| "Horses of the Night" ~Magaret Laurence ...continued... Shallow Creek � Vanessa�s perception: pure, untouched by man � �no-man�s land� � bleak, cold, ugly => up north � represents the stark reality, where Chris�s family lives Manawaka � represents all the other people, except for Chris The Brick House � Is like a fortress, and Chris is outside � War is outside, depression is outside this brick house � Symbolic of Vanessa � Chris has nothing to protect himself � no brick house Symbols: � Duchess and Firefly � Floss and Trooper � War Horses � Horses of the Night Allusion: � �Slowly, slowly, horses of the night� from �Amores� (Ovid � Roman poet) � Doctor Faustus � Christopher Marlowe o Idea of being left a hollow man o A life without contribution is no life at all � Chris lives an empty life o He doesn�t� change into emptiness, he�s there � Chris withdraws � hollow inside, lives in his dream life � �Slowly, slowly, horses of the night� � horses = archetypal symbol of male power � darkness => nightmare 4 horses � 4 horses of apocalypse 1) Chris�s dream world, imagination, refuge from reality 2) Vanessa�s first taste of reality 3) Symbolize reality of his own existence � He can�t cope with these realities � He is in conflict with his environment (Strange unnamed lake => represents Chris�s idea of world ) � Life should be a well-balanced mind-matter experience => not for Chris 4) World of chaos, directly tied to way � Chris is so sensitive to his world THEME: The need for hope (CAUSE): A sensitive and creative individual finds it difficult, almost impossible, to cope with the realities of a mundane, pragmatic and sometimes cruel society (EFFECT): As a result, complete withdrawal may be the only solution |
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