Pinkie lacks morality and due to this it's suggested hell is his idea of flory. 'His own glory after him; hell lay about him in his infancy' The words glory and hell directly contrast as they have opposing connotations of good and evil which is a main theme through out the novel. The use of the colon separates yet draws together the words 'him' and 'hell' as Pinkie is constantly referred to as a representation of the devil or evil, so it links them as being the same. The third person narrative separates us from Pinkie and implies this warped view of flory is only his view alone, this also links to the key theme of childhood as 'his infancy' suggests that this kind of perspective Pinkie has on life was inevitable to him due to his upbringing. Also the quote 'he trailed the clouds' weather is a symbol within the book which shows the inner psyche of a character, so clouds suggest that there is a storm to come foreshadowing what is to come later on in the novel,as usually the weather around Pinkie is very dangerous and stormy. Overall Greene is trying to build the associations between Pinkie and hell this is evident as this quote is directly taken from William Wordsworth's poem except the world heaven has been changed to hell which emphasis that Pinkie is evil due to his nature. Eleanor
Greene presents the idea that your upbringing or birth effects your alignment of good and evil "he trailed the clouds of his own glory after him: hell lay about him in his infancy. He was ready for more deaths." The word 'clouds' relates to the idea of heaven and purity; his relation of this to death shows his disrespect for God and therefore good. The use of a colon to separate two images of heaven and hell, emphasizes the point that one must be good or evil. The narrative perspective leaves out key information creating ambiguity about Pinkies upbringing and origin and so leaves the reader questioning Pinkies alignment of good and evil. Overall Greene uses the differentiation between good and evil along side indicators towards Pinkies childhood to enforce the key theme that runs throughout the novel of nature Vs nurture; it furthermore represents the idea that an individuals upbringing or birth can impact on their outlook of right and wrong / good and evil.
Pinkie's harsh nature as a child affects how he has developed as an adult. For example, Pinkie is depicted as a vulnerable yet destructive character as the use of religous imagery contrasts his innocent state with his evil behaviour, "He trailed clouds of his own glory after him; hell lay about him in his infancy. He was ready for more deaths.". The contradictions between "hell" and "infancy" again connotes that Pinkie's sins are that of the devil, whereas the innocence of the word "infancy" suggests his purity as a child. This relates to the ongoing theme of "good vs evil" within the novel as it shows the harsh contrasts between the innocent nature of a child to the sinfulness of being compared to the devil. Furthermore, this links to Greene's emphasis on the third person, omniscient narrator. This "all-knowing" aspect of the novel foreshadows later events within the book, this alludes to a "god like" perspective on the overall story, further portraying the constant theme of "good versus evil"in Brighton Rock. These three key elements within the novel imply different characteristics of Pinkie. The colon used in the quote signifies a shift in the description as he is seen as both righteous, vulnerable and heavenly yet immoral, destructive and descendant from hell simultaneously, furthermore emphasizing the theme of good vs evil. Not only has Pinkie's deprived childhood reflected how he has changed as an adult but the fact that Green has prominently shown "hell" in his infancy as opposed to "heaven" in Wordsworth's poem perhaps shows the reader that Pinkie is an exception to this as both his rough upbringing and evil nature have influenced his behaviour in sync. - Will, Amy and Ben G
Pinkie's extreme childhood effects the way he acts and views life. Greene suggests this with the use of William Wandsworth's poem 'Intimations of Immortality' in which he suggests that children are from heaven which juxtaposes against Greene's presentation of Pinkie coming from hell. This is shown in the quote "hell lay about him in his infancy". As the novel progresses, Greene manipulates the structure of the novel to express Pinkie's loss of sanity. This foreshadows Pinkie's behaviour in the rest of the book. Greene develops this concepty by not referring to Pinkie by name which detaches him from the reader. This reflects his detachment from from humanity. Greene does this to reflect the way in which Pinkies extreme childhood has effected his behaviour in later life. - Dylan, Ben S, Tasha, Ollie
Pinkie lacks morality and due to this it's suggested hell is his idea of flory. 'His own glory after him; hell lay about him in his infancy' The words glory and hell directly contrast as they have opposing connotations of good and evil which is a main theme through out the novel. The use of the colon separates yet draws together the words 'him' and 'hell' as Pinkie is constantly referred to as a representation of the devil or evil, so it links them as being the same. The third person narrative separates us from Pinkie and implies this warped view of flory is only his view alone, this also links to the key theme of childhood as 'his infancy' suggests that this kind of perspective Pinkie has on life was inevitable to him due to his upbringing. Also the quote 'he trailed the clouds' weather is a symbol within the book which shows the inner psyche of a character, so clouds suggest that there is a storm to come foreshadowing what is to come later on in the novel,as usually the weather around Pinkie is very dangerous and stormy. Overall Greene is trying to build the associations between Pinkie and hell this is evident as this quote is directly taken from William Wordsworth's poem except the world heaven has been changed to hell which emphasis that Pinkie is evil due to his nature.
ReplyDeleteEleanor
Greene presents the idea that your upbringing or birth effects your alignment of good and evil "he trailed the clouds of his own glory after him: hell lay about him in his infancy. He was ready for more deaths." The word 'clouds' relates to the idea of heaven and purity; his relation of this to death shows his disrespect for God and therefore good. The use of a colon to separate two images of heaven and hell, emphasizes the point that one must be good or evil. The narrative perspective leaves out key information creating ambiguity about Pinkies upbringing and origin and so leaves the reader questioning Pinkies alignment of good and evil. Overall Greene uses the differentiation between good and evil along side indicators towards Pinkies childhood to enforce the key theme that runs throughout the novel of nature Vs nurture; it furthermore represents the idea that an individuals upbringing or birth can impact on their outlook of right and wrong / good and evil.
ReplyDeleteTom B, Ed and Matt
Pinkie's harsh nature as a child affects how he has developed as an adult. For example, Pinkie is depicted as a vulnerable yet destructive character as the use of religous imagery contrasts his innocent state with his evil behaviour, "He trailed clouds of his own glory after him; hell lay about him in his infancy. He was ready for more deaths.". The contradictions between "hell" and "infancy" again connotes that Pinkie's sins are that of the devil, whereas the innocence of the word "infancy" suggests his purity as a child. This relates to the ongoing theme of "good vs evil" within the novel as it shows the harsh contrasts between the innocent nature of a child to the sinfulness of being compared to the devil. Furthermore, this links to Greene's emphasis on the third person, omniscient narrator. This "all-knowing" aspect of the novel foreshadows later events within the book, this alludes to a "god like" perspective on the overall story, further portraying the constant theme of "good versus evil"in Brighton Rock. These three key elements within the novel imply different characteristics of Pinkie. The colon used in the quote signifies a shift in the description as he is seen as both righteous, vulnerable and heavenly yet immoral, destructive and descendant from hell simultaneously, furthermore emphasizing the theme of good vs evil. Not only has Pinkie's deprived childhood reflected how he has changed as an adult but the fact that Green has prominently shown "hell" in his infancy as opposed to "heaven" in Wordsworth's poem perhaps shows the reader that Pinkie is an exception to this as both his rough upbringing and evil nature have influenced his behaviour in sync. - Will, Amy and Ben G
ReplyDeletePinkie's extreme childhood effects the way he acts and views life. Greene suggests this with the use of William Wandsworth's poem 'Intimations of Immortality' in which he suggests that children are from heaven which juxtaposes against Greene's presentation of Pinkie coming from hell. This is shown in the quote "hell lay about him in his infancy". As the novel progresses, Greene manipulates the structure of the novel to express Pinkie's loss of sanity. This foreshadows Pinkie's behaviour in the rest of the book. Greene develops this concepty by not referring to Pinkie by name which detaches him from the reader. This reflects his detachment from from humanity. Greene does this to reflect the way in which Pinkies extreme childhood has effected his behaviour in later life. - Dylan, Ben S, Tasha, Ollie
ReplyDelete