Lena Ll Chapter Summary

1. Who is the protagonist of this novel? Identify him/her quickly and the role played in the novel. What motivates this central character’s actions?

Magdalena ‘Lena’ Ella Haloway Tiddle or more prominently known as Lena, she is the main protagonist and the narrator in the Delirium trilogy. Lena has always been a bit self-conscious of her body and looks. She had described herself as not ugly, but not pretty either. In between, she says. Her eyes are not green or brown, but a muddle. She’s not thin, and says, she isn’t fat either. The only thing she was definite about was her 5’2 height. The seventeen-year-old narrator lives in a society where the government controls everything about citizens’ lives: where they go to school, what career they have and who they marry. As a result of growing up in this restrictive world, Lena is afraid of anything that deviates from the norm. She mentions being scared, frightened, or afraid over sixty times during the course of the book. She’s obsessed with safety, believing that “the definition of happiness is security” All she thinks she wants is security, at any expense to her freedom. In Lena’s
world, love is not only illegal; it’s a disease with a government-concocted cure. They call it amor deliria nervosa. Because of the fear surrounding the illness, it sends Lena into a panic every time she thinks she might be in love. The slightest tug on her heartstrings sends her into a tailspin. Because this is what her government has taught and motivated people to believe.

2. Summarize as briefly as possible the single change which occurs to the protagonist during the course of this novel, taking care to specify whether this change is mainly one of fortune, moral character, or knowledge. Lena Haloway definitely changes during the course of the novel, by character and knowledge. She had always had chronic fears about deviating the norm, freedom and love. That’s until she meets a mysterious boy named Alex, he helped her experience freedom, choice and love for the first time and surprisingly she enjoyed over second of it. Lena now was free from her old self who only knew what the government had lied to them about; love was a disease. Lena had become someone that her old self would have been terrified off; she had become something her old self would have called infected. Lena’s mother ‘Bee’ was infected as well, but Lena believed that her mother committed suicide when Lena was 6 years old but in actuality she was imprisoned by the government for being infected. During the course of the novel, Lena finds this out and has a whole different perspective and knowledge about the government then she did before and now isn’t afraid of freedom, love or anything of that sort, she was petrified of the government.

3. What is the most important mood created in the novel? What techniques does the writer use to create this mood?

The most important mood created in this novel is love, love between Lena and Alex.
Lauren Oliver, the writer, uses many techniques to create this mood. The writer describes every loving experience Lena has with Alex in such a unique way as Lena has never experience love before. She describes love in a new perspective that we readers have never thought of before. Lauren Oliver can come to life since she clearly describe every scene perfectly so the readers can vividly imagine what Lena is experiencing so it feels like we are right there with her. In Delirium love is shunned upon and is to be feared by everyone as that is what the government is saying. Lauren Oliver creates a bad reputation for the government throughout the book, so when Lena and Alex fall in love we can’t help but route for them and fall in love with their forbidden
love.

4. What is the most interesting scene in the novel? What does the writer do to catch your interest?
The most interesting scene in the novel is the ending where Alex and Lena are now known as ‘infected’ and are being chased down by the government to imprison them. The guards are faster than them and keep getting closer and closer. Alex and Lena both know they are going to be caught, so Alex tells Lena to keep running no matter what because right then Alex stops and sacrifices himself so Lena can run away. The end words are ‘I love you. Remember. They cannot take it’. The writer leaves you so hooked to what’s going to happen next but then the book just ends. Because you want to know what happens to Lena, Alex and if they are still alive or not. The other does this because this book is part of a trilogy so she leaves you hooked at the end so you read the other books.
5. What specific social problems does the author seem to regard as unsolved? What causes seem to be mainly responsible, and why?
Lena’s relationship with her family seems to be regarded as unsolved because her family lied to her about her mother being dead, instead her mother is alive and in prison. Lena never confronted them about this and around the end of the book they were never mentioned about. The cause that seems to be mainly responsible is that Lena’s character, Lena doesn’t associate with anyone but Alex and her other ‘infected’ friends because Lena would rather be infected with love for the tiniest silver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie.