The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Symbolism, Animal Kingdom, Philosophy

In E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White introduces a few farm animals and some farm pests. In this story a blood-thirsty spider turns out to be the best friend that anyone could ever have. The stubborn pig ends up being very dynamic and lucky by narrowly escaping death multiple times with the help of his friends. The last character is commonly symbolized as selfish and uncaring and Templeton the rat matches his symbolism, although he does not learn morals in the story, he teaches them. E.B. White uses the opposite of the characters symbolism to learn and teach morals throughout the novel.

The author Thomas Hardy lived and wrote in a time of difficult social change, when England was making its slow and painful transition from an old-fashioned, agricultural nation to a modern, industrial one. Businessmen and entrepreneurs, or "new money," joined the ranks of the social elite, as some families of the ancient aristocracy, or "old money," faded into obscurity. Hardy 's novel Tess of the d 'Urbervilles clearly illustrates his views on the harsh social changes in his time period, which were the exact opposite of many of his conservative and status-conscious readers. In the novel, Hardy mocks the power of high class society and industrialization, as well as to the importance of lineage and heritage in conjunction with social

Thomas Hardy’s “Far from the Madding Crowd” is somewhat gruesome and somber in tone with the novelist’s vision of human destiny and his concept of invincible Fate that intervenes and shapes joys and sorrows in the world of humans. It is one of the finest novels in the world of literature with the setting of pastoral landscape surrounded by woods, dales and heaths of Wessex-life. The main plot of the novel grows slowly and furthers towards tragic consequence in a way that heightens the impression of a perfect tragedy. But suddenly towards the end the vital tone resounding

Thomas Hardy’s poem “The Workbox” uses tone and symbolism to convey its message. Thomas Hardy uses fatalistic phrases in his writings. Most of Hardy’s poetry is seen as an outcry of the misfortune to the human condition. “The Workbox” is a poem that starts out very belittling towards women. There is obviously a tension between the wife and husband shown by the way the husband addresses her in the beginning of the poem.

Renowned author and poet, Thomas Hardy, was born and raised in the English village of Dorset, a town that’s known for it’s ability to remained relatively unchanged in both quality of life and mentalities for hundreds of years. Hardy explores the characters in the town of Casterbridge in his novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge, which is based on his own hometown of Dorset. Within this town of Casterbridge, we follow, as Hardy puts it, A Story of a Man of Character. This supposed Man of Character is Michael Henchard, who challenges the reader's perception of what it means to have character. It also follows the characters of Elizabeth-Jane, Henchard’s daughter, and Donald Farfrae, his co-worker and later rival. During the course of the book, it

The use of animal imagery in Greek literature initially appears easy to understand as it is one of the simplest types of comparison found in poetry from European tradition. In fact, Western culture seems to encourage us to contrast the human world with that of the animal. This habit makes it easy to assume that no profound meaning can truly be drawn from such a clichéd analogy. I have not found this to be the case however when analysing the use of animal imagery to describe women in the Classical period. Animal imagery, particularly that relating to birds and horses, is used ingeniously across the period to dissect and often criticise the base nature of women. Women were seen as closer to the natural realm than men and something to be feared but is it an overgeneralization to suggest that all Greek authors utilise animal imagery when describing women to negative effect? In this essay I will attempt to illustrate Greek authors’ reasons for using animal imagery to describe women and whether Walcott is right to suggest attitudes towards women in literature and in the Greek world in general were ‘conditioned by man’s fear of women’s sexuality’ (1984: 45).

Even though this is one of Poe’s short stories, at times, ambitious inVestigation of a mans paranoia, the story gains its intensity by the manner in which i portrays how the narrator stalks his victim- as though he were a beast of prey, yet at the same time, elevated by human intelligence to a higher level of grotesque

In fact, in several of his poems “Hardy emphasizes instead the tragic lateness of all knowledge, so that the wisdom won through retrospection is less often a gift than a torment” (Miller). In doing so, Hardy indirectly warns his readers of the effects of regret by expressing his emotions about the time he himself lost. This idea of lost time correlates to Hardy’s relationship with his first wife, Emma. Hardy was rather estranged from his first wife because they did not have similar views on religion. Hardy heavily critiqued Victorian religion in his works of literature, such as in Jude the Obscure, while his wife confined to it. This caused them to be separated for a few years up until Emma’s death in 1912. Although they were distanced for several years prior to her death, her sudden death heavily influenced Hardy because he regretted not loving her properly. Hardy began to write poems of guilt and despair shortly after her death, producing his collection of poems The Poems of 1912-13. Critics claim this collection of poetry is what solidified Hardy’s title of a truly great

Just as most pieces of literature, Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d’Urbervilles uses different forms of symbolism throughout the novel. A prominent symbol through the novel, red is used quite often. Hardy uses it to foreshadow, warn, and hint at future events that are important to the theme and in the progression of the novel. Other symbolic devices are used, but the color red’s myriad of meanings has proven it to be the best way to trace Tess's journey.

In Hardy’s novel, the double standards of society greatly affect Tess’s life experience. Tess was expected to work, marry, and support her family as she was the eldest daughter. When she was a young virgin girl, she is seen as desirable by men and society. Consequently, after her “relations” with Alec D’Urberville, she is considered a “fallen woman” and immoral by Victorian society. Women in Victorian England were expected to be chasted, wholesome and most

In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, “The Tell-Tale Heart” the dominant theme of insanity is established through the utilization of definitive archetypes, explicit symbols, and particular literary devices to illustrate the narrator's irrationality and madness. Poe displays these through the narrator’s actions, diction, and thoughts. As a consequence of the narrators consistent endeavour to justify his sanity, an anxious and suspenseful mood is constituted, furthermore accumulating to the anticipation of the plot.

As one of the most influential writers in literature, all of Jane Austen’s works contain everlasting themes that continue to impact modern society and its customs. In Pride and Prejudice, Austen explores the English gentry while offering anecdotes and wit to impose criticism on the societal values of the time. The story of Elizabeth Bennet includes a budding romance between her and the seemingly prideful Mr. Darcy, whose true character is only shown after Elizabeth overcomes her clouded judgment. The classic characterizations and themes found throughout the novel are so masterfully posed that they provide substantial influence on modern works whose authors wish to emulate some of the tactics of Austen to enable their work to be as long lasting

He wanted to avoid the “the jeweled line” like many modernist, Thomas Hardy pursued to be called “dissonances, and other irregularities” (Ramazani and Stallworthy). Hardy’s childhood was in the Victorian Era but paved the way for the Modern Period. Yet, his works appear diverse in comparison to the Victorian Era for they have become known as disbelieving, harsh, and realistic. His works also challenged the standard of English with his contorted syntax, irregular, and intricate stanza formats. One of Hardy’s famous novels is The Return of The Native, which involves “two pairs of mismatched lovers” (Hardy). The novel immediately opens to Diggory Vann escorting Thomasin Yeobright to the rural village

Thomas Hardy’s first major novel, Far From the Madding Crowd is about an immature nineteen year old girl named Bathsheba Everdene, who encounters many difficulties throughout her time in Wessex, England. The story begins with Bathsheba inheriting her uncle’s prosperous farm and her encounter with Gabriel Oak, a young farmer from Weatherbury. Gabriel proposes to Bathsheba for her hand in marriage, but she refuses because she wishes to marry a man that she loves. A few weeks later she offers him the role of a shepherd at her new farm for rescuing her farm from a fire. As Bathsheba begins to understand managing her farm, she attempts to engage with her neighbor, Mr. Boldwood, by sending him a valentine card. From this moment on, Boldwood becomes

There is something odd and strange about a Poe story, satisfying in the way it often leaves the reader uncertain over whether what has just been read was a character’s real or imagined experience or whether one can actually call a Poe ending its end of the story. This is in large part due to the fact they linger in a reader’s mind with an intriguing idea of “unfinished business. There is much unclarity in Poe’s own life as there are in his characters’ thoughts, and that is he has the ability to hypnotize his readers with the heart-thumping curiosity of unmentionables or omitted detail in Poe’s work. The indulgence in a fantastical tale of forbidden romance like “Ligeia” there exists an unexpected touch of magicness in Poe’s stories about madness, death, and deception. This obviously due to Poe’s exploration of the bizarre and perverseness of human nature. In Michael Wood’s essay, “Poe’s Tales: The Art of the Impossible,” he argues that Poe “could see being buried alive, for example, both as a gag and a nightmare. Odd changes take place in a nightmare once you have seen its potential as a gag” (16-17). Going along with Wood’s suggestion, one can consider the tragic moment of revenge and justice in Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” where a drunk Fortunato has battle with his entrapments and screams for release before recognizing in a defeated voice to the murderer that he has been a part of “a very good joke indeed–an excellent jest”