ipl-logo

The Goldfinch Analysis

2310 Words10 Pages

The book under review is a magical adventure of a thirteen-year-old boy, Theo Decker, after he lost his mother in a bomb attack. The Goldfinch is compared to a “a haunted odyssey through present-day America” and it conveys the “enthralling power” of art to human beings.[1] With the theme of artistic beauty, profound but delicate relationships and individual destiny, the Goldfinch is the deepest mystery of “loss and obsession”,[3] survival and self-redemption. Attractively vivid characters, beautiful language and slow tempo are employed instead of the prevalent compact story plot, for the sake of creating a “thrilling suspense”.[2] As a result of “endlessly propulsive plot”,[4] the boy’s journey is mainly divided into five episodes, namely, the bomb accident, life with the Barbours, moving to Las Vages, reunion with Hobie and criminal activities in Amsterdam. The first part of the book (Part 1-2) reveals the helplessness and loneliness of a near-orphan adolescent, while the second half (Part 3-5) explores his metamorphosis. Part 1, with four chapters, serves as a lead-in of this young modern-time odyssey's journey. At the beginning, aged thirteen, deserted by his father who is a drunkard, Theo Decker lives with his respectable and beautiful mother in New York. Unfortunately, his life is tore apart as his mother lost her life in a terrorist bomb explosion when they are sheltering from a sudden thunderstorm in the Met. Homeless and grief-stricken, with a painting taken from the museum, he lodges in …show more content…

Some have argued that this is a thoroughly modern novel with Victorian Dickensian tenor. A large number of critics even purport it as another "Great Expectations". There are several elements in this novel, such as vivid characters, touching relationships, adolescent anxieties and emotional struggle, that do shine, nonetheless, there also exist some tedious points that are worth

Show More
Related
1558 Words | 7 Pages

Chapter 1: In Chapter 1, we have been introduced to the three main characters in the book, the setting and also the relationship that exists between the characters. • Abel Jackson, is a ten year old boy who loves the sea, “Abel loved being underwater” (Page 5, and is an excellent diver and “could never remember a time when he could not dive” (Page 5). His mum is his teacher, “Everything he knew on land or under the sea he learned from her” (Page 6).

Read More
953 Words | 4 Pages

Matthew Quick's unique novel, Boy21, takes readers through the eyes of a young, troubled boy who avoids his past. In a city where drug dealers hang out by the city hall, and old men drink out of brown paper bags, a boy named Finley barely manages to get past his senior year of high school. He keeps himself isolated from the rest of the world, scared to face his past, because it can get him into trouble. However, this changed when he is asked to befriend Russ Washington. The novel reveals that moving on is dependent upon accepting choices that have been made.

Read More
1017 Words | 5 Pages

Repetition serves to emphasize the characters' fears and heighten the tension, keeping readers engaged and anxious about the outcome. Through its vivid imagery and character dialogue, the original text of "Dark They Were and Golden Eyed" effectively establishes a suspenseful mood that captivates

Read More
1046 Words | 5 Pages

In the book, we follow the mind of a 13-year-old boy named Jojo, a drug addict mother named Leonie, and a ghost of a child named Richie. Throughout the book, we learn about the many characters and their pasts. Jojo, his little sister Kayla, Leonie, and her friend Misty go to Parchman jail to pick up Micheal, Leonie’s boyfriend. Parchman is known for their harsh treatment towards prisoners and this is where Richie died. During this ride from the prison to back home, we learn about the secrets the family keeps from each other and about past events that connect to current events.

Read More
1743 Words | 7 Pages

A Comparison of George Saunders Works Jayme Fields Central Ohio Technical College Abstract This paper is an analysis, interpretation, and comparison of two different readings “The Red Bow” and “Adams” written by the same author, George Saunders. It is my thoughts on the literary elements used by the author and my perception on what each paper conveyed. Each paragraph explains my discernment of each of the elements and how they made the story what it is. red bow, Adams in his underwear Main Body

Read More
957 Words | 4 Pages

We young men of twenty, however, have only our parents, and some, perhaps, a girl-that is not much, for at our age the influence of our parents were the weakest and girls have not yet got a hold over us… And of this nothing remains.” They will later in the book try to forget their past lives and this is one of the few critical looks at their life before it becomes distorted. And they understand that their lives will be ‘swept away’. They also see the terror in others and help “Beside us lies a fair-headed recruit in utter terror… his helmet has fallen off.

Read More
733 Words | 3 Pages

The novel, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepety has becomes one of the best book I have ever read. In know that can be a cliché statement to make but the novel is truly exquisite. The author put the reader on a page-turning journey through her juicy plot, her unique writing style, and the historical event added to the book. The novel Between Shades of Gray will soon be a classic all will get to know.

Read More
723 Words | 3 Pages

In the introductory chapter one Tobis takes the reader though NY City’s troubled child

Read More
954 Words | 4 Pages

Introduction is a decisive part in a novel since it may introduce important key facts about the work to the reader. “Ceremony”, by Leslie Marmon Silko, opens with a compilation of poems, some larger than others, but all equally important for the novel. Poetry is found throughout the whole novel, however the introducing poems are the most powerful ones because they foreshadow what the novel is going to be about. They prepare the reader for what is coming next and introduce the major themes of the novel. This essay will analyze the first three poems and explain their importance in the novel’s foreshadowing.

Read More
1001 Words | 5 Pages

Because the lack of family support and guidance, Connie lies to her parents of her whereabouts, and she sneaks away to local hangouts. While being out, she unfortunately catches the eye of Arnold Friend. This man will erase Connie’s innosense and expose her to how cruel the world can actually be. Many literary

Read More
1455 Words | 6 Pages

”14 Jack's history with his abusive father and his own problems causes him to become a danger. Hutz also states that the transformation of Jack shows how a “child victim” transforms “into the adult abuser. ”15This makes him a source of horror as it is a realistic, seemingly uncontrollable

Read More
1009 Words | 5 Pages

Reader’s perception is one of the most essential aspects of a novel, this refers to what the audience brings to the novel and determines whether a book is transcendent. The perception can be affected by several factors such as the format, the language and the message of the novel in general. A book can be interpreted differently according to culture, ideology, and even gender. The novel, The Great Gatsby written and published by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, is faced with reader-response criticism by two different social groups; feminist, that want to achieve equal cultural and social representation for women, question the treatment the women in book receive by the men, yet view the novel as an example of the empowerment of females in during the 1920’s. Then Marxists, who analyse class relations, social conflict and social transformation, interpret the book by analysing the representation of a materialistic elite class and the struggle of the middle class to fit into their world.

Read More
956 Words | 4 Pages

Writing is a turning point in Gary’s life because he uses it to convey his thoughts, emotions, and feelings. Moreover, as Gary matures and continues to write, he learns more about his complex identity. Notably, Gary writes books during different parts of his life, representing his identity at that time. When he is young, he writes fictional novels, attempting to depict a mythical hero, who he aspired to be. As he grows older, he focuses his books on Russia, his homeland, hoping to reconnect with his former life he abandoned after emigrating.

Read More
1130 Words | 5 Pages

With the purpose of understanding why writers write, this essay offers an analysis of the short stories of Shirley Jackson and Gabriel Marquez: “The Lottery” and “The handsomest drowned man in the world” respectively. Both writers perpetuate a contemporary literary genre in which realistic narrative and naturalistic technique are combined with surreal elements of dream or fantasy. Jackson and Garcia Marquez use symbolism in “the Lottery and “The handsomest drowned man in the world” to explore and communicate their perspective on magical realism through the main themes of the stories, the response to change and the importance of rituals. Jackson uses the black box and the stones to symbolise disapproval of change and the acceptance of traditions

Read More
932 Words | 4 Pages

It is a great love story only enhanced by the outlandish characters and constant mockery. The pacing of the novel is slow at first until half way through the first volume. The plot then accelerates and by the third volume it is hard to put down. Characters such as Mr. Collins, Mrs. Bennet, and Lady De Bourgh were all hysterical caricatures meant that livened up the novel during times when the plot was thin. The novel would not have been as cohesive or interesting without characters to add comic relief.

Read More

More about The Goldfinch Analysis

Open Document