The Pumpkin Eater, And Isobelle Carmody's The Pumpkin Eater

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Recommended: The life of pi symbolism

Discoveries are driving forces to our views of the world. The process requires us to think over and reconsider our ideas of the world and may be unexpected, or intentionally provoked. Ang Lee’s film, “Life of Pi”, and Isobelle Carmody’s short story, “The Pumpkin-Eater”, provides insight to the audience of renewed perspective of the world through the discoveries seen through the protagonists, self-discoveries that challenge the world they know through tragedies of loss, and reconsidering what they believe about the world. Through narration, foreshadowing and the use of metaphors and symbolism, we learn the of the nature within discovery, and change that may take place. Discoveries reveal components we have thought to be lost, or lose the components …show more content…

Isobelle Carmody’s short story, “The Pumpkin-Eater”, portrays a middle eastern woman, a lone rider and former princess in the days of the crusades, retelling her story of her childhood living in a tower with her mother and maid, leaving to accept the engagement proposed by a prince, only to discover that in this, she is to be exchanging one prison for another. The discovery of self-reliance is seen through her leaving to take care of herself, to not be locked up and kept hidden away to preserve beauty. Foreshadowing of her journey is utilised through the drawing of tarot cards to set the story in motion. “I remember drawing the card of long journeying the year my firstblood came. The bird of my heart, caged for so long, beat its wings against my chest” The mention of her “firstblood”, a significant component to becoming a woman, as a normally hidden bodily function attends to the process of maturity, and the metaphor of the caged bird of her heart symbolises the anticipation and excitement to escape her tower prison to find love of her own. The drawing of this particular card acts as a catalyst to the protagonist’s story, providing reason for her to leave and start anew. The world the protagonist is confined to the tower, with her mother and her maid warning her from love, therefore, forming her basis of rebellion, challenging the views of the world seen through other’s eyes. “ ‘Was it love then?’

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