Pillars Of Earth

Through direct characterization Tom is said to be "meagerly, miserly" (Irving 243). Tom also is "...bad enough in all conscience, but the Devil himself could not tempt him to turn slave trader." (Irving 249).

In the first five chapters we can see that Tom is a young boy who liked to play with his friends and cannot stand working, even if his friends are working. In the second chapter, Tom deceived his friends to put whitewash

    One the biggest flaws of Tom’s is that he makes horrible decisions. At the beginning of the book he has borrowed many thousands of dollars from mob bosses around the New York area and now they are trying to kill him. "Of course they found you, you idiot! What do you think this is— Manila? You can't just walk away with $100,000 of the mob's money and expect to live happily ever after.” (Dekker 25). His life is quite messed up. He is an unsuccessful author and lives

The character Theodora plays is a significant role in the narrative through her relationship and encounters with Eleanor. Said relationship begins innocently as new and exciting. She is someone from outside her immediate family that she conjures a relationship with. Eleanor first views Theodora as a possible motherly figure in her life, as “[Eleanor] was always shy with strangers, awkward and timid, and yet had come in no more than half an hour to think of Theodora as close and vital, someone whose anger would be frightening” (Jackson 49). Theodora is described as “the opposite of Eleanor. She is secular and much experienced, exotic and exciting, representing, in part, what Eleanor might have been if her life had not been so restricted and

During the depression, he worked for his father’s shoe factory. It was a horrible time for Tom. He hated working there and felt that those three years were wasted time (Roudane).

He too abandons his morals; illegally earning the money that he believes will win back the heart of his lost love Daisy. When they had a love affair long ago, she wouldn't marry him because of his financial standing. The details of his business are sketchy, when asked he usually ignores the question. Tom though, after some investigating finds the true nature of his profession.

Eleanor Douglas is a sixteen-year old girl. She struggles with her body image because people constantly make fun of her size. Eleanor also has a terrible life at home. She lives with her siblings, mother, and an abusive step-father in poverty. He abuses her family both physically and mentally by neglecting their family by not providing things such as toothpaste. Despite everything, Eleanor still thinks of her loved ones first and also has a sense of humor.

In fact, her mother favored her brothers, so Eleanor knew what it was like to not have any attention. “Later, with the arrival of boys, Elliot and Hall, Eleanor watched her mother hold the boys on her lap and lovingly stroke their hair, while for Eleanor there seemed only coolness, distance.” She was ignored, while her

Eleanor was the new girl in her school. She took the bus to her school and already marked as the weird

     Eleanor was one of three grandchildren born from the dishonest relationship between William IX of Aquitaine and Dangereuse, wife of the viscount of Châtellerault. William IX had stolen Dangereuse from the viscount, and even though the two could not officially marry, they had allowed their oldest children to marry each other. Dangereuse’s oldest daughter Aenor had married William IX’s oldest son, William X. They had three children, two daughters, Eleanor and Petronilla, and a son, William Aigret. Of the three, Eleanor was unique in that she resembled her grandparents more than she did her parents. She had the same traits of an iron will, gaiety, restlessness, and intelligence possessed by her grandparents.

He is an example of old money, and because he is so rich he decides that he can break all the rules and do whatever he pleases, like cheating on his wife. "'Why -' she said slowly, 'Tom's got some woman in New York.'" (19). (wanting, more than anything else, to buy and own lots of nice things) has gotten to Tom's head and he believes just because he has so much wealth he can buy happiness with anything that he pleases.

However, Eleanor could not alter her absolute reality of loneliness. The commonality of the absolute reality between Eleanor and the Hill House is what strengthened their connection, which became crucial in the story. In Chapter Nine, Eleanor heard her mother's’ voice while being haunted by the Hill House: “What fools they are, she thought; now I will have to go into the library. ‘Mother, Mother,’ she whispered, ‘Mother’, and she stopped at the library door, sick… I can feel the whole house and heard even Mrs. Montague protesting, and Arthur, and then the doctor, clearly, ‘We’ve got to look for her; everyone please hurry.’” (Jackson, 169-170). In this point of the story, the connection between the House and Eleanor is stronger than ever, and Eleanor’s isolation from the rest of the group intensifies the connection. Eleanor sees what the House sees, and the House is in control of Eleanor’s thoughts and actions. The House intended for Eleanor to be separated from the group in order to surround her with the absolute reality of loneliness. As the Gothic heroine, Eleanor needs to be saved from her fate in order to live by the Gothic Hero. The character of Luke Sanderson does not suit the traditional Gothic hero, but does try and save Eleanor from her mortal fate when she climbed the iron stairway in Chapter Nine. Luke manages to save Eleanor from the danger

In understanding the complex nature of the American Dream, Tom is the most egotistical of them all. His family has enormous wealth. Tom represents “old money” and the intergeneration transfer of wealth; which he offensively exploits. He lives in East Egg where the old aristocrats live. Tom is also a hypocrite, and his constant use of racist comments towards other ethnic groups and those less fortunate than himself indicate to me the reader that he feels he is superior.

Roosevelt adored her father, and he called her “little Nell” (Jones 8). Elliot was very charming and people were often drawn to him, but he suffered from depression and consequently drank heavily (Jones 5). Eleanor’s father’s drinking got so bad that he had to move away from the family (Jones 9). Just before Christmas, her mother died of diphtheria; Roosevelt and her two brothers were sent to their Grandmother’s house, and Roosevelt’s father’s drinking worsened due to the death of his wife (Jones 10, 11, 12). Roosevelt and her father sent letters back and forth to keep in touch, and her father promised Roosevelt that there would be a day when they would see each other again (Jones 14).

Eleanor & Park is a young adult novel by Rainbow Rowell. This story is praised and loved by all ages because of it’s ability to relate to the reader with it’s varied issues and themes that anyone can relate to. From romance, to bullying and violence, it has a little something for everyone. Overall themes are an important asset to this young adult novel, since they are the ideas that Rainbow Rowell explores, and helps the story take shape. It all goes back into the “coming of age” theme. The protagonists, Eleanor and Park, are two 16 year olds facing life’s obstacles, such as bullying, abuse, and even romance. This book teaches many lessons that one reader might relate to; although taking place in 1986, the lessons still relate to this day, from relationships, to issues at home. Eleanor & Park is an exceptional book that even the most hardened reader can relate to, this book handles a lot of issues and themes that anyone can relate to, and dishes out life lessons that will impact the reader, it’s written in such a realistic way, that it feels like a real story, and that is not in any way fictional. This book is a great piece of fiction that blends in pop culture, issues, and romance all in one that anyone can read.