Lloyd Jones Mister Pip
Characters in novels are important and key figures in the construction and representation of human experiences and relationships. Characters are constructed to position readers to be aware of certain themes and ideas through the presentation of experiences of which we may relate to. Lloyd Jones’ Mister Pip (2006) presents the theme of the power of literature through the construction of the characters, Matilda, Dolores and several more. Through these characters, literature (or story-telling) is an extremely powerful theme in Mister Pip as it not only provides an escape for the community, but also as a tool to bring them together and shape their views of the world.
Matilda, a teenage girl, is the main protagonist of the novel. Matilda is constructed …show more content…
to be a young, and initially, innocent girl from Bougainville. Bougainville is an island owned by Papua New Guinea with a flourishing copper mine, but due to the rebellion led by Francis Onas, all the locals were suppressed and trapped within the island by soldiers from Papua New Guinea (redskins).
Matilda is without her father (who is working in Townsville, Australia) and is left with her extremely religious mother, Dolores Laimo.
She is shown to be unsure about many things and attempts to comprehend the horror of her surroundings, along with many others on the island. All education has stopped on the island since all but one white man has left the island and the villagers are left stranded in their own fear. However, when Mr. Watts offers to teach the children, do the children gain a new form of escape. This is illustrated after the first reading of Great Expectations, “But as the rebels an redskins went on butchering one another, we had another reason for hiding under the cover of night. Mr. Watts had given us kids another world to spend the night in. We could escape to another place.” where the children uses Great Expectations as their escape from the horror of war, showing the power of literature as a tool of psychological …show more content…
escape.
Literature is also able to construct the views and beliefs that people have, as shown through the character Dolores. Constructed as a very strong-willed and religious woman, the reading of the Bible keeps Dolores sane throughout the events of the novel. The Bible constructs the values and beliefs that Dolores herself believes, and it is what determines what is right and wrong to Dolores. Her faith in religion is what enables Dolores to continue being a moral character in the novel as it determines how Dolores should live her life by shaping her perception of the world. “‘Sir. I saw your men chop up the white man. He was a good man. I am here as God’s witness.’” presents Dolores’ bravery as her faith in religion enables her to sacrifice herself for her daughter an stand up for Mr. Watts, knowing that he was a ‘good man’. The power of literature and how it is able to shape the views and understanding of the world is represented through Dolores and the Bible.
Story-telling, another aspect of literature, is represented through the character of Mr..
Watts and the other villagers. Mr. Watts is presented as the last white man on Bougainville, initially as a strange and freaky character in Matilda’s eyes, but is in fact an intelligent man who takes on the role of being the children’s teacher. He is the children’s benefactor in some ways, as he introduces Great Expectations to them and provides them with a sanctuary. Mr. Watts also takes on the role of the story-teller in the novel as he tells many stories to the villagers. As a storyteller, e is able to bring people together. This is shown when Mr. Watts re-tells his story. ‘Word had spread that Mr. Watts was ready to tell his story. Most of us had come to hear about a world we had never seen.’ shows the gathering of the villagers to listen to Mr. Watts tell his story for an escape from reality. Another occasion where the villagers are brought together in unity is at Grace’s burial and they share their memories of Grace. ‘They gave their bits of memory to Mr. Watts. They filled in a picture of his dead wife. In this way he learned of a girl he had never met.’ shows how the villagers, in return, share their own stories of Grace as they help Mr. Watts build on the image of his wife. Story telling is shown to be a tool to bring people together through these occasions in the
novel.
Story-telling is also a method to create peace and tranquility, as seen when Mr. Watts tells his story. ‘The rambos had not heard a story-telling voice for years. The boys sat there, with their mouths and ears open to catch every word, their weapons resting on the ground in front of their bare feet like useless relics.’ shows the power of literature, and how it can turn violent and savage rebels into quiet beings who are able to sit and gain some peace within themselves once more. Through the rambos, the tranquillising effects of story-telling, and how it is able to re-humanise people, is expressed.
However, the power of literature can be dangerous, as a clash of beliefs can create gaps between people. This is shown through the characters Matilda and Dolores, as their immersion in two different texts lead them to drift apart and come at conflict at several occasions in the text. ‘I had been keeping my distance. It was my way of punishing her for having been rude to Mr. Watts.’ shows the gaps that have appeared between Matilda and her mother from the differences that they have in regards to Great Expectations and God. The introduction of Great Expectations, a literary text, is also much of the cause of the destruction of the villagers’ homes. This presents the dangerous power that literature can provide through the construction of the conflict between Matilda and her mother.
The construction of characters in Mister Pip are essential in the representation of the power of literature in the novel. Matilda, Dolores and many other characters have been constructed in an intricate manner to position readers to be aware of the theme of literature in the novel. Readers are positioned to be aware of the benefits of literature, such as escapism, shaping of beliefs and values as well as a tool to bring people together, yet to also see the detrimental effects that it may have as a result of a clash of beliefs in the novel. The construction of characters is effective as they enable readers to understand human experiences and relationships.
Matilda, a teenage girl, is the main protagonist of the novel. Matilda is constructed …show more content…
to be a young, and initially, innocent girl from Bougainville. Bougainville is an island owned by Papua New Guinea with a flourishing copper mine, but due to the rebellion led by Francis Onas, all the locals were suppressed and trapped within the island by soldiers from Papua New Guinea (redskins).
Matilda is without her father (who is working in Townsville, Australia) and is left with her extremely religious mother, Dolores Laimo.
She is shown to be unsure about many things and attempts to comprehend the horror of her surroundings, along with many others on the island. All education has stopped on the island since all but one white man has left the island and the villagers are left stranded in their own fear. However, when Mr. Watts offers to teach the children, do the children gain a new form of escape. This is illustrated after the first reading of Great Expectations, “But as the rebels an redskins went on butchering one another, we had another reason for hiding under the cover of night. Mr. Watts had given us kids another world to spend the night in. We could escape to another place.” where the children uses Great Expectations as their escape from the horror of war, showing the power of literature as a tool of psychological …show more content…
escape.
Literature is also able to construct the views and beliefs that people have, as shown through the character Dolores. Constructed as a very strong-willed and religious woman, the reading of the Bible keeps Dolores sane throughout the events of the novel. The Bible constructs the values and beliefs that Dolores herself believes, and it is what determines what is right and wrong to Dolores. Her faith in religion is what enables Dolores to continue being a moral character in the novel as it determines how Dolores should live her life by shaping her perception of the world. “‘Sir. I saw your men chop up the white man. He was a good man. I am here as God’s witness.’” presents Dolores’ bravery as her faith in religion enables her to sacrifice herself for her daughter an stand up for Mr. Watts, knowing that he was a ‘good man’. The power of literature and how it is able to shape the views and understanding of the world is represented through Dolores and the Bible.
Story-telling, another aspect of literature, is represented through the character of Mr..
Watts and the other villagers. Mr. Watts is presented as the last white man on Bougainville, initially as a strange and freaky character in Matilda’s eyes, but is in fact an intelligent man who takes on the role of being the children’s teacher. He is the children’s benefactor in some ways, as he introduces Great Expectations to them and provides them with a sanctuary. Mr. Watts also takes on the role of the story-teller in the novel as he tells many stories to the villagers. As a storyteller, e is able to bring people together. This is shown when Mr. Watts re-tells his story. ‘Word had spread that Mr. Watts was ready to tell his story. Most of us had come to hear about a world we had never seen.’ shows the gathering of the villagers to listen to Mr. Watts tell his story for an escape from reality. Another occasion where the villagers are brought together in unity is at Grace’s burial and they share their memories of Grace. ‘They gave their bits of memory to Mr. Watts. They filled in a picture of his dead wife. In this way he learned of a girl he had never met.’ shows how the villagers, in return, share their own stories of Grace as they help Mr. Watts build on the image of his wife. Story telling is shown to be a tool to bring people together through these occasions in the
novel.
Story-telling is also a method to create peace and tranquility, as seen when Mr. Watts tells his story. ‘The rambos had not heard a story-telling voice for years. The boys sat there, with their mouths and ears open to catch every word, their weapons resting on the ground in front of their bare feet like useless relics.’ shows the power of literature, and how it can turn violent and savage rebels into quiet beings who are able to sit and gain some peace within themselves once more. Through the rambos, the tranquillising effects of story-telling, and how it is able to re-humanise people, is expressed.
However, the power of literature can be dangerous, as a clash of beliefs can create gaps between people. This is shown through the characters Matilda and Dolores, as their immersion in two different texts lead them to drift apart and come at conflict at several occasions in the text. ‘I had been keeping my distance. It was my way of punishing her for having been rude to Mr. Watts.’ shows the gaps that have appeared between Matilda and her mother from the differences that they have in regards to Great Expectations and God. The introduction of Great Expectations, a literary text, is also much of the cause of the destruction of the villagers’ homes. This presents the dangerous power that literature can provide through the construction of the conflict between Matilda and her mother.
The construction of characters in Mister Pip are essential in the representation of the power of literature in the novel. Matilda, Dolores and many other characters have been constructed in an intricate manner to position readers to be aware of the theme of literature in the novel. Readers are positioned to be aware of the benefits of literature, such as escapism, shaping of beliefs and values as well as a tool to bring people together, yet to also see the detrimental effects that it may have as a result of a clash of beliefs in the novel. The construction of characters is effective as they enable readers to understand human experiences and relationships.