Monday, September 16, 2019
The Changeling -Fate Essay
The Changeling Essay Question ââ¬â Choose a novel in which the fate of a main character is important in conveying the writers theme. Robin Jenkinââ¬â¢s downbeat meditation on the nature of pity, ââ¬ËThe Changelingââ¬â¢ has a tragic ending; it emphasizes that the ââ¬ËGood Samaritanââ¬â¢ Charles Forbes fails to redeem the life of his pupil Tom Curdie. He sees himself as the boyââ¬â¢s saviour and makes the decision to take him on holiday, to show another side of life from the slum in which he grew up. Yet Tomââ¬â¢s stealing and strangeness set him apart from the family and finally the pain of the experience pushes him over the end.The opening chapter reveals that Charlieââ¬â¢s interest in Tom is self-righteous: At last he spoke, in his most pontifical tones: ââ¬ËTell me, Curdie, have you ever seen the sea? ââ¬â¢ ââ¬ËPontificalââ¬â¢ has overtones of pomposity, and suggests Forbesââ¬â¢ religious nature; the first meaning is supported by the headm asterââ¬â¢s opinion of Forbes as a ââ¬Ëpompous boreââ¬â¢. It is ironic that a boy who has never seen the sea can write eloquently about it; and Forbes takes him on holiday in order to ââ¬Ëimproveââ¬â¢ him. Yet this decision is to lead to Tomââ¬â¢s suicide.In some ways, Tom is a character we should pity; however, in chapter three we learn that he is a strong character who lives by a matter-of-fact set of ââ¬Ëprincipalsââ¬â¢: Never to whine; to accept what came; to wait for better; to take what you could; to let no-one not even yourself know how near to giving in you were. One therefore has to ask ââ¬â why would someone like this need Charlieââ¬â¢s help? It is only when he is taken away from Donaldsonââ¬â¢s court that he feels the gulf between his circumstances and those of ââ¬Ëdecentââ¬â¢ people. When he tries o ââ¬Ëtake what you couldââ¬â¢ to please them, the estrangement begins. The turning point of the novel is where Tom calls the Forb es family and introduces himself as ââ¬ËTom Forbesââ¬â¢: ââ¬ËI mean, Tom Curdie,ââ¬â¢ he said; but it was really that mythical person Tom Forbes, he still thought he was. At this point in the book, he is in a phone box with the hapless Peerie pressing his face up against the glass. It is as if Tomââ¬â¢s background is crowding round him as he tries vainly to keep contact with the ââ¬Ëdecentââ¬â¢ family who have given him a temporary home.However, the trouble with being a ââ¬Ëmythical personââ¬â¢ is that one has to live in the real world. The distance between myth and reality is explored in one of the turning points of the novel, when Tom steals so that he can afford the brooch for Mrs Forbes. The chapter is seen through the eyes of Gillian, who sees a truth about Tom before anyone else: ââ¬Å"She began to realise that this suit of armour, of calmness and patience, forged somehow in the dreadful slum where he had been born, must be heavy and painful to wear . â⬠Yet she does not tell as she wants to avoid ruining the ââ¬Ëpresentationââ¬â¢; Gillian is torn between jealousy and pity towards Tom; her sympathy grows for him throughout the book and it is she who discovers him after his suicide. The ââ¬Ësuit of armourââ¬â¢ continues the idea that he is a figure out of a myth who doesnââ¬â¢t belong in her world, which indicates that she feels the stirring of respect for him, even though he is a thief. Their relationship provides a note of optimism before the bleak climax. From her point of view, Tom has a kind of nobility, even when he strikes the tree in anguish:His face was hard and aloof, like a young Princeââ¬â¢s out of a story book. His hand red with blood was like an emblem of eerie distinction. These continue the idea that he is someone who doesnââ¬â¢t belong to the time in which he lives, with the allusions to being a Prince and wearing an ââ¬Ëemblemââ¬â¢ he has won through pain and violence. This imposs ible dilemma is finally solved by Tomââ¬â¢s tragic end. Therefore I would argue that the book considers the suffering of others and asks what we can really do for them; it explores this theme through the fate of Tom.
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