Pamela details the story of a young, servant girl whose dearest possession, her virtue, faces peril from a somewhat anonymous assailant. The title character’s journey is related to the reader using the epistolary format, and each letter or journal entry slowly pulls the reader into the story as the reader forgets that Pamela is not writing directly to him/her. This format allows the protagonist to seem as if she is appealing directly to the reader as she pleads for help and begs for prayers. And so, this personal, emotional appeal, which does not usually appear in a traditional first person narrative, seems to speak to the reader. The epistolary format creates a more personal and complex narrative perspective that causes the reader to blur …show more content…
Interestingly, the first line of Pamela’s first letter is paradoxical and seems to set the tone for the rest of the novel as she says that she has “…great trouble, and some comfort, to acquaint you with” (43). Just as Pamela struggles to identify if she is conveying good news or bad news, the reader struggles to decide if s/he is acting as observer or character. Furthermore, the use of the second person pronoun “you” here, and throughout Pamela’s letters, can be misconstrued to make the reader feel like the intended audience instead of her parents to whom the letter is actually addressed. Initially, Pamela’s letters are met with a reply from her parents, but as the novel progresses, the responses from her parents become noticeably absent. If the parents are not responding, then that leaves only the reader to respond, which further promotes the reader from observer to vested character. Because of the lacking correspondence from Pamela’s parents, the reader is left with only Pamela’s letters from which s/he can discern details to define Pamela and the other characters in the …show more content…
B highlights the difficulties that face the reader in an attempt to objectively define him. Pamela’s descriptions of her master swing from reverence to revolt and back again throughout the novel. Pamela’s initial description of Mr. B depicts an “angel,” “fine gentleman, and a “gracious benefactor” (53). Within a few letters, though, Pamela describes him as a “wicked, wicked man” for whom she has no patience (93). Eventually, Pamela’s emotions swing favorably as she finally admits to loving Mr. B. and agrees to marry him. The variations in Pamela’s descriptions of Mr. B result from a personal experience or encounter. The reader is never offered an objective account or a letter that, perhaps, depicts the same scene but from Mr. B.’s point of view. This forces the reader to have to use a great deal of inference and conjecture in order to try to understand the character of Mr. B., but as Pamela is the character begging the reader of her letters for sympathy and understanding, an objective opinion of Mr. B. is nearly impossible to establish. Since the reader cannot establish an unbiased opinion because s/he is lending sympathy to Pamela, just as she has asked for in her letters, then the reader must stop to question if s/he exists in an observatory role, or if the reader is now a character in the story who is casting judgment based on the one-sided opinion that the epistles have
Each person, whether they realize it or not, has been shaped by their relationships with others. The effects that piers or family members can have on someone are limitless and often times profound. In many instances, people do not even know that they are being influenced by others. Even if it is in the most subtle manner, all characters in novels are directly influenced by other figures. Authors use rhetorical strategies to demonstrate the different ways in which relationships affect and shape character’s identities.
Writing a journal from the perspective of a fictional eighteenth century reader, a mother whose daughter is the age of Eliza's friends, will allow me to employ reader-response criticism to help answer these questions and to decipher the possible social influences and/or meanings of the novel. Though reader-response criticism varies from critic to critic, it relies largely on the idea that the reader herself is a valid critic, that her critique is influenced by time and place,...
"How Tatiana De Rosnay Turned French History Into ‘Sarah’s Key’." Speakeasy RSS. N.p., 14 July 2011. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
It should be noted that gaining an identity in autobiographical writing is crucial “because literacy becomes a way of creating an identity where before there was none in the public discourse” (Finkelman, vol.2, 190). Although the identities of William and Ellen Craft may have been revealed partially before their narrative, their own words and experience have a much greater impact on the reader than if told by a secondary source.
Sipiora states that, "Characters often perceive (or fail to perceive) the context and implications of the circumstances and relationships they are in. Some characters act in good faith, whereas others do not. As we examine literary personae, it is especially important to judge them in terms of how they react to others" (77)
The Bondwoman’s Narrative, written by Hannah Crafts was uncovered in 2001 and published in 2002 by a man named Henry Louis Gates, Jr. The narrative is modeled on sentimental novels, borrowing structure from Dickens, Scott, and Brontë, as well as from slave narratives such as that of Frederick Douglass and numerous Biblical passages.
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...
Works Cited Austin, Addell. A Raisin in the Sun. Cyclopedia of Literary Characters, Revised. Third Edition (1998): 1-2. Literary Reference Center.
Within every story or poem, there is always an interpretation made by the reader, whether right or wrong. In doing so, one must thoughtfully analyze all aspects of the story in order to make the most accurate assessment based on the literary elements the author has used. Compared and contrasted within the two short stories, “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, and John Updike’s “A&P,” the literary elements character and theme are made evident. These two elements are prominent in each of the differing stories yet similarities are found through each by studying the elements. The girls’ innocence and naivety as characters act as passages to show something superior, oppression in society shown towards women that is not equally shown towards men.
The character analysis is easily divided into three parts. Each of these is discussed in detail on this handout. Examining the character from these three perspectives will help you write an exemplary essay.
The narrator wrestles with conflicting feelings of responsibility to the old man and feelings of ridding his life of the man's "Evil Eye" (34). Although afflicted with overriding fear and derangement, the narrator still acts with quasi-allegiance toward the old man; however, his kindness may stem more from protecting himself from suspicion of watching the old man every night than from genuine compassion for the old man.
In the novel Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier tells the uncommon, suspenseful love story using a small range of characters with many different personality traits. The reader begins to feel as though they truly know these characters only to discover the unseen truth as their masks fall off. As these personalities develop throughout the novel one can discover that the narrator, Mrs. de Winter, strives to please people and feels very insecure in her identity. She tries to stick up for herself, but her words have no effect on her cruel, manipulative, controlling husband, Mr. de Winter. Mr. de Winter appears as a gentleman in the very early chapters of the book; however, the reader soon discovers that Mr. de Winter seems not to care about other people’s feelings, and that he contains controlling characteristics. Besides being controlling, he also verbally abuses his wife. In simple and plain terms, Mr. de Winter is a jerk. Later in the book, another malevolent and controlling character becomes introduced, Mrs. Danvers. Mr. de Winter’s controlling, abusive ways and Mrs. Danvers malevolent tendencies collide together as the new Mrs. de Winter strives to please them.
Early in Pamela's career, she leaned on her "youthful naivety" to avoid abusive situations and falling prey to powerful men in the business. When confronted with uncomfortable situations, she'd strongly redirect the person accosting her and immediately create distance from the
Although told in an aloof and anonymous third-person, the narrativeis always shifting, almost imperceptibly, from an objective stance to less neutral observations which, because of their perspective or particular choice of words, appear to be those of Mrs. Kearney. (Miller,...
The novel follows the protagonist, Celie, as she experiences such hardships as racism and abuse, all the while attempting to discover her own sense of self-worth. Celie expresses herself through a series of private letters that are initially addressed to God, then later to her sister Nettie. As Celie develops from an adolescent into an adult, her letters possess m... ... middle of paper ... ... bservations of her situation and form an analysis of her own feelings.