Year of wonders
Year of Wonders: Practice essay
This text demonstrates the difficulties of holding on to faith in times of adversity. Discuss.
Geraldine Brook’s novel ‘Year of Wonders’ is a true story of Eyam, a small village in the north of England, which made the remarkable decision to voluntarily quarantine itself when struck by the plague in 1665. Set during the restoration England where Puritan Christians were losing their battle against the Church of England to simplify practices, Brook’s explores how difficult it is to hold on to faith in times of adversity. By highlighting how adversity can lead a priest to lose faith in all that he believes, how a young girl can be brave enough to leave her belief in faith and turn to that of science and how a women is pushed to the point that her superstitious nature is revealed. Brook’s demonstrates the devastating effect adversity can have on faith.
The loss of faith due to adversity can lead a man to no longer trust what he believes. The young village rector of Eyam is portrayed through the narrative perspective of Anna Firth, to be a man of great charisma and strength. However through the clever use of a circular narrative and flashbacks by Brook’s, the reader is introduced to a Michael Mompellion at the start of the novel who has already lost his faith. From the very beginning of the novel it is highlighted how times of adversity makes holding on to faith difficult. As the novel jumps from autumn 1666 back to spring 1665 the reader is shown how Michael Mompellion was very religious and strongly believed in God. This is evident when the plague hits Eyam and Mompellion, through the control religion has over the village, convinces the villages that the plague was a metaphorical “casket of gold, sent from God,” and that the villages must stay and fight ‘the test from God’ or fear his repercussions for running. Furthermore, as the death toll from the plague rises, Mompellion begins to fight a losing battle, trying to maintain
This text demonstrates the difficulties of holding on to faith in times of adversity. Discuss.
Geraldine Brook’s novel ‘Year of Wonders’ is a true story of Eyam, a small village in the north of England, which made the remarkable decision to voluntarily quarantine itself when struck by the plague in 1665. Set during the restoration England where Puritan Christians were losing their battle against the Church of England to simplify practices, Brook’s explores how difficult it is to hold on to faith in times of adversity. By highlighting how adversity can lead a priest to lose faith in all that he believes, how a young girl can be brave enough to leave her belief in faith and turn to that of science and how a women is pushed to the point that her superstitious nature is revealed. Brook’s demonstrates the devastating effect adversity can have on faith.
The loss of faith due to adversity can lead a man to no longer trust what he believes. The young village rector of Eyam is portrayed through the narrative perspective of Anna Firth, to be a man of great charisma and strength. However through the clever use of a circular narrative and flashbacks by Brook’s, the reader is introduced to a Michael Mompellion at the start of the novel who has already lost his faith. From the very beginning of the novel it is highlighted how times of adversity makes holding on to faith difficult. As the novel jumps from autumn 1666 back to spring 1665 the reader is shown how Michael Mompellion was very religious and strongly believed in God. This is evident when the plague hits Eyam and Mompellion, through the control religion has over the village, convinces the villages that the plague was a metaphorical “casket of gold, sent from God,” and that the villages must stay and fight ‘the test from God’ or fear his repercussions for running. Furthermore, as the death toll from the plague rises, Mompellion begins to fight a losing battle, trying to maintain