In order to convey a message author sometimes breaks away from the traditional way of portraying a protagonist. They do this to maybe go against other books written within the same genre or to make them stand out. Some books that have exhibited this characteristic are; Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and the fairy tale The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter. In each of these stories, the author creates a protagonist that goes against the norms of the genre. The protagonist is defined as the hero or the good guy a story. Each genre often portrays the protagonist in a similar way. This essay will analyze these three books looking at why they break form.
This paper will discuss the motif of the double in Strangers on a Train. While the double is a recurring motif in Hitchcock’s work that he routinely employs in order to explore questions of moral responsibility, identity, and guilt, it receives its most overt and thorough treatment in Strangers on a Train. Studies of the film have consistently understood Bruno as a stand in for Guy’s unspoken desire, the chaos held at bay by societal order - Guy does indeed want to ‘get rid of’ his wife, but he transfers this responsibility (and associated guilt) to Bruno (Walker; Wood; Dellolio; Truffaut). As Walker notes, in Hitchcock’s films, the double most often serves as an ‘alter ego’ that enacts the repressed/disavowed/unpermitted desires of another character. Indeed, as Walker points out, There is little ambiguity that this is precisely what Hitchcock meant to communicate in the film, as he has formally stated this in correspondence with Francois Truffaut:
In the story, "The Things They Carried" a narrator describes the life of soldiers during the Vietnam War. The narrator lists what some of the soldiers carried during their experience in the war, emotional and tangible. Tim O'Brien presents the character of Ted Lavender, an obviously frightened soldier, in order to be a spokeperson to symbolize obvious stress within soldiers during their journey. He presents the character of Kiowa, a devoted Baptist, in order to represent how some of the soldiers cope with the exorbitant amount of stress.
In the book Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury the case of Montag vs. Captain Beatty we will be prosecuting Guy Montag on murder with a deadly weapon. Guy killed his fire captain with not explanation or reason. Montag is guilty for the murder of Captain Beatty his fire captain. Captain Beatty was an honored, intelligent, innocent man that has done nothing wrong or bad towards Guy Montag. Guy does not act like a normal person like us. For example Beatty was trying to help Montag by giving him the option to destroy his problems but instead he had different plans. Unlike allowing Beatty to help him Montag choose a completely different route that most humans would not even think of doing. All of these actions occurred because Montag was an owner of over twenty books. Books in our society (Fahrenheit 451) are illegal to own because they corrupt ones mind with fake and damaging knowledge. Montag was found with over twenty books in his house which means that he does no think like a normal person. A person who does not think like our society is considered dangerous to themselves and the ones around them, this is why I am prosecuting Guy Montag.
The identity a person holds is one of the most important aspects of their lives. Identity is what distinguishes people from others, although it leaves a negative stereotype upon people. In the short story Identities by W.D Valgardson, a middle-aged wealthy man finds himself lost in a rough neighborhood while attempting to look for something new. The author employs many elements in the story, some of the more important ones being stereotype and foreshadow.
The “Azar” within each soldier lies dormant, only until invoked by war, by desire for destruction and bloodshed—whereas the qualities of Ted Lavender are extinguished upon the first draft. In The Things They Carried, by Tim O’ Brien, the character of Ted Lavender embodies the weaker, mellower side of human nature that dies with war.
Looks are not all of what women want because that is only skin deep. For women, they look for certain traits that make up the perfect apple to their eyes. There are many qualities that women would want in a man that would make a perfect male romantic partner. There are four qualities that are most desired which are also shown through the perspective of the child in Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”; through the prospective of the abused wife in Jo Carson’s “I Cannot Remember All the Times”; and through the prospective of the child in Robert Hayden’s “Those Winter Sundays”. The male figure’s traits, which women want in a man, are portrayed though quotes
Imagine losing everything: your job, family, and good name all because of someone accusing you of something that there is no sound evidence for. Now imagine people losing their lives for insubstantial reasons, and anyone who spoke out against these would lose everything themselves. Wouldn’t corruption reign from personal vengeance and create an aura of hysteria? Readers see this exact effect in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible as well as in the historical event of The Lavender Scare, in both of which people were wrongfully castigated for unjustifiable accusations. The Crucible and The Lavender Scare were both similar and different.
Harry Mulisch’s The Assault is a self-proclaimed “story of an incident” (3) wherein “the rest [of the events are] a postscript” (55). The incident in question is the murder of Anton Steenwijk’s parents, and the postscript refers to the future, where Anton uncovers details relating to the incident. Despite Mulisch’s definitive distinction between events, however, the incident itself is convoluted and its details shift over the span of the work. Through the development of major and supporting characters, Mulisch brings forth a diverse range of perspectives and reconstructs the history of the incident, thereby exploring the motif of moral ambiguity within The Assault.
• The reader must have a fair and an equal opportunity to guess the criminal or to solve the ‘clue puzzle’. The reader has to be provided with all the clues and hints, as the ‘sidekick ‘or the companion of the detective cannot hide his/her thoughts from the readers, there should be a transparency in the
Thomas S. Hibbs’ expository essay “Memento Harry” (2011) examines the recurring notion of memento mori in Rowling’s Harry Potter. Hibbs affirms that the Harry Potter series is a tribute to memento mori, “the virtuous cultivation of the memory of death.” Hibbs utilizes parallelism by presenting that the awareness of mortality is the assertion of “life over death, love over hate, and community over isolation,” incorporates logos by analyzing that “remembering and preparing for death are central virtues”, and relates Harry Potter to The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe in order to demonstrate that death is only conquered through selflessness. Hibbs perspective on the concept of memento mori is certainly penetrating and he persuasively
Detective fiction is one of the most popular forms of fiction in America. In his article, “American Detective Fiction,” Robin W. Winks addresses the fact that in spite of this popularity, the genre has received little critical attention that studies the work for itself. He explains the two types of errors that critics have made when looking at detective fiction: the high road, where critics claim classic works were detective fiction all along, and the low road, where critics poorly execute their analysis and simply give detailed plot summaries. Winks then goes on to describe how American detective fiction has something to offer because it reflects how the society of the time sees itself. This article is mostly effective in proving its claims
The Sirens are presented in contrasting ways by Homer and Atwood, but with comparable techniques. In the Odyssey, by Homer, the Sirens are shown through the perspective of Odysseus, a hero is lost from home and is trying to find a way back. This point of view shows that the Sirens can be strong when confronted, but they can be resisted. Also, it highlights that the Sirens are a concept of annoyance. Whereas in the “Siren Song,” by Margaret Atwood, it portrays that the Sirens are unavoidable and they will always catch the men. Therefore, while both readings show the idea of Sirens concealed true nature, it also shows the concept of deception and stratagem. Through the use of tone, point of view, diction, imagery, allusion, and enjambment the
During the 1890’s until today, the roles of women and their rights have severely changed. They have been inferior, submissive, and trapped by their marriage. Women have slowly evolved into individuals that have rights and can represent “feminine individuality”. The fact that they be intended to be house-caring women has changed.
Stephanie Plum, Morelli, and Ranger are three main characters in the book, One for the Money, by Janet Evanovich. Stephanie is a young woman struggling to get by in the city of Trenton, New Jersey. After losing her job, she goes against her family’s request and gets the dangerous job of a bounty hunter. She gets assigned Joe Morelli, who was accused of murder and who happened to be a childhood enemy. Stephanie is very inexperienced and receives help from a professional bounty hunter, Ranger. Although Stephanie and Joe have a rough past and she must go through many risky situations, she eventually earns the $10,000 reward after solving the mysterious murder case. The author uses direct and indirect characterization to explain who these characters are and how they change during their many complications.