HOW TO READ LIKE A LITERATURE professor

chapter 21

Harry's scar

• A reminder of his past.
• Voldemort was able to kill his parents, but not him
• The scar represents his destiny to defeat Voldemort
• A symbol for 'the boy who lived'
• Harry's scar shows that he is the hero. Only he can be the one

Harry's scar:

Relating this to frankenstein

• Unlike Harry, the monster does not have one deformity
• The monster is a complete monstrosity and his ugliness is not a symbol for greatness
• Mary Shelley writes about the beauty in everything natural
• The ugliness of the monster is a sign of man abusing science
• The monster is not destined to be a hero, but a warning of what could happen

SHELLEY SHOWS THAT ...

• There is no difference between inner and outer beauty
• Appearances indicate an inner self because society reacts to attractive people well so they can be good
• The same people in the novel react to ugly people so negatively that they turn out to be evil
• What's outside always ends up reflecting what's inside
• All people and monsters are born innocent and equal, but it is our experiences that change us

chapter 22

blindness in

LITERAL BLINDNESS

• Sohrab blinds Assef in one eye, symbolizing how Assef has been oblivious his entire life.
• Assef has inflicted pain on others as a bully, rapist, and racist.
• Assef is unable to see beyond the physical and lacks morals and principles.
• Assef is literally blinded to represent his shallowness
• This shows Hosseini's message stressing the importance of morality and principles

FIGURATIVE BLINDNESS

• In the story, Amir's father is blind to his son's longing to be loved.
• Amir is neglected to the point where he lets his jealously take control of his actions.
• Amir's father is oblivious to the horrible acts Amir has committed.
• Amir's father can only see the loyalty and devotion his son has for him rather than the truth.
• Hosseini is strengthening his viewpoint on the consequences of cruelty and lack of morals

chapters 23 & 24

the story of an hour

In case you haven't read it...

• Basically a woman, Mrs. Mallard, has a heart condition
• She hears news that her husband, Mr. Mallard, died on a train accident
• She locks herself in her closest and realizes she is happy because she is finally free.
• But when she comes out of the closet, (no pun intended) her husband shows up
• She is beyond upset to see he survived and has a heart attack on the spot that kills her

What this all means

• Mrs. Mallard is said to have died from joy and heartbreak
• She was so unstable from hearing that her husband had died
• But when she found out he survived, she was heartbroken
• Her heart disease represents her indifference towards her husband
• She doesn't love her husband and her weak and faulty heart condition shows it

FREEDOM AND CONFINEMENT

• Chopin uses Mrs. Mallory's heart disease to show show her wretchedness
• When Mrs. Mallory dies of a broken heart, Chopin is takes the reader to the phases after grief
• Chopin uses her to show the effects of confinement and freedom
• Not only are confinement and freedom overwhelming, but also invigorating
• Having the change in one's life can bring out their worst character

chapter 25

relating to

the "war against women"

• We all know that in Shelley's time that women weren't equal to men
• In chapter 1, Victor talks about when his parents got Elizabeth as a present for him
• "... and in the morrow, she presented Elizabeth to me as her promised gift" pg. 21 Shelley.
• Women were viewed to be incapable of thinking for themselves
• Like when Saphie comes to Europe to find a less oppressive husband.

A CONTEMPORARY READER MAY...

• Not think anything odd of viewing a woman to be no more than a fragile mother
• But would agree that women have souls, unlike Saphie's father in Turkey
• Even agree that Elizabeth would have to marry Victor regardless of his secret
• Be jealous that their parents didn't adopt them a wife

a 21st century reader may...

• Be fully aware that women are not property and can think for themselves
• Not feel that women must be "owned" or in a marriage as their role
• Even frown upon the idea that women need to have a husband to contribute
• View the scene where Elizabeth is adopted and presented to Victor as wrong
• Be against arranged marriages

fin