Holes Essay

Question -

What factors cause Stanley Yelnats to change in the novel 'Holes'?

In the novel ‘Holes’, by Louis Sachar, Stanley Yelnats is wrongfully accused of stealing baseball sneakers. His family believe they are unlucky with a family curse. Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake juvenile detention facility, to improve his character. This was something of a relief to Stanley as he had no friends at home and was bullied at school. At the camp conditions are torturous. He endures searing heat and lack of water while having to dig a hole five feet deep and five feet across everyday. He puts up with the harsh treatment but manages to keep his cool. He displays bravery and strength of character towards the boys and the cruel “staff”. Due to this, he ends up getting stronger emotionally and physically; in this essay I will describe the events which make him change.

At the beginning of the novel Stanley is bullied by Derrick Dunne, who is half his size. Even his teachers make nasty comments without even realising it. His father is a failed inventor and Stanley’s great grand father had his fortune stolen from him and then Stanley is accused of stealing shoes when he didn’t. So the Yelnats family curse may not be as farfetched as we initially thought.

Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake. He suffers from blistered fingers, unbearable heat and significant lack of water. At first Stanley thinks there is a lake surrounded by luscious greenery but his expectations are crushed when he arrives in a dry and hot environment; hell on earth. No lake, and definitely no green. This shows how naïve Stanley is at the beginning of the story.

However, everything changes when Stanley arrives at the camp. Initially Stanley is threatened by the other boys who are violent towards him, especially Armpit, who is meant to guide Stanley around the camp but threw him to the ground when he failed to refer to him as Armpit. Mr Sir, the head of the “councilors”, said he wouldn’t even waste a bullet on him. When Stanley start his first hole he is weak. His “soft fleshy hands” can’t cope with the pressure of the shovel. He begins to think that his shovel is defective, then he realises that he is defective. Then he realises that he is defective. When he finishes his first hole he knows that it is nothing to be proud of but is proud none the less.

Later on in the book the other boys show that they respect Stanley by giving him the nickname “Caveman”. Further on, in chapter 12, Stanley shows that he is not afraid of Mr Pendnaski by mocking him in front of the rest of the boys. Later Stanley finds a gold lipstick tube which, instead of giving it to the warden and getting a day off from digging, he gives to X-ray. By doing this he gains further respect from the boys, X-ray being the most respected of the group. As well as that Stanley shows that he can be can excellent friend by teaching Zero- the quietest of the group- how to read and write.

By the 45th hole, Stanley is stronger both mentally and physically. His body is now coping with the work. He no longer suffers from blistered fingers or lack of water. Now that his best friend Zero has run away, Stanley feels responsible as Zero was digging part of his hole. He isn’t worried Zero is dead, but that he is alive; crawling through the desert, dying of thirst. Stanley again shows his growing confidence by stealing Mr. Sir’s water truck to go in search of his lost friend. Although he drives the truck into a hole and the canteen is empty, Stanley still goes off in search of his friend.

By the end of the novel Stanley is a ‘hero’. He finds Zero and carries his up a mountain, fulfilling the wish of Zero’s great-great-great grandmother, Madame Zeorni. The boys survive on antique spiced peaches and onions. This shows how he has changed from being timid and passive to being someone people can look up to.

I enjoyed the book very much. It was interesting how fate and coincidence were used in the book: for example, Zero turning out to be Hector Zeroni and how the onions helped the boys to be immune to the killer desert lizards. Stanley’s family curse was lifted; he changed from being a weak boy, bullied and defective, to a brave hero; also making a life-long friend in Zero.

My Comment

Written by the same fourth-year pupil who wrote about his holiday. This is a Critical Essay based on a character question. It would be worth a credit grade or a pass for Intermediate 1.

The Go-Between Essay

Question -

Choose a novel which caused you to reconsider your views on an important human issue. Explain what the issue is and go on to discuss ow the writer made you reconsider your views.

Childhood innocence can often be manipulated and this can lead to drastic consequences. ‘The Go-Between’ by LP Hartley causes us to question our views as we follow the ‘corruption’ of 12-year-old Leo Colston. Leo is the unwitting ‘go-between’ for the lovers Ted and Marian; he keeps their affair alive by delivering letters under the guise of business notes. The terrible outcome of Leo’s actions has a profound effect on his own life and inadvertently leads to the suicide of Ted.

Hartley depicts Leo’s innocence in the opening chapters of the novel. In the summer of 1900 he stays at the house of his friend Marcus Maudsley and becomes infatuated with his sister, Marian: ‘My spiritual transformation took place in Norwich’. The use of religious language suggests that Leo is a somewhat naïve idealist as, in reality, Marian only takes him clothes shopping.

Although Leo’s idealism is touching, his feelings blind him from Marian’s deceitful nature and before long he is covering for her to Marcus. When questioned over whether she met anyone in Norwich, she replies: ‘We were hard at is all the time, weren’t we, Leo?’ Leo agrees due to his willingness to please her but he forgets the hour he spent alone in the cathedral. It is telling that he attends church while she meets Ted; it emphasizes that his mind is on spiritual things. However, at the same time, this makes him easy to manipulate.

Marian takes advantage of Leo’s ignorance as well as his feelings for her when she sends him off with the letters for Ted: ‘We sometimes write each other notes on business matters and you say you like taking them’. In this way, she uses his immaturity to tell him what his own feelings are.

Leo’s innocence becomes his downfall when he is plunged into the world of adult relationships. When Leo discovers the true content of Ted and Marian’s letters he is devastated: ‘Not Adam and Eve, after eating the apple, could have been more upset than I was’. The narrator’s use of religious language continues with this biblical reference. It suggests his frame of reference for the lovers is Adam and Eve from the bible, their ‘fall from grace’ when they discovered knowledge.

When he discovers the lovers together it causes him to suffer an emotional collapse: ‘The Virgin and the Water Carrier on the ground … two bodies moving like one’. The use of symbols from the Zodiac, as with the bible, show that Leo is unable to understand sexual relationships in a modern way.

In the novel, this discovery is in close proximity to Ted’s suicide. The result of this tragedy is that Leo spends the next fifty years of his life as an emotionally distant adult. We see Leo’s innocence through the nostalgia of his old age, as a first-person narrator. This made me feel pity for him due to his well-meaning idealism and the terrible experience he suffered at a young age.

‘The Go-Between’ explores the vulnerability of childhood innocence at the point when someone comes of age. In this way, it made me reconsider my views on an important human issue.

The Great Gatsby Essay Plan

Introduction

• ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F Scott Fitzgerald is an example of a novel in which …
• Brief plot summary
• Setting – affluent New York, in contrast to the Midwest where Nick is from

The character of Gatsby is vital to the author’s theme of class / the American dream

• First impressions of Gatsby
• The symbolism of the ‘green light’
• Self-made man – changed his name and made a fortune
• Gave lavish parties to people he didn’t really know, his rich neighbours
• Has links to organised crime through Meyer Wolfsheim
• ‘Old sport’ – his favourite expression, which makes people believe he is Oxford-educated
• Even though he has invented a ‘persona’ for himself, he is still a romantic, idealistic figure

Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy is one of the most important in the book.

• Met when he was a young man working as a diver
• Created his wealthy life in order to win Daisy over
• He is clearly better than Daisy’s cynical, cheating husband Tom

A turning point in the book is at the party when the lovers sneak over into Nick’s yard

• It suggests that the story will end happily
• Gatsby believes the past can be recaptured, as he tells Nick

However, the book ends in tragedy, for Gatsby is wrong in his judgements about people.

• Daisy will not give up her husband Tom
• The climax - Gatsby’s murder: Gatsby was too naïve for the world of cheating and betrayal that he tried to live in
• Gatsby was finally crushed by the class system – he underestimated Daisy’s devotion to Tom, who came from a wealthy background
• After his murder his neighbours do not attend his funeral – he has failed to become one of them
• The symbolism of Gatsby’s body

Conclusion – Therefore I would argue that ‘The Great Gatsby’ is a novel …

The Changeling Essay Plan

Question -

Choose a novel in which the fate of a main character is important in conveying the writers theme.

Introduction / plot summary: Robin Jenkin’s downbeat meditation on the nature of pity, ‘The Changeling’ has a tragic ending; it emphasizes that the ‘Good Samaritan’ Charles Forbes fails to redeem the life of his pupil Tom Curdie.
• He sees himself as the boy’s saviour and makes the decision to take him on holiday
• Tom’s stealing and strangeness set him apart from the family
• Finally the pain of the experience pushes him over the end.

Charlie’s character: The opening chapter reveals that Charlie’s interest in Tom is self-righteous:

At last he spoke, in his most pontifical tones:
‘Tell me, Curdie, have you ever seen the sea?’

• ‘Pontifical’ has overtones of pomposity - Forbes’ religious nature;
• first meaning is supported by the headmaster’s opinion of Forbes as a ‘pompous bore’
• Tom has never seen the sea but can write eloquently about it – shows imagination
• Forbes takes him on holiday in order to ‘improve’ him; but this leads to Tom’s suicide.

Tom’s principals: strong character who lives by a matter-of-fact set of ‘principals’:

Never to whine; to accept what came; to wait for better; to take what you could; to let no-one not even yourself know how near to giving in you were.

• Doesn’t need Charlie’s help
• Away from Donaldson’s court he feels inadequate
• tries to ‘take what you could’ by stealing – sets him apart from the Forbes family

Turning point – the phone call:

‘I mean, Tom Curdie,’ he said; but it was really that mythical person Tom Forbes, he still thought he was.

• Peerie pressing his face up against the glass - as if Tom’s background is crowding round him
• a ‘mythical person’ – but Tom has to live in the real world

Turning point – Tom steals: seen through the eyes of Gillian:

“She began to realise that this suit of armour, of calmness and patience, forged somehow in the dreadful slum where he had been born, must be heavy and painful to wear.”

• She does not tell as she wants to avoid ruining the ‘presentation’
• Her sympathy grows for him throughout the book
• ‘suit of armour’ continues the idea that he is a figure out of a myth who doesn’t belong in her world - she feels the stirring of respect for him, even though he is a thief.

Tom before the suicide: From her point of view, Tom has a kind of nobility, even when he strikes the tree in anguish:

His face was hard and aloof, like a young Prince’s out of a story book.

His hand red with blood was like an emblem of eerie distinction.

• He doesn’t belong to the time in which he lives
• allusions to being a Prince and wearing an ‘emblem’ through pain and violence

Conclusion: this impossible dilemma is finally solved by Tom’s tragic end. Therefore I would argue that the book considers the suffering of others and asks what we can really do for them; it explores this theme through the fate of Tom, who had never known what life was like outside the slum where he had lived his whole life.

The Changeling Essay

Question -

Choose a novel in which the fate of a main character is important in conveying the writers theme.

Robin Jenkin’s downbeat meditation on the nature of pity, ‘The Changeling’ has a tragic ending; it emphasizes that the ‘Good Samaritan’ Charles Forbes fails to redeem the life of his pupil Tom Curdie. He sees himself as the boy’s saviour and makes the decision to take him on holiday, to show another side of life from the slum in which he grew up. Yet Tom’s stealing and strangeness set him apart from the family and finally the pain of the experience pushes him over the end.

The opening chapter reveals that Charlie’s interest in Tom is self-righteous:

At last he spoke, in his most pontifical tones:
‘Tell me, Curdie, have you ever seen the sea?’

‘Pontifical’ has overtones of pomposity, and suggests Forbes’ religious nature; the first meaning is supported by the headmaster’s opinion of Forbes as a ‘pompous bore’. It is ironic that a boy who has never seen the sea can write eloquently about it; and Forbes takes him on holiday in order to ‘improve’ him. Yet this decision is to lead to Tom’s suicide.

In some ways, Tom is a character we should pity; however, in chapter three we learn that he is a strong character who lives by a matter-of-fact set of ‘principals’:

Never to whine; to accept what came; to wait for better; to take what you could; to let no-one not even yourself know how near to giving in you were.

One therefore has to ask – why would someone like this need Charlie’s help? It is only when he is taken away from Donaldson’s court that he feels the gulf between his circumstances and those of ‘decent’ people. When he tries to ‘take what you could’ to please them, the estrangement begins.

The turning point of the novel is where Tom calls the Forbes family and introduces himself as ‘Tom Forbes’:

‘I mean, Tom Curdie,’ he said; but it was really that mythical person Tom Forbes, he still thought he was.

At this point in the book, he is in a phone box with the hapless Peerie pressing his face up against the glass. It is as if Tom’s background is crowding round him as he tries vainly to keep contact with the ‘decent’ family who have given him a temporary home. However, the trouble with being a ‘mythical person’ is that one has to live in the real world.

The distance between myth and reality is explored in one of the turning points of the novel, when Tom steals so that he can afford the brooch for Mrs Forbes. The chapter is seen through the eyes of Gillian, who sees a truth about Tom before anyone else:

“She began to realise that this suit of armour, of calmness and patience, forged somehow in the dreadful slum where he had been born, must be heavy and painful to wear.”

Yet she does not tell as she wants to avoid ruining the ‘presentation’; Gillian is torn between jealousy and pity towards Tom; her sympathy grows for him throughout the book and it is she who discovers him after his suicide. The ‘suit of armour’ continues the idea that he is a figure out of a myth who doesn’t belong in her world, which indicates that she feels the stirring of respect for him, even though he is a thief.

Their relationship provides a note of optimism before the bleak climax. From her point of view, Tom has a kind of nobility, even when he strikes the tree in anguish:

His face was hard and aloof, like a young Prince’s out of a story book.

His hand red with blood was like an emblem of eerie distinction.

These continue the idea that he is someone who doesn’t belong to the time in which he lives, with the allusions to being a Prince and wearing an ‘emblem’ he has won through pain and violence.

This impossible dilemma is finally solved by Tom’s tragic end. Therefore I would argue that the book considers the suffering of others and asks what we can really do for them; it explores this theme through the fate of Tom.

To Kill A Mockingbird Essay

Question -

Choose a novel or short story which involves a theme of conflict and show how the dramatist makes the story compelling for the reader. You may refer to structure, characterisation, key scene(s) or any other appropriate feature.

Introduction

A novel which involves a theme of conflict is ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee. It is the story of a town divided by racism and ignorance, and a miscarriage of justice.

Setting

The novel is set in Alabama during the Depression. Maycomb is a poor community of farmers. This is shown in the early chapters when Scout attends school. The poverty of the other children is revealed at lunchtime, when they take out pails of molasses to eat. Walter Cunningham pays Atticus in turnips as he has no cash. When his son visits for dinner, he pours molasses over his food. As well as poverty, the town is divided. Black people worship at a separate church and live in their own area. The conflict of the novel arises from prejudice, which leads to Tom Robinson being accused of rape.

Characterization

The character of Atticus is central to the novel. At first he appears a somewhat boring middle-aged man: ‘Atticus was feeble; he was nearly fifty’. He does not play football like the other fathers. The incident with the rabid dog shows that he has kept his shooting skill a secret from his children in order to protect them. He represents the moral centre of the novel, refusing to allow Scout to use the word ‘niggers’ and standing up for Boo Radley and Miss Dubose. In the second half of the novel he defends Tom Robinson even though he is certain to lose.

The novel is narrated by Scout as an old woman. Scout is hot headed and gets into fights at the start of the novel. She becomes more like Atticus as she learns more of the fight against prejudice.

Key scene

A key scene of the novel is chapter 15. At the start of this chapter, we are reminded of the setting as the children eavesdrop on their father on the front porch. They hear Atticus’ dangerous question: ‘Do you really think so?’ This is repeated later on in the chapter as Atticus confronts the local men. Scout shames Walter Cunningham into withdrawing by reminding him he is an ordinary man.

Symbolism

Symbolism is important in chapter 15. The Maycomb Jail contrasts with the other buildings on the main street, being far grander and older, yet, in the minds of the townsfolk it is ‘full of niggers’. Tom Robinson seems to be living in a building better than theirs. The idea of being at home is continued with Atticus, who sits under a light bulb, in a chair, with a newspaper. This gives us some understanding of what motivates the locals to try to lynch Tom: they see him as being above them, and perhaps as a guest of Atticus’ home.

The ending of the novel

Despite the optimism of chapter 15, the book still ends with the death of Tom. However, Boo Radley saves the family from Bob Ewell and the policeman refuses to investigate what may have been Ewell’s murder by Boo. The conflict of the novel leaves the reader with a sense of injustice but also optimism. The good people of the novel include people such as Walter Cunningham, who learn tolerance from a child’s point of view.

Conclusion

In these ways, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is a novel which features conflict. The author uses symbolism, characterisation and setting to explore the theme of racial prejudice.

Of Mice And Men Essay Plan

Question -

Choose a novel or short story in which there is an obvious climax or turning point. Show how the author arrives at the turning point and then discuss the consequences of it for the final outcome of the story. You may wish to mention techniques such as characterisation, structure, description or any other appropriate feature.

Introduction

Setting

• Depression era
• Background to George and Lennie’s story – on the run from their last job.
• Turning point: when Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife.

The character of Lennie

• Lennie’s strength and lack of intelligence described early on
• Word choice portrays Lennie’s childish behaviour:

Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers so that the water arose in little splashes … ‘Look George, look what I done.’

• Shows immaturity
• ‘paw’ suggests that he is more like an animal than a man.
• Loves animals and collects pet mice, ends up killing them with his great strength.

Animal imagery

• Lennie looks forward to keeping rabbits, showing his kind and gentle nature.
• The death of Candy’s dog makes him join Lennie and George’s scheme.
• ‘Of Mice and Men’ = animals; as well as the Robert Burns poem.
• Like the mouse in the poem, after the death of Curley’s wife, the men’s plan comes to nothing.
• Title of novel prepares reader for turning point and climax

The suffering of ordinary people

• Main theme of the novel
• Shown in the scene where Curley attacks Lennie and has his hand crushed:

Curley stepped over to Lennie like a terrier. ‘What the hell you laughin’ at?’

• Curley decides to pick a fight with Lennie as he hates people who are bigger than him.
• Animal imagery – compared to ‘terrier’
• He uses violence to make up for the fact none of the other workers respect him.
• This incident prepares us for the death of Curley’s wife in chapter 5.

Curley’s wife

• Lonely and not tolerated by the farm workers, who visit prostitutes rather than having real relationships with women.
• Her name is not given in the book, showing that people do not really know her.
• Like Crooks, who is a victim of racism, she is isolated.
• Seeks out Lennie for friendship, but due to his strength she dies.
• The book shows us that people who have a low position in society can lead a lonely and short life.

Description
The author’s use of description is vital to the turning point:

She jerked her head sideways and Lennnie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on … She struggled violently under his hands … And then she was still, for Lennie had broke her neck.

• It is as though Lennie has no control over his own fingers.
• We are reminded of the dead mice and the rabbits, as well as the fight with Curley.

The outcome of this turning point

• George is forced to kill Lennie before the other farm workers get hold of him.
• The reader is left with a feeling of sadness because George is a friend to Lennie to the end, and does what he has to do.
• We are made to feel pity for the poor farm workers who have no control over their lives.

Conclusion
Therefore, in ‘Of Mice And Men’ Steinbeck uses word choice and characterisation to prepare us for the turning point in the novel and its tragic ending.

Of Mice And Men Essay

Question -


Choose a novel or short story in which there is an obvious climax or turning point (1). Show how the author arrives at the turning point and then discuss the consequences of it for the final outcome of the story. You may wish to mention techniques such as characterisation, structure, description or any other appropriate feature.

(1) In this essay, I discuss a turning point. The climax of ‘Of Mice and Men’ would probably be when George shoots Lennie.


Structure -

1. Introduction
2. Curley’s wife
3. The turning point / description
4. The opening chapter / the character of Lennie
5. Animal imagery
6. The fight with Curley
7. The outcome
8. Conclusion

The turning point of the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck is when Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s wife. [R1] The novel is set in America at the time of the depression. Two migrant workers, [R2] George and Lennie join a ranch to work. Like the other misfits they meet in the novel, they work for low wages while dreaming of a better life. After this turning point their dreams are over and George shoots Lennie out of pity before he can be lynched.

Curley’s wife is lonely and not tolerated by the farm workers, who visit prostitutes rather than having real relationships with women. Her name is not given in the book, showing that people do not really know her. Like Crooks, who is a victim of racism, she is isolated. She seeks out Lennie for friendship, but due to his strength she dies. Therefore the book shows us that people who have a low position in society lead a lonely and short life. The death of Curley’s wife [R3] is the beginning of the end for Lennie and his dream of owning a ranch with George.

The author’s use of description is vital to the turning point[R4] :

She jerked her head sideways and Lennie’s fingers closed on her hair and hung on … She struggled violently under his hands … And then she was still, for Lennie had broke her neck.

It is as though Lennie has no control over his own fingers – they are acting independently of him. Her death happens very quickly, suggesting that life is cheap in the world of the novel.

At the start, the reader is given the impression that Lennie’s strength and low intelligence will lead to tragedy. The writer’s use of word choice helps portray Lennie as an overgrown child at the start of the novel:

Lennie dabbled his big paw in the water and wiggled his fingers so that the water arose in little splashes … ‘Look George, look what I done.’

The fact that ripples in the water amuse Lennie and are seen by him as an achievement helps convey his immaturity to the reader. The use of the word ‘paw’ suggests that he is more like an animal than a man. He clearly loves animals and collects pet mice, but always ends up killing them with his great strength. This also shows his dependency on George, who is almost like a parent.

Animals are used in the novel in several ways. When he and George fantasise about having their own farm, he looks forward to keeping rabbits, showing his kind and gentle nature. Lennie is not the only farm worker who feels close to animals. The death of Candy’s dog makes him join Lennie and George’s scheme. The title ‘Of Mice and Men’ alludes the Robert Burns poem. Like the mouse in the poem, after the death of Curley’s wife, the men’s plan comes to nothing. After the turning point, the men’s ‘best laid schemes’ come to nothing.

The aspirations of ordinary people is the main theme of the novel [R5] and is shown in the scene where Curley attacks Lennie and has his hand crushed:

Curley stepped over to Lennie like a terrier. ‘What the hell you laughin’ at?’

Curley decides to pick a fight with Lennie as he hates people who are bigger than him. Curley is also compared to an animal[R6] – as though he is little better than a savage – but small - dog. He uses violence to make up for the fact none of the other workers respect him. He is a sad character like Crooks and Candy. This incident prepares us for the death of Curley’s wife in chapter five.

[The outcome of the turning point is that George is forced to kill Lennie before the other farm workers get hold of him. The reader is left with a feeling of sadness because George is a friend to Lennie to the end, and does what he has to do. I felt pity for the poor farm workers who have no control over their lives.

In the tragic world of the novel ‘Of Mice And Men’ Steinbeck [R7] uses description and characterisation to prepare us for the turning point in the novel and its pessimistic ending. He uses the story of George and Lennie to make the reader think about the hopes and dreams of ordinary people at the bottom of society.

[R1]Topic sentence, addressing the question.

[R2]Plot summary – a few sentences to give the beginning, middle and end of the story.

[R3]I haven’t mentioned the question yet in the paragraph, so this sentence is to reassure the marker that this discussion of Curley’s wife is relevant to the essay.

[R4]For this essay, I’ll write about the turning point of the novel; then the start; followed by Lennie’s fight with Curley; then a summary of the climax.

[R5]I mention theme in every prose essay. The marker will be interested in what you think the theme is; and it s likely you will get a theme question every year.

[R6]This carries on from the discussion of the novel’s title and animal imagery.

[R7]The most straightforward way of introducing your conclusion is simply to mention the full title of the novel again. I use the phrase ‘tragic world’ as this makes my summing up slightly more stylish.

Brighton Rock Essay

Question -

Choose a novel which is influenced by the presence of a powerful or overbearing character. Show how the novelist creates this impression of the character and discuss to what extent you felt you could sympathise with him/her.

Structure -

1. Introduction
2. Characterisation of Pinkie
3. Contrast of Pinkie and Rose
4. Key scene - Pinkie is attacked with razors
5. Sympathy for Pinkie
6. The climax
7. Theme of religion
8. Conclusion

A novel which is influenced by the presence of a powerful character is ‘Brighton Rock’ by Graeme Greene. The character of Pinkie is a powerful character who, at rare points, the reader feels slight sympathy for, and Greene effectively creates the sense of power through characterisation and description.

We are introduced to Pinkie early on in the novel. It is made clear from the start that he has a menacing presence: “You might expect a hunter searching through the jungle to look like that – before the kill.’ Seen from the perspective of the hapless Hale, this gives the reader the impression of his murderous nature. It also emphasises that Pinkie’s power is so that his prey cannot escape from his view, which is confirmed in the novel when Pinkie continues to stalk and eventually murder Hale. At this point in the novel, the reader feels no sympathy but only alienation.

However, Pinkie’s mixture of will and ruthlessness is contrasted with that of his unlikely bride, Rose. They are both named after shades of red, the colour of passion. Yet ‘Pinkie’ suggests an innocuous colour, or the smallest finger – implying he is physically small compared to his fellow gangsters. On the other hand, a ‘Rosy’ outlook has connotations of naiveté and a reluctance to see the truth. This suggests the pitiable side to Pinkie and the subtle similarities between him and Rose – both are only on the cusp of the adult world.

But compared to Rose’s fragility, Pinkie seems powerful beyond his years. Perhaps the most ‘impressive’ sign of Pinkie’s authority is that he is able to buy off his girlfriend Rose’s parents, so that he can marry her. After Pinkie offers a sizeable sum, Rose’s father asks him to ‘Make it guineas.’ This shows that due to Pinkie’s wealth, he can effectively buy out people and this puts him in a position of dominance.

However, there are points where Pinkie’s power falters. In part four of the novel, Pinkie is attacked with razorblades by members of the superior rival gang, and he flees weeping. At this point, the reader feels a rare sense of sympathy for Pinkie as we feel maybe he is too young and does not realise what he is getting involved in, and we see that he is still a child. Although, this feeling of sympathy is cut short, certainly for me, when Pinkie thinks of how things should be in his head: ‘It was as if one of the bullied brats had stabbed first with the dividers.’ This shows that Pinkie is accustomed to abusing his position and the one doing the bullying; he thinks this is the way it should be. At this point we realise that this is the life Pinkie is used to leading and so that in being attacked he gets what he deserves, so one’s sympathy wanes.

Although the feeling of sympathy is not usually present for Pinkie, the reader may feel pity when he describes himself as being ‘real Brighton.’ It is known that in those days there were two very different sides to Brighton: One of tourism and happy family holidays, and another of desperate poverty and gang life. By describing himself as ‘real Brighton’, he is saying that he is a product of this impoverished side of Brighton. The reader feels sympathetic here as we feel that maybe Pinkie cannot help the way he is, as he was brought up in that way and so knows no better than bullying and overpowering people. However, at this point I feel sympathy for Pinkie as I can understand the mitigating circumstances resulting in his overbearing behaviour. Whilst it does not excuse his actions, it does give an insight into just why he feels the need to be dominate others.

Pinkie’s power is once again exhibited towards the end of the novel when deliberating whether to rid himself of Rose. He addresses that matter in such a flippant way as if it is an everyday thing to do: “’We’d be safer without her’ he said, touching the loving message in his trouser pocket.’ This shows that Pinkie takes almost a sense of joy in killing defenceless people who have no right to be killed, and having the power to kill at the end of his fingertips.

Pinkie’s effectiveness in the violent criminal underworld is at odds with his obsession with morality, and the promise of eternal punishment. He tells Rose ‘of course there’s hell’ yet he clings to the ideas that he can be saved ‘between the stirrup and the ground’. At the climax of the novel he ‘vanishes’ off the cliff. This is an ambiguous ending – either he goes straight to hell like Faust, or the power he wielded while on earth has simply gone. This depiction of Pinkie’s end leaves the reader questioning whether Pinkie really did repent as he went to his death, and reflecting on his life – the only remnant of which is in the spiteful record he left with Rose. This leaves the impression of a poignant character who was ultimately a failure.

In conclusion, Greene effectively gives the impression of a powerful character in his novel ‘Brighton Rock.’ From Pinkie’s ability to buy off people to marry their daughter; to his ability to have someone killed in an instant, the read is left in no doubt that he is a powerful figure. Sympathy is also surprisingly felt for this character at some points, and Greene effectively makes use of setting to display this as Pinkie’s background is less than desirable.

My comment

'Brighton Rock' was a novel I studied in school and didn't quite 'get'. Why was a crime thriller so short on action, and filled with a bogus love affair instead? How come Pinkie was pure evil, yet so much more religious than Ida, who spends the novel tracking him down? Still, Johnny Rotten liked it, and the book sticks in your memory for years after you read it.

This essay is on the sophisticated side and is probably too long for the final exam, but would be suitable for passing a NAB.

Lord Of The Flies Essay Plan

Question -

Choose a novel in which symbolism plays an important role. Show how the author uses this technique over the course of the novel help us understand their characters and develop their theme.

Introduction

‘Lord of the Flies’ by William Golding is an example of a novel in which symbolism plays an important role. Golding uses the island as a microcosm of society, in order to explore the theme of evil. In this essay I will show how symbolism plays an important role in bringing his ideas to life.

The start of the novel / the conch

Symbolism is first employed at the beginning of the novel when Piggy and Ralph organise the first meeting.

• The conch – brings meeting to order; symbol of democracy and free speech
• Ralph and Piggy are initially at the centre of the island’s community; Ralph mocks Piggy, indicating that he does not value his contribution. He will realise, too late, that he needs Piggy’s intelligence

The choir

The emergence of Jack and the choirboys is highly symbolic and sets the tone for later chapters of the novel.

• Description of the ‘creature’: continued with the idea of the ‘beast’ later on
• Religious overtones – black cloaks suggest monks
• The boys represent the irrational forces of religion, superstition and violence

The character of Piggy

Piggy represents science and reason in the novel, and this is embodied by his spectacles

Physically unattractive, a ‘know it all’; lower class than the other boys

• Glasses can light fire in order to allow them to be rescued; however, the fire burns out of control, mirroring the nuclear war which has happened to the rest of the planet
• Poor eyesight is equivalent to lack of cunning – he is ‘blind’ to the way events will develop; does not see the hunters as a threat until it is too late
• The shelters symbolize the failure of Ralph and Piggy’s leadership to achieve civilisation – the boys would rather hunt and kill than build.

The beast / the murder of Simon

As the island descends into tyranny under the rule of Jack and finally murder, the ‘beast’ shows how the situation deteriorates.

• Ironic connection with the ‘creature’ image to describe the choirboys’ arrival
• Keeps the boys in fear, needing Jack’s leadership
• Simon is sceptical but finally he is murdered because he is mistaken for the beast
• Simon represents individuality and creativity – this cannot be allowed in Jack and Ralph’s violent society, so he is sacrificed
• Suggestion that he is a ‘Christ-like figure’, who is destroyed by a senseless mob

The death of Piggy

• Piggy’s death – killed by Roger’s stone; foreshadowed by Roger tormenting younger children with stones earlier on
• Roger has become Jack’s right-hand-man in the same way that Piggy was to Ralph – yet Roger is only interested in torture
• Gruesome – Piggy’s brains are splattered, suggesting the end of intellect and science
• Destruction of the conch – the end of civilisation

The climax

• Roger tortures Sam and Eric into revealing where Ralph has gone
• The soldiers show the contrast between an orderly society and a chaotic one
• Pessimistic ending to the novel –Ralph was unable to achieve a fair and peaceful society. He had neither the knowledge or experience to do this on his own, and his relationship with Piggy was not close enough for him to be able to use Piggy’s intelligence

Conclusion

I would therefore argue that Golding uses symbols to emphasise the failures of Ralph and Piggy’s leadership and the ascendancy of Jack and Roger. The book’s pessimistic tone contains a message that, without competent leadership, society descends into superstition and violence.

My comments

This was my favourite novel out of the ones I studied at school. It's based on a fascinating premise - is civilization necessary to stop us descending into paranoia and violence? At the heart of the action are the contrasting characters of Piggy, the voice of reason; Ralph, the natural leader; and Jack, the tyrant ready to take over.

All novels and plays contain symbolism. In 'Lord Of The Flies' the symbols are beautifully simple and easy to remember - sinister choirboys; the conch; Piggy's specs; and finally, when the conch and specs are replaced by stones, fires and spears.