The weather is an external symbol throughout Brighton Rock which symbolises the inner psychic state of characters and events within the novel. For example, "more alone with the lightning on the horizon and the thunder coming closer." This implies that the weather is a force of nature that only frightens and intensifies characters inner feelings. In this instance, this could suggest that Pinkie feels enclosed by surrounding events (presented by the use of thunder and lightning on the horizon.) Moreover, the presentation of both the thunder and lightning could be suggesting future turmoil for the character of Pinkie as the "lightning on the horizon" could be implying a traumatic past for Pinkie and the image of the thunder, what there is to come. From the beginning of the novel the weather linked to the characters warped emotions and feelings to events within the novel. In chapter one,part one, Ida comes out of the wash room to find Hale missing, here, the weather is a, "bright Whitsun afternoon." This tells the reader that the 'bright' weather juxtaposes the shock of finding Hale gone and the mystery concerning his disappearance. This progresses within the novel to how the emotions are conveyed through the use of weather. Greene is insinuating how at the start of the novel the characters have been 'unmasked' and so this cannot be seen through the weather. This relates to the on going theme of 'appearance versus reality' throughout the novel, as the weather is seen as a link to the characters vulnerable sides. For example, the stormy, thundery weather used implies feelings of angst and isolation to the character as it distinguishes between the mask of everyday life and their own personal thoughts and feelings, hence showing the running theme of 'appearance versus reality.'
Some good points Amy and well done for embedding a secondary quote to reinforce your argument. You make an interesting comparison between Hale and Pinkie, and how Hale's psychic state does not reflect the 'sunny' day that he exists in; why does Greene do this? How does this further reinforce the character's 'discomfort' in his surroundings? Equally, how might you alternatively argue that Pinkie manipulates/affects his surroundings/environment? What might be the meaning here?
Weather is and external symbol for the inner psyche or psychological state of a character. This symbol is used in Brighton Rock when Pinkie was described as being "more alone with the lightning on the horizon and the thunder coming closer". The words "lightning" and "thunder" have connotations of danger, unpredictability, chaos. Figuratively, this represents the unstable and dark mental state of a character at that time which is getting worse or darker as it is "coming closer". The symbol of weather links to the character of Pinkie because of his chaotic mental state as well as symbolizing his perception on life as a storm often creates a distorted image of surroundings similar to Pinkie's warped views on life. The words "coming closer" also foreshadows Pinkie's mental state will get progressively darker as the novel unfolds. The symbol of weather is later used in the last scene of Pinkie's death as it is again very stormy again suggesting that this is when he is in his most chaotic and evil mental state. The theme of good vs evil links to the symbol weather as through weather Greene is able to suggest to the reader not only the inner psyche of the characters but their morality and perception of good and evil too.
Some good points Will; your writing reads clearly and you have developed your points well. See my comments to Amy above - how might you respond to these in your answer?
Vitriol is an internal symbol that represents power and destruction. This can be seen in the quote “a faint sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol… his nearest approach to passion”, here vitriol has connotations of pain and suffering as it permanently scars people both physically, by the acid burning away their skin causing them to become disfigured, and mentally, by the fear of another attack and the knowledge that they are disfigured. The fact that Pinkie gets “sensual pleasure” just by touching it which is significant as he has been presented as an emotionless monster who feels nothing of others pain throughout the opening chapters, so the way that this destructive acid provides him with a sense of passion shows his disturbed mentality to feel pleasure through the suffering of others whereas pleasure normally evokes connotations of love and compassion, again showing his disturbed nature. The connotations of vitriol don’t change later on in the book however it is eventually used to kill Pinkie which gives it a kind of irony, that the thing he preferred to cause pain and fear to others was the thing that was used to harm him. This relates to the theme of superficiality as it shows the confidence that people have is reliant on their physical appearance and the pleasure that Pinkie takes in being able to destroy this confidence that they have in themselves which demonstrates his disturbed mental state.
Some interesting points made Ben - well done. I'm particularly interested in your comments about the significance of the acid (vitriol) destroying Pinkie, particularly his face, which 'steamed'...'he screamed and screamed...his hands up to his eyes'. What might the meaning of this be?
The weather is an external symbol which symbolizes the inner psyche state of the characters and events within the novel. "more alone with the lightning on the horizon and the thunder coming closer." the weather in this instance being forceful and frightening could suggest that Pinkie feels enclosed by surrounding events- presented by the use of thunder, as well as the lightning on the horizon. As well as this, the lightning on the horizon could foreshadow future turmoil for Pinkie and his mob, almost an inevitable fate that awaits them, unchangeable and unavoidable, much like the forceful nature of a lightning storm. The presentation of the weather varies over the course of the novel, this is done by Greene to portray the shift in mood caused by certain events that change the course of the novel such as the killing of Hale. Before Hales' death, it is daytime and the sun is shining which presenting a feel-good and relaxed atmosphere (although some see it differently, they argue that the 'bright' weather juxtaposes the shock of finding Hale gone and the mystery regarding his disappearance. However as the novel progresses and Pinkies situation worsens, the weather turns darker and more sinister than previously. The theme of appearance vs reality is also insinuated through the use of the weather, the unpredictable, forceful nature of the storms present show how although Pinkie portrays a calm demeanor on the surface, inside he is feeling vulnerable and agitated under the surface. -Tom Brooks
"The presentation of the weather varies over the course of the novel, this is done by Greene to portray the shift in mood caused by certain events that change the course of the novel such as the killing of Hale. " Can you find some quotes to support your comments here please Tom?
Vitriol provides an internal symbol that reflects Pinkie’s violent and destructive nature. “a faint secret sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol with his fingers… was the nearest approach to passion” The word “pleasure” reflects Pinkie’s attraction towards violence and damage. His warped “pleasure” is symbolic of his need for power by having the vitriol at his fingertips. It is symbolic of his manipulation of the resources he has around him and how he uses things to gain power over others and his strive towards violence and danger. The connotations of “pleasure” are ones of comfort, calmness and happiness but Pinkie’s idea of pleasure if one of pain and destruction to others which does not fit into the normal depiction of pleasure therefore contrasting the readers own view of pleasure. The idea of violence and danger build up the idea that Pinkie is a heartless and cruel monster who thinks only about himself and doesn’t think twice about his actions but the idea of “pleasure” shows he does have some emotion as pleasure is a very personal thing to each individual and shows a small bit of character. - Matt G
Weather is an external symbol which assists us to gain a better understanding of the inner psychic state of characters. The words 'lightning' and 'thunder' connote the ideas of unpredictability, chaos and forcefulness. Figuratively this represents an unstable dark nature of a characters mental state with with it worsening as 'coming closer' foreshadows this happening later on in the book. The symbolism of Pinkie mirrors his chaotic and warped view of the world and people. The weather is symbolic to Pinkie especially as towards the end of the book when Pinkie dies as the weather again is very stormy, and dangerous which mirrors his mental state of being evil, and dark. The theme of good vs evil links to the symbol weather as the weather allows us to seen the inner psyche of them and it also mirrors their morality of good vs evil as well.
The Boy's bottle of vitriol is an internal symbol that serves as a reiteration to the audience of his sadistic tendencies. The symbol also links to the idea of appearance holding importance over belief, reinforcing the them of appearance vs belief, but also suggesting that Pinkie truly does want to destroy that which is most important to people, for his own pleasure and or gain, in this case, their appearance. The "sensual pleasure" at the thought of torture and harm further highlights Pinkie's sadistic mind, this brings about questions about Rose, as it is clear she is not shied away, we can take away the idea that Pinkie's sadism may be complimented by Rose's masochism. The symbol changes to turn on Pinkie, in the end of the book, when it is smashed against his face, causing him to fall to his death; this insinuates that his views were to his detriment, but that it led to him FALLING to his death could be linked to Greene's view on where similar characters/people would go after death, suggestively, Hell. The bottle of vitriol relates not only to the appearance/belief theme, as mentioned earlier, but also to the theme of good vs evil, the change of the symbol implies that good will always prevail over evil, even when evil has seemed stronger throughout the novel.
The Vitriol that Pinkie continuously carries in his pocket is an internal symbol representative of Pinkie’s vicious, destructive and brutal nature. “A faint sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol… his nearest approach to passion”, the juxtaposition between the “vitriol” and “sensual pleasure” reflects upon Pinkie’s warped mindset and views on pleasure. The Vitriol connotes towards the ideas of pain, agony and malfunction. Additionally it supports the idea of the current society being enveloped in materialism, that to have your image permanently destroyed is a worse scenario than death. This power that Pinkie obtains by handling the Vitriol is depictive of how Pinkie manipulates this power in order to achieve what he wants, despite how twisted the scenario becomes. This theme of violence is contrasted with views of Pinkie’s pleasure. Traditionally comfort connotes towards satisfaction and enjoyment, but Pinkie’s ideas of this are derived from the violent nature created by the vitriol. This craze shaped by this give a further insight towards Pinkie’s twisted, disturbed character. Irony is additionally created by this item as it is not only the item that Pinkie’s gets his ‘sensual pleasure’ from but also the item that leads him to his death, the idea that Pinkie’s please is so perverse that it eventually results in his own fatality. This links to the theme of not judging those by their outer persona. Natasha
Greene uses the internal symbol of vitriol to present Pinkies warped and scared personality. This is shown with " A faint secret sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol with his fingers … was his nearest approach to passion." This shows Pinkies lust for violence, power and destruction. This emphasis Pinkies warped personality as he gets sexual pleasure from holding a bottle of acid. By using this bottle of acid as Pinkies only link with the passion and vunrability it allows for the reader to see how power hungry he is and how he longs for total control. This shows that his lust and want to use acid instead of a knife shows hoe egotistic he is, as he would rather use a bottle of acid to scar someone for life then kill them with a knife, through doing this Greene almost portrays pinkie as a showman as he likes to make death extravagant and more entertaining for himself, this links withe the key theme of consumerism.
Music is presented as an external symbol of emotion and passion. This is shown through the quote: ’only music made him uneasy, the catgut vibrating in the heart; it was like nerves losing their freshness; it was like age coming on, other peoples experiences battering on the brain’. The external connotations of music are that of joy, calm and raw emotion. This association within the quote between music and Pinkies distaste shows how Pinkie is uncomfortable with revealing his true feelings, the word ‘battering’ strengthens this line of thought as it has connotations of violence and aggression showing the immediate conflict between Pinkie and his emotion. Some readers may link this warped view of life and emotion to Pinkies upbringing, relating to the key themes of nature and nurture within the novel. – Jack Wright
The pleasure felt by Pinkie as touches the vitriol represents his twisted and perverted sense of glee at the idea of causing pain to others. Vitriol has connotations of chemical harshness. This represents Pinkie's lack of emotion abnd his harsh nature. The vitriol also can be seen as an object causing unnesecary pain and scarring. This links to his lack of personal identity in his belief he is what he does to others due to appalling childhood, which is hinted in the book. "I don't need a razor for a polony" shows how Pinkie only values women for their looks, and not only this, he believes that the only thing women care about is their looks. It shows he believes that's all they're worth and by destroying that he can destroy the women. This is representative of sexism and superficiality in the 1930s aswell as linking to the key themes in the book of superficiality of life and appearance vs reality. This also reflects Pinkie's misogynistic nature. Eventually the bottle turns on Pinkie and leads to his death. This is symbolic of how Pinkie's own hatred and sadistic nature led to his downfall.
Music is presented as an external symbol of emotion and passion. This is shown through the quote: ’only music made him uneasy, the catgut vibrating in the heart; it was like nerves losing their freshness; it was like age coming on, other peoples experiences battering on the brain’. The external connotations of music are that of joy, calm and raw emotion. This association within the quote between music and Pinkies distaste shows how Pinkie is uncomfortable with revealing his true feelings, the word ‘battering’ strengthens this line of thought as it has connotations of violence and aggression showing the immediate conflict between Pinkie and his emotion. Some readers may link this warped view of life and emotion to Pinkies upbringing, relating to the key themes of nature and nurture within the novel.
In Brighton Rock, symbolism is used by Greene to reinforce the ideas of personality he created earlier in the novel. For example, the use of vitriol to show the violent nature of Pinkie and his desire to show power. This is further shown when he explains to rose that he prefers to carry vitriol to a knife as it scares people more. It can also evidence Pinkies dislike of the the materialistic tendencies of society at the time as vitriol causes large amounts of cosmetic damage.
Greene uses the internal symbol of vitriol to present Pinkies warped and scared personality. This is shown with " A faint secret sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol with his fingers … was his nearest approach to passion." This shows Pinkies lust for violence, power and destruction. This emphasis Pinkies warped personality as he gets sexual pleasure from holding a bottle of acid. By using this bottle of acid as Pinkies only link with the passion and vunrability it allows for the reader to see how power hungry he is and how he longs for total control. This shows that his lust and want to use acid instead of a knife shows hoe egotistic he is, as he would rather use a bottle of acid to scar someone for life then kill them with a knife, through doing this Greene almost portrays pinkie as a showman as he likes to make death extravagant and more entertaining for himself, this links withe the key theme of consumerism. Alfie Narborough
Greene uses the internal symbol of vitriol to present Pinkies warped and scared personality. This is shown with " A faint secret sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol with his fingers … was his nearest approach to passion." This shows Pinkies lust for violence, power and destruction. This emphasis Pinkies warped personality as he gets sexual pleasure from holding a bottle of acid. By using this bottle of acid as Pinkies only link with the passion and vunrability it allows for the reader to see how power hungry he is and how he longs for total control. This shows that his lust and want to use acid instead of a knife shows hoe egotistic he is, as he would rather use a bottle of acid to scar someone for life then kill them with a knife, through doing this Greene almost portrays pinkie as a showman as he likes to make death extravagant and more entertaining for himself, this links withe the key theme of consumerism. Alfie Narborough
In Brighton Rock, Greene uses symbolism to demonstrate and reinforce themes. For example, the use of Vitriol by Pinkie shows his vicious and violent nature. This also links back to Pinkies dislike of the newly popular materialistic movement as Vitriol causes large amounts of cosmetic damage. This can also be seen to support Pinkies desire to appear powerful as he claims Vitriol is more intimidating than a knife. The description of Pinkies attitudes to Vitriol can also support the perception that he is a sociopath and is disconnected with morals and society as seen in the quote “A faint sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol”. The phrase ‘sensual pleasure’ shows the audience the warped mentality of Pinkie as a chemical that causes large quantities of harm being associated with pleasure. This juxtaposition also links to the theme of power as the kick Pinkie gets from this weapon is largely through the sense of power he has as it causes fear amongst others. This could also be insinuated as a weakness as he may feel that he needs the vitriol to maintain power as it may take the role as a mask to hide any vulnerabilities he has. - Dylan Peters
The weather is an external symbol throughout Brighton Rock which symbolises the inner psychic state of characters and events within the novel. For example, "more alone with the lightning on the horizon and the thunder coming closer." This implies that the weather is a force of nature that only frightens and intensifies characters inner feelings. In this instance, this could suggest that Pinkie feels enclosed by surrounding events (presented by the use of thunder and lightning on the horizon.) Moreover, the presentation of both the thunder and lightning could be suggesting future turmoil for the character of Pinkie as the "lightning on the horizon" could be implying a traumatic past for Pinkie and the image of the thunder, what there is to come. From the beginning of the novel the weather linked to the characters warped emotions and feelings to events within the novel. In chapter one,part one, Ida comes out of the wash room to find Hale missing, here, the weather is a, "bright Whitsun afternoon." This tells the reader that the 'bright' weather juxtaposes the shock of finding Hale gone and the mystery concerning his disappearance. This progresses within the novel to how the emotions are conveyed through the use of weather. Greene is insinuating how at the start of the novel the characters have been 'unmasked' and so this cannot be seen through the weather. This relates to the on going theme of 'appearance versus reality' throughout the novel, as the weather is seen as a link to the characters vulnerable sides. For example, the stormy, thundery weather used implies feelings of angst and isolation to the character as it distinguishes between the mask of everyday life and their own personal thoughts and feelings, hence showing the running theme of 'appearance versus reality.'
ReplyDeleteSome good points Amy and well done for embedding a secondary quote to reinforce your argument. You make an interesting comparison between Hale and Pinkie, and how Hale's psychic state does not reflect the 'sunny' day that he exists in; why does Greene do this? How does this further reinforce the character's 'discomfort' in his surroundings? Equally, how might you alternatively argue that Pinkie manipulates/affects his surroundings/environment? What might be the meaning here?
DeleteWeather is and external symbol for the inner psyche or psychological state of a character. This symbol is used in Brighton Rock when Pinkie was described as being "more alone with the lightning on the horizon and the thunder coming closer". The words "lightning" and "thunder" have connotations of danger, unpredictability, chaos. Figuratively, this represents the unstable and dark mental state of a character at that time which is getting worse or darker as it is "coming closer". The symbol of weather links to the character of Pinkie because of his chaotic mental state as well as symbolizing his perception on life as a storm often creates a distorted image of surroundings similar to Pinkie's warped views on life. The words "coming closer" also foreshadows Pinkie's mental state will get progressively darker as the novel unfolds. The symbol of weather is later used in the last scene of Pinkie's death as it is again very stormy again suggesting that this is when he is in his most chaotic and evil mental state. The theme of good vs evil links to the symbol weather as through weather Greene is able to suggest to the reader not only the inner psyche of the characters but their morality and perception of good and evil too.
ReplyDeleteSome good points Will; your writing reads clearly and you have developed your points well. See my comments to Amy above - how might you respond to these in your answer?
DeleteVitriol is an internal symbol that represents power and destruction. This can be seen in the quote “a faint sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol… his nearest approach to passion”, here vitriol has connotations of pain and suffering as it permanently scars people both physically, by the acid burning away their skin causing them to become disfigured, and mentally, by the fear of another attack and the knowledge that they are disfigured. The fact that Pinkie gets “sensual pleasure” just by touching it which is significant as he has been presented as an emotionless monster who feels nothing of others pain throughout the opening chapters, so the way that this destructive acid provides him with a sense of passion shows his disturbed mentality to feel pleasure through the suffering of others whereas pleasure normally evokes connotations of love and compassion, again showing his disturbed nature. The connotations of vitriol don’t change later on in the book however it is eventually used to kill Pinkie which gives it a kind of irony, that the thing he preferred to cause pain and fear to others was the thing that was used to harm him. This relates to the theme of superficiality as it shows the confidence that people have is reliant on their physical appearance and the pleasure that Pinkie takes in being able to destroy this confidence that they have in themselves which demonstrates his disturbed mental state.
ReplyDeleteSome interesting points made Ben - well done. I'm particularly interested in your comments about the significance of the acid (vitriol) destroying Pinkie, particularly his face, which 'steamed'...'he screamed and screamed...his hands up to his eyes'. What might the meaning of this be?
DeleteThe weather is an external symbol which symbolizes the inner psyche state of the characters and events within the novel. "more alone with the lightning on the horizon and the thunder coming closer." the weather in this instance being forceful and frightening could suggest that Pinkie feels enclosed by surrounding events- presented by the use of thunder, as well as the lightning on the horizon. As well as this, the lightning on the horizon could foreshadow future turmoil for Pinkie and his mob, almost an inevitable fate that awaits them, unchangeable and unavoidable, much like the forceful nature of a lightning storm. The presentation of the weather varies over the course of the novel, this is done by Greene to portray the shift in mood caused by certain events that change the course of the novel such as the killing of Hale. Before Hales' death, it is daytime and the sun is shining which presenting a feel-good and relaxed atmosphere (although some see it differently, they argue that the 'bright' weather juxtaposes the shock of finding Hale gone and the mystery regarding his disappearance. However as the novel progresses and Pinkies situation worsens, the weather turns darker and more sinister than previously. The theme of appearance vs reality is also insinuated through the use of the weather, the unpredictable, forceful nature of the storms present show how although Pinkie portrays a calm demeanor on the surface, inside he is feeling vulnerable and agitated under the surface. -Tom Brooks
ReplyDelete"The presentation of the weather varies over the course of the novel, this is done by Greene to portray the shift in mood caused by certain events that change the course of the novel such as the killing of Hale. " Can you find some quotes to support your comments here please Tom?
ReplyDeleteVitriol provides an internal symbol that reflects Pinkie’s violent and destructive nature. “a faint secret sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol with his fingers… was the nearest approach to passion” The word “pleasure” reflects Pinkie’s attraction towards violence and damage. His warped “pleasure” is symbolic of his need for power by having the vitriol at his fingertips. It is symbolic of his manipulation of the resources he has around him and how he uses things to gain power over others and his strive towards violence and danger. The connotations of “pleasure” are ones of comfort, calmness and happiness but Pinkie’s idea of pleasure if one of pain and destruction to others which does not fit into the normal depiction of pleasure therefore contrasting the readers own view of pleasure. The idea of violence and danger build up the idea that Pinkie is a heartless and cruel monster who thinks only about himself and doesn’t think twice about his actions but the idea of “pleasure” shows he does have some emotion as pleasure is a very personal thing to each individual and shows a small bit of character. - Matt G
ReplyDeleteWeather is an external symbol which assists us to gain a better understanding of the inner psychic state of characters. The words 'lightning' and 'thunder' connote the ideas of unpredictability, chaos and forcefulness. Figuratively this represents an unstable dark nature of a characters mental state with with it worsening as 'coming closer' foreshadows this happening later on in the book. The symbolism of Pinkie mirrors his chaotic and warped view of the world and people. The weather is symbolic to Pinkie especially as towards the end of the book when Pinkie dies as the weather again is very stormy, and dangerous which mirrors his mental state of being evil, and dark. The theme of good vs evil links to the symbol weather as the weather allows us to seen the inner psyche of them and it also mirrors their morality of good vs evil as well.
ReplyDeleteThe Boy's bottle of vitriol is an internal symbol that serves as a reiteration to the audience of his sadistic tendencies. The symbol also links to the idea of appearance holding importance over belief, reinforcing the them of appearance vs belief, but also suggesting that Pinkie truly does want to destroy that which is most important to people, for his own pleasure and or gain, in this case, their appearance. The "sensual pleasure" at the thought of torture and harm further highlights Pinkie's sadistic mind, this brings about questions about Rose, as it is clear she is not shied away, we can take away the idea that Pinkie's sadism may be complimented by Rose's masochism. The symbol changes to turn on Pinkie, in the end of the book, when it is smashed against his face, causing him to fall to his death; this insinuates that his views were to his detriment, but that it led to him FALLING to his death could be linked to Greene's view on where similar characters/people would go after death, suggestively, Hell. The bottle of vitriol relates not only to the appearance/belief theme, as mentioned earlier, but also to the theme of good vs evil, the change of the symbol implies that good will always prevail over evil, even when evil has seemed stronger throughout the novel.
ReplyDeleteThe Vitriol that Pinkie continuously carries in his pocket is an internal symbol representative of Pinkie’s vicious, destructive and brutal nature. “A faint sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol… his nearest approach to passion”, the juxtaposition between the “vitriol” and “sensual pleasure” reflects upon Pinkie’s warped mindset and views on pleasure. The Vitriol connotes towards the ideas of pain, agony and malfunction. Additionally it supports the idea of the current society being enveloped in materialism, that to have your image permanently destroyed is a worse scenario than death. This power that Pinkie obtains by handling the Vitriol is depictive of how Pinkie manipulates this power in order to achieve what he wants, despite how twisted the scenario becomes. This theme of violence is contrasted with views of Pinkie’s pleasure. Traditionally comfort connotes towards satisfaction and enjoyment, but Pinkie’s ideas of this are derived from the violent nature created by the vitriol. This craze shaped by this give a further insight towards Pinkie’s twisted, disturbed character. Irony is additionally created by this item as it is not only the item that Pinkie’s gets his ‘sensual pleasure’ from but also the item that leads him to his death, the idea that Pinkie’s please is so perverse that it eventually results in his own fatality. This links to the theme of not judging those by their outer persona. Natasha
ReplyDeleteGreene uses the internal symbol of vitriol to present Pinkies warped and scared personality. This is shown with " A faint secret sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol with his fingers … was his nearest approach to passion." This shows Pinkies lust for violence, power and destruction. This emphasis Pinkies warped personality as he gets sexual pleasure from holding a bottle of acid. By using this bottle of acid as Pinkies only link with the passion and vunrability it allows for the reader to see how power hungry he is and how he longs for total control. This shows that his lust and want to use acid instead of a knife shows hoe egotistic he is, as he would rather use a bottle of acid to scar someone for life then kill them with a knife, through doing this Greene almost portrays pinkie as a showman as he likes to make death extravagant and more entertaining for himself, this links withe the key theme of consumerism.
ReplyDeleteOllie Tanner
Music is presented as an external symbol of emotion and passion. This is shown through the quote: ’only music made him uneasy, the catgut vibrating in the heart; it was like nerves losing their freshness; it was like age coming on, other peoples experiences battering on the brain’. The external connotations of music are that of joy, calm and raw emotion. This association within the quote between music and Pinkies distaste shows how Pinkie is uncomfortable with revealing his true feelings, the word ‘battering’ strengthens this line of thought as it has connotations of violence and aggression showing the immediate conflict between Pinkie and his emotion. Some readers may link this warped view of life and emotion to Pinkies upbringing, relating to the key themes of nature and nurture within the novel. – Jack Wright
ReplyDeleteThe pleasure felt by Pinkie as touches the vitriol represents his twisted and perverted sense of glee at the idea of causing pain to others. Vitriol has connotations of chemical harshness. This represents Pinkie's lack of emotion abnd his harsh nature. The vitriol also can be seen as an object causing unnesecary pain and scarring. This links to his lack of personal identity in his belief he is what he does to others due to appalling childhood, which is hinted in the book. "I don't need a razor for a polony" shows how Pinkie only values women for their looks, and not only this, he believes that the only thing women care about is their looks. It shows he believes that's all they're worth and by destroying that he can destroy the women. This is representative of sexism and superficiality in the 1930s aswell as linking to the key themes in the book of superficiality of life and appearance vs reality. This also reflects Pinkie's misogynistic nature. Eventually the bottle turns on Pinkie and leads to his death. This is symbolic of how Pinkie's own hatred and sadistic nature led to his downfall.
ReplyDeleteMusic is presented as an external symbol of emotion and passion. This is shown through the quote: ’only music made him uneasy, the catgut vibrating in the heart; it was like nerves losing their freshness; it was like age coming on, other peoples experiences battering on the brain’. The external connotations of music are that of joy, calm and raw emotion. This association within the quote between music and Pinkies distaste shows how Pinkie is uncomfortable with revealing his true feelings, the word ‘battering’ strengthens this line of thought as it has connotations of violence and aggression showing the immediate conflict between Pinkie and his emotion. Some readers may link this warped view of life and emotion to Pinkies upbringing, relating to the key themes of nature and nurture within the novel.
ReplyDelete- Ben Spicer
In Brighton Rock, symbolism is used by Greene to reinforce the ideas of personality he created earlier in the novel. For example, the use of vitriol to show the violent nature of Pinkie and his desire to show power. This is further shown when he explains to rose that he prefers to carry vitriol to a knife as it scares people more. It can also evidence Pinkies dislike of the the materialistic tendencies of society at the time as vitriol causes large amounts of cosmetic damage.
ReplyDeleteGreene uses the internal symbol of vitriol to present Pinkies warped and scared personality. This is shown with " A faint secret sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol with his fingers … was his nearest approach to passion." This shows Pinkies lust for violence, power and destruction. This emphasis Pinkies warped personality as he gets sexual pleasure from holding a bottle of acid. By using this bottle of acid as Pinkies only link with the passion and vunrability it allows for the reader to see how power hungry he is and how he longs for total control. This shows that his lust and want to use acid instead of a knife shows hoe egotistic he is, as he would rather use a bottle of acid to scar someone for life then kill them with a knife, through doing this Greene almost portrays pinkie as a showman as he likes to make death extravagant and more entertaining for himself, this links withe the key theme of consumerism. Alfie Narborough
ReplyDeleteGreene uses the internal symbol of vitriol to present Pinkies warped and scared personality. This is shown with " A faint secret sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol with his fingers … was his nearest approach to passion." This shows Pinkies lust for violence, power and destruction. This emphasis Pinkies warped personality as he gets sexual pleasure from holding a bottle of acid. By using this bottle of acid as Pinkies only link with the passion and vunrability it allows for the reader to see how power hungry he is and how he longs for total control. This shows that his lust and want to use acid instead of a knife shows hoe egotistic he is, as he would rather use a bottle of acid to scar someone for life then kill them with a knife, through doing this Greene almost portrays pinkie as a showman as he likes to make death extravagant and more entertaining for himself, this links withe the key theme of consumerism. Alfie Narborough
ReplyDeleteIn Brighton Rock, Greene uses symbolism to demonstrate and reinforce themes. For example, the use of Vitriol by Pinkie shows his vicious and violent nature. This also links back to Pinkies dislike of the newly popular materialistic movement as Vitriol causes large amounts of cosmetic damage. This can also be seen to support Pinkies desire to appear powerful as he claims Vitriol is more intimidating than a knife. The description of Pinkies attitudes to Vitriol can also support the perception that he is a sociopath and is disconnected with morals and society as seen in the quote “A faint sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol”. The phrase ‘sensual pleasure’ shows the audience the warped mentality of Pinkie as a chemical that causes large quantities of harm being associated with pleasure. This juxtaposition also links to the theme of power as the kick Pinkie gets from this weapon is largely through the sense of power he has as it causes fear amongst others. This could also be insinuated as a weakness as he may feel that he needs the vitriol to maintain power as it may take the role as a mask to hide any vulnerabilities he has. - Dylan Peters
ReplyDelete