A.INFORMATION ABOUT THE STORY
Scanning the story first, we come across with a rich couple named Rosemary and Philip leading an untroubled, desirable life and they seem to love each other since- we have no implication whether they love each other for money or not – and everything goes well in their lives.Rosemary spends money without getting into trouble and giving no reason or excuse to her husband in doing this. Everyone in a society admires Rosemary not maybe for her beauty but for her remarkable features such as being interested in current movements from every aspects, seeming as an intelligent young woman, reading the modern books.Philip is not as bright as Rosemary but he makes himself realize as soon as he enters the story towards the end.
Apart from the couple, there is a girl who meets Rosemary in a street by asking for money to have a cup of tea then is picked up by her to have a cup of tea at her home and begins to be directed by her. We infer this from the fact that whenever Rosemary wants her to enter the scene she is there but when, at the last scene, Rosemary is jealous of her, the girl is easily disappearad without giving no sign for us to follow the reason of her disappearance.
And we have one more character having a part in the story:the shopman.He is also under the effect of Rosemary; we can understand this from his polite behaviours which are made obvious in the text with circumstantial features. But he is the person also who utilizes by the weakness of her.He tries to draw her attraction on the enamel box and succeeds it; he promises her to keep the box for her because he knows her and he knows that she will come to buy it; she has the power of money and gets whatever she desires without acconting for anything to anybody.
Not only we encounter with her weakness in her dialogue with the shopman but also in her being jealous of Miss Smith when he utters lovely words for this girl and behaves as it is predicted by Philip who knows directing her and makes her behave as he desires taking advantage of her faulty character successfully.In that sense Philip is an intelligent man and effective on Rosemary who is also obviously the symbol of possessive female by being jealous of the girl she has met in the street; so she has no self-confidence,she is a little bit credulous. She asks directly-having no hidden meaning in her words- ‘Am I PRETTY?’, which ironically reveals her ex-behaviours to Philip even she supposes that Philip is not aware of the truth.
B.ANALYSIS
When we look at the story from the point of ‘transitivity functions’ included in the stylistic analysis which tell us about the language and its reflection on processes,participants,circumstantial functions we realize that main participant is ‘ Rosemary’ and most of the processes are acted by her.When we count all the sentences describing her or the ones in which she takes place we realize her dominancy at once. The other participants I’d like to analyse on this text -apart from ‘Rosemary’- are the girl,Miss Smith, and Philip. Even though Philip hasn’t got as many turns as Rosemary and Miss Smith, I’d like to examine the processes of him in order to display the currents of events as a whole- he is the efficient figure in the sequences of events in the story-; in other words it is vital to handle it here to maintain the entirety of the text.
To do this I will follow M.A.K. Halliday’s process in which ‘Ideational’, ‘Interpersonal’, ‘Textual’ Functions of language are daelt with in order to support all my commentations on Katherine Mansfield’s work.
IDEATIONAL FUNCTIONS
In order to relate the cognitive realities of the text with its language and give the accurate meaning it is essential to deal with the ideational functions of language of it.By this way we will have a deep knowledge of how these characters are seen as, what their mental processes are, what about the circumstantial features, and so on.
1)Rosemary as a participant
*Relational processes:
In many ways she is presented us very active.There are descriptions both for her physical appearance and for her characteristic features and interests:
“She was young, brilliant, extremely modern, exquisitely well dressed, amazingly well read in the newest of the new books...”
Even the words describing her are beatifully chosen ones and there is nothing which makes her inferior-as it is obviously seen -she is not a woman adored for her goddess beauty but she is an active figure in a society with her doings; however it is not clear whether she makes it to be seen like that or she is really the one known in a society.
“Her hat, really no bigger than a geranium petal, hung from a branch...”
The writer of the text here uses metaphorical phrases while describing Rosemary’s hat. Infact the writer doesn’t generally use such things, the language of the text is direct but here, in describing her appearance,she does this. Infact it is to reflect the prominence that is given for her.
*Material processes:
She is mostly ‘the actor’ where the girl is the goal or sometimes the beneficiary recipient:
“I want you to. To please me.”
Here ‘I’, Rosemary, takes part as an actor whereas ‘you’,Miss Smith, is the goal and ‘want’ is the process which is stated by Rosemary. We may infer that Rosemary is dominant and makes others do whatever she wants to.
“I only want to make you warm...”
This time what she desires to be made by her is something good as a concept; but even it is good for Miss Smith, it is directed by Rosemary and shows her power on her by regarding Miss Smith as a helpless creature which is to be pitied and looked after.
“Come and sit down,” she cried, dragging her big chair up to the fire,”in this comfy chair.”
And the circumstantial features where the actor is Rosemary gives clues for her rich,comfortable life style.
To give more examples:
“And ‘there!’ cried Rosemary again, as they reached her beatiful big bedroom with the curtains drawn, the fire leaping on her wonderful lacquer furniture, her gold cushions and the primrose and blue rugs.”
“She turned impulsively.’ (She is accustomed to speking freely in a society thanks to the power of the money.)
*Mental processes:
Looking at how she sees the world around her, we realize that she can mention about what she likes or dislikes and reveals her ideas directly and freely; we have lots of verbs telling us about her cognition and affection:
“Yes, she liked it very much, she loved it.”
“Rosemary admired the flowers.”
“Rosemary gave no sign.”
“Rosemary laughed out.”
“She decided...”
“She wanted to spare this poor little thing...”
“She saw alittle battered creature with enormous eyes...”
“I hate lilac.”
2)The girl as a participant
*Relational processes:
Physical descriptions are used to introduce her and these descriptions sometimes tell us about the life style of her and mostly show us inferiority of her when compared with ‘Rosemary’ basically:
“...Rosemary turned. She saw a little battered creature with enormous eyes, someone quite young, no older than herself...”
“...a light, frail creature with tangled hair, dark lips, deep lighted eyes,...”
“...thin,birdlike shoulders.”
“...poor little thing.”
And we have implications about her manner which are presented us from the eyes of the writer:
“...she seemed dazed.”
“she seemed to stagger like a child,...”
*Material processes:
She is ‘the goal’ where Rosemary is the actor:
Rosemary says:
“I simply took her with me.”
“I want you to.To please me.”
“She wanted to spare this poor little thing from being stared at by the servants.”
“She applied the poor little creature with,everything,...”:
And here she is the beneficiary recipient.
Even the girl says (accepting her power):
“You are not taking me to police station.”:
Here the actor is again Rosemary even the sentence is uttered by the other, she will act the process; the girl is aware of this and she is the recipient again.
“Rosemary drew the other into the hall.” ‘the other’is the girl.
*Mental processes:
Although her acts are mostly led by Rosemary, we have implications about her feelings as follows:
“The girl almost cried out.”
“...burst into tears”
“the girl gazed back at her.”
“she felt how simple and kind her smile was.”
3)Philip as a participant
*Relational Processes:
There is no sign for his physical appearance and no utterance for his personality also. But we can only guess something by means of the sentences as follows:
“Philip smiled his charming smile.”
The we can say that he has charming smile that makes effect on Rosenary.
“But what an earth are you going to do with her?cried Philip.”
So, he accounts for something and she behaves in line with Philip’s desires.
*Material Processes:
Even though he enters at the last scene, he is ‘the actor’ in the sentences where Rosemary is ‘the goal’:
“I wanted you come...’ Here Rosemary is the goal.(‘You’= ‘Rosemary’)
“He came in...he said, and stopped and stared.” Here the events are acted by him but this time,unlike Rosemary’s statements, there are some intransitive verbs.In Rosemary’s statements,there are generally recipients and goals(In short there are objects) affected by the process.
“Philip jumped her on his knee.” This is the statement in which Rosemary is the recipient whereas Philip is the actor.
*Mental Processes:
As soon as he takes a part in the story, he behaves like an observor as it is understood from the sentences below:
“..he said curiously, still looking at that listless figure, looking at its hands and boots...”
“..I wanted you to come...”
“Philip smiled..”
“... cried Philip.”
INTERPERSONAL FUNCTIONS
Looking at K.Mansfield’s story from the point of the language use between the participants, we come across with variability making the text closer to real,authentic usage by means of questions, answers, requests, imperatives,exclamations and so on.
To begin with turn-takings between Rosemary and Miss Smith, it is seen that there are lots of questions and answers:
“May I speak to you a moment?”
“Speak to me?” (And this also presents us a part from an authentic language use by shortening the statement.It is also the indicator of bewilderment of Rosemary against the girl’s behaviour.)
...
“Would you let me have the price of a cup tea?”
“A cup of tea?Then have you no money at all?”
...
“Do you like me?”
And sometimes Rosemary gives answers instead of the girl. She does most of the talking:
“Of course,she will.”
“...She insisted on going...”(She says to Philip as if it was said by Miss Smith,herself.)
There are imperatives uttered by Rosemary again,which proves that she does and gets whatever she wants from helpless people:
“Come along.”
“Come,come upstairs.”
“Come and sit down.”
“Don’t cry.”
“Do stop crying.”
She also uses imperatives against ‘Philip’:
“Be nice to her.”
“Kiss me.”
But Philip also gives commands to her:
“Explain”
“Look again,my child.”
However Miss Smith uses polite requests such as:
“May I speak to you a moment?”
“ Would you let me have the price of a cup of tea.”
“...so ligthtly and strangely: ‘I’m very sorry, madam, but I’m going to faint.I shall go off,madam, if I don’t have something.’” (It is not in an exact polite request form but said politely.)
“I can’t go on no longer like this. I can’t bear no more” (Totally free in revealing her ideas and feelings not by consulting to politeness.)
Exclamations are used by Rosemary
sometimes to express her ideas:
“Charming!”
“How extraordinary!”
sometimes to present her while thinking to herself:
“How thoughtless I am!”
“Pretty!”
“Lovely!”(By repeating Philip’s utterances angrily.)
Sometimes to demonstrate:
“There!”
TEXTUAL FUNCTIONS
Both the narrative statements directly by the writer and the dialogues between the participants are involved in the story. Ideas of the characters and their acts are told by the writer of the text as a narrator whereas the chain of particular events,speech acts are presented via a lot of dialogues in the text.K.Mansfield is like an observor describes the characters,the events and gives us clues about what the characters are thinking to themselves. For instance, Rosemary is made to think and speak to herself after being jealous of the girl and we can follow her plans which is going to occur.
C.CONCLUSION
Having analysed this literary text by not commenting on it with my superficial impressions but examinig it in detail considering into the linguistic features of it, I have obtained more objective criticism. Furthermore, it has proved that our impressions supposed to be uttered intuitively and unconsciously has hidden conscious in itself and kept hidden unless it emerges by studying it with its grammatical features which helped me to analyse the short story of Katherine Mansfield more empirically. By means of this stylistic analysis, I,myself, have also seen that a literary text can be interpreted effectively,scientifically,and most correctly when its functional features are studied in detail and one can enjoy the passage even after its linguistic features are dealt with,which is supposed to make the meaning and charming beauty of the work of art loss.
This text was taken from the book by Katherine Mansfield “Sixpence”. It was written as a style of fiction.
The scene is laid in the house of a rich and noble family, in the end of XIX - beginning of XX century. The main idea of this text is such called “awkward age” of children. When they do anything they want and became absolutely uncontrolled.
The text consists of 4 parts. First is - exposition. From this part we acquainted with the main character - the boy Dicky, his mood, his behavior. For describing him the author uses such comparison “good as gold as a rule” it means that from the first sight he was absolutely polite boy, but then without the “slightest” warning - epithet, he suddenly went “mad dog” - it’s a metaphor to show us that it was very energetic and fidgety boy.
When someone calls him he usually “flew away” - metonymy which means that he liked to hide from people. the comparison “like a wild Indian” is need to show Dicky’s behavior, which was too uncontrolled. Second is rising the action. Here we see the situation during the children tea, when the boy put the large bread plate on the head and take a knife showing that he is a soldier to his sisters.
When the plate fall down and crashed, it’s - climax. Here we see the metonymy “came flying” in such a way the author showed mother’s moving fast And the finishing dialog between Mrs. Bendall - mother of the Dicky and her friend Mrs. Spears visiting her at that time is the denouement. Mrs. Spears had two sons so that she could say she had an experience.
And she was very calm during the speaking after the incident.
I think this text is rising the problem of brining up children with an awkward age.
3. Katherine Mansfield “The Garden-Party” The text under stylistic analysis “The Garden-Party” is written by Katherine Mansfield in the style of fiction.It deals with author’s feelings and emotions about relations in society.
The author is told us about garden-party, where young girl Laura had to be a master o this party at first time. But this girl was pretty and at the same time rather shy girl.
At the beginning of the story we can see the description of the garden. So, it was the ideal weather. Katherine Mansfield used the metaphor “the blue was veiled with a haze of light gold” that proved if they had ordered the weather they couldn’t have had more perfect day. In this garden their was a lot of different flowers. “The daisy plants had been seemed to shine”, this metonymy underlines it was awfully beautiful plants. Even “bushes bowed down as though they had been visited by archangels” - this comparison proved that here everything was perfect.
So Laura has had to forget that her mother was there because she said that her children treat her as an honoured guest. But Laura’s sister Meg could not possibly go and supervise the men, because she had washed her hair before breakfast, and she sat drinking her coffee in a green turban. Meg’s hair was wet and was “stamped on each cheek”, so it is metonymy, in which author wanted to show us that only Laura to go. But Katherine Mansfield used the metonymy that showed us this girl is very nice - she is not just go “she flies”.
She went to their guests, still holding her piece of bread-and-butter but there was nowhere to put it and she couldn’t possibly throw it away. She blushed and tried to look severe and even a little bit short-sighted as she came up to them.
Laura came to them, she was like her mother, she had the same voice, it sounded “fearfully affected” - it is the oxymoron, it means that this young lady was very impressive. And at the end of this passage Laura showed herself in a high level.
To my mind the idea of the story is that everybody had to find power in herself, sometimes veiled her shyness, and only then you can be on the high level.
3. Katherine Mansfield “Pictures” The text under stylistic analysis is taken from the book “Pictures” by Katherine Mansfield.
It deals with the relations between landlady and tenant. This story is written in the style of fiction.
The main idea is if people won’t look after themselves, nobody else will.
In the beginning of the text the author tells us about Miss Ada Moss, a young lady who lay in the black iron bedstead, and thought that she always wake up so cold in the mornings. And she’s wondering why it happened. She thought it can be because of she had a bad meals.
In this part the author uses metaphor “sheet of ice” to underline that the lady waking up very cold. He also uses another metaphor “pageant of good hot dinners” and “pageant of sensible substantial breakfast” to show that the lady had bad meals and she imaged to herself a good food.
In the next part of the story landlady bring a letter to Miss Ada Moss, but Miss Moss said that she shouldn’t be surprised about it. Then there is a monologue of amazed landlady. She asks why she must take the trouble about Miss Moss in such a severe times. She said that she fair sick and tired and she won’t stand it more. Here the author uses metaphor “prices flying in the air” to show that the life for the land lady getting more difficult.
The epithet “soft-hearted” underlines the kindness of landlady.
As for me I like this story because it shows us that we should have respect for ourselves.
5. O. Henry “The Gift of the Magi”
“Irony is a disciplinarian feared only by those who do not know it, but cherished by those who do”, Soren Kierkegaard knew what he was talking about when he said these famous words. “The Gift of the Magi”, written by William Sidney Porter, often known by his pen name O. Henry. It is a short story depicting literary elements of irony, romance, and Porter's sense of twist endings, and is all about a poor couples Christmas. Because of the end results of Della and Jim's sense of self sacrifice, “The Gift of the Magi” displays almost a word for word example of what irony is defined as.
Irony is a rhetorical literary device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions. In this sense, the world irony would mean speech that means the opposite of what it is actually intended to be used. Irony could be broken into a few different categories: verbal irony (most commonly sarcasm), dramatic irony, and situational irony. For something like situational irony, the actions or events in a story will usually be enacted by a specific character and unbeknownst to the character, their action will have an effect that is completely opposite of their desired intentions. “Romeo and Juliet” was a great example of this, because the lovers tried to fake their deaths, only to actually die in the process (this is, of course, a very morbid example). Porter does a much better example of situational irony in “The Gift of the Magi” when he writes his twist ending to fit into ironic story at the end.
“The Gift of the Magi” is a great example of irony, situational irony to be specific. If one were to look again at what “situation irony” is, Merriam-Webster would define the term as “ irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite of what was intended.
The story takes place in international waters on an ocean going liner sailing from San Fracisco, U.S.A to Yokohama, Japan on the Pacific ocean. As the war had just ended, it was difficult to get accomodations. Therefore, the narrator had to share a cabin with a total stranger, but he expected him to be one of his own countrymen. Instead, he was deeply shocked to realize it was a chatty Levantine of oriental origin, Mr. Max Kelada, who was not British, but a native of one of the British colonies (he did have a British passport). Although his origin isn't stated precisely, his name suggests Spanish, Portugese, Syrian or even Jewish origin. The narrator mentions Mr. Kelada's "hooked nose", which might imply an antisemitic remark against Jews.
The narrator was prepared to dislike Mr. Kelada even before he saw him. When he first entered the cabin, he saw Mr. Kelada's luggage and toilet things that had already been unpacked. The man's name and the sight of his things aroused a strong repulsion in him since he was prejudiced against all non- Britons, feeling superior to them. The irony of the story lies in the fact that the list of Mr. Kelada's "negative" traits presented in the beginning of the story shows an orderly, neat and tidy gentleman.
When the narrator met Mr. Kelada, his hatred got even stronger. He abhorred the cultural differences between Kelada and himself. He both detested and despised Mr. Kelada's gestures. Therefore, the description of Kelada is negative and biased. The narrator's prejudice is based on several cultural differences between him and Mr. Kelada:
a) A total stranger should address a gentleman with "Mr." and be formal.
b) A gentleman shouldn't be pushy.
c) A gentleman should be modest.
d) A gentleman should keep quiet during meals.
e) A gentleman shouldn't be too chatty and argumentative.
f) A gentleman shouldn't show off and boast about his super knowledge.
g) A gentleman shouldn't be too dogmatic.
Mr. Kelada was a person that seemed to know everything and was involved in everything, not sensing that he was disliked by everybody. He was very chatty and talked as if he had been superior to everybody else. The passengers mocked him and called him Mr. Know - All even to his face.
There was another dogmatic person on the ship - Mr. Ramsay who was an American Consular Serviceman stationed in Kobe, Japan. He was on his way to Kobe after having picked up his pretty little wife, who had stayed on her own in New York for a whole year. She looked very modest. Her clothes were simple although they achieved an effect of quiet distinction. She looked perfect and was adorable.
One evening, the conversation drifted to the subject of pearls. As Mrs. Ramsay was wearing a string of pearls, Mr. Kelada announced that it certainly was a genuine one which had probably cost many thousands of dollars. He was ready to bet a hundred dollars on it. Mr. Ramsay, on the other hand, that his wife had bought it for 18 dollars in a department store. When Mr. Know - All took out a magnifying glass from his pocket, he noticed a desperat appeal in Mrs. Ramsay's eyes. He then realized that Mrs. Ramsay got the pearls from her lover.Since Mr. Kelada didn't. want to destroy Mrs. Ramsay's marriage, he ruined his reputation instead - he told everybody that he was wrong and that the string was an excellent imitation. He gave Mr. Ramsay a hundred dollars.
The story spread all over the ship and everybody mocked Mr. Kelada. Later, while the narrator and Mr. Know - All were in their cabin, an envelope was pushed under the door. It contained a hundred dollar bill from Mrs. Ramsay. It was then that the narrator learned to value the dark - skinned Levantine. He was amazed at Mr. Kelada's generosity.
This story shows that first impressions are often misleading and that appearances are sometimes deceptive. Mr. Kelada who is described as a disgusting person who shows off all the time and knows everything better than others, is in reality a sensitive, brave gentleman who wouldn't hurt others. On the other hand, Mrs. Ramsay, whose modesty and good qualities no one questions, has been unfaithful to her husband.
The moral of the story is that we must not judge a book by its cover. Rather than judging a person by his looks, color or origin we should observe his behaviour and reactions in difficult situations.
12.J. Collier “Back for Christmas” The text “Back for Christmas” by John Collier is written in a style of fiction. The story is about farewell party to the doctor Carpenter and his wife.
In the beginning of the text we can see the Carpenters’ living room that was filled with the close friends who had come to say “last-minute farewell” - the author used this epithet to show us that their friends would be missing him very much.
On the contrary with his wife doctor Carpenter wasn’t sure he would come in time, he thought smth could spoil his plans.
But his wife “beaming at them” said he would be back in England for Christmas. The metaphor is used to reassure everybody to make them believe in this.
So, the farewells began. Mrs Carpenter tried her best to make all the arrangements on the high level and to prove it the author used such epithet as: “fluting of compliments” and “marvelous arrangements”.
Carpenters were going to drive to Southampton that evening and would embark the following day. They have chosen this kind of transport for more comfortable travelling without any bustle. And to emphasize it the author the used the repetition “No trains, no bustle, no last minute worries”.
So doctor Carpenter has contracted for lecture only three months and certainly he would be a great success in America. His wife Hermione has just tagged a long him to have some entertainment’s to see the big cities skyscrapers.
Then the author uses repetitions “No extensions. No wonderful post…” that show us that his infirmary needs him.
After the farewell dinner the maids washed up all the plates, come in to say goodbye and were in time to catch the afternoon bus to Devizes.
So, to my mind, the main idea of the text - east or west home is the best.
13.D.H. Lawrence “The Rocking Horse Winner” Point of View
.......D. H. Lawrence wrote the story in omniscient third-person point of view, enabling him to reveal the thoughts of the characters. The underlined words in the following sentences are examples of passages that present the thoughts of characters.
Paul's mother only made several hundreds, and she was again dissatisfied. She so wanted to be first in something, and she did not succeed, even in making sketches for drapery advertisements.
His mother had sudden strange seizures of uneasiness about him. Sometimes, for half an hour, she would feel a sudden anxiety
She had bonny children, yet she felt they had been thrust upon her, and she could not love them. They looked at her coldly, as if they were finding fault with her. And hurriedly she felt she must cover up some fault in herself.
Plot Summary
By Michael J. Cummings...© 2008
.......A beautiful woman blessed with advantages marries a handsome man for love, but the love eventually runs dry. Feeling as if her three children—a boy and two girls—“had been thrust upon her,” the narrator says, she resents them in her heart. Outwardly, however, she behaves as if she loves them dearly, and people say she is wonderful mother. She does not fool the children, however. They know she does not love them, nor anyone else. They see it in her eyes.
.......The children and their parents reside in a nice house with “discreet” servants, but the mother and father never seem to have enough money to support their elegant lifestyle even though they both have incomes. At his office in town, the father has promising business prospects, but that is all they are—promising.
The parents try various schemes to increase their income, but financial success eludes them.
There must be more money
At Christmas, even the rocking horse, the teddy bear, the big doll in its pram, and the puppy hear the phrase.
One day, Paul asks his mother, Hester, why the family always borrows the car of her brother, Oscar Creswell, instead of getting one of its own. She explains that they lack the money to buy one. When her husband tries to make more money, he has no luck. If you're lucky, she tells Paul, you have money. That is why it is better to be born lucky than rich. When asserts that he himself is lucky, his mother does not seem to believe him. Peeved at her lack of faith in him but wanting to prove himself to her, he goes off by himself wondering how to generate luck. In the following days, he rides his rocking horse in the nursery in a wild charge to nowhere while his sisters play with their dolls. Getting off, he commands the horse “to take me where there is luck,” then remounts it and rides on, whipping the horse on the neck with a lash Uncle Oscar bought for him. Paul's nurse, Miss Wilmot, cautions him that his rough riding will break the toy, and his sister Joan says, “I wish he’d leave off!”
When he began gambling, Paul says, he lost five shillings Basset had given him. Then he started winning with ten shillings from Uncle Oscar and concluded that his uncle had passed luck onto him. At all costs, though, he wants his uncle to keep his betting a secret. After Creswell agrees to remain mum on the subject, he asks the boy how much he plans to bet on Daffodil. Paul’s answer—three hundred pounds—stuns and amuses him.
Sometime later, he takes Paul to the Lincoln races, where Oscar bets on Mirza and gives Paul money to place a bet.
14.E. Hemingway “Cat in the Rain” The story under the title “Cat in the Rain” was written by Ernest Hemingway, one of the most favourite American novelists, short-story writer and essayist, whose deceptively simple prose style has influenced wide range of writers.
So, the story begins with the description of the hotel where two Americans stopped. It was raining, that’s why the couple stayed in and just a cat in the rain attracted the young woman’s attention. She wanted to get the cat inside but failed and was brought another cat.
The problem of the story lies very deeply and we are to uncover it. The story is written in one mood which constantly and directly increases. It starts from the beginning where it’s created by a persistent and repeated use of the “rain” with a number of phrases associating it, such as puddles, deserted square, glistening war monument.
Repetition is one of the widely used and favourite stylistic devices of Hemingway. Here he applies it to reveal the relationship of the protagonist to the old hotel owner (she liked..., she liked...). As the verb “to like” is not used to characterize relations of the wife to her husband, this contrast is full of the concealed but easily read meaning.
Though the cases of repetition in the story may seem a bit obtrusive, their modifications enter into the core of the narration very organically. They carry emotional character, however penetrating the story the deep sorrow becomes evident gradually. We realize that little, as if meaningless, capricious wishes of a young woman reveal the drama of her fate, the absence of comfort in her life, comparable with the cat in the rain.
The title of the story anticipates this confrontation and the fact that the cat’s image makes great play twice – just increases the total effect. In fact, the young woman pines for love, for home, for her family. And the purring cat she’d like to have and to stroke is a traditional symbol of home and comfort she lacks so much. She wants warmth, attention, care, joy, happiness; however she is brought the cat – a pitiful substitution of that, what she, a young, beautiful woman needs incredibly. This is the main problem of the novel we tried to uncover.
Perhaps the hotel owner didn’t get the reason of her yearnings and took her wish for whim. But dignity, deference and respectfulness of the old man are confronted to egoism and carelessness of George not occasionally. The war monument is also mentioned deliberately. The world George and his wife belong to – is uncomfortable, homeless after-war world, where the fates of young people joined with such hardships and troubles.
If to speak about the text itself, it is told in the 3rd person narrative. the description is interlaced with descriptive passages and dialogues of the personages. The author makes extensive use of repetitions to render the story more vivid, convincing, more real and emotional.
The author's style is remarkable for its powerful sweep, brilliant illustrations and deep psychological analysis. Everything he touches seems to reflect the feelings of the heroes.
The story reveals the author's great knowledge of man's inner world. He penetrates into the subtlest windings of the human heart.
15.E. Hemingway “The Old Man and the Sea” The story begins, as you might expect, with an old man. He is a fisherman who has not caught a fish in 84 days. He is also not eating very much. The two factors are related. We also meet a boy who is dear friends with the old man. The old man taught him to fish when he was young, and the boy brings the old man food. Does our language sound elementary and clipped? That’s because Hemingway’s prose is. His is just eight million times better than ours.
So that sets the stage. We’d also like to note that the old man has a name (Santiago), as does the young boy (Manolin), but the text always refers to them as "the old man" and "the boy." So this old man goes to sleep dreaming of the lions he used to see back in the day in Africa. He wakes before sunrise and does what fishermen do – namely, get in his boat and head out to fish.
Not too long after that, the old man hooks a really, really, ridiculously big fish. A "marlin" to be more exact. An earth-shattering struggle of mythical proportions follows. Most of the novella consists of this struggle, which lasts over three days. It is a battle of strength and of wills. The old man sees the fish as his brother, not his enemy, yet never wavers in his resolution to kill the thing. Which, ultimately, he does.
But this is no happy ending. It’s just a happy mid-point followed by an extraordinarily sad ending. The old man straps the fish to the side of the boat and heads home. On the way, he is attacked by sharks, who slowly but surely eat away at the marlin while the old man, starving and exhausted, tries to beat them off with a harpoon, a club, and finally nothing but a simple knife. By the time he makes it back to shore, there is nothing left of the fish but a skeleton. The old man goes to sleep and dreams of the same lions of his youth.
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| Female, 23 years, born on 14 September 1991 | | |