eH30-JP-HN-01

�Horses of the Night�
~ Margaret Laurence

� Vanessa tells a limited amount, not much about herself
� Not limited, because we find out more about herself
� We measure the story through the eyes of a little girl and her impressions
� We can believe her observations, view them and interpret them

� She sees a fantasy about Chris

First person point of view:
� Vanessa is a dynamic character (indulges change)
� Chris is a static character, always retreats under pressure

Character foil:
� Contrasting characters designed to focus on the protagonist

***

(A) External Conflict
� Man
� Society
� Nature (environment)
� Supernatural

(Chris suffers it) => couldn�t sell: vacuums, magazines, socks

Man vs. Man
� Vanessa�s mother loved her, but pitied Chris
� Mother � sublime, not that important
� They had the money to send him to University but �they�ve done enough�
� Grandfather holds a grudge against Chris, not even knowing him
� *Sins of the father are visited on the son* (Chris pays for his father�s errors)

(A) Internal Conflict
� Chris is fighting an internal battle, Vanessa is not

� WAR: Chris gets �drafted�

Chris vs. himself (inability to face reality)

� the suspense comes out of conflict

SETTING
� Depression
    o Affects Chris, but not Vanessa
    o Physical and psychological reality
    o All Chris�s dreams are destroyed
    o Psychological: micro and macro (group and individual)
    o Matches Chris�s depression
    o Vanessa was almost superstitious, sees it as this threatening evil
    o The whole time that threatening evil is with Chris from the very start
    o Chris is most comfortable with children � step to insanity
    o He�s ok as long as kids, Vanessa is there
    o Goes insane in the world of adults
    o First casualty of war is innocence
� The war is too much for Chris to handle
� THE WAR HORSES, get stuck in the mud, cant get out, further they struggle, further they get stuck, when their eyes are �Berserk with fear�
    o That�s Chris�
� The fear drives him out of his own body
    o Sinks into the mud of despair and insanity

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