The Importance of Journey in Literature (H2G2; Educating Rita; Chrismas Carol)
The importance of journey in literature
In most texts journey is from great importance to the plot of a story. In some texts the whole book is based on the journey characters make, like in the book The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy written by Douglas Adams. In others, journey is used to indicate changes, for instance in character’s behaviour, personality or knowledge. Apparently, the role of journey differs in texts. It is therefore intriguing to learn how journey is used and what it means to a certain text. Read on to find out what effects journey has and what the importance of this aspect is in the play Educating Rita and the novella A Christmas Carol.
In the book A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the aspect of journey plays an important role in portraying the protagonist’s future and past. In his story, Dickens takes the reader on a journey through time together with the protagonist of the story, Ebenezer Scrooge. The importance of the journey through time is that it highlights the differences in personality of Scrooge in the beginning and at the end of the story.
In the story Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by four spirits: Marley’s ghost, the Ghost of Christmas Past, the ghost of Christmas Present and the ghost of Christmas Yet To come, respectively. The ghosts each show Scrooge’s life and the people around him from a different angle. The journey through present, past and future reveals the transformation of Scrooge which is from utmost importance to the rest of the story because it strengthens the message of the author.
The message of the author was that happiness can only be obtained by sharing and that you do not have to be rich to be happy. Bob Cratchit, for example, is a poor man but is happy because he has his family he loves and shares everything with. Scrooge, on the other hand, is rich but leads a lonely, disconsolate life. The aspect of journey in this message is that it sharply reveals the contrasts of being rich and miserable, this is
In most texts journey is from great importance to the plot of a story. In some texts the whole book is based on the journey characters make, like in the book The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy written by Douglas Adams. In others, journey is used to indicate changes, for instance in character’s behaviour, personality or knowledge. Apparently, the role of journey differs in texts. It is therefore intriguing to learn how journey is used and what it means to a certain text. Read on to find out what effects journey has and what the importance of this aspect is in the play Educating Rita and the novella A Christmas Carol.
In the book A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the aspect of journey plays an important role in portraying the protagonist’s future and past. In his story, Dickens takes the reader on a journey through time together with the protagonist of the story, Ebenezer Scrooge. The importance of the journey through time is that it highlights the differences in personality of Scrooge in the beginning and at the end of the story.
In the story Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by four spirits: Marley’s ghost, the Ghost of Christmas Past, the ghost of Christmas Present and the ghost of Christmas Yet To come, respectively. The ghosts each show Scrooge’s life and the people around him from a different angle. The journey through present, past and future reveals the transformation of Scrooge which is from utmost importance to the rest of the story because it strengthens the message of the author.
The message of the author was that happiness can only be obtained by sharing and that you do not have to be rich to be happy. Bob Cratchit, for example, is a poor man but is happy because he has his family he loves and shares everything with. Scrooge, on the other hand, is rich but leads a lonely, disconsolate life. The aspect of journey in this message is that it sharply reveals the contrasts of being rich and miserable, this is