The three main characters in The Widows of Eastwick are Alexandra, Jane, and Suki.
"Alexandra, oldest in age, the broadest in body, and the nearest in character to normal, generous-spirited humanity..." (page 3) is the true main character of this novel. She is the first to lose her husband, the first to travel to an exotic land, and the first to propose to recollect the old friendships and insist on returning to Eastwick for some good-hearted trouble. She is also the one to make the strongest connection to nature and "Mother Earth" and embody the nuturing type relationship and bond with nature. The second main character is Jane, and is the complete opposite from Alexandra. Compared to Jane, Alexandra "felt helplessly more conspicuous, large and foreign and female, than petite, quick, impervious Jane. Alexandra attracted stares, and felt them cling, where Jane crossly brushed them aside and plowed on." (page 51) At this point, we start to see the major differences between these two witches. Already, we can tell that Jane has a very dark and wicked side that only progresses and grows throughout the novel. Yet, while being the most wicked witch of the bunch, she is the most "refined" and well put together of the bunch. We know this because she does not grieve over the loss of her husband, she simply states it and seemingly without emotion, which leads us to believe that she has even more supernatural and evil powers than the other witches. Sukie is the last witch introduced in the novel. Sukie is the most light hearted and free spirit of the three. She is not described with so much evil and madness as the others. Sukie, although fun-loving, caring, and most gracious of the three, try to do what is right, even she can not control her more demonic side. She entrances a passionate lover with such a strong magical hold, that he ends up beating his wife before hanging himself due to Sukie's "love spell." All three witches possess the qualities of evil and anger, but these feelings try to be repressed by Alexandra and Sukie to help them cope with their past and move forward, but this is held back by the wickedness that controls Jane, which makes all three of their pasts and karma catch up with these ladies and control the outcome of their lives.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Rhetoric Study
There are many rhetorical devices used throughout the novel. One major device is the constant use of strong adjectives in conjunction with the use of metaphors. For instance, to describe the comparisons between Alexandra and Jane, Updike says that Alexandra "felt helplessly more conspicuous, large and foreign and female, than petite, quick, impervious Jane. Alexandra attracted stares, and felt them cling, where Jane crossly brushed them aside and plowed on." (page 51)This device continues on throughout the novel when Alexandra describes her need for others to need her and then goes on to tell us that no one in her family really needs her at all, not even her graddaughters, "not even her enchanting little granddaughters, with their long lashes, bright eyes, amusingly expanding vocabularies, and powder-soft, silky warm cheeks." (page 49)
The strong use of these adjectives help to convey the same feelings that Alexandra is feeling and how we should feel them at that time. Another rhetorical device used is the constant reference back to other religions and past times of the ancient ways. On these trips to Egypt, Canada, and back to their home town of Eastwick, the women discover how things used to be, such as how the Egyptians used to mummify and how they created tombs for the fallen Pharoahs, and in Canada how the Candadians treasure their disintegrating glaciers and how they are spiritually invloved with nature and the Earth. They are so passionate about their forests and wilderness that that is the major focus of the trips, both to Egypt and Canada. Imagery is another element portrayed throughout the book. The use of strong diction helps to draw the mental pictures of how their trips and lives fall into place. The use of flashback helps create the nostalgic feeling in the tone and mood of the book.
The strong use of these adjectives help to convey the same feelings that Alexandra is feeling and how we should feel them at that time. Another rhetorical device used is the constant reference back to other religions and past times of the ancient ways. On these trips to Egypt, Canada, and back to their home town of Eastwick, the women discover how things used to be, such as how the Egyptians used to mummify and how they created tombs for the fallen Pharoahs, and in Canada how the Candadians treasure their disintegrating glaciers and how they are spiritually invloved with nature and the Earth. They are so passionate about their forests and wilderness that that is the major focus of the trips, both to Egypt and Canada. Imagery is another element portrayed throughout the book. The use of strong diction helps to draw the mental pictures of how their trips and lives fall into place. The use of flashback helps create the nostalgic feeling in the tone and mood of the book.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)