The way in which individuals interact reveals the nature of a person’s character. Henry James in his story, “The Pupil”, does exactly this—characterizing individuals based upon their reaction and relationship with one another. The characters of Pemberton, Mrs. Moreen, and Morgan Moreen are slightly revealed through conversation and actions. However, the restriction of Pemberton’s point of view only provides readers with deeper insight into his specific character rather than the others. Yet through the use of tone, James enables readers to grasp the essence of each character’s desire and motive. Throughout the opening of this story, Henry James subtly, yet progressively, exposes the true nature of each character with the techniques of point …show more content…
Moreen, and Morgan. However, Pemberton is portrayed as the leading role that joins the three together. Pemberton’s central motive is based upon money—that of which he has none. Furthermore, his introductory description is a “poor young man” (James 1), which illustrates to readers that this man is in dire need of money. Though the need of funds seems to drive his intent to become a tutor, Pemberton’s tone with himself and Mrs. Moreen establishes his character even further. Pemberton is described as a man who “hesitated” and “procrastinated” (1) with every thought or action he pursued. His tone and manner with Mrs. Moreen never waivers from respectable, which is shown through his discomfort when the topic of salary comes to mind and his nervousness comes into play (12-13). Though Pemberton is “modest” and “timid” (54), it is through his point of view readers are able to understand the behavior of the other characters. Interestingly enough, Pemberton’s character is able to discern the true characters of the …show more content…
Moreen is more than what meets the eye. Her initial description, “a large, affable lady who sat there drawing a pair of soiled gants de Suede through a fat, jeweled hand” (8-9), relates to readers that she is assuming the role of aristocracy, yet she does not hold such a title. Through Pemberton’s point of view, she is painted as an inconsiderate and impolite woman who is creating a situation to “relieve herself of her maternal duties.” In other words, Mrs. Moreen is using Pemberton as a way to dispose of her son. Her behavior towards Pemberton shows her eagerness to discard of her son, Morgan, through her desire to begin the tutoring “within the week” (63-64). Throughout the entire conversation, Mrs. Moreen does not discuss with Pemberton his charging fees. When the matter surfaces, her tone is pretentious, in which she says, “Oh, I can assure you that all that will be quite regular” (70-71). Her inconsiderate relationship with Pemberton transfers over to her relationship with Morgan. Though Morgan has an obvious heart condition, Mrs. Moreen seems to disregard of the boy’s health, which she sighs and describes as “and all over-clouded by this” (34). Her tone referring to her son is one of borderline annoyance. Mrs. Moreen’s primary motive is to place the responsibility of her son onto someone
These quote from chapter twenty (The Minister in a Maze) offers a unique view into the minds of Arthur Dimmesdale. He is a young, pale, and physically delicate person.We get to know the young minister’s daily experiences and his thoughts about Hester, Pearl and the other characters who surround him. Hester is a young woman sent to the colonies by her husband, who plans to join her later but does not make it since they presume he is lost in the sea. Normally, one cannot serve two masters at a go since at the long run one of a person’s characters will oversee the other. In this essay herein, we are going to highlight the characters and actions of Dimmesdale and Hester in relation to the quote,"No man for any considerable period can wear
In one line, the reader sees from the perspective of the bully, shamelessly berating the fat kid. But, in the next line, the reader is forced to see from the perspective of the fat kid, abused and disregarded. Thus, the author enables conversations between readers by displaying varying perspectives throughout the
Point of view is one of the single greatest assets an author can use. It helps to move the plot along and show what is happening from a character’s perspective. An author can make the plot more complex by introducing several characters that the reader has to view events through. The events can then be seen through different eyes and mindsets forcing the reader to view the character in a different light. From one perspective a character can seem cruel, yet, from another, the same character can seem like a hero. These vastly contrasting views can be influenced based on the point of view, a character’s background, and the emotions towards them. The novel Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich showcases some examples of events seen from different points
Any quotes on specific pieces of writing, film, art, or anything else tend to have more meaning because those speaking could be supporters, critics, or neutral minded analysts. Most specific quotes have some sort of direction that go with them, and I enjoy exploring them. With Hitchcock, most of his quotes were deep and insightful, but some really stood out as being analytical and almost responsive to his own work. For my second angle of this paper I chose to explore the prompt where we were to write a thorough analysis based on a single character because everyday we analyze people by watching them and analyzing them based on appearance and personality. When there’s an appearance of very interesting people, we enjoy diving deep into their characters. We explore who they are as a person, where they came from, why they are where they are, and to what extent our relationship would lead. When given the opportunity to explore a char...
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is usually read as a ghost story in which the central character, the governess, tries to save the souls of two children possessed by evil. However, the short-story can be also analyzed from many different perspectives, as we come upon a number of hints that lead to various understanding of certain scenes. One of the possible interpretations is the psychoanalytical one, in which we interpret the events either from the point of view of the governess or from the perspective of the two children. I will concentrate on the problem of the governess who, restricted by her own problems and moral dilemmas, projects her fears on her pupils and in this way harms the children. What causes her moral corruption and gradual maddening lies deep in her psyche. Both the Victorian upbringing and the social isolation of a poor village tell her to restrict her sexual desires evoked by the romance reading. The result is tragic. The governess becomes mad and the children psychologically destabilized and scared of the adults. The story ends with the governess strangling the boy in a hysteric fit. The Turn of the Screw is a very popular work of literature, with reach history of critical interpretations where not much can be added, therefore my essay is mostly based on The Turn of the Screw. A History of Its Critical Interpretations 1898 1979 by Edward J. Parkinson.
Peter Quint and Miss Jessel symbolize the indistinguishable nature of both the governess and Miles’s sexuality in Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw. Whether or not these ghosts actually exist in the literal sense, Quint’s presence evokes what could be construed as sexual desires in the governess while also reminding her of her social status. Similarly, Quint forces the reader to question Miles’s sexuality because of the implication that their past relationship was of a sexual nature. Miss Jessel, on the other hand, serves as the governess’s only reminder of the wickedness of her desire for a sexual self and ultimately, prevents her from acting upon those desires. These developments emphasize the mysteriousness of the connection between Miles and the governess and lead to a deeper sense of dismay about the true nature of their bond.
Narration has a profound, formative influence in conveying the complex nature of human communication. This in turn, effects the ways in which the reader responds to the text. In ‘The curious incident of the dog in the night time’ Christopher’s father Ed understands his sons inability to interpret human emotion and reasoning and thus, has developed alternate ways in which he can communicate with his son which are accepted by Christopher. This is evident in chapter 31 where Christopher describes “ He held up his right hand.. we made our fingers and thumbs touch each other. i do not like hugging people so we do this instead. It means he loves me”. Through the simple sentences used in the first person narration, the intricate nature o...
No one can be trusted. In Henry James's The Turn of the Screw, the ambivalent nature of the novella causes suspicion of the sanity of his narrator, the Governess. The characters of the Governess, the children, and the apparitions, as villains and victims, cannot be told apart. Henry James impeccably makes use of ambiguity to create mystery and suspense through the dubiety roles of his main characters and the liability of the narrator.
An author can reveal characteristics of characters in literature through several different methods. Some common methods of characterization include one’s appearance, speech, thoughts, name, actions, and emotions. However, unconventional means can also be used, such as imagery, which is visually descriptive or figurative language. In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, imagery is used to characterize central characters to the play. Firstly, Hamlet’s characteristics are revealed through the imagery of death in his speech. Secondly, Claudius’ characteristics are revealed through the imagery in the Ghost and Hamlet’s descriptions of him, as well as his own thoughts. It is through this visually descriptive and figurative language, that readers can identify characteristics of these central characters.
Having each story been written in a third-person narrative form, the reader knows the innermost feelings of the protagonists and watches the main characters change. The reader learns what Brown feels as he thinks to himself, “What a wretch I am to leave her on such an errand!” In “Where Are You Going,” the narrator supplies much of Connie’s feelings, such as in the first paragraph, “she knew she was pretty and that was everything.” However, in Young Goodman Brown, “point of view swings subtly between the narrator and the title character. As a result, readers are privy to Goodman Brown’s deepest, darkest thoughts, while also sharing an objective view of his behavior” (Themes and Construction: Young 2). Point of view of “Young Goodman Brown” contrasts with that of “Where Are You Going” because “This narrative voice stays closely aligned to Connie’s point of view” (Themes and Construction: Where 2). Despite the subtle contrast, both points of view allow the reader to see the changes in Brown and Connie; Brown loses his faith and Connie loses herself. Point of view also affects how the reader sees other chara...
When writing literature, authors will adapt points of view to mold the perceptions of their readers. Three points of view that authors use to draw readers into their works of fiction are the limited perspective, the first-person perspective, and the objective perspective. Three stories will be examined and critiqued for their use of these narrative techniques. Of the three perspectives that will be examined, the first-person perspective is the most useful for sharing the authors’ vision.
The aspect of this afterword that I found the most intriguing was Hall's critique of Mrs. Penniman. "Morris Townsend is revealed as her fantasy of an oedipal lover" (230). That line really struck me for it seemed to be the first comment that I had read that was unusual and new. Anyone reading the novel could, rather quickly, deduce the general personalities of the characters. The author's observations about Catherine, Dr. Sloper and Morris do not reveal any new character dynamics. But, his ideas about Mrs. Penniman elaborate beyond the usual "annoying and selfish" remarks.
Both the 19th and 20th century authors of Henry James and Edith Wharton are commonly compared to one another and their works are criticized as being close to, if not, the same. For ten years, the two authors had been close friends and even traveled throughout France and Europe together looking for inspiration and new ideas. Wharton had never taken any type of criticism well. Eventually Edith Wharton sent her first written story, “The Line of Least Resistance,” to Henry James and she learned to accept criticism respectfully as one author to another. Henry James soon became a vital literary advisor in some of her most famous works. But soon she began to follow the example of James closely and started to write in his style. This style included the construction of appearances along with a tragic ending. Writing with the manners, customs, and beliefs of the upper class society, also allowed James to question the truth of that society. While including this style in Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton also reflects Henry James’s ideas of an unreliable narrator, through the view of a different gender than that of the author, from The Turn of the Screw. In writing through the mind of another person, Henry James and Edith Wharton both used their knowledge of psychology to influence their works. But while psychology is only a minor influence in Wharton’s work, her texts closely resemble that of an influence from James. Since Henry James was a friend, critic, and mentor to Edith Wharton, her novel Ethan Frome, published in 1911, reflects the influences James had on her writing, especially from his novel The Turn of the Screw, published in 1898.
Paris, Bernard J. Imagined Human Beings: A Psychological Approach to Character and Conflict in Literature. New York: New York University Press. 1997.
Gerard Genette focuses on the narration of the novel by analysing focalisation, the narrative mode, the use of intrusive authors and the way time is handled in a text. Each of these contributes to a readers understanding and appreciation of a text. Focalisation is one of the key features in Narratology effectively facilitates readers to comprehend the text. Bronte adopts the literary technique dual narration in Wuthering Heights; this is when two characters narrate. The two characters that narrate, via internal focalisation in the novel, are Lockwood and Nelly. Internal focalisation is when a narrator has ‘witnessed...learned about, or even participated in the events they tell.’ (Barry, 2009, pp. 225-226) This is imperative to understanding literature; an example of this in the novel is when Nelly says ‘a ...