In the stories Lord of The Flies and “I Only Came To Use The Phone”, there are countless instances where setting obviously affected the characters actions, but there are also instances in which it was not so obvious. Settings in these stories are crucial to how characters act as normal as they do at their house, how they act stirred up or anxious, as well as how they act mad or insane. By examining the textual evidence in Lord of The Flies and “I Only Came To Use The Phone”, setting is proven to be a key factor in how characters act, building up from normal behavior to seemingly mad behavior.
There are instances in the beginning of both Lord of The Flies and “I Only Came To Use The Phone” in which characters act like they typically would if they were not thrown into horrible situations as they later are; they act normal and calmed. In “I Only Came To Use The Phone”, it says, “Their serenity was contagious, and Maria curled up in her seat and succumbed to the sound of the rain” (Marquez 72). Maria is surrounded by calm people and the rain is a soothing effect from nature when one is attempting to sleep, therefore her actions are directly affected and she then takes a nap herself. She does not understand the full extent of her situation so she does not feel worried. Maria is also feeling calmed by the lighting being given off as well as the women with her in general. The passage says, “They were all older women, and their movements were so lethargic in the half-light of the courtyard that they looked like images in a dream” (Marquez 73). She compares the looks of around her to that of a dream. Dreams are always thought of as a good homely feeling since when it is a bad-dream it is considered a nightmare. This shows the direct c...
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... things that are not actually real such as the beast. The kids chant, “Kill the beast! Cut his throat! Spill his blood! Do him in!” (Golding 152). The kids are in the final stage of the dehydration/isolation the setting causes them to have and they are no longer their normal selves.
As one can see, Maria in “I Only Came To Use The Phone” and the children in Lord of The Flies were heavily affected by the setting in their respective stories which caused them to go from their normal/typical selves, then to them a little bit on edge and or anxious, and then finally to mad and or insane. Setting plays a huge role is stories such as these two.
Works Cited
Garcia, Marquez Gabriel. “I Only Came To Use The Phone.” Strange Pilgrims: Twelve Stories. New York: Knopf, 1993. N. pag. Print.
Golding, William. Lord Of The Flies. New York: Coward-McCann, 1962. Print.
Gabriel García Márquez, 1982 Nobel Laureate, is well known for using el realismo magical, magical realism, in his novels and short stories. In García Márquez’s cuento “Un Señor Muy Viejo con Alas Enormes,” García Márquez tactfully conflates fairytale and folklore with el realismo magical. García Márquez couples his mastery of magical realism with satire to construct a comprehensive narrative that unites the supernatural with the mundane. García Márquez’s not only criticizes the Catholic Church and the fickleness of human nature, but he also subliminally relates his themes—suffering is impartial, religion is faulty by practice, and filial piety—through the third-person omniscient narration of “Un Señor Muy Viejo con Alas Enormes.” In addition to García Márquez’s narrative style, the author employs the use of literary devices such as irony, anthropomorphism, and a melancholic tone to condense his narrative into a common plane. García Márquez’s narrative style and techniques combine to create a linear plot that connects holy with homely.
...Perhaps if we focus more on the impact of the setting on character’s behavior and ideals in novels such as Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day, we can develop a better understanding of the true essence of a novel. Through analysis it is evident that the setting impacts not only the characters, but also affects the behavior of the characters. Unfamiliar locations cause Cocoa to turn to racism as a defense mechanism for protecting herself from the unknown of New York City; George turns to logic to protect himself from the unknown and magic of Willow Springs. These two completely different settings are actually very similar, having a similar affect on the characters and values learned in each location. Who would have thought that a place where the smell of the sea filled the air could be compared or even is similar to a place where the stench of garbage and hotdogs lingered?
Americans as they go through their day to day lives, do not very often see corruption of power here at home, so they very frequently forget the sufferings of other nations under the power of oppressive regimes. It is important to remember that human power, in its pure form, will tend to be used for evil rather than good. In fact Golding creates such a situation in his book Lord of the Flies which will later be seen. It is also important to know that even if a person is conditioned to use his human power for good and not for evil, the temptation to use that human power for evil is often so great that the user will succumb to the temptation and could use that human power to do something terrible. This is seen in both I Only Came to Use the Phone and Lord of the Flies. Another important aspect of human power is that human power with good intent is often stamped out by human power with evil intent. This is demonstrated by some characters in Lord of the Flies. So basically, human power is an indiscriminate force which can be used for either good or for evil depending on the human who is yielding said power; however, in general, human power is used to achieve selfish and evil desires.
As humans we are affected by our environment, either the social aspects, or the location of residence, or interior of the world we live in. These effects can either be positive to one’s nature or deteriorating to one’s morals. When we look at the substantial impacts of a positive culture, such as the enlightenment that boosted the intelligence and desire to learn of expanding countries all around, we see that it can truly make a difference. On the other hand, if a child is raised in a cruel environment or drug ridden neighborhood, they to will most likely follow in the path. So our society and environment greatly impacts our human behavior and thoughts, this is especially shown in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s, The Scarlet Letter throughout the moral and physical changes in Hester, Dimmesdale, and Pearl.
Much of history’s most renown literature have real-world connections hidden in them, although they may be taxing uncover. William Golding’s classic, Lord of the Flies, is no exception. In this work of art, Golding uses the three main characters, Piggy, Jack, and Ralph, to symbolize various aspects of human nature through their behaviors, actions, and responses.
Wood, Michael. "Review of One Hundred Years of Solitude." In Critical Essays on Gabriel Garcia Marquez. McMurray, George R., ed. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1987.
Often, too much power can go to that particular person’s head, and he/she can become corrupt. As readers have seen in literature, abuses of power are often harmful to the abuser and their subjects. Corrupted authority and abuses of power eventually lead to the collapse of society. This concept is shown many times throughout the novel Lord Of the Flies and the short story “I Only Came to Use the Phone”. Displayed through characters and actions, abusive power has dominated what should be morally correct in literature.
In David Malouf’s novel An Imaginary Life, one of the most prevalent influences on the characters’ lives is the particular environment in which they are placed. Malouf explores the issues of the interrelationship between man and his natural environment, and the impact that changes in environment have on human personality. Through the characterisation of Ovid and the Boy, the effects of setting and physical surroundings are fully explored, and consequently issues such as isolation, conformity to society and the development of culture, including education and language, are discussed.
Religion has had a profound effect on human culture; unfortunately, the trouble with it is faith, which creates skepticism in many individuals. In order to accommodate the issue of faith, religions have regulations, values, and ceremonies, making religion a belief system, hence creating clarity to support faith. Catholicism has become a belief system that feeds its follower with answers; however, these answers are only assumptions. There are no factual answers, and as a result, religious leaders have created an expectation in which religion is supposed to fit; nonetheless, its accuracy is unknown. In Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s short story “A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings,” the values of religion are the center of criticism. A man with enormous wings, the protagonist of the story, is never strictly classified as man or angel. He is a rejected by society because he goes against the society’s expectation of what a true angel should be, an expectation taught to them by religion. The ambiguity of the old man with enormous wings tests the true faith of the followers of Catholicism, symbolizing an archetypical Christ figure. Both the priest and society’s foul response to him demonstrates the society’s understanding of religion to be superficial. As a result, the story argues, followers of religion must not rely on the assumptions their religion has created but believe instead, with faith.
In both novels, the main characters are isolated from any form of true civilisation. In Lord of the Flies, the boys find themselves on a desolate island which is devoid of any human life due to a plane crash, whereas in The Road the Man and Boy live in a bleak, destroyed America in which almost the entire population has been wiped out due to an unnamed natural disaster. Because of the lack of resources and essentials, it is inevitable that the main characters have to find means of surviving – in Lord of the Flies; this is mainly through hunting and building shelter and in The Road, the Man and the Boy trek along the barren landscape in search for any remaining food they can find.
The concept of the beast creates fear amongst the children. With their imagination children fear that the beast is out to get them, when in reality the beast is non-existent. This fear of the unknown
García Màrquez, Gabriel, trans. Gregory Rabassa. One Hundred Years of Solitude. (New York: Harper & Row, 1998.)
Garcia Marquez, Gabriel. One Hundred Years of Solitude. Trans. Gregory Rabassa. New York: Harper Perennial, 1991.
Setting - Identify the physical (when/where) settings of the book. How do these settings affect the moods or emotions of the characters?
In Lord of the Flies, the use of both dialogue and narrative aids in the movement of the plot. Because the reader cannot assume the thoughts of the characters, the author uses dialogue throughout the novel in order for the thoughts and feelings of certain characters to be understood. In addition to dialogue, the plot contains a large amount of narrative, which enables features such as the characters and plot situations to be properly described to the reader.