Can books become your best friends? I think so! I write about stories that are close to my heart. Every post, I'll introduce a great book and explain why it's a favorite.
” There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ~Maya Angelou
Hi there! My name is Marah Grant, and I’m from Nashville, TN. You might have found this page because you love books and like to talk about them. We all have at least one favorite thing to read on a dark, stormy night. I know I have a long list of favorite books and have even written a few myself!
I’m a junior at Lipscomb University studying–you guessed it–English, specifically Creative Writing. Obviously, stories are things I’m passionate about! After graduation, I am super excited at the idea of working in book publishing in Nashville. In this blog, I’m looking forward to sharing with you my thoughts on literature, its themes, and how my life has been changed by stories and writing! Thanks for stopping by–feel free to strike up a conversation in the comments, or leave a few reading suggestions!
Hello, dear readers! This week’s book is The Little Prince by Anoine de Saint-Exupéry, a novella with playful illustrations and thought-provoking themes. The story follows a French pilot (Exupéry himself) who crashes in a desert. He meets the little prince, who takes him on adventures to different planets where they meet some interesting characters. This little book is innocent and whimsical, and has inspired much of my writing over the past several years.
What Grown-Ups Care About
On the first planet, the little prince talks with a “universal monarch” reigning over his tiny asteroid. The king insists that he has command over the stars themselves and every man he meets. However, he says he only commands his subjects within their abilities, like a reasonable king should. The little prince is fascinated. He asks, “I’d like to see a sunset…Do me a favor, your majesty…Command the sun to set” (30). The king replies, “You shall have your sunset. I shall command it. But I shall wait, according to my science of government, until conditions are favorable” (31). He wants to wait until 7:40pm to command the sun to set because he doesn’t want it to disobey. The king claims leadership, yet has no real authority over things and people. “Grown-ups are so strange” says the little prince as he leaves the first planet.
Grown-ups also really like numbers. “When you tell [grown-ups] about a new friend, they never ask questions about what really matters” (10). Here, the story’s narrator explains by saying that adults never ask things like, “What does his voice sound like?” or “What games does he like best?” Adults ask, “”How old is he?”…”How much money does his father make?” Only then do they think they know him” (10). Later, the speaker and the little prince meet a businessman on the fourth planet who fixates on counting and cataloguing the stars. He does not look up to admire them or stop to take a rest. He calculates their number and claims to “own” them for no purpose other than being rich and buying more stars (38).
Friendship
The Little Prince has some interesting illustrations of what friendship is. On his tiny planet, the little prince dutifully takes care of a rose. She is entirely dependent on the little prince, and quite selfish of his care. He feels a great deal of responsibility for this flower. While visiting an explorer, he has a brief pang of regret over leaving her defenseless on his planet. During his travels, he soon learns she is not the only one of her kind, however. He encounters a rose garden on earth. At first, he feels downtrodden when he learns that his rose is not the only one of her kind (for that’s what she told him).
Gradually, the little prince learns more about the effort and uniqueness of friendship when he meets the fox. The fox says he isn’t tamed, which he defines as “to create ties” (59). Taming becomes synonymous with friendship. It’s spending time, building relationship, and being happy to see the other person. It’s not being lonely. The fox remarks, “For me you’re only a little boy just like a hundred thousand other little boys. And I have no need of you. And you have no need of me, either…But if you tame me, we’ll need each other. You’ll be the only boy in the world for me.” Of course, the little prince thinks of his flower. When he visits the rose garden again, he realizes none of them could replace his own rose back home, which he realizes has tamed him.
Childlike Perception
I think Exupéry wrote the novella to call attention to the way a child views the world. They see things deeper and from a completely different perspective. One great first example given is the drawing on the right. The narrative explains that, contrary to what grown-ups would think, it is not a hat. The author says he drew it at a young age while learning about how boa constrictors eat large animals and digest them. When he asked a grown-up if the drawing made them scared, they looked confused.
“It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant. Then I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so the grown-ups could understand. They always need explanations” (2).
The drawing of the elephant inside the boa constrictor (not a hat) is an illustration of the more meaningful and fascinating world in which children live. The trick is that adults and children live in the same world…they just view it differently. What I have taken from reading this little book is motivation to try and see a little beauty in everything. I want to admire the stars, not try to own and catalogue them. I want to look up from my busy life and put time and effort into friendships. I want to look at a drawing of a hat and say, “Boa constrictors sure are terrifying.”
Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de. The Little Prince. Harcourt, Inc. New York, 2000.
Welcome back, friends. Today, we’re talking about C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce. It isn’t a novel, but it isn’t nonfiction, either…I looked it up, and this little book is categorized as speculative fiction or Christian fiction. Lewis uses creative writing to paint a vivid, allegorical picture of heaven and hell, particularly how our ideas of these…places? concepts?…link to what we believe about our religious faith. Shwew. It’s one of the more serious reads I’ve posted about, but that doesn’t make it any less delightful…Lewis is a brilliant creative writer and philosopher, and The Great Divorce is both entertaining and thought-provoking. It’s a favorite of mine for its rich description and illustrations on faith and the idea of love. From this book, I learned new ways of viewing God’s love and place in my life.
Descriptive Language
Lewis uses rich description to show contrast between heaven and the reality in which living people dwell. His descriptions of the grass, river, and angels illustrate how our reality compares to that of the world to come. The more solid the surroundings, the more real they are. This means that individuals who newly arrive from the “real world” are less real than heaven. The grass does not bend under their feet, but pierces their skin. The water is hard as rock. The narrator or main character is transparent, not real enough, and not quite a part of heaven yet because he does not fully want what the new place can offer or understand it. He eventually learns through listening to the conversations of other, confused “ghosts” that heaven is more real than this present world could ever be.
I don’t know if you, reader, have noticed this, but I definitely see it in myself…people make a habit of catastrophizing things that may not matter much in the future. The Great Divorce has something to say about this, too. “They [mortals] say of some temporary suffering, ‘No future bliss can make up for it,’ not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory” (69). This goes back to the idea of heaven being more real than reality. If heaven is more real, and will last for eternity, then we can be assured that our temporary suffering will be totally eclipsed and replaced by something much better (much more solid) after our old world is gone. I think Lewis is saying that we should set our sights on heaven in dark times. They won’t be dark for always.
Finite Love
The main character in The Great Divorce witnesses several encounters between “ghosts” and ethereal creatures whom we assume are angels. These interactions read sort of like parables concerning faith, love, and letting go. Pam is a woman who wants to be reunited her son; she would rather drag him back down to Hell with her than remain separated from him. Her exchange with the angel brings up a complex, heart-wrenching conversation about human capacity to love.
“You cannot love a fellow-creature fully till you love God” (100).
While Godly love is unconditional, selfless, and not needy, our weaker version frequently comes out of need and with conditions. Through Pam’s obsession with finding her son, Lewis illustrates our incompetence at loving completely and our need for God’s love. “What we called love down there was mostly the craving to be loved. In the main I loved you for my own sake: because I needed you…We shall have no need for one another now: we can begin to love truly” (125). He introduces to his readers the love that we have to look forward to in the next life with God. This concept is fascinating to me, and a bit uncomfortable. I like to think that when I love someone, I love them well and completely. However, I find it important to remember that I cannot love someone purely and selflessly on my own…I get my own neediness and motivations tangled up in the relationship. But…news flash…God loves us because He loves us and because we are His, not because He needs us…and certainly not because of our actions and how we respond to Him. Lewis helped me see that growing closer to God can show me how to love my neighbor more fully, as God selflessly loves all humanity.
Lewis, C.S. The Great Divorce. HarperCollins Publishers. New York, 2001.
Bonus Post! Happy Halloween! In honor of the spookiest day of the year, I’m jumping into one of the classic monster tales that the modern world has adapted into movies, books, and TV shows galore. One might argue that the hype over vampires as villainous (or sparkly) characters all started with Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I love this book for its genius storytelling—Stoker weaves a fascinating and blood-chilling tale that reads like real events. Not only that, but he intentionally wrote a villain that would terrify his audience on multiple levels.
Shifts in Narrator
Dracula is not set up like any ordinary horror novel. Every couple chapters, the story switches narrators so the reader gets a good, three-dimensional view of what’s happening with the Count and the people he terrorizes. Stoker uses point of view very effectively–most of Dracula is told in the form of personal letters. I think Stoker did this to give the text some authenticity, and to heighten the horror. The multiple letters and their writers make the book feel and read as if the events they describe actually happened! In these letters, characters express their raw fear and worry at the plot’s twists and turns. Also, because you only get one person’s viewpoint at a time, it’s like you never fully know what Count Dracula is up to. You’re as much in the dark as the terrified main characters are.
The Vibe
The book does a good job of setting the scene physically and psychologically in order to keep the reader on their toes. It’s a mysterious, Gothic horror novel, after all, and the scenery definitely contributes to the overall feel. For one thing, the Transylvanian countryside and Count Dracula’s castle are described in bleak detail. They set a tone for what we expect from the dreaded Count. Even the layout of the castle, unknown to the main character Jonathan Harker, provokes feelings of being lost and trapped in a creepy place. Stoker also creates a rising atmosphere of dread with the manner in which Jonathan Harker (the main narrator) describes Count Dracula. “But my very feelings changed to repulsion and terror when I saw the whole man slowly emerge from the window and begin to crawl down the castle wall over that dreadful abyss, face down, with his cloak spreading out around him like great wings” (39). Harker’s image is crystal clear and dramatic, letting us know that what the novel deals with is not the natural, but the supernatural and inhuman.
An Evil, Limitless Villain
The vampire Count was (and still is) a near-perfect villain in the time the book was penned. Dracula himself is unavoidable and immortal, which is reason enough to read the book in a well-lit space. He sneaks through cracks and crevices and even changes his human form. He defies science, which is especially terrifying to readers in any time period. As a supernatural monster, Dracula’s very existence is outside the bounds of any logic or scientific reasoning. One of the most reliable and scholarly characters in the book, Van Helsing, is a scientist. Another, John Seward, is an experienced doctor. And in the words of Van Helsing, “Madness were easy to bear compared with truth like this” (209). Neither he nor Seward have any real power against the monster preying on them. Another reason to hesitate before reading this book at night in a dark bedroom is that the people the Count attacks become not themselves anymore. Their old lives and desires are gone and they become monsters just like the Count.
Using a multi-dimensional story, Bram Stoker’s Dracula explores the fear of a supernatural entity, the gory mystery that is Dracula’s influence over his victims, and their dread of the unknown. Its narrative in letter form helps suspend belief and make the story authentic and terrifying. Each of these elements combine to make the novel a timeless, popular classic.
Stoker, Bram. Dracula.Barnes & Noble Classics. New York, 2004.
Hello friends! Here’s a fact: I am a child at heart. This is partly why I will always appreciate reading children’s and middle-grade literature as much as I appreciate books by Brontë and Bradbury. Now, Peter Pan by James M. Barrie lives in the minds of every person my age (that I know of, at least). My first exposure to Peter’s story came in the form of the Disney movie. At some point, I realized that it originated from a book. I don’t remember exactly when I read it for myself for the first time, but I know I was spellbound. I love it for its writing style. I love that it’s written for and about children. And I love the sentimentality and simplicity of its themes. Somehow, I don’t think I’ll have to convince many people of this, but Peter Pan is a magical little novel and here’s why…
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Writing Style
Barrie’s writing style is playful and easy to read. It’s a great read-aloud book for kids and, I think, an excellent and relaxing read for older generations, too. The author’s descriptions are detailed and vivid with a touch of whimsy. The most fantastic parts of the book are relayed with dreamlike details. For example, Wendy falls to the ground in Neverland and the Lost Boys surround her, unsure of how to proceed (because she’s a “lady” of course). They scramble to build a little hut around her to keep her safe. Some of the “building” appears to be real and some of it make-believe. Barrie relays how the boys go about constructing the hut, including the materials they used. “With a blow of their fists they made windows, and large yellow leaves were the blinds…Quickly they made-believe to grow the loveliest roses up the walls” (87). To children, this scene may be seen as the most natural thing in the world because Barrie writes it as anyone would relay actual events…with a twist of playfulness. Incredibly, Wendy’s new house is later moved to Captain Hook’s pirate ship. Her fall, the building of the hut, and its transportation to a ship are somewhat imaginary, fantastic events described matter-of-factly and in great detail. It makes for an engaging and entertaining read.
Written for and About Children
Overall, the book has a quaint storybook quality. Its main characters are children, and the story seems to be written for children to enjoy. Peter Pan’s characters are young and energetic. However, I’d argue that this is another reason why it makes an enthralling tale for young and old readers alike—we were all children once, weren’t we? A fun aspect of the novel is that the narrator comments on children’s habits and thoughts, describing them in happy metaphors.
“I don’t know whether you have ever seen a map of a person’s mind. Doctors sometimes draw maps of other parts of you…but catch them trying to draw a map of a child’s mind, which is not only confused, but keeps going round all the time” (7).
Another example of Barrie characterizing children’s minds comes when the narrator describes Mrs. Darling as she organizes the minds of her children at the end of a long day. “You would see her on her knees, I expect, lingering humorously over some of your contents, wondering where on earth you had picked this thing up, making discoveries sweet and not so sweet…and hurriedly stowing that out of sight.” The narrative says that all mothers do this—that children pick up many habits and learn many things throughout a day, and every night their heads must be tidied up “like drawers” (7).
Themes
An obvious theme from the very beginning is family. There’s an immediate sibling dynamic once we meet Wendy, John, and Michael. The text (especially towards the beginning) also focuses on Mr. Darling and his disposition as a father and respected member of the family’s neighborhood. Mr. and Mrs. Darling worry terribly when their children fly off with Peter. Eventually, the children decide to return to them, concluding that family is more important than any imaginary land…no matter how fun it is to play with mermaids and pirates. There’s a strong thematic desire to go home despite their fun in Neverland.
Another main theme is the fear of growing up, or a severe dislike of the idea, at least. Peter embodies this idea. “I don’t want ever to be a man…I want always to be little boy and to have fun” (35). He spurns the idea of growing up in school to eventually become an adult and have to work in an office. Peter rejoices in imagination, spontaneity, and storytelling (another prevalent theme).
Wendy is a storyteller, which fascinates the Lost Boys, so much so that they make her their honorary mother. Stories are a way of escape in the book. To Wendy, John, and Michael, Neverland was just a story until Peter came along. Even in Neverland, the Lost Boys escape loneliness by listening to Wendy’s stories.
These themes are a part of why Peter Pan has remained a favorite of audiences (young and old) since it was first published. It embraces childlike imagination and acknowledges the power of storytelling. It also communicates that, yes, children must grow up, but they also must experience the joys of childhood.
Barrie, James M. Peter Pan. Barns & Noble Books, USA, 1994.
Hello, wordy friends, and welcome to my first non-fiction post! This is a little book I read last summer and I truly learned a lot from it. It’s short and sweet, and helped me understand my faith better. Anyways, hope you enjoy.
New Perspectives
Anne Lamott has a wonderful way of writing down-to-earth analyses of tough subjects–like Christianity and writing. I love her work, and Help, Thanks, Wow is the most recent book of hers I have read. In this post, I’m focusing on how this little book made me, a proclaimed Jesus-follower, rethink ideas I had on prayer and my relationship with God. Lamott writes simply, is very no-nonsense, and has some interesting thoughts on what constitutes as prayer. She happens to think it’s much simpler than people usually believe. Sometimes the act of praying can feel daunting, as if Christians must follow a prayer recipe and get all the steps right before God hears them out…luckily, that’s not how Help, Thanks, Wow characterizes it at all!
Emphasis on Simplicity
One thing I noticed about the book is that it centers around simplifying the idea of prayer and connection to God. In the opening sentence, Lamott says, “I have come to believe, over the last twenty-five years, that there’s something to be said about keeping prayer simple. Help. Thanks. Wow” (1). Lamott describes her prayer habits in small, one-word prayers said throughout the passing of any given day. These simple messages reminded me to take faith one small step at a time. Help, Thanks, Wow is also a really short book, and Lamott’s way of putting things simply and concisely makes it an especially quick and helpful read. It acts as a short and thoughtful reset for the busy reader.
Candid Conversation
Anne Lamott’s writing style is very frank and full of personality. She has a very blunt attitude about religion and makes bold statements that most of us are thinking but few dare to say. For this reason, her writing presents a uniquely frank vantage point on spirituality and God. She focuses on the real and the true as she sees it unfold in her life. She also doesn’t take herself too seriously, and offers advice as it applies to her own personal stories. She writes things as they are, acknowledging that not everyone feels the same way. It’s refreshing to read and makes the book itself incredibly relatable.
“My belief is that when you’re telling the truth, you’re close to God. If you say to God, “I am exhausted and depressed beyond words, and I don’t like You at all right now…” that might be the most honest thing you’ve ever said. If you told me you had said to God, “It is all hopeless, and I don’t have a clue if You exist, but I could use a hand,” it would almost bring tears to my eyes…for the courage it takes to get real-really real” (6, 7).
What is Prayer?
Help, Thanks, Wow redefined my idea of what prayer is. The book presents the opinion that praying can be far less daunting then many Christians perceive it to be. The book’s idea of prayer is that it’s a more casual, instantaneous communication with God, and a way to keep up a spiritual back-and-forth to draw closer to Him. I felt that Lamott’s down-to-earth explanations of how prayer works throughout her life helped God feel closer in my life. I’m far more likely after reading this little book to send up a plea for help, a simple “thank you,” or an impressed gasp when I see something beautiful. Lamott writes, “When we are stunned to the place beyond words…when all we can say in response is “Wow,” that’s a prayer” (73). By the end of the book, Lamott gave me an attainable goal in regards to praying daily and reaching out to God in little moments of want, joy, need, suffering, and amazement.
Lamott, Anne. Help, Thanks, Wow. Penguin Group (USA) Inc., New York, 2012.
Hello, dedicated readers. This week’s book is pretty different from the others so far, so get ready! We’re going to talk about Trenton Lee Stewart’s The Mysterious Benedict Society. It’s a middle grade novel packed with puzzling scenarios, exciting characters, heartwarming themes, and a diabolical villain. I first read this book years ago and it still holds a special place in my heart. Here are a few reasons why: I love the young, outcast protagonists, the imaginative plot developments, and puzzles along the way.
The Orphans
The Mysterious Benedict Society tells the story of how four outcast, gifted children (Reynie Muldoon, Kate Wetherall, Constance Contraire, and George “Sticky” Washington) save the world from an evil mastermind. These kids are each special and terribly alone in different ways.
Reynie, the main character, lost his parents when he was a baby, and is unusually brilliant. He reads through high school textbooks like it’s no problem. As a result, his classmates tease and bully him. Kate has very little memory of her parents. She is surprisingly fit and nimble, and used to perform circus tricks. She always carries a staggering amount of confidence and a small bucket attached to her belt. Constance Contraire is aptly named—she hates being asked questions and is pretty difficult to talk to. She’s also incredibly stubborn and independent. Sticky’s parents, in contrast to the others, are very much alive. He ran away from them because he felt like they were better off without him. Sticky has a photographic memory and a lot of anxiety.
Reading these characters’ interactions and the various ways they face adversity is endlessly entertaining. Each child is so different and brings distinctive skills and attributes to the story.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Isolation & Belonging
In addition to gifted characters and baffling mazes, the novel explores Reynie and his friends’ feelings of isolation. As orphans, they haven’t experienced a family’s love and support, so they jump on the opportunity to be part of Mr. Benedict’s Society. Reynie has been on his own his entire life, as Miss Perumal notes in the first chapter. “Miss Perumal sighed when she was…sad to see him teased by the other children, sad the poor boy had lost his parents—and Reynie wished he hadn’t worried her, but he did like knowing she cared. She was the only one who did” (4). She is something of a teacher/mother figure to Reynie. He appreciates her concern but still acknowledges that he is very much alone. However, with Mr. Benedict, Kate, Sticky, and Constance, Reynie find a group in which they belong. The children work together and become close as they go undercover to save the world, solve tests and riddles, and face their greatest fears.
Unusual Events & Riddles
The Mysterious Benedict Society is a playground for the imagination. Stewart wrote in so many quirky details, eccentric supporting characters, and riddle-like obstacles and tests. To me, one of the most memorable “tests” the children go through is a maze of doors and hallways in the third chapter (43). One at a time, the children are sent into a room painted black, in which there are several doors leading to other, identical rooms. Every room full of doors leads to several rooms exactly like the previous one—and that is the maze. Reynie goes through first to try to find his way to the back of the maze as quickly as possible. There are no light switches or furniture or anything in the rooms, but there are “decorative” panels by each of the doors. He soon figures out how to get through the maze because, he realizes, those panels aren’t decorative! There are little arrows of different colors, shapes, and directions on the panels. With this clue, he cracks the maze and makes it out quickly.
The cool thing is that with every test, the reader watches as each character solves the maze in a different way. For instance, Kate outwitted the maze by crawling through a heating vent (a shortcut!) and reaching the other side that way. And Sticky made it through by simply trying so many doors until he memorized all the paths of the maze. I loved reading this chapter because it clearly demonstrates every child’s gifts.
Later on in the book, when the stakes are high and when they must work together, these kids rely on each other and use their strengths as a team.
“I can’t say for sure, because I have no experience, but—well, is this what family is like? The feeling that everyone’s connected, that with one piece missing the whole thing’s broken?”
They’re no longer isolated orphans, but best friends through adventure and hardship.
Stewart, Trenton Lee. The Mysterious Benedict Society. New York, Hachette Book Group, 2007.
The Brontë Sisters (Part 2 of 2) … Well, readers, it’s October! And there’s no better way to celebrate a famously spooky month than by jumping into a gothic, romantic ghost story filled with family drama. As promised, this week’s post is part 2 of my Brontë novel rant: Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights.
Complex Plot & Dramatic Atmosphere
What I find so captivating about this novel is its intentionally dark, dramatic atmosphere and masterful plot. The complicated relationships between family members confound the reader at first, but I think Brontë knew exactly what she was doing and why. Through all the theatrics and ghostly settings, Emily Brontë showcases the complexity of human relationships, particularly Catherine and Heathcliff’s slow deterioration into insanity and hopelessness. The text is full of thematic parallels and dramatic irony, and the main characters act in the most wild and unexpected ways. To me, it’s breathtakingly sad, intriguing, and chilling all at once.
Names & Generations
When Mr. Lockwood (a tenant at Wuthering Heights) stays the night at the windswept Heights, he sees three names scrawled on the window sill—Catherine Earnshaw, Catherine Linton, and Catherine Heathcliff. It’s initially confusing for any reader, but eventually, a nuanced story unfolds about Catherine’s upbringing, marriage, and her deep attachment to her childhood companion, Heathcliff. In the first several chapters, we are introduced to a complicated family tree, gradually explained to Lockwood by Nelly Dean, Wuthering Heights’ former housekeeper. Brontë creates this frame narrative, giving the story an eerie sense of timelessness. The reader begins to draw parallels between characters and even family generations as the story unfolds.
Setting & Description
There are definitely signs of the foreboding past in the language used to describe Wuthering Heights. The strong winds in the region earned the house its name: “‘Wuthering’ being a significant provincial adjective, descriptive of the atmospheric tumult to which its station is exposed in stormy weather” (4). The whole setting comes across as barren and dream-like. Brontë’s writing suggests that the house is haunted and full of secrets, just like the lives of those who grew up in it.
Speaking of hauntings, Lockwood’s dream scene inside the house shows a chilling struggle with the ghost of one of the novel’s main characters—Catherine herself. On a stormy night (wuthering, one might say), the ghost of a little girl begs to come into the house, and Lockwood struggles to free himself from her grasp. At Lockwood’s yelling, Heathcliff appears at the room. He scolds Lockwood. Not long after this commotion, Heathcliff cries out in anguish, begging for Catherine to return (23). The image of the heartbroken man shouting at the wind through a window pane haunts Mr. Lockwood. His experiences at Wuthering Heights prompt him to ask Nelly about her time there. She narrates the wild, melancholy tale in full detail, including Catherine’s descent into madness and her and Heathcliff’s selfish, devoted obsession for one another.
“My great miseries in this world have been Heathcliff’s miseries, and I watched and felt each from the beginning: my great thought in living is himself. If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger: I should not seem a part of it” (64).
Brontë details these shared miseries in a tragic and complicated story. The convoluted family tree provides a backdrop for important similarities between the generations. The ghostly, melancholy aspects of the novel’s setting echo the haunting backstories of Catherine and Heathcliff. Ultimately, the novel’s complex plot and gothic atmosphere show the bleakness of the character’s lives.
Brontë, Emily. Wuthering Heights. 4th ed., edited by Richard J. Dunn. W. W Norton & Company, Inc., 1847.
The Brontë Sisters (Part 1 of 2) … Hello, Friends! I’m writing this week and next about Charlotte and Emily’s best known novels, Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. Both of these books are at the top of my favorites list, so I just had to share my thoughts on each, one after the other. Enjoy!
An 1800s Feminist Icon
Jane Eyre is an iconic name in the literary world. I first read the novel last year in one of my college courses. Now…for many of my favorite books, it’s difficult to pin down exactly one thing that makes me love each story so much. Not so with Jane Eyre! Almost instantly, the main character’s strength, independence, wit, and contentment in her harsh environment captivated me. Jane is an orphaned, impoverished, young schoolteacher in the Victorian Era. It isn’t easy for women in her situation to be independent, outspoken, and self-advocating, yet here’s Jane, defying everyone’s expectations of her. For that reason, she is my favorite heroine I’ve ever read and I adore Charlotte Brontë for her writing.
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will” (223).
Women in Victorian England
Within the novel’s scenes, we get a peek at what people expected of women back then. Jane is chastised and outcast at an early age for not meeting her caretakers’ expectations of how little girls look like and act. They think of Jane as an “ill-conditioned child, who always looked as if she were watching everybody, and scheming plots underhand” (21). Since Jane wasn’t cheerful or energetic, she was labeled a wicked child. Women and girls were also taught to hold their tongues and keep from having strong opinions. It was assumed that they were generally inept at carrying on profound conversations with men and with each other. Finally, people expected a woman to remain dependent on a man throughout her life. An especially a poor, orphaned woman like Jane Eyre needed provision from some male authority figure. Well, in every stage of her life, Jane proves society mistaken on each of these points. In this post, I’ll focus on her independence and outspokenness.
Speaking Her Mind
Jane is unafraid of deep or blunt conversations. In fact, she appreciates them and seeks them out. Her bold comments get her into trouble and shock the men in her life. In her first interactions with Mr. Rochester, she surprises him with her quick wit and conversational skills. Gradually, they find in each other a confidant and an equal mind—Rochester confides in Jane because she has proven herself to be a truthful and intelligent speaker. Later, she finds the courage to tell off St. John when he demands that she marry him and claims her purpose is to become a missionary’s wife. He continues to pursue her relentlessly, but she firmly refuses him, saying, “I am not fit for it: I have no vocation…I wish I could make you see how much my mind is at this moment like a rayless dungeon” (354, 355). Jane does not submit to either man’s preconceptions regarding women of her standing. She establishes her personhood by intellectually and conversationally meeting Mr. Rochester and St. John where they are.
Independence & Contentment
Jane is content to live simply and with very little. She generally dislikes having her life tangled up with another person’s. After living a while with St. John and his sisters, Jane requests to have her own, simple cottage rather than live with the family. St. John shows her a modest place not far from the schoolhouse where she will teach the village children, and she finds it satisfactory. She thrives in solitude, despite her poverty and a lack of social connections. She likes to sit with her own thoughts and manage her life independent of anybody else’s. In her school days, Jane devours her lessons, hones her language and art skills, and works hard to make herself marketable for a job as a governess. She wishes to leave the confines of the school and start her life as an employed and independent adult.
Jane Eyre is unapologetically herself throughout the novel. This means she inevitably proves to men and authority figures in her life that she is a thinking person capable of thriving on her own. She asserts her thoughts and opinions, surprising Mr. Rochester and showing herself to be a worthy conversationalist and companion. She insists on living independently and thriving on her own company, defying expectations for poor, orphaned women in that era. Not to mention, she is a hard worker and a skilled governess. I have so much respect for her and her story, which is why Jane Eyre will stay near the top of my favorite book list for some time to come.
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2nd ed. 1971.
Have you ever read a book and thought you knew what’s going on—how it was going to end or what was truly happening in the plot—and then been shocked at the end reveal? I could go into excruciating detail on how Ian McEwan writes the last few pages of Atonement to perfection, but that would downright spoil the whole thing. Plus, the book is worth reading for far more than just its fantastic twist at the end. Trust me, it is genius. And mind-blowing.
Point of View
Ian McEwan toys with point of view (a narrator’s position on a story being told) to craft a multi-perspective story about one character’s guilt. He does this as a way of showing readers different opinions on one event—there are many different accounts of what happened, but which one is right? The characters’ perspectives are used to tell a much larger story chock full of misunderstandings.
I want to break down the differing perspectives written in the novel, particularly Briony’s. Briony a young girl, and aspiring author, and Atonement’s main narrator. Her point of view switches over to that of other characters every other chapter or so, however. Sometimes, one scene will be told over again from two or three people’s perspectives. As a result, the book gives us many ways of thinking of how events in the story actually take place.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
The Fountain and Objectivity
The great conflict within the novel hinges on Briony misunderstanding a scene by the fountain at her house. What she sees convinces her that a family friend, Robbie, is a danger to her sister and to others. Robbie and Briony’s sister, Cecilia, occupy this fountain scene, which Briony witnesses from an upper floor of the house. She sees tension and some back-and-forth between the two young people, and Cecilia flashes an incredulous look at Robbie. He gestures to the fountain, and she proceeds to remove her dress and jump in. Briony, watching the silent scene, makes assumptions about Robbie’s motivations and actions. She slowly comes to demonize him and, through her rationalizing other events that follow this one, she labels him as a twisted person who wants to take advantage of her sister.
However, we also read Cecelia’s and Robbie’s sides of the story. The scene is very different when we’re listening in on what’s actually happening. She and Robbie are arguing, according to the narrative. Their squabble leads to Cecilie breaking a vase full of flowers, and Robbie becomes apologetic. Yet, willful as ever, Cecelia jumps into the fountain out of spite to retrieve a broken piece of the vase, casting off her dress in the process.
“And only in a story could you enter these different minds and show how they had equal value” (40).
From their point of view, it seems that Cecilie stripped and entered the water of her own free will. Yet, it’s easy to see why Briony would assume her sister was forced as she watched from within the house. In this way, point of view shows us that few situations can be interpreted objectively by anyone (or at least by Briony in this case).
Truth and the Unreliable Narrator
The multi-perspective narrative displays how unreliable some characters can be when they have the spotlight. As the story continues, are we to always believe Briony’s version of events, or do we discredit her altogether? It’s impossible to do either, as she changes so much as the novel continues, and we learn so much about her life and the lives of Robbie and Cecila. Atonement’s use of point of view also gives us a well-rounded (if conflicting) knowledge of events. We learn what each character believes by watching events unfold before their eyes. We then understand why they believe it. Particularly in Atonement, point of view helps us prepare for when readers have to decide what about the narrative is true or untrue. That’s the tricky part, and it’s why I love this book so much.
McEwan, Ian. Atonement. Alfred A. Knopf Canada. 2001.
Hi there, readers! Get ready to jump into a novel that many people my age (early twenties) read in middle school. It takes its reader to different dimensions, dark planets, and shows them the power of deep, familial love. I’m always telling my peers to reread A Wrinkle in Time because it’s rich with meaningful sentiments that we missed when we read it in sixth grade. Even though it’s technically a middle-grade book, Madeleine L’Engle has written a story that benefits readers of all ages.
Quirky Characters
Today, I’m talking about characters in A Wrinkle in Time. Not only are they brilliantly quirky, but their offbeat quotes communicate really important truths. There are times when a simple thought will catch me by surprise and make me look at a complex issue from a totally different angle. First up, the beloved Mrs. Whatsit.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
Mrs. Whatsitand Sonnets
It’s obvious Mrs. Whatsit is an oddity from the moment she enters the Murry home. She doesn’t mind walking about in severe weather at night. She is small and old and wears a crazy assortment of clothing items. To top it all off, she’s not even from earth! Yet, she has an overall pleasant appearance and is quite cheery. She and her two companions, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which (who are also otherworldly and immortal), encourage and guide Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin on their journey to find Meg and Charles’s father.
Mrs. Whatsit’s words of wisdom simplify complicated topics in surprising ways. At one point in the novel, she and the children visit the Happy Medium (who is basically a cheerful, ethereal fortune teller) and Calvin asks why the Medium can’t see everything in their future. Mrs. Whatsit explains by comparing a person’s life to a sonnet. “Each line has to end with a rigid rhyme pattern,” she says. “But within this strict form the poet has complete freedom to say whatever he wants, doesn’t he? You’re given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you” (191, 192). In just a few words, Mrs. Whatsit explains how free will and fate interact in the world of the novel. She uses something the children will understand: a familiar poem structure. Everyone must live within the set form of life—conform to its “rhyme patterns,” etc.—but ultimately, you choose where your story ends up. I find Mrs. Whatsit’s analogy pretty insightful, and it allows me to see my own life choices in a new light.
Aunt Beast and Seeing
Speaking of light, I want to talk about one of my favorite characters in the book. Meg, Calvin, and Meg’s father escape from a dangerous planet (without Charles Wallace!) to Ixchel, a gray world home to the nurturing Aunt Beast. Unlike the creatures on planets Meg Murry visited before, Ixchel’s inhabitants are neither magnificent nor human-looking. Aunt Beast is one of these creatures. It (gender isn’t specified, though Aunt Beast chose to be called “Aunt”) is tall, gray, covered in soft fur, and has no eyes. In place of ears, hair, and fingers are many tentacles. Despite Aunt Beast’s appearance, Meg eventually senses and trusts that its intentions are good. Slowly, Meg accepts the beast’s care, kindness, and provision, and has some interesting conversation with it. The beasts on Ixchel can’t see, and Aunt Beast expresses her confusion and amusement at Meg’s attempts to explain light, seeing, and color. Meg feels sorry for the beasts, because, she says, “it’s the most wonderful thing in the world!” However, Aunt Beast remarks,
“We do not know what things look like, as you say…We know what things are like. It must be a very limiting thing, this seeing” (174).
Aunt Beast’s understands seeing as an unnecessary and complicated thing. She knows the warmth of the sun and the beauty of her world without light. Why would you need to “see” what things look like when you already know how they truly are? Aunt Beast’s character gives us the idea that superficial sight can actually limit our view of the world. Everything is not as we see it!
Quirky characters in A Wrinkle in Time make the story fun to read. They add important insight on things like fate, free will, and how we view reality. Mrs. Whatsit tells Calvin that, although some parts of people’s lives are set in place, we have the freedom to determine our own futures. Aunt Beast reminds us that what we see on the surface is not all there is to know—seeing can actually hold us back from knowing. I adore these two characters, not just because they are eccentric, kind, and larger-than-life, but because they lend little quotes of truth to the story and make me wonder about how things are. They lead readers to explore new perspectives and teach them to think deeply.
What’s something you learned from a book you read in middle school? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 1962.
Book Babble 