The Literary Benefits of Having an Orphan for A Protagonist in Tom Sawyer and Jane Eyre

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Orphans are a go-to favorite for some authors. Think Harry Potter or Cinderella. Or perhaps Charles Dicken's Oliver Twist, the boy who never could get enough of that slop his caretakers called porridge. Then, there is Dicken's Great Expectations in which an orphan named Pip who falls in love with the young girl of whom he is enlisted to be the playmate. Of course, there is also Dicken's David Copperfield. Man, did that Dickens have a thing for orphaned characters or what?

Orphan protagonists, especially in 19th century literature, were extremely popular with authors because such characters provide certain literary functions and possibilities. For authors, parentless kids, while at times tragically tear-jerking, have room to pursue certain things because they have little to no familial obligations. In a sense, they are free to run amok, providing ample opportunity to authors for adventures. It's every kid's dream really: playing with no parent supervision. Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn are good examples of this breed of orphan. The mischievous Tom Sawyer plays pirates and Indians, crashes his own funeral and clears an innocent man's name of murder. He's a savvy trickster of sorts, duping some neighborhood kids into paying him to finish his fence-painting chore. He also stumbles across a treasure chest of gold, a young boy's childhood fantasy come alive. He's the less obnoxious Bart Simpson of his day. But his buddy Huck is no Millhouse. Huck also lives like a freewheelin,' happy-go-lucky orphan, though technically his drunk of a dad is still around but too incapacitated to be particularly fatherly. Even though Tom lives with his Aunt Polly, he moves with ease between the realm of family and the adventures of independence unlike a child with actual parents. Making both of these characters relative orphans gives Twain not only make their adventurs and their mischievous self-sufficiency possible, but it also gives them probability. Their exploits are much more believable without parents supervising or delegating chores. Though, if Tom did have a parent who gave him mundane tasks, we are pretty sure he'd find a way to get out of it.

But the orphan life is not all treasure and trickery. Authors can use their orphaned protagonists as metaphors for the human search for self-awareness and self-knowledge, as orphans are cut from their roots and have to redefine themselves in a world without the protective influence of parents. Enter Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre the classic story of a young orphaned girl who, despite the abuse of her family, pulls herself up through education to become a governess and teacher through hard work and perseverance. Of course, she finds out her reformed rake of a fianc? is already married to a madwoman in an attic who has a tendency for arson, but Jane Eyre nonetheless has the elements of the conventional rags-to-riches bildungsroman, a novel in which the character undergoes personal growth and development from childhood to adulthood. She suffers more hardship and responsibility than Tom or Huck do- perhaps because she is a woman-but her orphan status gives her a strong sense of independence and personal agency unlikely for most women during the mid-1800s, when the book was written. The orphan status of protagonists plays a large part in developing the character, opening them up to actions and adventures that are not only more plausible, but are also more ripe for the authors' thematic picking.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Tom Sawyer, Jane Eyre, and Great Expectaions. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Losing Their Heads: Inner Beasts in Lord of the Flies and Macbeth Summary

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William Golding's classic Lord of the Flies is probably not the best book to read if you want to feel good about humanity or feel comfortable about babysitting a family of little boys all by yourself on a Friday night. It is also not a good beach read for pig lovers. Instead, it is a blunt allegorical look at what can happen when civilization's law and order vanishes, and humanity is left to its own beastly instincts.

Lord of the Flies tells the story of a group of British boys marooned on a remote island-without adult supervision, mind you- in the Pacific Ocean after their plane crashes. The boys, ranging from age six to twelve, have to fend for themselves. They try to establish order and strategies to increase their chances at survival and perhaps rescue, but as boys will be boys, they become pig-headed (pun definitely intended) over what's more important: maintaining a constant signal fire to alert passing ships or violently hunting down poor little mama pigs. Naturally, two headstrong boys who head each respective cause-Ralph and Jack-disagree, and the battle for island power begins.

The most memorable takeaway from the book is the lasting image of the rotting pig head aptly named "Lord of the Flies" (you can probably guess why). Being that the novel really sets itself up as an allegory, the pig head is typically read as a potent symbol of the evil savagery that lies within all human beings. After all, a pack of wild twelve-year-olds did violently kill, decapitate and skewer the pig's head like a shish kabob to make a offering to the imaginary beast they are all frightened of. Childish innocence? Nope. No such thing, unless you count Simon, and Piggy but no one ever counts Piggy. In fact, poor little Simon-who is arguably a symbol of human goodness as he suggests that the beast is "only us"-hallucinates that the rotting pig head is talking to him, saying: "Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill...You knew, didn't you? I'm part of you?" This instinctual savagery, so says the pig head, is an unavoidable part of the human psyche and experience-much like death. One could easily recall Hamlet quotes and that iconic scene when Hamlet is pondering and turning over a human skull in his hands, pontificating on how death can easily reduce life and reason to a discarded bunch of bones, much like the Beast can reduce a group of proper British boys to complete savages.

In fact, Shakespeare was a big fan of investigating the internal struggles and evils that exist in us mere humans-as well as how our heads screw with our perception of reality. Enter Macbeth. This Scottish king-killer is not unlike those island boys, losing his head-literally and figuratively-due to his thirst for power that prompted him to commit ruthless murders. In the Macbeth summary the Scottish nobleman comes across a trio of witches who prophesize after kicking major battlefield butt while fighting for King Duncan, even disemboweling a dude. It is likely no coincidence that we hear about Macbeth gutting some guy before we actually meet me-gives us a taste of what we're in for. Anyways, the witch encounter gets Macbeth's ambition bubbling. He ends up killing King Duncan while he sleeps (prompted by his famously emasculating wife Lady Macbeth), becomes king and then starts to slew anyone and everyone he considers a threat, including another Scottish nobleman Macduff's entire family. What a jerk.

The play ends with Macbeth's severed head served to King Duncan's surviving sons by Macduff, having properly avenged his family and order restored. Again with the heads. While a decapitated pig head symbolizes our inner beast, Macbeth's bloody noggin suggests the consequences of giving in too easily to that inner beast, which causes us humans to lose our heads. If both a bunch of pre-teen boys and a noble Scottish man could wreak such havoc because of their inner, evil ambitions, surely the whole of humanity can. Gulp.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Lord of the Flies, Macbeth summary, and Hamlet quotes. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Manly Men, Or Not: Comparing Masculine Strength and Weakness in Beowulf and Of Mice and Men

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Societal gender norms tell us men that are supposed to be strong, virile and masculine. They are not supposed to be weak, indecisive or-god forbid-sensitive.

At least that's what stereotypes and gender binaries tell us. But such norms are human conventions, and humans are of course imperfect beings. One should always consider the source where they get their gender roles from.

Yet, this mythologized concept of masculinity is commonplace in nearly all of the world's civilizations for millennia. Even today, in our post-feminist world, the uber-masculine with its unfettered sexual prowess and penchant for violent action films (again, stereotype) still saturates our daily lives. Take a look at an alcohol ad sometime and you'll see what we mean: barely clothed women, sport themes and manly men. Yep. It's pretty brash.

If one were to search the literary epitome of Dos Equis "Most Interesting Man in the World," one would easily come to Beowulf. Beowulf, the old English epic poem about a heroic warrior who slays dragons, menacing monsters and even their overbearing mothers, is laden with ancient testosterone. It's certainly no surprise Hollywood producers thought to make Beowulf into a feature film and cast a sexy Angelina Jolie-even though she's supposed to be an ugly monster. Beowulf's masculine vibe is, of course, sourced from his strength, skill and success. In fact, strength is a major theme of the poem. It would have to be, if the warrior of the story needed to live at the end. Beowulf the man goes to extreme lengths to prove his ability and strength-he swims to the bottom of lakes, saves entire towns and even violently slaughters Grendel in hand-to-hand combat when he could have just used his sword. He's a bit a of a showoff, but you gotta flaunt what your mama gave you.

While Beowulf stands as the man's man of English literature, gender and strength become more complicated as time goes on in literary canons. For example, take John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. In the novel, the men are constantly undermined or made to appear weak, creating a tension-ridden story and plot in the equally disempowering Great Depression. Lenny, though extremely strong of body, is also extremely weak of mind. His buddy, George, is financially powerless in achieving his dream of owning his own ranch and Curley? Well, Curley's got an Napoleon complex that causes him to overcompensate for his short stature with endless bullying and pugnacious behavior all in effort to assert his manhood, even though the former boxer's hand is later symbolically crushed like a soda can.

These weaknesses, of course, feed into the novel's overall psychological and social commentary of the time when the country's economic woes left a once powerful and daresay masculine nation weak and unstable. What's more, the male weaknesses also reveal the security and pride men are believed to derive from the masculine abilities. They pay for sex or obstain from female relations at all, like George, suggesting a lack of virility that comes with manliness. They are essential powerless, the antithetical situation to masculinity. They are all striving to be Beowulfs, but end up being Lennys and Georges. Whether it's a gang like in The Outsiders or a pack of impoverished men in the great depression, they all want to feel like Beowulf. At least that's what social gender norms tell us.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Of Mice and Men, Beowulf and The Outsiders. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Who Really Wrote Wuthering Heights?

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Emily Bronte, right? More than likely, but how much of the book did she write? Assuming she wrote in a linear structure then, once she'd killed off Cathy Linton (nee Earnshaw), she was left with a male protagonist; Heathcliff. And writing from a man's point of view, even when the man in question is your own creation, is difficult to convey with any degree of integrity. Particularly when you, as the writer, are posing as Mr. Ellis Bell. Content needs that ring of truth, that sense of genuineness. Writing from experience, from the heart, opens the potential for that unique connection from writer to reader that we long to achieve.

I believe that Patrick Branwell Bronte, the much maligned brother of the wickedly talented Emily, Charlotte and Anne, wrote most of the second half of the novel, taking over the storyline from Emily after Cathy Linton died (page 203, Wordsworth Classics, 1992 edition). If we accept that much of the input after this point was Branwell's, is it not fair then to claim co-authorship on his behalf? That is the basis of my argument.

Branwell may not have been published, as his sisters were, but he was a writer; he contributed to the stories of Gondol and Angria along with his sisters and, as with Emily, he wrote poetry. How much input did he have with Wuthering Heights? They were both at Haworth at the time the novel was written (between 1845 and 1846) so his contributing was always a likelihood. The question is, how much did he contribute?

Emily knew a man who was just like Heathcliff and she'd certainly, physically at least. based him on her brother. Patrick Branwell Bronte, from his rare portraits, could be described as Emily described Heathcliff; wild, dark hair, a low brow, penetrating eyes. He too had an affair with a married woman, he was dissolute and wild, he drank too much, gambled and even had tried to go abroad after his affair came to nothing. Emily's brother, Patrick Branwell Bronte, was Heathcliff.

It is interesting to ponder how much influence he exerted over his sister as she sat in her kitchen at Haworth, creating Wuthering Heights. Certainly the coincidental evidence mounts up; Heathcliff had an affair (or at least a relationship so uncomfortably close that Cathy's husband Edgar banned Heathcliff from Thrushcross Grange); Branwell had an affair with his employer's wife, Mrs. Robinson of Throp Green and was expelled from the property. Heathcliff went abroad for three years; Branwell placed an advert in the Halifax Guardian for a position which would take him abroad. Heathcliff drank heavily and gambled, winning the deeds to Wuthering Heights as a result; Branwell drank and gambled; although was to become heavily in debt. Heathcliff could roam the moors all day long; no doubt Branwell enjoyed the freedom of the moors on his doorstep his sisters could only taste within the limits of the chaperoned curtailment common for women of the day.

If Emily were to choose a collaborator for Wuthering Heights, who better than the primary character himself? She would need someone who could take the Heathcliff character and run with him, particularly after Cathy had died. This was Emily's first novel, she was not an experienced writer as Charlotte was. However her sister's style was completely different - tamer, more spiritual. Charlotte might have preferred a romantic ending and that wasn't what the book was about. Cathy, wild, tempestuous and utterly selfish was no meek Jane Eyre. And as for Heathcliff, the remaining, now central, character; he was certainly no fluctuating Professor and was a far darker personality than Rochester, who's motives could at least be traced back to logic and reason, albeit skewed logic and vague reasoning. Heathcliff was not based on the character of a gentleman, but was as untamed as the moor, as feral as a wolf and as dangerous as a panther. Emily had created a character unique in literature, a man ungovernable except by Cathy,

Also, consider this; Emily has created a group of characters, foremost are Cathy and Heathcliff, with the majority of the tale being provided through the narrative of the housekeeper, Nelly. This devise provides the writer with the female perspective necessary to convey real, truthful women, under the drama, with whom other women, the readers, can relate. However, when it comes to getting under the skin of Heathcliff, his degenerative state of health, both physical and mental, his heavy drinking, the affair with a married woman (although Emily wasn't specific on this aspect of Cathy and Heathcliff's relationship) who could be more adept than her own brother, Branwell? Bearing in mind also the assumed masculine persona of the writer, Ellis Bell, this would be a necessary consideration for reasons of more than just the integrity of the book. If it was supposed to have been written by a man, as it was when it was published in 1847, then the male perspective becomes necessary or the voice of the writer becomes confusing, muddled.

To bring another argument in, although this is just as an aside, we do know that the Brontes, as a family, knew the value of a shilling. Charlotte's friend Mrs. Elizabeth Gaskell reported how, following Charlotte's death in 1854, Charlotte's father cut up his daughters letters into strips to sell to interested members of the public. The idea of retaining the concept of three brilliant sisters who wrote novels is perhaps more of a money-spinner than two brilliant authors and Emily, who co-wrote with her brother. It just doesn't have the same 'kerching'. Perhaps this is too cynical; but it's worth considering. Art for art's sake, money.... Charlotte and Ann had revealed the true identities of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell to their publisher, going down to London for the purpose, in 1848.

Branwell Bronte was only 31 when he died of chronic bronchitis / consumption on 28th September 1848 at his home in Haworth. Just a few short months later, on 19th December of the same year when she was just 30 years old, Emily too died at Haworth. Heathcliff, and Wuthering Heights, live on.

Great Expectations and the Bildungsroman Genre

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Charles Dickens's Great Expectations (1861) charts the growth of its protagonist Pip from childhood to adulthood. The narrative mode Dickens has adopted aligns his novel with the Bildungsroman genre of literature. The term Bildungsroman is a German word meaning 'novel of formation' or 'education novel'. The following analysis explores some of the episodes within Great Expectations which illustrate the conventions of the Bildungsroman form. The excerpts are from the Oxford World's Classics 1998 edition of the text.

A Bildungsroman novel frequently puts an emphasis on the moral and psychological development of its protagonist. Morality is an important theme in Great Expectations, particularly in relation to Pip's attitude towards other characters. The story's opening immediately establishes the protagonist's orphaned status with the young Pip contemplating the graves of his dead parents. The figure of the 'orphan' illustrates Dickens's innovative engagement with the Bildungsroman genre, as Pip could be viewed as a blank slate, or 'tabula rasa', in that his mind isn't informed by any external psychological influence from his parents. Instead he is being raised by his shrewish older sister and her husband, the kindly and unassuming blacksmith Joe Gargery.

Initially Pip is content with his humble surroundings, although his class consciousness receives a rude awakening on his first visit to Satis House. Here he encounters Miss Havisham and her ward Estella, the latter of whom takes delight in continually reminding the protagonist of his lowly status. When Estella remarks on Pip's 'coarse hands' and 'thick boots', and his habit of calling knaves 'Jacks' when they are playing cards together, she is expressing her contempt of his background. Even though Pip is hurt by her taunts, he still becomes infatuated with Estella, and it is this attraction which triggers his own animosity towards his origins.

Sometime after Pip has come of age and has been working in the forge with Joe, the lawyer Jaggers informs him of an anonymous benefactor who wishes to make the protagonist a gentleman. Incorrectly Pip assumes this benefactor to be Miss Havisham, and starts to entertain the belief that the old spinster intends him for Estella. This episode heralds a great advance in the protagonist's own snobbery and delusion, as he sets off for London, putting his origins in the Kent marshlands behind him.

While Pip is enjoying the leisurely life of a gentleman in the capital, he receives a letter from his old acquaintance Biddy, stating that Joe has come up to London and would like to visit him. Pip's disdain for the blacksmith is revealed in his reservations concerning such a prospect: "If I could have kept him away by paying money, I certainly would have paid money" (pp.215-216). When the protagonist returns to his hometown for his sister's funeral, his snobbery is further evinced on his insistence at staying in the Blue Boar inn in town, as opposed to the forge with Joe.

A pivotal episode in the novel is when Abel Magwitch, the escaped convict of whom Pip had assisted when a boy, pays a sudden visit. The protagonist is utterly horrified and his shallow world comes crashing down around him when Magwitch reveals that he is his benefactor. Pip learns that the former convict has since successfully established himself in a profitable business after being transported to Australia and never forgot Pip's kindness to him on the Kent marshes. Pip meanwhile admits that his "blood ran cold within me" (p.316), when the convict discloses that it was he who made the protagonist a gentleman.

After this shocking revelation Pip's snobbery slowly subsides and he sets about redeeming himself, first by attempting to assist the imperiled Magwitch in escaping the country, second by making his peace with Joe. His actions are evidence of the Bildungsroman narrative's preoccupation with moral and psychological development. Pip's final exchange of wealth and status for friendship and humility indicate how he has matured as a protagonist.

Visit The Literary Index for more literary criticism of books by Charles Dickens, as well as links to academic essays I have found on the net discussing the works of hundreds of other authors.
For further analysis of Great Expectations and genre.
Ben Wright is an independent scholar and researcher. He is webmaster of The Literary Index.

Forget Romeo And Juliet: Hamlet's Teen-Like Angst a Better Way to Reach Teenager Readers

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For high school students, the works of William Shakespeare are not the easiest literature to grasp, much less to get them to care about. The first hurdle, of course, is the language. With all the "LOLs," "ridics," and "OMGs" used in a teen's daily vernacular, Shakespearean verse such as "to be, or not to be: that is the question" can sound a lot like Charlie Brown's teachers to the ears of adolescents. Wha wha whoamp whoamp.

The next difficulty is seeing how the complex writings of a 400-year-old dead guy with a dog collar are relevant to today's teenager. So how can teenagers best get down with Shakespeare? One word: Hamlet.

Literary scholars love to expound upon Hamlet's psychological struggles with mortality and madness, his inability to act or make decisions, or a perennial favorite topic of discussion: whether Hamlet has the hots for his mom. But fancy-pants critics always seem to forget that Hamlet acts a like a typical sullen teenager who has major beef with his parents, his girlfriend, and this whole thing called life. He may or may not be an actual teenager, but the Danish prince certainly wears a teenaged "trappings and the suits of woe" like a boss.

Teens can find many ways to relate to Hamlet and his existential suffering. He could be the gateway character to the score of Shakespeare's other eternally conflicted and philosophically complex players. Hopefully, teen readers do not find common ground through the whole uncle-killing-the-dad-and-then-marrying-the-mom-thing, but perhaps they can feel comforted by the utter confusion, grief, and angst that incessantly troubles and stalls Hamlet. He's the Elizabethan Era's Holden Caufield. While it is such an anachronistic stretch of a comparison, the similarities between the The Catcher in The Rye protoganoist and Hamlet are there. Surely, J.D. Salinger might have had Hamlet's nasty "Get thee to a Nunnery" speech to his gal-pal Ophelia in mind when Holden flips out over Sally Hayes (rightfully) refusing to run away with him, calling her a "royal pain in the ass."

Moreover, both protagonists are mired in a sort of limbo in their lives, unsure of who they are and what they should be doing. Should Hamlet try to find out check up on some ghost's claim that his uncle/stepfather poisoned his dad? Is that ghost even real or is he just going mad? What's more, should Holden try to be human and reach out to the "phony bastards" or continue feeling lonely and abandoned, just like the ducks in the pond must feel every winter? Decisions, decisions, and neither are quick to take action.

Such similarities point to how valuable Shakespeare's Hamlet can be to a puberty-stricken teenager grappling with the uncertainty and confusion of growing up. Forget Romeo as the quintessential Shakespearean teen role model. Of course, Romeo and Juliet is a bit more accessible, especially with a 1996 modern film remake with a young Leonardo Dicaprio cast as the dreamy Romeo. Yet, most teens do not have passionately poetic outpourings with their star-crossed lovers and get married within days of meeting each other. Hamlet, on the other hand, tackles the real problems teens face every day: parents, girlfriends, confusion, depression, loss, loneliness, and even mortality. And some also go through the wearing-all-black stage.

Paul Thomson is an avid reader of English Literature. His areas of expertise include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Catcher in the Rye. In his spare time, he loves to participate in online literature forums and promote reading for youth.

Reading Guide for War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

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War and Peace is a massive book and can appear daunting to a reader who hasn't experienced Tolstoy's fiction before, but at the same time a page-turner, moving between a number of different characters at peace and war during the period of 1805 to 1813 at the height of the Napoleonic Wars. Tolstoy studied the history of the time in great detail, and also used his own experiences of the Crimean War to portray the realism of life on campaign and in battle. But yet this is also a story of love and romance, and the very nature of what it is to be human and to have a purpose in life - themes that Tolstoy explored throughout his fiction.

Reading War and Peace is well worth the time and effort. If you do get the opportunity to read it then here are some reading guide questions that you could use to make the experience more interesting. Alternatively, an ambitious book group can use these questions to spark discussion.

Reading Guide Questions for War and Peace

1. War and Peace has been called one of the greatest novels of all time. Do you agree with this assessment, and why do you think War and Peace has been awarded such plaudits?

2. How does War and Peace illustrate Tolstoy's attitudes to war?

3. Do you think the author's voice and opinions intrude too much into War and Peace?

4. Tolstoy said of War and Peace that it was "not a novel, even less is it a poem, and still less an historical chronicle." What do you think he meant by this and do you agree?

5. Did you feel that learnt more about the historical events described in War and Peace? Did the historical setting of the book make much difference to your appreciation of it?

6. War and Peace is a long book. Do you think it is the right length? Were you put off by the length, and how did you feel when you finished the book?

7. Which of the male characters did you have most sympathy with - Pierre or Andrew?

8. How does Tolstoy make the situations he describes, whether a battle or a ball, come to life for the reader?

9. There are a number of contrasting female characters in War and Peace: Helene, Natasha and Mary. What is your opinion of each of these, and what do you think Tolstoy's views were?

Mark Lord has been an enthusiastic admirer of Leo Tolstoy's writing for many years. You can read more about War and Peace at his website: http://marklord.info/great-writers-classic-literature/leo-tolstoy/war-and-peace-by-leo-tolstoy/ where you will find more information about Tolstoy's masterpiece.

For a cheap eBook version of War and Peace why not try this annotated edition: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064TJ52A for an edition available in the US, and http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0064TJ52A for an edition available in the UK.