7. Speak on the peculiarities of characterization means.

A Lamp in a Window

Lord of the Flies

Summary of the story:

The story is written by Truman Capote and tells us about the adventure of a young man who had to find a shelter in a house of a kind old woman who surprised him in the end by her actions.

The novel is written by William Golding and tells us about the group of children who turned on the island after the crash of the plane. They wanted to build civilization but came to pieces and revealed human’s true nature: egoistic and violent.

Narration:

The story is told in the 1^st person which creates a sense of intimacy, makes the story more realistic and allows us access to the inner world of the protagonist.

The novel is 3d person narration. Moreover it is told from the point of view of an objective narrator, which allows the author make objective observations, take a sober view of things and be critical.

Development (body):

I suppose there’re 2 protagonists in the story, though to my mind the main one is Mrs. Kelly. At first she produces a good impression on me due to different traits of her character like being kind, polite, helpful and caring.

The author characterizes the traits of the main figure himself so I suppose explicit ch-n is represented through authorial portrayal.

The author uses various means and devices of implicit characterization in his short story. Ch-n is shown through both verbal and nonverbal behavior.

Analyzing the character’s speech characteristics we come across Mrs. Kelly’s using markers of both official and informal styles, as sometimes impressed by some situation she uses initiating signals (Oh), but with it she talks politely to her guest. Also her speech reflects her attitude to different problems discussed with her guest though different attitudinal markers, like using intensifiers (very, exactly, really).

The protagonist is implicitly characterized by environment, which presents Mrs. Kelly’s house as a cheerful and cozy place, full of her pets, whom she takes a lot care of. Also by appearance, as she was described as an elderly woman with soft white hair and a sound pleasant face.

Though the woman seems so pleasant at first, then the reader’s attitude to the character undergoes a change as the story progresses. We see the woman who wanted to care of somebody, as there was nobody she could give love and attention to. She preserved her cats in the fridge because she wanted to keep safe her memories. I suppose during the whole life we’re lonely and sometimes try to preserve our memories in unusual ways. Especially when we growing older this feeling of loneliness is getting even stronger.

Also the woman is with a good, varied and open mind. This detail contributes to the character creation. As I think Mrs. Kelly realizes her eccentricity and being dotty.

The author characterizes the traits of the main figure himself so authorial characterization is used in this novel as well.

There are many protagonists in this novel and there are many devices and means of implicit ch-n shown in the novel.

First of all I suppose Ralph is the author’s mouthpiece as through many Ralph’s ideas and words the author’s point of view as to the problems raised in the book is expressed.

I think Jack is the most dynamic character as there are many situations in the novel when we can change our opinion on him. I would add he is a sly and double-faced person.

Ch-n is shown through both verbal and nonverbal behavior.

Analyzing the character’s speech characteristics we come across characters’ using markers of both official and informal conversational styles. It depended on the situation and a personality. The children were more tactful when they turned on the island, but then it vanished and they just turned into animals/beasts.

Attitudinal markers and markers of the emotional state of the character are used as well. Due to the confrontation between Ralph and Jack there are many complicated and emotional situations in the novel with using of emotionally coloured words, hesitation pauses, interjections and other devices.

Also some characters like Jack and his company are implicitly characterized by the clothing: black clothing, the symbol of evil and violence.

Almost all the characters are presented through actions and behavior. Ralph who with a group of his people tries to keep fire as their rescue, tries to built civilization. Jack who is corrupted by nature tries to corrupt everything around him, not even striving to good. It’s important for him to please his pride and to have power, not important how and where, and at what cost.

Conclusion (summing up and personal impression):

I have a neutral impression of this story. For me it has a feeling of some doom, as if loneliness has only such a tragic end. Nevertheless the author draws out attention to the problems of human nature, particularly the relationships between people and allows us look deeper into our inner world. The author comes up to create a realistic portrayal of a lonely woman.

On the whole the novel is pessimistic and gloomy. Through his own experience Golding came to such a conclusion that evil was inherent in man, that man was born with a disposition to egoism, greed and violence. I fully agree with him and suppose he discussed the urgent problems of society and created a true masterpiece of the times.