Owen In Elsewhere By Gabrielle Zevin
Elsewhere is an award-winning book by Gabrielle Zevin, it was written in 2005 and is set on Earth and ‘Elsewhere’ in present day. It is about a young girl called Liz who has a fatal accident and experiences what life after death is like. The book follows Liz as she learns about her new surroundings. I chose this book because it looked interesting but right for my age and reading ability. I expected this book to show me an alternate view and provide exciting reading. In this essay I am going to focus on the character Owen and how his character develops throughout the book.
The main character Liz is 15 when she is involved in a car accident. She dies before she reaches the hospital and she is taken to ‘Elsewhere’, which in the book is a place like Heaven. In Elsewhere everyone ages backwards and she meets her Grandma who is …show more content…
now a similar age to her. When she first arrives, Liz struggles to come to grips with the fact she has died and she spends all her time at the Observation Deck watching her life back on Earth. She does so until she hears of a place called ‘The Well’ where you can talk to your family and friends on Earth. Her first attempt to reach the well is unsuccessful as she is stopped by her Grandmother but the second time she tries, she manages to speak to her brother before being caught by Owen, who she met on Elsewhere. Liz eventually gets a job on Elsewhere when she discovers she can talk to animals, meanwhile Owen contacts her brother back on Earth. Liz later learns Owen was married to a woman named Emily on Earth, and when she checks the list of new arrivals to Elsewhere, she finds Emily's name on it. As she expected, Emily arrives at Elsewhere a few days later. Owen, Liz, and her grandmother meet Emily when she arrives. Owen realises he has feelings for Liz, after agreeing to continue his relationship with Emily, and Liz finally accepts her life in Elsewhere and continues to age backward with Owen. The book finishes with Liz being sent down the river back to Earth to be reborn.
The character I am going to focus on is Owen.
At the beginning of the book he is made to appear as an antagonistic character. We can see this when he catches Liz at the well. “As soon as she hits the deck, the man begins to speak in a stern voice.” This shows how our first impression of Owen is he is a strict person who does not particularly like Liz. I feel strongly towards Owen as I think he is a relatable character because he wants to be forgiven for how he first appeared and everyone makes mistakes. Owen later apologises for how he first came across to Liz and he quickly becomes a likeable character.
In the middle of the book Owen has developed as a character as his personality has softened. We can see this as he has grown to be a character we like and respect and he is much kinder towards Liz. A good example of this is when he contacts Liz’s brother to apologise. “When he (Owen) met a person like Liz, he was particularly ashamed. In his opinion, she legitimately wanted to move on and he hindered her in that process. Owen felt he needed to make amends.” This shows how Owen regrets his actions and tries to put right the
situation.
By the end of the novel Owen is just 4 years old but we are still fond of him and admire him as a character. He cares deeply about Liz who is now only 2, we can see this when they are reminiscing of when they were adults. “Owen can’t stand to see Liz cry. He takes Liz in his arms, she is so small now.” This shows that even when he is a young child, Owen still wants to look after Liz and this makes him an admirable person, who even at the end of the book, we are still attached to.
In conclusion I think Owen developed to become a well liked and respected character who the reader could relate to. I particularly admired how he cared about everyone he was close to, and did things in the best interest of others. The book made me think about what happens after you die, and about redemption and what makes a person who they are. I enjoyed ‘Elsewhere; and I would recommend it to any of my friends. I think it's a novel that makes you think, and it deserves the awards it's received.
The main character Liz is 15 when she is involved in a car accident. She dies before she reaches the hospital and she is taken to ‘Elsewhere’, which in the book is a place like Heaven. In Elsewhere everyone ages backwards and she meets her Grandma who is …show more content…
now a similar age to her. When she first arrives, Liz struggles to come to grips with the fact she has died and she spends all her time at the Observation Deck watching her life back on Earth. She does so until she hears of a place called ‘The Well’ where you can talk to your family and friends on Earth. Her first attempt to reach the well is unsuccessful as she is stopped by her Grandmother but the second time she tries, she manages to speak to her brother before being caught by Owen, who she met on Elsewhere. Liz eventually gets a job on Elsewhere when she discovers she can talk to animals, meanwhile Owen contacts her brother back on Earth. Liz later learns Owen was married to a woman named Emily on Earth, and when she checks the list of new arrivals to Elsewhere, she finds Emily's name on it. As she expected, Emily arrives at Elsewhere a few days later. Owen, Liz, and her grandmother meet Emily when she arrives. Owen realises he has feelings for Liz, after agreeing to continue his relationship with Emily, and Liz finally accepts her life in Elsewhere and continues to age backward with Owen. The book finishes with Liz being sent down the river back to Earth to be reborn.
The character I am going to focus on is Owen.
At the beginning of the book he is made to appear as an antagonistic character. We can see this when he catches Liz at the well. “As soon as she hits the deck, the man begins to speak in a stern voice.” This shows how our first impression of Owen is he is a strict person who does not particularly like Liz. I feel strongly towards Owen as I think he is a relatable character because he wants to be forgiven for how he first appeared and everyone makes mistakes. Owen later apologises for how he first came across to Liz and he quickly becomes a likeable character.
In the middle of the book Owen has developed as a character as his personality has softened. We can see this as he has grown to be a character we like and respect and he is much kinder towards Liz. A good example of this is when he contacts Liz’s brother to apologise. “When he (Owen) met a person like Liz, he was particularly ashamed. In his opinion, she legitimately wanted to move on and he hindered her in that process. Owen felt he needed to make amends.” This shows how Owen regrets his actions and tries to put right the
situation.
By the end of the novel Owen is just 4 years old but we are still fond of him and admire him as a character. He cares deeply about Liz who is now only 2, we can see this when they are reminiscing of when they were adults. “Owen can’t stand to see Liz cry. He takes Liz in his arms, she is so small now.” This shows that even when he is a young child, Owen still wants to look after Liz and this makes him an admirable person, who even at the end of the book, we are still attached to.
In conclusion I think Owen developed to become a well liked and respected character who the reader could relate to. I particularly admired how he cared about everyone he was close to, and did things in the best interest of others. The book made me think about what happens after you die, and about redemption and what makes a person who they are. I enjoyed ‘Elsewhere; and I would recommend it to any of my friends. I think it's a novel that makes you think, and it deserves the awards it's received.