Lewis Grassic Gibbons Sunset Song contains two characters, Chris and
Ewan, whose relationship deteriorates throughout the novel. The writer
shows this deterioration through the various techniques that he employs.
Choose a novel in which the relationship between two characters
deteriorates. Explain the reasons for this and while assessing the
part each character plays in the deterioration. Make it clear where
your sympathies lie.
Lewis Grassic Gibbons "Sunset Song" contains two characters, Chris and
Ewan, whose relationship deteriorates throughout the novel. The
writer shows this deterioration through the various techniques that he
employs.
Plot is a major technique which Grassic Gibbons employs to portray the
deteriation of the relationship between Chris and Ewan. The plot
details the meeting of Chris and Ewan, describing Chris's initial
opinion of him being a "course, dour brute", an indication of the
English Chris. She knows him only through the local gossip of his
involvement with Sarah Sinclair yet soon instinctively likes him.
Chris's next encounter with Ewan is after the events of the fire at
Peesie's Knapp. He kisses her but she doesn't realise it is him at
the time. The kiss is described as being "dark, frightening and
terrible in the winter road". Chris response is described as
"kicked the man that held her...kicked him hard with her knee and then
brought her nails down across his face...she kicked him again"
During the night, she realises that she liked the kiss and her
sexuality is awakened. Later on, Ewan visits her home looking for her
brother and Chris notices a scratch on his chest that she inflicted
and realises that he kissed her. Both of them are embarrassed by her
realisat...
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...tionship is affected by external factors, the major one being the
First World War which completely changes Ewan's characteristics and
actions. It causes Ewan to act in a completely different way towards
Chris as he is violent and insulting. Chris completely changes her
feelings about him and it causes her to replace the love she had for
him with a feeling of hatred. When he returns to France, she doesn't
acknowledge him leaving. Theme is a major factor as it shows overall
how change occurs and how the relationship changed.
In conclusion, I feel more sympathy for Chris in the deteriation of
her relationship with Ewan as she was not to blame for it. The war
was the major cause in it which she could not have done anything
about. Grassic Gibbons was very effective in portraying the
deteriation of the relation of Chris and Ewan through his use of
techniques.
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Describe how tension is built-in the novel. Discuss how this building tension affects you as a reader.
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