Will's Thoughts

One topic we have discussed quite a lot in class is whether Rochester is a sympathetic character. While Rochester does many despicable things, there are many reasons for him doing so. Why Rochester is a sympathetic character: Much like Antoinette, Rochester is in a difficult position in his family. Because he is not the oldest son, he gets none of his father's inheritance. Thus, when Mr. Mason gives him the opportunity to gain an entire estate in the West Indies, he is basically forced to accept because it is far too good an option to pass up, and the chances of him getting a similar offer are very low.  The Caribbean is a completely alien world to Rochester, both with the people and the environment. Because of this, he is also quite insecure and paranoid. A quote on page 172 summarizes this perfectly: "I was tired of these people. I disliked their laughter and their tears, their flattery and envy, conceit and deceit. And I hated the place". Rochester is very much ...

One of the most interesting parts of The Stranger is Meursault’s extremely strange personality that is shown throughout part one and much of part two. Meursault seems to be completely indifferent to events that should evoke very emotional responses from normal people. Not only that, but his “none of it matters” attitude make him a very drone-like character that only takes actions based on others- he always chooses the path of least resistance when faced with a problem.           So, when did Meursualt become this way? Visualizing a young Meursault with the same strange behavior, or Meursalt living with Maman seems very strange, although it is certainly possible.           There are three likely possibilities: Meursault was born this way, the change happened after school when he “lost his ambition”, or the change happened after Maman’s death. As previously mentioned, the first theory...

In The Metamorphasis, Gregor's father highly despises his son. Not only does he detest Gregor, but again and again he says things that suggest he wants Gregor to prove he is harmful or perhaps even evil. The most convincing evidence for this claim is shown on pages 92 and 93. Gregor startles his mother and sister by being on full display in his room, and his mother passes out. Grete tells her father what happened, and in response, Gregor's father says this: "Just what I expected, just what I kept telling you, but you women won't listen." Here, Gregor's father is saying that he thinks Gregor will hurt the family, and blames Grete and his wife for not taking him seriously. The tone of this sentence is key, and suggests Herr Samsa is not sad that this happened, but rather satisfied in a away. This is because the sentence carries a "I told you so" kind of tone, as he says "but you women won't listen". Had he been sad that Gregor made his m...

In The Sun Also Rises, Brett is presented as an image of "The New Woman". From the very first description, it is quite apparent that she is nothing like the conventional Victorian-age lady. This is partly presented through her appearance, as she has a unique, somewhat boyish style: "She wore a slipover jersey and a tweed skirt, and her hair was brushed back like a boy's. She started all that". This style suggests that she is an independent person not bound by the gender roles of the time. The line "She started all that" makes this even more apparent. Another difference between the Victorian-age woman and Brett is how Brett handles relationships. She didn't settle down with some proper English gentleman but instead hops from relationship to relationship when she wants, even though she is thity-four. Because of this, she is in control of every relationship, as well as the many men who follow her around desperately. She has clear power over Mike, Jak...

The Sun Also Rises places a large emphasis on post-war culture. At the start of the novel, it causes quite a bit of confusion as it is so difficult to tell who is with who- Jake hires a prostitute, introduces her as his fiance, then meets his on-and-off girlfriend at the same place. There are many other things that may seem strange to us in the present. Brett has married and divorced two times, and its also hinted that she would cheat on Jake to fulfill her sexual needs if they ever got into a relationship. Cohn is in a situation that is somehow more complicated- he is engaged to a girl who divorced another man to marry him, but now doesn't want to marry that girl after she went through all that trouble. Furthermore, there is another complicated situation with Brett, Jake, and Cohn. Cohn instantly falls in love with Brett the instant he sees her (despite the fact that he is engaged), and when he asks Jake about her, Jake gets extremely defensive even though he knows he will never ...

While Richard Dalloway is the husband of the main character, we don't even meet him until about one hundred pages into the novel. Because of this, most of what we know about Richard is from the other characters describing him. From the outside, Richard is a very simple person, a generic version of the of a suitable man to marry for the time. He has a stable job in parliament, is a great example of the English gentleman, firm belief in tradition, etc. His character oozes simplicity. When he is talked about, he is most often noted for his job in parliament above all else, as opposed to other characters. When Peter or Septimus are talked about, their personalities define them more than their roles. However, this changes when we are able to see from Richard's point of view. We get to see small, unique aspects of him that weren't covered when he was talked about- his goals, such as writing about Lady Bruton's family, or his opinion of Hugh in the shopping scene. "For ...