Ophelia in Hamlet

In Hamlet, the character Ophelia plays multiple roles. First is that of an innocent girl. Throughout most of the play, between her father and her brother she is always being told what to do, and she always obeys their demands. At the same time however, Hamlet accuses her of lacking any innocence. He essentially tells her that she belongs in a brothel because she is destined to cheat on her future husband. These insults hurt her even more than they would normally because she is convinced that Hamlet loves her before this. The other role that she plays is that of the victim. Initially she is the victim of Hamlet's madness, whether it is feigned or legitimate. He swings dramatically from loving her to insulting her and denying his love. She is also a victim of the violence in the play. When Hamlet kills Polonius, he is surprisingly indifferent, caring only enough to call Polonius a fool. Gertrude also seems not to care as much as she should. Ophelia is one of the few characters who is hurt both by Hamlet's madness and violence, and serves as a reminder that his actions were indeed terrible things to do.

Hamlet's Role as an Unreliable Narrator

In Hamlet, there is no narrator. The reader has to understand the story purely through dialogue. In a sense, the characters who participate in this dialogue become the narrators. The problem with this is that Hamlet has more dialogue in the play than any other character. He also has multiple monologues and conversations with a ghost no one else ever speaks to. Hamlet dominates the role of "narrator" in the story. Hamlet is very driven by his emotions, and at his sanity is often called into question. This makes him an unreliable narrator. He often exaggerates or offers false information (for example his father's death goes from two months ago to less than one month ago in the same speech). Unreliable narrators are also present in other books we've read. The Things They Carried, Heart of Darkness, and  Mrs. Dalloway all have subjective, emotion driven narrators. Interestingly, none of those books aim to convince the reader of their accuracy. Instead they all aim to portray certain truths about human nature that apply even in these doubly-fictitious worlds. This leads me to think that this was Shakespeare's goal as well.

Why Shakespeare is Harder to Read

There a number of reasons why Shakespeare is harder to read than a modern author. First, and most obvious, is his language. The English language is simply not spoken in the same way as it was when he wrote his plays. This compounded with the intellectual style of writing he has creates a way of writing that is much harder to understand than most modern authors. The next source of difficulty is the format. It is meant to be performed, and so there is only dialogue. There are few internal thoughts, actions, or description of the setting to clue you in on what is happening or what the characters are feeling. Also, because reading does not provide the visuals of the play or an introduction of the characters, I feel it takes much longer for me to be able to distinguish characters. These difficulties, instead of taking away from Shakespeare's writing, make it even more impressive. The fact that I can enjoy "solving" his writing even when its meant to be straightforward shows just how impressive a writer he was.

Ambition in Hamlet

Ambition is almost always seen as a positive trait to possess. Ambition is what creates great leaders, inspires great discoveries and sells great products. In Hamlet, however, ambition is portrayed in a less positive light. Instead of being enabled and inspired by ambition, Hamlet's friends believe it to be contributing to his depression. He is unable to exercise his ambition and feels trapped and bored. While his friends intend telling Hamlet he is ambitious to be a compliment, they expose it as one of the reasons he is so unhappy. So far, arguably the only ambitious character who has been able to act on their ambition is King Claudius. The way he acts, though, is far from positive. These actions, murdering the King then marrying his wife to take the throne show the negative, even evil side that ambition can have.

Allusion in The Wasteland

In the third poem of The Wasteland, titled The Fire Sermon, there is a recurring allusion to Tiresias, a prophet of Apollo in Greek epics such as The Odyssey and Dante's Inferno. Tiresias blind, but knows what is happening throughout the world. This fits perfectly into his role in the poem, he is an uninvolved observer, capable of knowing the thoughts and emotions of all the characters he observes. Because of this, there is speculation that Tiresias may be the narrator of all of the Wasteland. His character also serves as a unifying force. In Greek legend, he was turned into a woman for seven years. This allows him to connect to both the men and women in the story.

Snow as a Symbol in The Dead

A recurring symbol in Joyce's The Dead is the weather, specifically snow. Within the text it is representative of multiple figurative concepts, and has literal significance in regard as well. Its literal significance comes in the form of discussion between characters, hindering their ability to travel, and causing or threatening to cause sickness. Looking at it from a figurative perspective, the snow could be the vehicle for two different but related tenors. The first, and most important tenor is the concept of death. After he learns of the death of Michael Furey, one of Gabriel's first actions is to notice the snow, and Joyce remarks on how the snow, like death, falls indiscriminately on everyone. The next tenor that the snow represents is the character's emotions. The snow is first mentioned when Gabriel's aunts are worried that he has not yet arrived. It becomes a prominent part of the story again when everyone begins to leave the party, and the joyous night is over. In the cab, when a more somber attitude takes over, it is once again discussed, as it covers a statue. Finally, it's universal nature is discussed when Gabriel begins to think about his decline, and his Aunt's impending death. Snow is used as a vehicle to represent both death, and the sadness that goes along with it.

Metaphor in The Dead

The metaphor from James Joyce's The Dead that I chose describes the happiness Gabriel feels while looking towards his wife. "A wave of yet more tender joy escaped from his heart and went coursing in warm flood along his arteries." The tenor in this metaphor is Gabriel's joy, and the vehicle, though not explicitly stated, is his blood. Joyce, in creating this metaphor, is obviously not saying that the two things are the same, just that they have similar actions. To Gabriel, it feels as though joy is filling his entire body, and is giving him energy, bringing newfound life. All these actions are ones that are achieved by the blood in everyone's arteries, which is why the comparison is an excellent one to make. The significance of the metaphor is the way it describes Gabriel's joy so completely. It, at this moment, is as essential to him as the blood in his veins. This encompassing joy sets up for the dramatic shift in tone when his wife describes Michael Furey and the way he died.

My Opinion of Mrs. Dalloway

When I began reading Mrs. Dalloway, I did not enjoy it. I felt confused by the style of narration and bored by the content of the story. As I continued to read, however, I realized why it is revered as one of Woolfe's better novels. The narration, though it remains somewhat difficult to understand throughout the book, provides one major benefit that makes its confusing nature entirely worth it. This aspect, which I have devoted more than one post to, is the characterization Woolfe can achieve. Never have I read a book have the characters felt so real, so entirely relatable. Believe it or not, the dull plot (a woman's thoughts and feelings as she prepares for and then hosts a party) has its advantages as well. Because there are no extraordinary or unbelievable events, the characters and their thoughts feel even more real. In addition, the dull plot is enhanced by the addition of other character's perspectives, as well as Septimus' story arc. I would recommend this book because of its impressively "real" characters and their relatable thoughts and feelings, something few, if any, books could achieve.

Purpose of Writing Mrs. Dalloway Revisited

Now that I have finished Woolfe's novel Mrs. Dalloway, I'd like to revisit the reason she wrote it, as well as the meaning of the book. While portraying characters as real people with relatable, complex emotions is a major part of the novel, it is the entirety of it. Woolfe uses her impressive ability to characterize to deliver a few of her own views on life. Loneliness is a common emotion among every character in the book at at least one point. At the end of the book, however, both Peter and Clarissa are able to overcome it. With the page of the novel comes Peter's acceptance of his lasting love for Mrs. Dalloway, and, with this comes a sense of great relief for him and the reader. Perhaps Woolfe's message here is to open to recognizing how one truly feels. For Clarissa, her relief comes with a stranger realization. Upon hearing about Septimus' death, she is at first offended by the topic, but, as she thinks about it, begins to feel comforted by it. The news allows her to realize the importance of life. This, in turn, stops her from worrying about death, a recurring theme, and instead focus on living her own life.

Why did Woolfe Write Mrs. Dalloway?

In my blog posts I have been focusing mainly on the way Woolfe creates her characters. I find the unique, very personal way of characterization that stream of conscious provides to be by far the most interesting aspect of Mrs. Dalloway. It was, and still is, a revolutionary, unique style of writing, and I believe this played a huge part in why she wrote it. She wanted to portray humanity in an accurate, relatable light, but conventional means of writing didn't offer the right feeling. The post World War I feeling among artists was that they had failed by allowing the war to occur. This meant they needed to explore new techniques and concepts. Woolfe took advantage of this to create an incredible example of excellent characterization.

Woolf's Characters Feel Real

In Mrs. Dalloway, I was, at first, intimidated and confused by the style of writing. It seemed impossible to understand whose mind the narrator had entered, let alone anything about this person. As I grew more comfortable with Woolf's style, however, I began to realize the appeal of the book. The characters, because you, as a reader, can enter their minds, feel more authentic, more personal. You go through life only having access to your own consciousness. There is no way to know if way you think and feel is normal because you only get the filtered, emotionally guarded thoughts that others choose to share. This allows Woolf to create characters that seem almost more human than the real people around you. Her characters have private, petty, and sometimes inexplicable thoughts and feelings that you can only experience in your own head. It is difficult to explain the appeal of this concept, but there is a strange comfort in the way it connects your conscious with those in the book, and through them, to humans in general.

Abstraction in Writing

Abstraction, both in the art and literary worlds, is characterized by shedding traditional rules in an attempt to make the reader or viewer experience emotions. In art, the rules that are shed are the concepts of realistic form and recognizable figures. In literature, the rules are linear plots and a single narrator. In art the concepts are replaced with broad, bright colors or interesting shapes and patterns. In literature it is stream of conscience narration and a non-linear plot. Mrs. Dalloway is an excellent example of abstract writing in literature. It challenging traditional methods of writing in a way that emphasizes emotion and personal experience above reason and facts. The unique and sometimes confusing style Woolf uses in her book is the interesting culmination of the ideas that created abstract art.

Character Development in Mrs. Dalloway

In Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf has a unique way of developing characters. She presents the reader with the opinions and memories of her characters which reveal details of their lives. Normally, an author would present the circumstances of a character's life to explain their thoughts and emotions, but Woolf reverses this process. The reason she is able to do this is the stream of conscious narration, and the narration constantly switching between each character's minds. This gives acces to their thought process, but, unfortunately, no clarification for why they are thinking certain things, requiring the reader the reflect more deeply on the characters to understand the. While this style can be confusing and unclear, it provides a unique and powerful way to understand characters.

Is The Things They Carried a Coping Mechanism?

In The Things They Carried, O'Brien talks about the way the soldiers dealt with death in Vietnam. They developed numerous euphemisms in order to avoid the word, and skirted around the subject as much as possible. Once a man had died, they would tell stories and jokes about him, as if he were still around, in order to "keep him alive." Based on this explanation, it is possible that O'Brien has not gotten over the way they coped with death in the war. He, in writing this book, is continuing to tell stories about the men who died, still keeping them alive. While the characters he uses are fictional, they are likely based on characteristics and actions of the men he served with, and therefore representative of them. O'Brien is able to recognize that he was unable to accept the soldiers' death in his book, but he may still be unable to achieve complete acceptance.

The Importance of the Truth in The Things They Carried

In Tim O'Brien's novel, the truth is constantly being called into question. Before the book even begins, there is a line telling the reader that the book is entirely a work of fiction. It would be reasonable to assume that this dispels any further mystery, but, somehow, it adds to it. For the majority of the stories, the narrator is speaking in first person, and at the very least shares Tim O'Brien's name. This pushes the reader towards believing the story is autobiographical. It is undeniable that the story is at least influenced by O'Brien's time in Vietnam and growing up during the era, it is just difficult to decipher which details reflect the truth. This is not the product of unclear or poor writing, I believe that this deception was intended to be a part of reading The Things They Carried. It allows O'Brien to demonstrate that, in some ways, the truth is irrelevant. The stories all aim to convey simple concepts and demonstrate simple emotions, that both the reader should feel and the soldiers had felt. In the chapter How to Tell a War Story, O'Brien explains this stylistic choice by saying the truest war stories don't necessarily describe what happened, but instead encourage the same emotions that the soldiers felt, and the "truths" that they chose to except in place of reality.

Family Conflict in Unaccustomed Earth

The book Unaccustomed Earth is a book primarily about family conflict. Throughout the several short stories the main similarity is they all feature Indian families who have immigrated to the United States or are the children of immigrants. More specifically, it deals with maintaining or breaking Indian traditions depending on generation. Each family also has more personal issues, two characters have dead or dying mothers, one an alcoholic brother, and another a cheating boyfriend. When put together, there is a wide spectrum of both family conflict and support. One of the main purposes of the book is to show the many difficulties an Indian family has when immigrating, but it accomplishes more than that. It also shows some of the issues that any family may find themselves facing, and how different personalities may react to these situations.

The Journey in Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness has two simultaneous journeys. The first is the literal journey up the Congo river, into the center of Africa. The other is the figurative journey that Marlow takes into examining the evil nature of man. On his physical journey, he is delayed by the ship being sunken before he arrives. Once it is repaired, he must fight his way against the current and around treacherous sandbars. At the same time, he is having difficulties on his mental journey. He, almost unwillingly, comes to accept the evil that is present not only in the natives, but the company men he is traveling with. Once he reaches Kurtz and is able to turn around, he encounters significantly less problems navigating the river. Perhaps this is symbolic of him coming to terms with his realization, that at the root of mankind is a heart of darkness.

Setting in Heart of Darkness

The setting is one of the most important elements of Conrad's Heart of Darkness. The book starts with with Marlow telling his story on a boat in the Thames river. The majority of the novel, however, takes place on a different river, the Congo. This creates an interesting parallel between the modern european nation England, and the more primitive land in Central Africa. While at first the two settings seem to have little in common, the similarity is revealed when Marlow tells the story of England's past. He says that England used to be "one of the dark places of the earth," like the Congo is in the novel. England remained that way, however, only until it was conquered by the Romans. This parallel between the two setting can be seen two different ways. It is possible that Conrad is defending and promoting colonialism, with the belief that Europeans will take Africa into a more modern era. However it is also possible that he is criticizing European for the way they see the Africans as beneath them. Perhaps it is meant as a reminder that both they and the African tribes share the same roots in "primitive darkness."

Appearance of Mr. Kurtz

In Heart of Darkness, the reader is told about Mr. Kurtz from the very beginning. He is built up to be a mysterious ivory trader deep within the jungle. He is revered by the company men for his impressive work, but, at the same time, they mistrust him. Despite the strong feelings the company men feel towards this man, none are able to provide details about him, and so he remains a question in the mind of reader until near the end of the novel. When Marlow finally reaches Kurtz' camp, he is met by a young trader who is obsessed with Kurtz. In his mind, Kurtz is a genius who could not speak a wrong word, but the trader also reveals that Kurtz is ill. This is the way the reader is finally introduced to Mr. Kurtz, a frail, underweight, bald, dying man. He looks nothing like the strong conquerer of the jungle that is expected. In the end, his physical appearance and the one the character comes to expect say a lot about the character. He uses words and ideas to build himself up and sway people towards supporting him when, in the end, his motives are "hollow," weak, and malicious.

Inspiration for Unaccustomed Earth

I believe that Jhumpa Lahiri was inspired to write Unaccustomed Earth by her personal experience growing up as an Indian in New England. In all eight of her stories the characters have four traits in common. All of them are Indian, specifically Bengali, all either live in New England or have at some point, all are part of a larger community of Bengalis, and all are plagued by some familial or other relationship difficulty. The first two of these traits are definitely shared by Lahiri, as explained in the "about the author" section. Though it is not directly stated, it is reasonable to assume that Lahiri was a part of a larger community of Indians in Rhode Island. I make this assumption based on the familiar and casual way she places all of her characters, who are in a similar setting as she was, in these groups. It is possible that she takes characters in a familiar setting and culture and uses them to address a universal issue of friction in relationships. At the same time, it is also possible that Lahiri believes this setting is a catalyst for these issues, and this is her inspiration for naming her book from the quote by Hawthorne.