All Questions
Tagged with nausicaa-of-the-valley-of-the-wind nausicaa-of-the-valley-of-the-wind or character-analysis
283 questions
2
votes
3
answers
205
views
How is Wainamoinen "old" at the start of the second Rune?
At the end of the first rune of the Kalevala (Crawford's translation), Wainamoinen has just been born. These are the last four lines of this rune:
Thus our hero, Wainamoinen,
Thus the wonderful ...
- 77.1k
0
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Meaning and implication of these lines in The Importance of Being Ernest
Lady Bracknell: There are distinct social possibilities in your profile. The two weak points in our age are its want of principle and its want of profile. The chin a little higher, dear. Style largely ...
- 591
4
votes
1
answer
517
views
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 ...
2
votes
0
answers
35
views
In Tony Hillerman's People of Darkness, why do the Navajos accept Vines as a religious leader?
In Tony Hillerman's novel, People of Darkness, why have a group of Navajos, who followed some form of traditional Navajo religion, accepted B.J. Vines as their religious leader?
He's not only a white ...
- 159
11
votes
4
answers
15k
views
Why did Shams refuse to sleep with Kimya?
Towards the end of Elif Şafak's The Forty Rules of Love, specifically the book-within-a-book Sweet Blasphemy which is largely a retelling of the real-life story of Shams and Rumi, Shams gets married ...
- 77.1k
9
votes
0
answers
225
views
Is Mike an anarchist in *The Moon is a Harsh Mistress*?
In the later parts of Robert Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, we find out that Manny and Prof are motivated by their anarchist political beliefs. They argue for these beliefs in the new ...
- 1,970
20
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Does the description of Eustace's parents fit some known stereotype?
In the opening paragraph of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C. S. Lewis introduces us to the (at this point in the story) singularly unlikeable character of Eustace Clarence Scrubb. About his parents, ...
- 77.1k
12
votes
1
answer
588
views
In Ulysses, why does Stephen finally decide not to stay with Bloom?
Ulysses is such a well-commented book that it's hard to find questions which have not been widely explored already. However, there's a simple aspect of character motivation I've been unable to clarify....
- 23.6k
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
What might Syme have been thinking when he was captured?
I understand that Syme was vaporised because he overthought the concept of the newspeak, but would he have regretted being an avid follower of Big Brother and destroyer of language?
- 63
3
votes
1
answer
921
views
Why did Michael Corleone remove Tom Hagen from the family business?
Near the end of the novel The Godfather, Michael Corleone takes his vengeance on the other families, as well as those who betrayed him. Before this, though, he cleans house, setting up a secret regime ...
- 131
2
votes
1
answer
90
views
What does "layering of roles" mean in this sentence?
What does "layering of roles" precisely mean in the following sentence quoted from Pirandello and the Crisis of Modern Consciousness
by Anthony Francis Caputi?
For the generation of Neveux, Jean ...
- 203
1
vote
0
answers
42
views
Why did Sally Roe use her real name on the envelope for her letters to Tom Harris?
After her supposed death in the beginning of Piercing the Darkness, Sally Roe started writing to Tom Harris after learning about the bogus lawsuit against him. However, she puts her real name on the ...
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 ...
- 541
3
votes
0
answers
554
views
Do the new characters ever wonder about olders muses of Robert Langdon?
I was reading The Origin by Dan Brown, and wondered if Ambra Vidal ever thought about whatever happened to Sienna Brooks - Langdon's muse from Inferno?
Or Sienna must have vetted Langdon knowing his ...
- 131
6
votes
2
answers
9k
views
Does Charlie in “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower” have a mild form of autism?
In Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks Of Being A Wallflower,” Charlie seems to have some social skill issues, and seems clueless to the norms of teenage interaction.
Is there any evidence, either from the ...
- 1,429
1
vote
0
answers
169
views
Was Stevenson's Captain Smollett named after Tobias Smollett?
The captain of the Hispaniola in Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island is a man named Alexander Smollett. There's also a Scottish writer named Tobias Smollett, and there's speculation that the ...
- 77.1k
3
votes
1
answer
229
views
In the Kalevala, what is Väinämöinen?
The character of Väinämöinen is central to the Finnish epic the Kalevala. But from reading about him and the stories online, I can't figure out whether he was a god or a mortal man. Some of the myths ...
- 77.1k
2
votes
0
answers
60
views
What connects the strangeness of the people and the magic of the bathroom?
I was just reading Turkish Short Stories from the October 2017 issue of Words Without Borders. In particular, the story "The Little Bathroom" by Sine Ergün (published freely online, and ...
- 77.1k
3
votes
0
answers
195
views
Comparison between Beatrice of Much Ado About Nothing and Offred of The Handmaids tale
Compare and contrast the way Offred in Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and Beatrice in William Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing view romantic love. Discuss 2 similarities and 2 differences (...
- 31
7
votes
1
answer
406
views
Does The Chronicles of Narnia promote deism?
Very related: Why does the Emperor-Over-the-Sea play such a small role in the Chronicles of Narnia?
Also related: Why is the Emperor Beyond the Sea named that?
The Chronicles of Narnia refer to Aslan'...
4
votes
0
answers
609
views
Who is Soleil Moore, The Bone Clocks character?
In The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell a character is introduced in the section 'Crispin Hershey’s Lonely Planet'.
The character named 'Soleil Moore' pops up three times:
The Hay-on-Wye book fair where ...
- 1,883
4
votes
0
answers
264
views
Are all or some of the characters named Sganarelle the same person?
A recurring name in the cast of Molière's plays is named Sganarelle. If they were all the same person, the story of his life would look something like this:
The Flying Doctor: Sganarelle is a servant ...
- 320
6
votes
0
answers
102
views
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 ...
11
votes
3
answers
3k
views
How did Theseus woo Hippolyta by doing her injuries?
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Theseus tells Hippolyta:
THESEUS:
Hippolyta, I woo'd thee with my sword
And won thy love doing thee injuries,
But I will wed thee in another key,
With pomp, with triumph,...
- 541
13
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Is John Milton's Lucifer a tragic hero?
Loosely related: Was Paradise Lost the first major work of literature to give "sympathy for the devil"?
In Paradise Lost, Lucifer/Satan appears to have at least some heroic characteristics, ...
5
votes
0
answers
2k
views
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 ...
- 151
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 ...
4
votes
2
answers
219
views
Why did Maximou behave in this way towards Digenis Akrites?
In Digenes Akrites, why did Maximou challenge Digenis to a second duel immediately after being defeated once? Also, did Maximou offer herself to Digenis after their duel or did he force himself on her?...
user3179
9
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Was Captain Hook an Etonian in the original text?
The character Captain Hook, main protagonist of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, definitely attended a British public school:
Hook was not his true name. To reveal who he really was would even at this date ...
- 77.1k
3
votes
1
answer
818
views
Is Danny the Champion of the World one of the Romani people?
We were discussing Danny the Champion of the World and how he:
lives in a Caravan
is part of a pheasant poaching community
My friend said:
Well he's obviously a [Romani] isn't he?
Is there ...
- 191
4
votes
2
answers
3k
views
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time: How much does Mrs Alexander know?
In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time one of the characters, Mrs Alexander, reveals to Christopher that his mother and Mr Shears were having an affair. Later, however, she seems ...
- 951
2
votes
0
answers
157
views
1984 - What does O'Brien mean by this sentence? [duplicate]
While Winston is being held prisoner, O'Brien walks in the room for the first time and the conversation goes something like this:
Winston: They got you too!
O'Brien: Yes, they got me a long time ago.
...
- 221
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 ...
- 51
9
votes
2
answers
1k
views
How much of Ariadne Oliver's character is self-insertion by Agatha Christie?
The recurring character Ariadne Oliver (present in a number of Agatha Christie's novels) seems to be at least partially self-insertion by Christie. At the very least, both write mystery fiction ...
- 191
2
votes
0
answers
32
views
Did Philip manipulate Jack?
In The Pillars of the Earth following a destructive fight between Jack and Alfred, Philip concedes that the Builder's Lodge should set the punishment but made it clear that he would not tolerate both ...
- 121
1
vote
0
answers
37
views
Why are Maggie and Sharon so bitter and angry?
In The Host, Melanie's aunt Maggie and her daughter Sharon, who Melanie was trying to find when she got caught by the souls and tried to jump down an elevator shaft, are shown to be quite bitter and ...
- 27.2k
20
votes
3
answers
32k
views
Was Holden Caulfield molested as a child?
In chapter 24, Holden goes to Mr. Antolini's place to stay for the night. He crashes on the couch, and suddenly is woken up by Mr. Antolini stroking his (Holden's) hair while he sleeps. There are, ...
JNat♦
- 759
4
votes
1
answer
159
views
Is Equality 7-2521 a model for John Galt?
Is Equality 7-2521/Prometheus (from Anthem) a model for John Galt?
A few major similarities:
Significantly, Equality calls himself Prometheus once he realizes that he has a right to exist as an ...
3
votes
1
answer
465
views
Did "The Fox" hold to Stoic philosophy?
Till We Have Faces says the following about "The Fox" (the Greek slave who was a tutor):
He had all sorts of sayings to cheer himself up with: "No man can be an exile if he remembers that all the ...
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 ...
- 77.1k
1
vote
1
answer
375
views
Why didn't Eddie Willers ever connect some of the disappearances to his conversations with the Mystery Worker?
Eddie Willers periodically ate dinner in the Taggart cafeteria with the Mystery Worker (who is, of course, later identified as John Galt). They discuss a lot of different things, including the state ...
2
votes
1
answer
409
views
What kind of engineer was Owen Kellogg?
Towards the beginning of Atlas Shrugged, Owen Kellogg was described as follows:
[Dagney Taggart] knew that the superintendent of the Ohio Division was no good and that he was a friend of James ...
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 ...
10
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Why is there so little character to the character of Shadow in American Gods?
I recently finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Among the criticisms I felt fair to level at it was that Shadow, the central protagonist, is very much a blank slate. We rarely get any insight to his ...
- 23.6k
13
votes
1
answer
4k
views
What is meant to be gleaned from Patrick Bateman's love of specific musicians in American Psycho?
I've just finished reading American Psycho, and I'm confused why the book took the time to devote entire chapters to Bateman's love of different 80's artists. Specifically, Bateman spends upwards of ...
- 429
6
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Does it fit in with Hermione's character for her to be tipsy?
One of the things that always bothered me about the Half Blood Prince movie is that there's a scene where Hermione is tipsy. I can't find a good clip of the scene online, but there's a lot of ...
user111
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....
8
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How do Hamlet's thoughts and doubts about the afterlife affect him?
In Hamlet, there are many references to the afterlife, god, and what the consequences of his actions are.
My question is this: Did Hamlet's pre-conceptions about the afterlife ultimately affect his ...
user1549
3
votes
1
answer
339
views
Why and how is Mr. Thompson based on Harry S. Truman?
Wikipedia's list of characters in Atlas Shrugged describes Mr. Thompson as follows:
Mr. Thompson is the "Head of the State" for the United States. He is not particularly intelligent and has a very ...
4
votes
1
answer
146
views
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 ...