Wilkie Collins’ novel The Moonstone, utilizes the literary devices of allusion, characterization, foreshadowing, symbol, satire and allegory to illustrate the sentiment of anti-Imperialism in the novel (Wells, Allingham, Collins, Free, Munjal). He shows the Indian under dogs as more noble and wise rather than the Englishmen (Allingham 3 of 6). “Collins’ representation of the [Indian priests] often undermines 19th century stereotypes. They are depicted as intelligent, resourceful people and not as simple savages [as most English people did]” (Sahni 1 of 1).
William Wilkie Collins was a famous and powerful novelist in the 19th century whose childhood and adulthood influenced the novel, The Moonstone (Gasson 1-3). Collins was born to the notable landscape artist, William Collins (Gasson 1 of 3). At a young age, he was sent away to the English Cole’s Boarding School (Gasson 1 of 3).
Collins was an odd-looking child (Gasson 1 of 3). He “was born with a prominent bulge on his “disproportionally large head” and to make matters worse, he was only five feet and six inches tall (Gasson 1 of 3). His strange appearance made him more susceptible to bullying by older boys (Gasson 1 of 3). In order to appease the dormitory bully, who constantly made fun of him, Collins told him stories (Gasson 1 of 3). It was there at Cole’s Boarding School, Collins found his natural talent of story telling (Gasson 1 of 3). The constant bullying made him want to tell stories about the underdog, the person who is persecuted and trampled under foot (Gasson 1 of 3).
In May of 1846, Collins enrolled as a law student at Lincoln’s Inn and finished in 1851 (Gasson 2 of 3). Although he never practiced law, many lawyers appear in his stories like Mr. Bruff in The Moon...
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...when he claims that he is “the last person in the world to distrust a person because he happens to be a few shades darker than [himself]”(Collins 173, 30). Yet he sees the Indians as “heathens”, who are “polite and snaky” and whose proper place is in a local jail (Collins 82). Only Bruff seems to “at least acknowledge the cleverness, professionalism and diligence of the Indians” (Kemp 20). Bruff says “If the moonstone had been in my possession, this Oriental gentleman would have murdered me…. He might not have respected my life. But he did what none of my own countrymen had ever done, in all my experience of them – he respected my time” (Collins 284).
Allegory might be seldom used in the novel, The Moonstone, but when it is used, the reader can see clearly what Collins meant (Shmoop 1 of 1). Some of the names in this novel have allegorical weight (Shmoop 1 of 1).
The narrator whose name is unknown finds out that his brother Sonny was incarcerated for the use of and dealing heroin, raised in a society where being afraid of fear is constantly affecting both of their life’s in turmoil. “He was frightening me a little” (Baldwin 19). Fear shaped the older brother in becoming an Algebra teacher, endeavoring to save his younger brother from a lifestyle of street habits, influence specifically on drug abuse. According to the narrator, he expects Sonny to follow his footsteps in finishing an education because “If you don’t finish school now, you’re going to be sorry later that you didn’t” (Baldwin 20), in addition the narrator describes the life of Sonny “weird and disordered” (Baldwin 21). The narrator uses his fear to form a communication with his brother, however Sonny’s decision of freedom in becoming a professional musician, and escaping misfortunate moments is not in communion. Thus, Sonny feels neglected by his older brother’s expectations and judgments based on his own future. “I think people ...
Henry's first-person narrative is the most important element of these stories. Through it he recounts the events of his life, his experiences with others, his accomplishments and troubles. The great achievement of this narrative voice is how effortlessly it reveals Henry's limited education while simultaneously demonstrating his quick intelligence, all in an entertaining and convincing fashion. Henry introduces himself by introducing his home-town of Perkinsville, New York, whereupon his woeful g...
week! He was unable to go to law school like he wanted to do, so he studied by
...efers back to Marie’s hostile statement. Although not every Indian feels as Marie and Reggie do, certainly not John Smith in his dream, the ominous metaphor of the owls marks Alexie’s prediction for the future: unless hate can be reconciled, the spirit of murder and blood shed will continue to plague man kind. While the title of the work serves to encompass victims of both white and Indian cultural backgrounds and closes on the image of the ambiguous killer, (could it be Wilson dancing wildly with his store bought cassette tape? Or could it be Reggie living large in his bloody victories?), the content of the novel is a living account of human actions to historical contexts. Alexies’ work is exaggerated beyond reality, to be sure, yet his assessment of Native American identity is intriguing and universal in the story of recovery from human inflicted violence and hate.
In the commencement of the story, the narrator is shocked and in disbelief about the news of his brother’s incarceration, “It was not to be believed” (83). It had been over a year since he had seen his brother, but all he had was memories of him, “This would always be at a moment when I was remembering some specific thing Sonny had once said or done” (83). The narrator’s thoughts about Sonny triggered his anxiety that very day. It was difficult to bear the news of what his brother had become, yet at some point he could relate to Sonny on a personal level, “I hear my brother. And myself” (84). After the news had spurred, the narrator experienced extreme anxiety to the point of sweating. Jus...
His development of the characters seems to focus on one main character at a time, shifting from one to another. Sonny, who the story is about, is a troubled young man, who is also very private and some would say he’s a bit of a dreamer in a sense. At an early age he becomes addicted to heroin. He is also an aspiring musician who tends to keeps all of his problems bottled up throughout the story—except when he plays his music. Music for him is a freeing outlet. The narrator, also known as Sonny’s older brother is compared to Sonny and the many young men of Harlem. He served in the military in his earlier years and then became a successful, hardworking math teacher. Grace, the narrator’s daughter, dies of polio while her Uncle Sonny is in prison. Her death was the reason that the narrator takes the time out to write to his brother Sonny. Her death becomes an act of grace, resul...
Short stories are temporary portals to another world; there is a plethora of knowledge to learn from the scenario, and lies on top of that knowledge are simple morals. Langston Hughes writes in “Thank You Ma’m” the timeline of a single night in a slum neighborhood of an anonymous city. This “timeline” tells of the unfolding generosities that begin when a teenage boy fails an attempted robbery of Mrs. Jones. An annoyed bachelor on a British train listens to three children their aunt converse rather obnoxiously in Saki’s tale, “The Storyteller”. After a failed story attempt, the bachelor tries his hand at storytelling and gives a wonderfully satisfying, inappropriate story. These stories are laden with humor, but have, like all other stories, an underlying theme. Both themes of these stories are “implied,” and provide an excellent stage to compare and contrast a story on.
The opening paragraph of the story contains a metaphorical passage: "I stared at it in the swinging light of the subway car, and in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared outside"(349). This reference is significant because it is a contrast to the dismal society that the narrator and his brother Sonny live in. The darkness is the portrayal of the community of Harlem that is trapped, in their surroundings by physical, economic, and social barriers. The obvious nature of darkness has overcome the occupants of the Harlem community. The narrator, an algebra teacher, observes a depressing similarity between his students and his brother, Sonny. This is true because the narrator is fearful for his students falling into a life of crime and drugs, as did his brother. The narrator notes that the cruel realities of the streets have taken away the possible light from the lives of his brother and his students. The narrator makes an insightful connection between the darkness that Sonny faced and the darkness that the young boys are presently facing. This is illustrated in the following quote:
The sympathy for Cholly evoked in The Bluest Eye from the reader is not deserved. By definition, sympathy means feeling pity or sorrow for the distress of another, or compassion. The skillfulness of the author manipulates the reader into feeling a certain way towards particular characters. Sympathy for characters – Cholly being no exception – derives from an author’s ability to use words and the construction of the story to lead a reader into a certain emotional direction. The reader is the prime reason the author constructs a story. Because all authors are completely aware that an audience exists for their stories, authors are, in turn, completely aware that their words can manipulate their readers. It is this awareness that allows all sentence structures and idea portrayal to be the product of an author’s manipulation. Because there exists an audience, there exists someone to persuade or influence. Thus, an author, like Morrison, builds a textual relationship between the characters in her story and that of the reader digesting her story. Morrison, like all authors, understands that the reader searches for a...
Bloomfield, Morton W. New Literary History. Winter ed. N.p.: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1972. Print. Vol. 2 of Allegory as Interpretation. 3 vols. First.
In Thomas King’s novel, The Inconvenient Indian, the story of North America’s history is discussed from his original viewpoint and perspective. In his first chapter, “Forgetting Columbus,” he voices his opinion about how he feel towards the way white people have told America’s history and portraying it as an adventurous tale of triumph, strength and freedom. King hunts down the evidence needed to reveal more facts on the controversial relationship between the whites and natives and how it has affected the culture of Americans. Mainly untangling the confusion between the idea of Native Americans being savages and whites constantly reigning in glory. He exposes the truth about how Native Americans were treated and how their actual stories were
... the miserable life that African Americans had to withstand at the time. From the narrator’s life in Harlem that he loathed, to the drug problems and apprehensions that Sonny was suffering from, to the death of his own daughter Grace, each of these instances serve to show the wretchedness that the narrator and his family had to undergo. The story in relation to Baldwin possibly leads to the conclusion that he was trying to relate this to his own life. At the time before he moved away, he had tried to make a success of his writing career but to no avail. However, the reader can only be left with many more questions as to how Sonny and the narrator were able to overcome these miseries and whether they concluded in the same manner in the life of Baldwin.
The Moonstone, written in 1868 by Wilkie Collins is a mystery novel about a gem called "The Moonstone". The moonstone is somewhat a symbol of what everyone strives for, beauty and power. In the book, justice plays a huge role in terms of doing what is fair and morally right through action and attitude. Although the moonstone is overbearingly beautiful and breathtaking, like all beautiful things, it has a history "..that crime brings its own fatality with it" (Ch. IV). With such great beauty, the moonstone almost takes power and control over people, making them act out in such ways just to get their hands on it.
James Hurst is the author of the heart breaking short story entitled “The Scarlet Ibis”. “The Scarlet Ibis” is a short story about two brothers; one brother is healthy, while the other is physically handicapped. The short story is centered on the idea that the older, healthier brother’s selfishness and pride ultimately led to the death of his younger brother, Doodle. Numerous quotes throughout the story demonstrate Hurst’s use of symbolism and foreshadowing to portray and predict Doodle’s untimely and heartbreaking death.
Parker, Robert Dale. “Red Slippers and Cottonmouth Moccasins: White Anxieties in Faulkner’s Indian Stories.” Faulkner Journal 18.1-2 (2002-03): 81-99. Rpt. in Short Story Criticism. Ed. Jelena Kristovic. Vol. 92. Detroit: Gale, 2006. 136-46. Literature Criticism Online. Web. 31 Mar. 2010.