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Examples of character analysis, 123 essays
Examples of character analysis, 123 essays
Historical influences on literature
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The Hour of the Star
As Clarice Lispector was writing what would become her last literary creation, The Hour of the Star, little did she know that while her body was plagued with the devastations of cancer, her mental struggle for peace and grace in death would inspire her most renowned novel. Perhaps it is because of those circumstances, she created a novel with intuitive reflections on both life and death, as seen through the life of the main character, Macabea. The story is narrated by Rodrigo S.M., and although Rodrigo attempts to maintain a neutral stance, he is often conflicted by his own perceptions and feelings. At the book’s commencement Rodrigo spends quite some time explaining that while the story is mainly about a woman, having the book narrated by a female would weaken the richness of content. He explains that a woman is incapable of clearly emphasizing the harshness of reality; that she is too emotional and attempting to explain the life of a wretched girl would be hard because her emotions would not allow an unbiased depiction of the cruelties of life. Macabea is introduced in the novel as a poor girl who does what she must to survive in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. She is, Rodrigo remarks, nothing out of the ordinary. Physically there is nothing about Macabea which sets her apart from the other countless street rascals who live hand to mouth. He then provides readers with some of her early life history, including how she almost died at birth because of rickets, and how both her parents succumbed to typhoid fever when she was a toddler. Finally after their death Macabea was forced to move in with her aunt, who too eventually passed away, but not before procuring the child a job to support herself. In the course of the novel the popular culture, though vague and metaphorical at times, affects Macabea and the secondary characters personalities and actions.
It should be mentioned that the story uses a myriad of figurative and metaphoric imagery. Throughout the novel the narrator injects his own views, often leading the reader to a deeper questioning of the story as it unfolds. He frequently speaks about what would happen if the main character were to do things in a different way. Also, through the interjection of varying levels of foreshadowing the reader gets a sense of where the story is headed. At one point the narrator says “…were I to t...
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... in herself. Although she perceives the little things, the bigger picture of life is completely foreign to her. When she passes by strangers on the street they do not even realize let alone recognize her smile. She is so stricken in poverty and lives in seclusion yet maintains a certain level of peace. In a sense it makes the reader think and analyze the deeper meaning that the author is trying to get across. How can someone so poor and uneducated, so rejected by society, be so peaceful and serene? By spotlighting the popular culture of Rio de Janeiro as well as the lengths that citizens go to try and satisfy almost impossible standards the author was making a statement about mankind. Showing that little Macabea could attain the peace that everyone seems to be in search of was a great statement to human nature. The happiness and grace that Gloria, Olimpico, and everyone else were trying so hard to attain through material things would always escape them. Yet for a simple, unrefined girl like Macabea, her genuine nature and pleasure in even the small aspects of life helped her to find the sense of peace and calm that most of society so desperately tries to find outside themselves.
To keep her daughter’s “virtue” intact Macaria beats her. In this way the mother establishes complete control over Marcela’s sexuali...
Rand uses similes and metaphors to describe two different things such as when Equality compares liberty to a thin blade of iron or when comparing his judgement of mind to the only searchlight that can find the truth. Her work of literary devices also includes personification because in the novel it states” Men never enter the Uncharted Forest, for there is no power to explore and no path to lead among its ancient trees which stand as guards of fearful secrets.” (Rand,48) The writer uses personifications to describe the trees as guards. This is where symbolism comes into place. The Uncharted Forest is symbolizing the desire for forbidden knowledge from the people living to the cities. I feel that the writer most important use of literature is when using dramatic irony throughout the story. Rand’s use of the word “we” is an example of dramatic irony because it acts as a first-person point of view which shows how individualism disappeared in this society. The reader knows that Equality is in the process of discovering himself as the singular word, “I” before himself even aware of this. The word “I” is also what the people in the novel call, the Unspeakable Word. At the point where Equality discovers this, he finds the sense of being an individual. Rand’s work of writing has connections towards to society and how one’s mind can change the
Demetria Martínez’s Mother Tongue is divided into five sections and an epilogue. The first three parts of the text present Mary/ María’s, the narrator, recollection of the time when she was nineteen and met José Luis, a refuge from El Salvador, for the first time. The forth and fifth parts, chronologically, go back to her tragic experience when she was seven years old and then her trip to El Salvador with her son, the fruit of her romance with José Luis, twenty years after she met José Luis. And finally the epilogue consists a letter from José Luis to Mary/ María after her trip to El Salvador. The essay traces the development of Mother Tongue’s principal protagonists, María/ Mary. With a close reading of the text, I argue how the forth chapter, namely the domestic abuse scene, functions as a pivotal point in the Mother Tongue as it helps her to define herself.
? . . . it made no difference if they studied medicine or had the right to vote, because they would not have the strength to do it, but she herself [Nivea] was not brave enough to be among the first to give up the fashion.? (6, Ch 1) The women in this society are dependant on the dominant male figure to handle political and economical duties. This point of view is intended to mimic the older generation of women ad present a foundation for the growth of an enlightened generation. Allende uses this excerpt to present a foundation of structure to the novel by beginning with the extremes of opinion, which are followed in the novel through different generations. Alba for example, become a very outspoken activist by trying to attend the student protests and follow Miguel on his demonstrations, a sharp contrast to the indifference or shallowness found in her great grandmother.
Through vivid yet subtle symbols, the author weaves a complex web with which to showcase the narrator's oppressive upbringing. Two literary
“Intense love does not measure, it just gives. “ (Mother Teresa) This sentence perfectly describes the character Clarisa in the short story, “Clarisa” written by Isabel Allende because of her giving nature and devotion to helping other people. In this short story, Clarisa is the model of gentility and compassion by giving absolutely every thing she had, and even spends “…the last cent of her dowry and inheritance,” (434) and, “In her own poverty, she never turned her back on the poverty of others” (434). For these reasons, they people that know Clarisa hold her in high esteem, and continually portray her as saint like. Allende helps the reader understand the admiration others have for Clarisa through the use of imagery, similes, and diction.
reflects upon the theme of the novel. As it highlights the fact that if people in the society
The “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and ‘”The Hand” by Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette are similar in theme and setting. Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette and Kate Chopin create the theme of obligatory love and the unhappiness it entails. Both stories illustrate the concealed emotions many women feel in their marriage yet fail to express them. The two stories take place in a sacred room of the house and both transpire in a brief amount of time. The differences between the two stories are seen through the author’s choice of characters in each story. In “The story of an Hour” Kate Chopin involves other characters in Mrs. Mallard’s life, whereas, “The Hand” deals with marriage and togetherness and only involves the husband and wife. Symbolism is seen all throughout “The Hand” not so in ‘The Story of an Hour.” The similarities in “The Story of an Hour” and “The Hand” is portrayed in theme and setting. The differences are illustrated in the choice of characters involved in each story and the amount of symbolism depicted in the different stories.
The entire book was leading up to the murder of the notorious Mirabal sisters which also put into perspective how oppressed these people were. Not only did this book give the reader an insight on the life of a citizen of the Dominican Republic between the years of 1930 and 1960 but, it showed how an oppressive government could affect the people in both negative and positive ways, using the sisters as examples. Obviously, negative aspects included citizens being jailed and killed by their own government. In a situation such as this, fear was in every person, whether they were brave enough to join the resistance or not. Families were torn apart, as shown in the book. Minerva, Maria Teresa, and their husbands, along with Patria’s husband, were taken from their children, home, church and family to be jailed for going against the government. Alvarez vividly describes the hurt that came to the families when they were broken apart. In jail, the sisters and husbands were also physically ill. They were being starved and being diagnosed with pneumonia which was not unheard
Another major role model in Marjane’s life was her grandm... ... middle of paper ... ... Marji to realize that the culture’s idolization of martyrs is completely warped. Throughout the rest of the novel Marji never truly escapes the pain that witnessing so much death has caused her, in Austria she tires drugs and love to comfort her, but nothing works the gruesome picture is never able to escape her mind. Marji is impacted be the courageous women came before her, the women that die unjustly, and even the women who attempt to take away her individuality.
The author connects Antonio’s anxieties about change in his life to the culture in which he lives. Ultima’s intrusion into Antonio’s life marks a crazy time of change for Antonio. Anaya reiterates Antonio’s position on the threshold of change by showing his nerves about beginning school, moving away from his mother, and facing his unusual future. The vaquero lifestyle preferred by his father renews the values of freedom, independence and mobility, all of which are rules in the vaqueros’ love of the llano. The Luna family lifestyle preferred by Antonio’s mother, but emphasizes family and productivity,
William Faulkner is often considered to be the greatest writer in the America history. His fame rests largely on his novels, especially for his closely examination of the southern culture. "That evening sun" is a good example of it.
For women, the 19th century was a time of inequality, oppression, and inferiority to their male counterparts. A woman's social standing depended solely on her marital status. For these reasons many women were forced to lead a life of solitude and emotional inadequacy, often causing depression. In Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of an Hour," setting plays a significant role in illustrating the bittersweet triumph of Mrs. Mallard's escape from oppression at the ironic cost of her life.
Clarice Lispector, a Brazilian female writer of Jewish descent, tied her writing with her very life, for her writing reflects her viewpoint on many aspects of her life. She was well-known for her existentialist writing involving themes revolving around women’s roles. Through the characters and their interactions in her works, Lispector explores the societal status of women. The male subjugation of women influences many of the themes found in her works and a better understanding of women’s social status ultimately leads to a better understanding of the relationship between the characters in her works and actions by those characters. Thus, the evaluation of women in the society contemporary to the era Lispector lived in influences the overall existentialist ideas and the motif of women’s roles in her work.
her writing. Due to the oppressive government, women were confined to their traditional roles and in showing the lack of freedom, both mentally and physically, that this imposes on them, Clarice Lispector justifies her existentialist viewpoints through her writings; life is pain, misery, and inevitably death. These viewpoints are imminent when discussing the overall lack of freedom in Lispector’s stories “The Chicken”, “The Smallest Woman in the World”, and “Preciousness”.