All Questions
Tagged with nausicaa-of-the-valley-of-the-wind nausicaa-of-the-valley-of-the-wind or character-analysis
283 questions
35
votes
1
answer
22k
views
Is there any textual evidence to support that Dumbledore was gay?
JK Rowling announced in 2007 to an audience at Carnegie Hall that Albus Dumbledore was in fact, gay and always had been...
Q: Did Dumbledore, who believed in the prevailing power of love, ever fall ...
31
votes
1
answer
14k
views
Why is Snape so fond of Malfoy?
In the end of Harry Potter, we learn that
This however, does not account for why Snape shows favoritism to Draco before the Dark Lord resurrects (after which it is relatively obvious why). I am ...
30
votes
4
answers
21k
views
In Brave New World, what caste is Lenina Crowne?
In Brave New World, there is an extensive caste system. However, Lenina's caste is never explicitly pointed out. She is important to many of the male characters in the book, each belonging to a ...
30
votes
1
answer
10k
views
Why does Mr. Poe cough so much?
In the recent adaptation of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, the character Arthur Poe is portrayed with a consistent cough. This is never touched on in the Netflix series, but is it ...
28
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Is Sherlock Holmes religious?
In this question, it is established that Sherlock Holmes, from the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was asexual and in explaining that it is stated that he showed very little emotion in general. This ...
26
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Did Sherlock Holmes have a character development arc across Arthur Conan Doyle's books?
Often, in a large novel, a character would have a character development arc, which is considered an integral part of writing.
But Sherlock Holmes canon consists mostly of smaller stories.
Was there ...
22
votes
6
answers
15k
views
What's the deal with Bilbo being some kind of "burglar"?
I may only be 37 pages into The Hobbit, re-reading it after 20+ years, but several things already confuse me. First of all, and this is what I'm mainly asking about, Bilbo is casually mentioned as ...
21
votes
4
answers
8k
views
Why is Gatsby great?
Jay Gatsby in Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby is no doubt smart, talented, and brave. But he only pursues his own egoistic desires, is quite delusional in his love affairs, does not hesitate to ...
21
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is there a name for a comic relief character that temporarily becomes highly capable?
This is a trope that I've seen sometimes in comic books. I haven't seen it in prose fiction yet.
Sometimes, we see a character who provides comic relief become highly capable for a single issue or ...
21
votes
0
answers
493
views
Is the treatment of Jar Jar Binks in Aftermath: Empire's End a reflection of audience treatment?
In one of the Interlude scenes in the book Star Wars Aftermath: Empire's End, a child interacts with Jar Jar Binks, and gives more details about how the adults don't like him due to their beliefs that ...
21
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Are Frog and Toad more than just friends?
In a 1977 interview with The Lion and the Unicorn, Arnold Lobel said:
You know, if an adult has an unhappy love affair, he writes about it. He exorcises it out of himself, perhaps, by writing a novel ...
20
votes
2
answers
2k
views
To what extent did Agatha Christie base Captain Hastings on Dr. Watson?
I've noticed that there are quite a few parallels between Agatha Christie's Captain Arthur Hastings and Arthur Conan Doyle's Dr. John Watson:
Both served in the British military (Hasting in World War ...
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, ...
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, ...
19
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Did Lady Macbeth communicate signs of her instability prior to the blood scene?
I'm looking back on Macbeth, and I'm wondering something that's piqued my interest again. There's a very well-known scene in Macbeth: the blood-spot scene, the hand-washing scene, and other such names....
18
votes
2
answers
13k
views
Jordan's line about intimate parties in The Great Gatsby?
“And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.”
When I read this quote from Jordan Baker I was (and am) puzzled as to the meaning. It seems like ...
17
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Who is Mrs LeFay in "The Magician's Nephew"?
In The Magician’s Nephew, Andrew refers to his godmother, Mrs LeFay, who gave him the powder he used to make the rings. Other than this and a reference to her possessing "fairy blood", ...
17
votes
1
answer
920
views
What is the significance of Sauron never having a physical presence in the Lord of the Rings?
So I noticed that in Lord of the Rings Sauron acts as a very interesting villain. He never makes a corporeal appearance, nor does he have any acting dialogue. He's mentioned plenty of times through ...
17
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Why don't people in the Chronicles of Narnia have trouble "transitioning" back to their old life after extended times in other worlds?
In The Chronicles of Narnia, people often spend weeks, months, or even decades in other worlds. They return to their old life at the exact instant that they left as if they were never gone. For ...
16
votes
2
answers
5k
views
Why are Drizzt's eyes purple?
In R. A. Salvatore's books The Legend of Drizzt series, the main character Drizzt Do'Urden is a Drow, a species in Forgotten Realms that live underground and far cousins to elves. Drow have ...
15
votes
3
answers
8k
views
What suggests Edmund might be gay?
While I was doing some research, looking for an answer for Are Frog and Toad more than just friends?, I found this article listing 15 fictional characters the author thinks are probably gay. Some of ...
15
votes
2
answers
11k
views
Is Simon epileptic?
From the moment Simon is introduced in Lord of the Flies, we learn that he faints a lot. He has his own place which he retreats to when he feels he is about to faint or maybe have a fit, and when he ...
15
votes
1
answer
295
views
Did James Bond ever experience doubts about having to end people's lives in Fleming's novels?
Did James Bond ever experience doubts about having to end people's lives in Fleming's novels?
I'm talking about doubts in general, existential, level, regarding the fact that he had to end lots of ...
14
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Understanding a reference to Tom Sawyer in the context of avoiding work
I am Brazilian, I frequent the Mathematica Stack Exchange, and I've never heard of Tom Sawyer.
So it was confusing when I read a meta post that described people as "Tom Sawyers".
"There are a few ...
14
votes
3
answers
17k
views
Who does Mollie represent in Animal Farm?
It's well known that various characters represent real Soviet figures. Who does Mollie, the horse sympathetic to the humans, represent? Is she just a generic non-Soviet sympathizer or does she ...
14
votes
2
answers
2k
views
How old was Tatiana during the main events of "Eugene Onegin"?
Eugene Onegin is a novel in verse, by the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. The main characters are Eugene Onegin, a young and bored man, and Tatiana, an even younger girl who falls in love with ...
14
votes
1
answer
5k
views
Why do Jem and Scout call their father Atticus?
My question is not why they call their father Atticus as much as why he lets them do this, and what this says about their characters.
Where I come from--and, I think, in 1930s Alabama--it is not ...
14
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Why did Morris and Clay preemptively dissolve the Red-Headed League?
Spoilers ahead for The Red-Headed League.
In this Sherlock Holmes story, Holmes and Watson are recruited by a flustered pawnbroker, Jabez Wilson, who has been tricked into joining a fake society, the ...
14
votes
1
answer
262
views
Does Thomas the Tank Engine have free will?
In the story Thomas Comes to Breakfast, from Branch Line Engines by the Rev. W Awdry, Thomas's driver tells him:
"You know just where to stop, Thomas! You could almost manage without me!"
...
13
votes
2
answers
14k
views
How old is Romeo?
While answering a different question, I wanted to find out Romeo's age in the Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet. It's well known that Juliet is 13, and generally assumed that Romeo is older (hence the ...
13
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why did the characters in "No Exit" agree to torment each other?
Once the characters in No Exit realized that they were placed there to torment each other, why didn't they refuse to do so? When Joseph says "eh bien, continuons" ("very well, let's get on with it") ...
13
votes
4
answers
1k
views
Why wasn't O'Brien considered a thought criminal?
Given that O'Brien shows a high level of awareness of the Party's deceptiveness and malice (e.g. the fact that he admitted to being involved in creating and promoting the Goldstein myth), to what ...
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 ...
13
votes
1
answer
11k
views
What does Narcissa Malfoy's name say about her character?
Many of the names in the Harry Potter series are chosen so as to reflect some trait of their character. For example: Sirius Black the black dog, Remus Lupin the wolf, Severus the severe teacher, Luna ...
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, ...
12
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What is King Darzin?
One of the El-ahrairah stories told in Watership Down features someone called King Darzin, but it's not clear what sort of animal (or even human?) he's supposed to be.
Now, King Darzin ruled over the ...
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....
12
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Does Nausicaä not develop as a character at all?
There will be spoilers regarding characters from the end of the manga here.
In Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no Tani no Naushika) manga, the characters are usually ...
12
votes
1
answer
864
views
Does Puzzle the Donkey have an allegorical relationship with any entity in the Book of Revelation or the Bible at large?
C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia are a great children's series which present an allegory the New Testament and Biblical history. That said, Lewis sometimes put in things that don't necessarily reflect ...
12
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What is the significance of Grendel being descended from Cain?
In the tale of Beowulf, the monster Grendel is said to be descended from the biblical character of Cain. This was surprising to me, as I'd thought Beowulf was a pre-Christian story given its setting ...
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,...
11
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Why does Steinbeck never name Curley's wife?
Curley's wife plays an important role in the novel and yet is never given a name. Perhaps Steinbeck was trying to not encourage the audience to develop a personal connection to her? I'd like to see ...
11
votes
1
answer
712
views
What parallels can be drawn between Hunger Games characters and their classical namesakes?
In the Shakespeare play Julius Caesar, the minor character of "Cinna the poet" is brutally killed by an angry mob who mistake him for Cinna the conspirator. When he protests, "I am Cinna the poet", ...
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 ...
10
votes
1
answer
370
views
When did Ja'far ibn Yahya start being portrayed as an evil vizier?
Ja'far ibn Yahya or Ja'far al-Barmaki was an 8th century vizier of the caliph Harun al-Rashid. From a distinguished central Asian family, he was known for his knowledge of science, as well as his ...
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 ...
10
votes
2
answers
268
views
What is the source of Mr. Norrell's wealth?
In Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, the magician Norrell has cornered the market on magical books, which must have been a considerable expense. He also seems to have a considerable estate. How did he ...
10
votes
1
answer
11k
views
Is the character of Randolph Henry Ash based on any particular Victorian poet?
The novel Possession contains some spot-on mimicry of several different writing styles, including lengthy poems by two fictional Victorian poets. The character of RH Ash in particular feels as if ...
10
votes
1
answer
2k
views
The real-life inspiration for the characters of Atlas Shrugged?
Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged is a good story paired with a (sometimes belabored) expression of the author's philosophy. I was wondering if there are any real-life connections to the characters of her ...
10
votes
0
answers
2k
views
How is the concept of cultural encounter treated in the short story “One Out of Many”?
In the story "One Out of Many" by V.S. Naipaul, how is the concept of cultural encounter treated? I have a few questions about that:
Is the author aware of the cultural encounter theme?
How does he ...