English 104 - Introduction to Narrative
Alex Paul
Huck & Alice: Two Distinct Forms of Power Over Adults/One Effect Upon the Final Understanding of Each Character
Category: 2 Essay: Carroll, Twain, Faulkner, Sebold | Alex Paul
When considering the nature of relationships between children and adults, one generally assumes that older individuals should exert a controlling influence over adolescents. Such is not the case, however, in Huckleberry Finn and Alice in Wonderland, written by Mark Twain and Lewis Carroll, respectively. In these novels, the young main...
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Posted by apaul on December 09, 2003 at 01:00 AM
Ruth & Abigail: Characters United in Isolation
Category: 10 Blog: The Lovely Bones | Alex Paul
In Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones, Susie Salmon’s narration frequently transitions between descriptions of the present and memories of the past. A perfect example of this trend arises in chapter three: Susie—while in Heaven—observes the actions of Ruth Connors, then abruptly flashes back to the morning of her eleventh birthday...
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Posted by apaul on December 03, 2003 at 12:50 AM
Darl's Final Monologue: Has Anything Truly Changed?
Category: 09 Blog: As I Lay Dying | Alex Paul
In his final monologue, Darl Bundren—after being declared insane—finds himself being escorted to the Jackson asylum. While few can deny that, in this chapter, Darl acts in a manner very different from other points in the novel, it is interesting to note that some of his central tendencies remain...
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Posted by apaul on November 22, 2003 at 10:34 PM
The Tragic Ford, as Depicted by Darl, Vardaman, and Tull
Category: 08 Blog: As I Lay Dying | Alex Paul
Throughout As I Lay Dying, many events, people, and things are described from two different character vantage points. One event in particular, however,—the attempt to ford Addie’s coffin across the river—is narrated from the perspective of three characters: Darl, Vanderman, and Tull. The way each of these narrators describes the...
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Posted by apaul on November 17, 2003 at 11:13 PM
Oh yeah...um...about your dad...I've been meaining to tell you, Huck...
Category: 07 Blog: Huckleberry Finn | Alex Paul
For me, the most disturbing revelation made at the end of the novel occurred when Jim—very hesitantly—informs Huck that his father is dead. At first, Jim is only willing to tell Huck is that his father “ain’t a comin’ back no mo’…Nemmine why…but he ain’t comin’ back no mo.’” After...
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Posted by apaul on November 11, 2003 at 12:13 AM
Deception for a Personal Gain
Category: 06 Blog: Huckleberry Finn | Alex Paul
As I mentioned in my previous Blog, Huck chooses to “make allowances” for the King and the Duke, because he sees nothing to gain by contesting their fallacious claims: “If they wanted us to call them kings and dukes, I hadn’t no objects, long as it would keep peace in...
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Posted by apaul on November 03, 2003 at 02:40 PM
The "Stretchers" of the King and the Duke
Category: 05 Blog: Huckleberry Finn | Alex Paul
“I never seen anybody but lied, one time or another” (13). This quote, taken from the opening of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, introduces the reader to a theme that will be prevalent throughout the novel—lying. Although “stretchers”—Twain’s term for lies—are ubiquitous (and are often fabricated by Huck, himself), of the...
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Posted by apaul on October 28, 2003 at 09:20 AM
Repetition: Point of View Multiplicity as a Determinant of the Stabilization, or Destabilization of a Reader’s Understanding of Novels
Category: 11 Essay: James and Bronte | Alex Paul
Although when reading a novel it is easy to disregard recurring plot similarities as mere coincidence, it often becomes clear, after a close observation of such instances, that the author’s use of repetition serves a special purpose. Such is the case in Wuthering Heights and The Turn of the Screw,...
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Posted by apaul on October 23, 2003 at 09:50 AM
A Simple Question Deserves A Simple Answer
Category: 04 Blog: Alice in Wonderland | Alex Paul
After narrowly escaping from a playful puppy many times her own size, Alice finds herself face to face with a Caterpillar, sitting on a mushroom and smoking a hookah. In this scene, communication is particularly frustrated on account of Alice’s inability to answer the Caterpillar’s simple question, “Who are you”...
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Posted by apaul on October 06, 2003 at 11:17 AM
Consequenses of Lacking Forgiveness
Category: 02 Blog: Wuthering Heights | Alex Paul
Although it is easy to miss the significance of Lockwood’s dream in chapter three, upon a close observation of the text (along with some biblical research), it is easy to understand that the underlying message of his vision concerns forgiveness. At one point in St. Luke’s gospel, Jesus asks a...
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Posted by apaul on September 22, 2003 at 09:08 AM
A Maid's Love Letter Representing Repressed Sexual Desires
Category: 01 Blog: Turn of the Screw | Alex Paul
While the governess misconstrues several situations throughout Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw, one memorable example occurs following her return to Bly—alone—before the completion of a Sunday church service. The governess, so as to avoid explaining Miles’ absence from school to the master, decides to flee Bly immediately. Upon...
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Posted by apaul on September 15, 2003 at 12:14 AM
My Practice Entry
Category: Alex Paul
I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope this works...I hope...
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Posted by apaul on September 09, 2003 at 12:37 PM