Let The Great World Spin Essay
Introduction:
• Let the Great World Spin is a complex series of stories that discusses many different themes and parallels.
• Thesis: The novel explores themes of precariousness, risk, and love as they occur in ordinary lives and juxtaposes them with one extraordinary act in order to examine the events of 9/11.
Body:
Main Point 1: The tightrope walker symbolizes the precarious balance of life each character experiences, the risks they take, and the love they are rewarded with in the end.
• Supporting evidence: The tightrope walker balances precariously on the wire. Lara delicately crosses from her life with Blaine to a life with Ciaran, Tillie lives on the edge between life and suicide, Gloria dangles awkwardly between feelings of kinship …show more content…
Lara takes a risk with Ciaran in the bar, Tillie takes a risk by taking the blame for Jazzlyn’s crimes, and Gloria takes a risk when she chooses to take in Janice and Jaslyn.
• Supporting evidence: The tightrope walker walks his wire out of love for the Towers and is successful. Lara is rewarded with a loving marriage. Tillie is able to see her granddaughters one last time. Gloria lives a long life with her two daughters, and Claire’s friendship.
Main Point 2: The documentary, Man on Wire, sheds light on Phillippe Petit’s thoughts, justifications, and experiences in a way that reflects the symbolic nature of the tightrope walker’s scenes in the novel.
• Supporting evidence: Themes of precariousness when discussing the obstacles that they face when trying to achieve Petit’s dream.
• Supporting evidence: Themes of risk when discussing the possibility of death as well as legal consequences.
• Supporting evidence: Petit is rewarded with the love of the public after his walk, such as the woman with whom he had an affair after his release from police custody.
Main Point 3: The novel is a response to 9/11 in that it discusses the idea of ordinary lives occurring simultaneously with an event of greater
• Let the Great World Spin is a complex series of stories that discusses many different themes and parallels.
• Thesis: The novel explores themes of precariousness, risk, and love as they occur in ordinary lives and juxtaposes them with one extraordinary act in order to examine the events of 9/11.
Body:
Main Point 1: The tightrope walker symbolizes the precarious balance of life each character experiences, the risks they take, and the love they are rewarded with in the end.
• Supporting evidence: The tightrope walker balances precariously on the wire. Lara delicately crosses from her life with Blaine to a life with Ciaran, Tillie lives on the edge between life and suicide, Gloria dangles awkwardly between feelings of kinship …show more content…
Lara takes a risk with Ciaran in the bar, Tillie takes a risk by taking the blame for Jazzlyn’s crimes, and Gloria takes a risk when she chooses to take in Janice and Jaslyn.
• Supporting evidence: The tightrope walker walks his wire out of love for the Towers and is successful. Lara is rewarded with a loving marriage. Tillie is able to see her granddaughters one last time. Gloria lives a long life with her two daughters, and Claire’s friendship.
Main Point 2: The documentary, Man on Wire, sheds light on Phillippe Petit’s thoughts, justifications, and experiences in a way that reflects the symbolic nature of the tightrope walker’s scenes in the novel.
• Supporting evidence: Themes of precariousness when discussing the obstacles that they face when trying to achieve Petit’s dream.
• Supporting evidence: Themes of risk when discussing the possibility of death as well as legal consequences.
• Supporting evidence: Petit is rewarded with the love of the public after his walk, such as the woman with whom he had an affair after his release from police custody.
Main Point 3: The novel is a response to 9/11 in that it discusses the idea of ordinary lives occurring simultaneously with an event of greater