The Lovely Bones: Themes Loss and Grief
Table of contents
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………...................2
2. Analysis of narrative form………………………………………………………...…3
3. Narrative form in Margaret Laurence’s A Bird in the House………………….…4
4. Vanessa’s growing awareness………………………………………………………..7
1. Vanessa’s stories and their contribution to her growing awareness……….….9
2. Vanessa’s growing awareness illustrated in selected scenes ………………….10
5. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….…...12
6. Works cited…………………………………………………………………………..13
1. Introduction
In Margaret Laurence’s Manawaka cycle her female protagonists try to overcome the conventional thinking they acquired in their childhood. In A Bird in the House the protagonist Vanessa grows up in the small prairie town Manawaka. Since her life is determined by strict conventions she desperately wants to leave her place of birth. But after many years she still has not left her past behind. She writes a book about her childhood to finally be able to accept and understand her life. So A Bird in the House is the story of an older Vanessa recounting her life. Hence one of the main themes in the book is the increasing awareness of the child Vanessa. One very important means Laurence employs to emphasize the significance of the child’s development is the double narrator who enables Vanessa to speak from two perspectives simultaneously. By employing this formal device the immediacy and originality of Vanessa as a child is obtained while an older Vanessa provides additional information by making comments. Hence the process of growing up is emphasized This paper will mainly focus on the connection between the main theme of growing awareness and narrative form. Another aspect I am going to cover is Vanessa’s engagement in writing her own stories since they also contribute to the process of growing up. But first of all there will be a short introduction to the analysis of narrative
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………...................2
2. Analysis of narrative form………………………………………………………...…3
3. Narrative form in Margaret Laurence’s A Bird in the House………………….…4
4. Vanessa’s growing awareness………………………………………………………..7
1. Vanessa’s stories and their contribution to her growing awareness……….….9
2. Vanessa’s growing awareness illustrated in selected scenes ………………….10
5. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….…...12
6. Works cited…………………………………………………………………………..13
1. Introduction
In Margaret Laurence’s Manawaka cycle her female protagonists try to overcome the conventional thinking they acquired in their childhood. In A Bird in the House the protagonist Vanessa grows up in the small prairie town Manawaka. Since her life is determined by strict conventions she desperately wants to leave her place of birth. But after many years she still has not left her past behind. She writes a book about her childhood to finally be able to accept and understand her life. So A Bird in the House is the story of an older Vanessa recounting her life. Hence one of the main themes in the book is the increasing awareness of the child Vanessa. One very important means Laurence employs to emphasize the significance of the child’s development is the double narrator who enables Vanessa to speak from two perspectives simultaneously. By employing this formal device the immediacy and originality of Vanessa as a child is obtained while an older Vanessa provides additional information by making comments. Hence the process of growing up is emphasized This paper will mainly focus on the connection between the main theme of growing awareness and narrative form. Another aspect I am going to cover is Vanessa’s engagement in writing her own stories since they also contribute to the process of growing up. But first of all there will be a short introduction to the analysis of narrative