8. Speak on the tone and the effect it produces.

The Rabbits Who Caused All the Trouble

The Invisible Japanese Gentlemen

Summary of the story:

The story is written by James Thurber in the form of a parable. It is about the rabbits who were constantly threatened by the wolves and had to escape, but didn’t find a place to stay anywhere else to live, only promises to help, if something happens. So they had to return back, where they were imprisoned by the wolves.

The story is written by Graham Green and tells us about a young couple who is going to marry: a girl, the future writer, and her fiancé who is dependant on her. We become aware of their plans and expectations during reading the story.

Narration:

The story is 3d person narration. Moreover it is told from the point of view of an objective narrator, which allows us to make objective observations.

The story is told from the 1^st person point of view which allows the narrator be more objective, to observe better than his protagonist and reveal her personality.

Development (body):

First of all the general mood of the story is highly sad and bitter, though the author satirizes social conventions.

The story is full of satire: he uses sarcasm that is directed at the certain political situation: WWII and Jew’s persecution by Germans.

The narrator uses symbolism to make the tone more moralizing.

To my mind the wolves symbolize German and the rabbits represent as Jews.

The situation with the rabbits is associated with the one Jews had during WWII, when they were in danger and had to escape to that place, where they could find help and peace. Other animals were asked for help but they offered the rabbits to return back to their home promised to help if they were in danger. But they didn’t get any help; they were rejected by other animals and imprisoned by the wolves, though they would like only to find peace and happiness.

Though the author portrays Germans and Jews satirically, the narrative is permeated with mock seriousness. As the problems discussed by the author are crucial.

The general mood of the story is good-humored but a little bit sad/bitter.

The story is carefully worded to reveal the author’s sympathy (he is the narrator in the story) with the girl’s situation who has intentions to become a writer. The girl is confident in her being talented and successful. Moreover she wants to become independent and is ready to do anything for it. She changes the title of the book at the instance of the her publisher, tries to persuade her fiancé to move and settle in St. Tropez. Many times she was speaking about her powers of observation, though she couldn’t even notice Japanese gentlemen with their unique manner of communication.

The narrative is permeated with seriousness, because the girl sees only her future, full of expectations and great number of books to be published. The story is full of bitter irony, with that the author creates mocking tone and criticizes the girl’s being too self-confident.

Conclusion (summing up and personal impression):

The story made a favourable impression on me because the author handles the problem of people’s inability and unwillingness to live in peace. I would say the author underlines the fact that the wolves (or Germans) couldn’t live in peace and didn’t want let others be happy. There is at least one more crucial problem which is discussed by the author. It is the time when the rabbits (Jews) really needed help from other animals, but didn’t get it in time.

In addition, I suppose one of the major themes of the story is also the theme of freedom which is revealed in the moral (‘Run, don’t walk, to the nearest desert island’). I think the author would like to show people’s being unable to feel free among others, if they needed to run even on some island, not just land.

All these important themes are skillfully revealed by the author with the help of sarcastic and moralizing tone.

The story made a good impression on me because the language of the story is vivid and simple. Also the characters and their features impress me very much. I suppose each of the couple plays his and her own role. The girl is too self-confident in making her future career. The narrator is a sensible man but he keeps silence because he understands he won’t change her. The girl’s fiancé seems to have some kind of dead-pan humour, as answering the girl’s remarks he pretends to be very serious and to be frankly openly mocks at her. Though I suppose for most he seems to be melancholic and dependent on the girl.

All in all the author reveals some traits of the main characters quite well and ironically.