All Questions
Tagged with nausicaa-of-the-valley-of-the-wind nausicaa-of-the-valley-of-the-wind or character-analysis
283 questions
6
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2
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Why is It afraid of birds?
In IT (1986), Stan Uris is attacked near Derry light house by Pennywise. He is able to survive this attack by just speaking the names of several birds and It is just taken aback. For some reason ...
6
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How does Bacchus fit into the Christian allegory of Narnia?
The setting and story of The Chronicles of Narnia are strongly linked to Christianity: Aslan, who sacrifices himself for a traitor in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe before returning to life, ...
6
votes
1
answer
194
views
Was Esther Summerson pleasantly surprised or otherwise at being presented the housekeeping keys of Bleak House?
In Chapter VI of Bleak House, Esther Summerson, Ada Clare and Richard Carstone are just arrived at Bleak House and introduced to John Jarndyce. A conversation touching on the Jellybys, the east wind, ...
6
votes
1
answer
125
views
What are the "eighteen methods of arranging Minerva's tresses"?
In Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days, Jean Passepartout, Phileas Fogg's new servant, is introduced. We're given a description, which includes a descrption of his hair:
As for Jean, also known ...
6
votes
2
answers
631
views
JKR says that Hermione shouldn't have married Ron. Is this correct?
In an interview, JKR says that Hermione would not have married Ron:
She told the magazine: "I wrote the Hermione-Ron relationship as a
form of wish fulfilment. That's how it was conceived, really....
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What happened to Marley in A Christmas Carol?
Whatever happened to Scrooge’s partner after he gave his warning about the three ghosts? I know it’s way before Christmas, but I just have to know! It just seems strange to me that he’s never ...
6
votes
1
answer
540
views
Is Harry Hotspur portrayed as a villain in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part I?
Having studied Shakespeare's play Henry IV, Part I and seen a performance of it in Stratford, I'm still uncertain of how we're meant to view the character of Henry Percy (Harry Hotspur).
Clearly he's ...
6
votes
0
answers
229
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In The Master and Margarita, who is Koroviev and what is the nature of his sin?
This question involves minor spoilers for The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov.
Koroviev is one of Woland's entourage, and ostensibly serves as his translator. However, unlike the other characters ...
6
votes
0
answers
100
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Does Faustus start with heroic dignity?
Does Faustus start out with heroic dignity in Christopher Marlowe’s play Doctor Faustus? Does he lose this dignity with his tragic error of making a terrible deal with the Devil?
I came across an exam ...
6
votes
0
answers
330
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Are the homoerotic hints in "La Reine Margot" intentional?
La Reine Margot by Alexandre Dumas can be read as the story of two guys, and their two girlfriends: the alpha couple is Marguerite de Valois (Margot), who's having a passionate affair with the ...
6
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0
answers
102
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Is there anything positive about Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire?
Is there anything positive about the character of Stanley in the play A Streetcar Named Desire? I vaguely remembered that he supported Blanche to meet with that man... Is there anything more about ...
6
votes
1
answer
314
views
What should we make of the newspaper vendor in Atlas Shrugged?
Related: How should we view Dan Conway?
First, a quote from the opening scene of the book:
"Who is John Galt?"
The light was ebbing, and Eddie Willers could not distinguish the bum's face. The ...
6
votes
0
answers
99
views
Is "The American Claimant" a veiled take on "The Indian Question"?
Mark Twain's 1892 novel The American Claimant was written very soon after the Wounded Knee Massacre (1890), which was basically revenge for the 1876 Battle of Greasy Grass ("Little Big Horn"). This ...
6
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0
answers
327
views
In "Love," who is Junior's "Good Man," and what does that imply about her?
Late in Toni Morrison's Love, Junior starts referring to her "Good Man":
And her Good Man agreed. As she knew from the beginning, he liked to see her win.
They recognized each other the ...
6
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0
answers
2k
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Is Troy the antagonist in "Fences"?
Is Troy the antagonist of the play Fences? The antagonist is, by definition, the opposer to the protagonist, who is also Troy. However, Troy often acts against his own beliefs (e.g., sending Gabe to ...
6
votes
2
answers
536
views
How should we view Dan Conway?
Dan Conway, head of the Phoenix-Durango in Atlas Shrugged, was evidently a superb executive. He also receives (largely) positive treatment in the novel. However, the book also says that he initially ...
5
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5
answers
2k
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Was Macbeth considering murdering Duncan before Lady Macbeth encouraged him to?
In Macbeth, after announcing that he will go be a harbinger for Duncan and make things ready for him at Inverness, Macbeth says this aside to himself:
Macbeth
[Aside]
The Prince of Cumberland! that ...
5
votes
2
answers
3k
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Satan's motivation in Paradise Lost
In Paradise Lost, Milton gave an explicit motivation for Satan's rebellion against God. All the angels were called the sons of God and thought of themselves as such, but then God called all the angels ...
5
votes
1
answer
2k
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Why did Gatsby say "This is a terrible mistake" in "The Great Gatsby"?
In chapter 5 of The Great Gatsby, when Gatsby reunited with Daisy, he (Gatsby) followed Nick into the kitchen:
“Where are you going?” demanded Gatsby in immediate alarm.
“I’ll be back.”
“I’ve got to ...
5
votes
1
answer
93
views
The Netherlands vs Belgium in Elsschot's Cheese
Frans Laarmans, the protagonist of Willem Elsschot's Cheese, pursues and obtains a job as the Belgian sales representative for a large Dutch cheese manufacturing enterprise. Cultural and other ...
5
votes
1
answer
177
views
How could the old woman's lover become rich, if it goes against the play's comic project?
I just finished reading Pluto by Aristophanes.
The comic project of the play is to obtain a more fair distribution of richness which is at the beginning given only to dishonest people (or to people ...
5
votes
1
answer
293
views
How much of the Looters' philosophy did Fred Kinnan actually accept?
Related: What was Fred Kinnan gaining from his racket?
In their discussion of Directive 10-289, Fred Kinnan said the following:
"Well, if you want to talk practice," said Fred Kinnan, "then let me ...
5
votes
1
answer
556
views
How tall was Dr. John Watson?
How tall was Dr. John Watson, from the Sherlock Holmes stories by Doyle? I have for some reason always imagined him as very tall and strong, but in a discussion today learned that I seem to be the ...
5
votes
1
answer
3k
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Why did Halle have butter all over his face?
In Toni Morrison's novel Beloved, Sethe's husband Halle never came back to Baby Suggs' house after planning to run away from Sweet Home.
After Paul D arrives, he later blurts out to Sethe of what he ...
5
votes
2
answers
967
views
Why is the not-so-wicked Which called Faintly Macabre?
In Norton Juster's witty wacky fantasy The Phantom Tollbooth, during their stay in the Dictionopolis dungeon Milo and Tock meet a witch Which. She used to be in charge of selecting which words to use, ...
5
votes
1
answer
2k
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In the Great Gatsby does Gatsby want Daisy because he is obsessed with wealth/prestige or does he want wealth because he is obsessed with Daisy?
At some points throughout the novel Daisy is objectified or otherwise synonymized with money (such as when her voice was described to be full of money). This, coupled with Gatsby's clear ambition from ...
5
votes
1
answer
408
views
What exactly drove Humbert’s preference for preteens?
In the first four chapters, our narrator Humbert, after explaining his backstory, relates an experience in which he met, in his youth, a girl he was friends with. He even had a kind of relationship, ...
5
votes
1
answer
181
views
What did Vin mean by leaving Mare's flower picture for Sazed?
Mistborn series book 3, The Hero of Ages, end of chapter 10, as Vin leaves Sazed:
She left him alone in the tent. A few moments later, he returned to his shaving, and found something sitting beside ...
5
votes
1
answer
271
views
Is Raymond having an affair with Masson's wife?
When Raymond, Meursault, and Marie went to visit Raymond's friend, Masson, they decide to go to swim after a brief time but Masson's wife and Raymond refuse the idea and rather stay at the bungalow.
...
5
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1
answer
217
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Why is Jacques Kohn wearing a "father-murderer" collar?
In the description of Jacques Kohn in the beginning of Isaac Bashevis Singer's "A Friend of Kafka", he's described as wearing this:
Although he still dressed in the style of a dandy, his ...
5
votes
1
answer
85
views
Why did Eddie refer to himself as a "feudal serf"?
In the beginning of the book, when Eddie Willars confronted Jim Taggart about the poor condition of the Rio Norte Line, they had the following exchange:
"Jim, what are you saying? Does it matter ...
5
votes
1
answer
4k
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Tom and Nick's meeting in the Great Gatsby
At the end of Gatsby when Tom and Nick meet, after their conversation Nick states that Tom:
"went into the jewelry store to buy a pearl necklace — or perhaps only a pair of cuff buttons — rid of ...
5
votes
1
answer
1k
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Is there a contrast between Trofimov and Lopakhin in Anton Chekhov's 'The Cherry Orchard"?
I am an intern who is teaching in high school in India. In the syllabus, I got across Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" in Hindi. After discussing the book with the students, I found out that there ...
5
votes
0
answers
66
views
Interpretation of the character Gabe in Fences?
From the Wikipedia page on August Wilson's Fences (whose text is available to read on the Internet Archive):
The brother Gabriel is potentially an allegory to salvation. Other than being actually ...
5
votes
1
answer
147
views
Why does Georgia connect so well with the clown's song?
In Alice Oseman's Loveless, after several failed scenes where Georgia has difficulty acting romantic roles, Pip gets her to try being the clown in Twelfth Night. This goes swimmingly:
"Come away,...
5
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0
answers
362
views
What does the Whether Man teach Milo in "The Phantom Tollbooth"?
Everything in the Lands Beyond teaches Milo something, so his first encounter, the Whether Man, what does he teach Milo?
Milo confuses the 'Whether' man with the 'Weather' man, when he introduces ...
5
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0
answers
72
views
Who is the mysterious stranger at the end of Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying"?
Faulkner's As I Lay Dying is, on the whole, a realistic novel which seeks to portray the misery of poverty in the deep south.
However, the ending very much took me by surprise. Anse, the father of ...
5
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0
answers
141
views
Is there any evidence Mat Cauthon was inspired by Matthias Corvinus?
Matthias Corvinus, also known as the Raven King, was King of Hungary and Croatia for a while in the 1400s. He was a noted general, and extensively made use of Hussite mercenaries in his battles. He ...
5
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0
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2k
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Frankenstein's Repulsion towards his Monster
Throughout the novel, Victor Frankenstein is horrified at the fact that he created his monster. However, he does not discuss any emotional or moral reservations towards the act of creating the monster ...
5
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0
answers
88
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What does the teacher's clothing choice say about him?
In chapter 2 of I Am a Cat we see this chunk of text:
He continues to wear his black cotton crested surcoat and, thereunder, a quilted kimono of hand-woven silk which, supposedly a keep-sake of his ...
5
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0
answers
271
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Why were Colonel Cathcart and Colonel Korn so determined to undermine each other?
In Catch-22, both Colonel Cathcart and Colonel Korn seem bound and determined to undermine each other. I know both of them are desperately trying to get promoted (to the point of doing absolutely ...
4
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2
answers
1k
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Why did Dunbar consider a life of intentional boredom worth living?
In Catch-22, Dunbar would routinely cultivate boredom in an effort to extend his life. Why did he consider that worthwhile? Why did he want a long but boring life?
4
votes
1
answer
1k
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Benvolio and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet
What do the characters of Benvolio and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet symbolize, if anything? Mercutio's character mainly provides jokes, and then, in his hot-headedness, is slain by Tybalt.
Benvolio ...
4
votes
3
answers
685
views
In the Brothers Karamazov, did Dostoyevsky take those characters out of real life?
In the novel The Brothers Karamazov, did the writer take those characters out of real life? Or did he just build the characters with time?
4
votes
1
answer
856
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What is the exact social status of Alexei Vronsky?
Alexei Vronsky is first mentioned by Stepan Oblonsky, in Part One chapter XI. This is how he is presented there by Stiva (Pevear translation):
Vronsky is one of the sons of Count Kirill Ivanovich ...
4
votes
1
answer
92
views
Is the character named Laarmans supposed to be the same person across Elsschot's œuvre?
The protagonist and first-person narrator of Elsschot's delicious Cheese (1933) is a hapless clerk named Frans Laarmans who finds himself unexpectedly tasked with selling twenty tons of imported full-...
4
votes
1
answer
104
views
Why did the Superintendent compare Smiley to an abbey?
From John Le Carré's Smiley's People:
An abbey, the Superintendent decided. That’s what he was, an abbey. He would work that into his sermon the next time his turn came around. An abbey, made up of ...
4
votes
1
answer
273
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Greek Alexander Romance - Plot device or other function of Alexander's surreptitious stealing of Persian drinking cups?
In one of the more common form factors of the Greek Alexander Romance (by Pseudo-Callisthenes), we have this passage, located in Book II, 15:
As they began to drink more deeply, Alexander had an idea:...
4
votes
1
answer
517
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Why did Ellsworth Toohey advise people against doing what they really wanted when he was a career advisor?
Prior to his job on The Banner, Ellsworth Toohey spent awhile as a career advisor at a college. One of his distinctive traits as a career advisor was that he usually advised people against doing what ...
4
votes
1
answer
146
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Why did all of the Taggart Transcontinental engineers volunteer to drive the first train on the John Galt Line?
Early on in the book, the engineer running the Comet stopped for hours at a broken signal and just sat there passively waiting for someone to tell him what to do.
However, later we see that almost ...