in books. Is clear that Atwood began writing before the woman movement started and that means she was ahead of her time. Atwood’s works is not just feminist her works represents her art and the way she feel about the world. Margaret Atwood is a poet, critic, novelist, and activist. Atwood’s stands for issues that trouble her and that she sees that are obstacles for her community. Through her entire writing career peoples can see that culture, science, feminism, and environment is reflected in her words and her expression to tell a story the only way she can. Her sho...
In early parts of the play, she is in control and is practical as she
Through Mariam's checkered background and the diverse people which formed her character, the reader is able to see how much the actions of others around us can contribute to the makings of one's own self-worth. Mariam experienced many conflicting ideas coming from others about what she is accredited to do and her worth in the world. However, Mariam only truly discovered her purpose when she meets Laila and her children, where she is finally able to see her own worth through the salvation of their love and