Analyzing socially critical themes in Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and The Stranger by Albert Camus Word Count 1469 Cultural and social criticism is a common characteristic of 20th century literature Conveying critical notions through fiction allows for artistic amalgamation of the real with the imaginary and of history with fabrication rendering intertextuality and providing the reader with room for interpretation Chronicle of a death foretold a Latin American blend
Individuals sometimes choose to belong but only on their own terms To what extent is this true of The Tunnel and two of Emily Dickinsons poems Human social behaviour is a contradiction of desires We want to be distinctive individuals but simultaneously we want to be included in society We constantly yearn for a sense of belonging however once gained we may choose to abandon it This discord is explored in The Tunnel a short story by Doris Lessing as well as in I had been hungry all the years and
John savage disgusted by civilization secludes himself in an abandoned lighthouse and performs situals of self punishment to expell himself from contamination News about this breaks out and soon many reporters flood in He becomes quite popular eventually drawing in Lenina He goes on a frenzy whips her and proceeds to have an orgy He awakes the next morning to horrifying memories and takes his life John Savages final act demonstrates both enlightenment and weakness To atone for his sins John Sav
The setting in Voltaires Candide is important since Candied is a travelogue the setting plays a major role in the story line As the setting changes the events and challenges the characters endures change as well One major aspect that influences the setting is the political attitude of the time The social structure is another aspect during the enlightenment that affects the setting as it directly relates to what the characters knows and owns Voltaire uses the religious attitude of the time to cr
In Raymond Carvers short story Cathedral he uses a first person narrator to tell the story to emphasize the bewildering aspects of the transcending moment that he relates in the story The narrator is concerned only about how the visit from Robert will affect him and is contemptuous of what role Robert may have played in his wifes past At the same time the narrator lacks self awareness There was no conclusion at the end of the story Carver finishes with leaving the narrator with his eyes closed
Joseph Conrads novella Heart of Darkness explores the enlightenment of Marlow an explorer who ventures into the Belgian Congo He is led through a chthonic journey witnessing humanity at both its darkest and lightest and emerging from the jungle reborn While both Conrad and his characters make it clear to the audience that Marlow has reached an enlightened state what precisely he is enlightened about is never explicitly states A common easily reached interpretation has Marlow lamenting the evils
Often novels present characters of unfamiliar nature to engage the readers attention and through such characters bringing in a unique scenario and perspective successfully emphasizing the authors main ideas Two such characters presented are Gemmy in Remembering Babylon and Grenouille in Perfume Gemmy is a European man raised for much of his life by Aboriginals transforming him into an in between creature no longer belonging to either white or aboriginal worlds thus making this character unfamil
Colonialism and Beyond in Chinua Achebes An Image of Africa Racism in Conrads Heart of Darkness No Longer at Ease Things Fall Apart Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Emmanuel Nelsons Chinua Achebe Postcolonial African Writers Willene Taylors A Search for Values in Things Fall Apart Colin Turnbulls he Lonely African This course on colonial and post colonial literature satisfies my cravings for thought and literature that falls outside of the mainstream of the Eurocentric view of things Achebe Wal
In the novel Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky Raskolnikov drastically changes by the end of the story ceasing to believe in his original philosophy about life God and the universe Throughout the novel the main character undergoes this change of personality and ideas with the help of Svidrigailov Sonya and his essentially good conscience Even though Raskolnikovs change of heart could be overlooked or doubted because of the complexity of ever changing thoughts and feelings that he reveal
Hesse and Kafka make specific use of their main characters Kafkas Samsa is a trapped man We are introduced to him just after his metamorphosis into a bug He remains in this state until his death at the end Hesses eponymous character is portrayed as an enviably successful attractive intelligent revered character that nevertheless chooses to set out upon a spiritual journey in order to reach enlightenment Thus Hesse emphasises the quality of his main character and shows us that a privileged life