Silence Of Stone Sparknotes

A main concept of the novel Silence of Stone, by Annamarie Beckel, is the protagonist, Marguerite de Roberval’s hunger, appetite, and desire for indulgence. This concept may be viewed and studied both literally and figuratively. Throughout her experience in the new world, she manifests her craving for love and must survive with very limited resources when she is stranded and left to her own devices on the Isle of Demons. In this essay, the literal meanings of hunger and appetite will be examined. Their alternate figurative meaning, that of the sexual, romantic, and love-related sense, will also be discussed. Third, the two aspects of the concept, hunger and appetite, will be compared, and the irony that her appetite for sex led to her being abandoned and
Like all others travelling to America (i.e. New France) from France, there was a huge gap between their lives in Europe and the ones they had to adapt to once debarking from the ship: There was no developed civilization, obtaining food was challenging, attacks from regional “Indians” were very likely, and the freezing winters were absolutely arduous to face. When Marguerite is stranded on the Isle of Demons, food was even more scarce. She, who had grown up in a life of indulgence and proficiency, had developed an appetite for both knowledge and food. When her handmaiden Damienne dies, which means that her body is left to the ravens of the isle, the narrator states that “[She] is one of them now” (138), them being the ravens. This is perhaps an explicit note of cannibalism: Marguerite became so desperate for food that she would go to the lengths of eating her servant in order to subsist. Essentially, “M” must make very wise decisions about the food she eats and obtains, if she has any desire or will to survive. Nevertheless, her hankering for food will never be as acute as her appetite for