The theme of Nature vs. Nurture The
way you are nurtured as a child is no excuse for your nature as an adult.
Discuss this in light of Part 2, chapter 1 thinking about both Pinkie and Rose.
Rose shows a sense of naivety, especially when contrasted against Pinkie, seemingly full of wisdom. "Pinkie you wouldn't - " The faith she shows in Pinkie, someone proven to us to be a distasteful/untrustworthy character, after knowing him for such a short amount of time demonstrates her lack of understanding, and naivety when faced with the "real" world, or perhaps just the underworld of Brighton. The reiterated point that Rose has a good memory for faces could imply that that is all she sees, as insinuated with Pinkie, although she can remember the aesthetic qualities, she is unable, or unwilling, to look deeper, and discover their true nature - the impact of nurturing. Pinkie, from the beginning, has always radiated an air of maturity, despite appearances, that is far beyond his years, this could be due to the lack of nurturing he received in childhood (a phase he continues in the book). Pinkie shows signs of severe detachment from emotion and feeling, moreover an inclination to sadism, this is only reinforced by his possession of a bottle vitriol (an acid), as opposed to a more practical weapon such as a knife or gun. The acid goes to show that he would rather scar someone, physically or mentally, than simply get the job done, an indicator that someone has scarred him for life, or neglected him, either way, leaving a mental disfigurement on this young boy, and leading to the way he treats others in the novel, left to nature, that of the Brighton underworld, has done him no favours. - Ed Hobson
Greene presents the character of Pinkie as a sinister and dark boy who has been forced to grow up far too quickly, this is reflected through the quote ‘his grey eyes had an effect of heartlessness like an old mans in which human feeling had died.’ The simile of Pinkies eyes to those of an old man’s highlights to the reader how unnatural and twisted Pinkie is, this could be down to a number of reasons, one of which being that Pinkie being bought into the mob at such a young age has robbed him of his childhood moulding him into an emotionless monster that isn’t able to connect with anyone on an emotional level. This argument would fall into the side of Nurture, whereas the opposing argument for nature would suggest that Pinkie was simply born as a sadistic human being which is a lot harder to believe. The way that Greene presents Rose also seems to be able to be explained by the nurture argument, Rose is shown as being relatively gullible and naïve and is always running away from the past and the present and running towards the future. This is shown through the quote ‘anything you say- said Rose’ conveying to the reader that she is willing to obey Pinkie in almost all circumstances. This could be explained by her past which contrasts dramatically with Pinkies. This could of created the desire that she feels for excitement and love that she thinks Pinkie can give to her as it’s something new and dangerous that she has never known before. This is Greene’s way of showing the reader how important upbringing is for children and how it determines the rest of their lives forever. – Jack Wright
In light of chapter one part one, the characters of Pinkie and Rose seem to be both completely different yet somehow similar. Neither characters seem to look harmful but in reality, both their strikingly contrasting personalities enforce the belief that they are dangerous. Both characters tragic childhoods may have impacted this and have caused them to somehow become unstable as young adults. Rose's unique innocence has caused her to acquire information that could get her in to trouble. Whereas, Pinkie's violent personality has led him to turning in to a threatening individual. Both characters childhoods could have had an impact on their nature as young adults, however, in some ways their dreadful upbringing may have caused them to aspire to make their lives different. Firstly, Greene presents the character of Pinkie as being an innocent yet sadistic 'boy.' For example, Pinkie is alluded to being a child-like character yet he emphasises an emotionless and violent personality, "The word murder conveyed no more to him than the word, 'box,''collar,''giraffe'..." The simple nouns infer to the reader that Pinkie is just a 'boy' as they show child-like connotations. This reference to childhood from Greene contrasts vastly with the overall sentence as its focus is on murder. The syndetic listing emphasised by Greene connotes a sense of normality complacent with murder as the list dilutes the term. Furthermore, the third person narrative running throughout detaches the reader from not only Pinkie but gives the word murder no emotional attachment. This outlook of Pinkies obvious harsh childhood due to his neutral feelings on murder has caused him to turn in to a sinister and dark young adult. However, The vulnerable and struggling character of Rose, provides the reader with the impression that she wants her life to change. Therefore, Rose's obvious unloving childhood which should have caused her to become a lazy and wasteful young adult has in fact steered her in to being a determined and willing character. For instance, Rose works at 'Snow's' which implies that she wants to do something with her life,"the lightening showed a strut of tarred wood, a wave breaking and her pale,bony,terrified face." The flash of lightening mirrors a flash of the past which impacts the reader as it connotes a shocking and terrifying past. In conclusion, the way you are nurtured as a child is and isn't an excuse for your nature as an adult. Both the characters of Rose and Pinkie act differently in relation to this.
Greene presents Rose as a naïve character who is oblivious to the evil in the world and who spends all her time trying to run away from the present and the past which is evident in the quote “as for the present – she got through that as quickly as she could, running away from things, running towards things … her heart pounding at an escape or an expectation”. This supports the nurture argument as she must have had bad experiences for her to become so obsessed with escaping the present and always heading for somewhere else without actually knowing where it is as she runs towards “things”. In contrast Pinkie is presented as an emotionless monster who takes a perverse pleasure in hurting others as seen in the quote “the emotion hadn’t woken. He couldn’t see through other people’s eyes… what would be the fun if they didn’t squeal?”. This demonstrates his perverse nature as he takes pleasure in the pain that he inflicts on others and without experiencing any feeling of empathy to others due to his lack of imagination. This supports neither argument as it can be argued that this is the result of a poor upbringing which is also responsible for his “slatey eyes touched with annihilating eternity” however it can also be argued that he was born this way and naturally has psychopathic tendencies, which has resulted in his lack of emotion.
Rose’s character is one of childishness and naivety. She shows her naivety in the quote “Vitriol? What’s vitriol?” as she is completely unaware of the destructive effect it can have on someone. Her unawareness comes with her youthfulness and non-exposure to the criminal underworld that Pinkie grew up and lives in so she has become naïve and trusting of any stranger that gives her attention even if they carry a possible devastating weapon. Pinkie on the other hand comes from an upbringing much different to Rose which made him the hardened and isolated character he is. Unlike Rose, Pinkie enjoys and relies on isolation as he meets Rose at the end of the Brighton Pier at the dark of night. The idea of isolation shows Pinkies mind set towards being emotionally detached from people and society and how he can murder and commit crime without a second thought. This is backed up with “the word murder conveyed no more to him than the word ‘box’, ‘collar’, ’giraffe’ where he also shows the idea of his emotional detachment from the people he kills. Murder to him is just another ordinary part of life that he experiences and believes is normal. His emotional detachment may come from his hardened upbringing where he may have witnessed terrible things as a small child which would have shaped him into the person he is today, even though he is only still a “boy of seventeen”. Matt G
Greene presents the theme of nature vs. nurture through the character of Pinkie. Pinkie is introduced to the readers in the opening chapters as a dark, sinister yet reserved figure who described as acting older than he is in reality. This idea of the contradiction between his appearance and attitude links to the theme of nature vs. nurture as shown in the quote "'I'm seventeen too' the Boy said, and the eyes which had never been young stared with grey contempt". The word grey implies there has always been a hidden darkness within Pinkie on his outlook and perception on life. This quote shows that due to the rough and poor upbringing Pinkie had suffered which led to him having to grow up quickly which explains why he had "never been young" and had such a lack of youth in his presence. This supports the idea of nurture in the nature vs. nurture argument. Similarly, Greene presents the reader with the nature vs. nurture theme through the character of Rose. Rose is initially presented a naive, innocent and youthful character by Greene. From the quote "the eyes which had never been young stared with grey contempt into the eyes which had only just begun to learn a thing or two" we learn about rose's background. It suggests to the reader that like Pinkie she had a tough childhood but unlike Pinkie she has still not grown up as shown when the narrator claims she "just begun to learn a thing or two" showing her lack of understanding and naivety in the adult world. This further supports the concept of nurture as it implies that her lack of knowledge and understanding was influenced by her upbringing. - Will Morley
It's immediately obvious to us as readers that Pinkie has had a tough childhood, but we do not immediately assume that he behaves the way he is because of this, as he seems so emotionally unattached from everything. It makes us hard as readers to believe he ever was able to seem caring, the use of the 3rd person narrative also assists this as we feel as if we are blocked of from him and emphasis the fact he doesn't know how to love or how to accept love as he never received it. This idea about Pinkie suggests that maybe his actions are acceptable and may be excusable due to his past, until we meet Rose. Rose contrasts to Pinkie as she is very naive,innocent and pure. However we see from the quote "the eyes which had never been young stared with grey contempt into the eyes which had only just begun to learn a thing or two" this suggests to us that Rose's childhood was so perfect either, except Pinkie grew up as a result of his and she didn't, it also emphasis the contrasts between herself and Pinkie as it makes the reader feel she lacks understanding and this is because of her past and Pinkie has gained knowledge because of his. This now suggests to us Pinkie's actions may not be excusable due to his childhood, he just chose to let his past consume him. Eleanor Lambert
Rose's use of "Vitrirol?" shows her naive nature. This can be seen as how even though she as grown up in a slum like environment she has retained the naivety of youth. This shows the power of nature over nurture. pinkie on the other hand is on the opposie of thisscale, where he grew up in a terrible environment in the gang and was constantly in situations where emotion was seen as weakness, therefore the emotions he feels, which are represented by "music" are supressed by himself due to the way he was nurtured and his instincts to feel have been alienated from himself, Greene therefore provides contrasting views on nature vs nurture, with Rose representing someone pure and innocent of nature who has not been corrupted by the world she has grown up in whilst Pinkie is the opposite, someone who has been influenced by his surroundings to the pouint of psychopathy as can be seen in "a faint secret sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol with his fingers" which shows he enjoys the idea of inflicting pain on others and having power over their fate
Greene presents Pinkie and Rose as a contrast to show the severity of Pinkies emotional detachment in comparison to Rose's naivety. When Pinkie is first introduced to the reader, it is clear that he is significantly different to other people whilst he still shows glimpses of friendly characteristics, this is shown in the quote "'I'm seventeen too' the Boy said, and the eyes which had never been young stared with grey contempt". This quote shows whilst he has not had a proper childhood, which is supported by "the eyes which had never been young", he does however often appear friendly "I'm seventeen too". This shows the audience that Pinkie wants Rose to relate to him which contradicts the previous impression the audience develops of him which shows no emotion or compassion. This may support the idea of nurture being the greater factor in his personality as he shows both elements of being completely detached from emotion whilst also showing glimpses of kindness which shows how he is not psychopathic. However, the description of his eyes being grey shows the lifelessness his character has which may support the perception that nature has caused him to be this way. This heavily contrasts to Rose's character who is desperate to find an escape from her reality. When Pinkie comes into her life, she sees a new world and a way to get her new life. This is shown from the quote "the eyes which had never been young stared with grey contempt into the eyes which had only just begun to learn a thing or two". Saying Rose's eyes "had only just began to learn a thing or two" shows us that she may have had an underwhelming childhood and now Pinkie has entered her life she feels alive. In the short time they have known each other she has already started developing a new perspective on the world. - Dylan Peters
Pinkie is presented as a character who had a tough upbringing, that lacked love and nurture. The reader is able to depict towards the idea that Pinkie’s taboo behaviour is due to this abandoned and unnatural childhood. The sense of Pinkie’s detachment from the rest of the characters is portrayed through the narrative perspective being in the 3rd person, making the text impersonal, meaning there is no sympathy available from the reader. Although some may argue that Pinkie’s detachment from the reader also causes them to make a desperate connection, causing them to feel some empathy due to his lack to do so and his inadequate social skills. Pinkie never received any love from his parents and therefore had none to give to other characters. To pair Pinkie with Rose is an ironic situation. It is expressive of how this unexpected and immoral union is reflective of something being hidden behind the relationship, in this instance a union of un-requirement, inferiority and imbalance. Despite this there is some sort of connection between the two due to their improper upbringings, although the way they coped with it in the future were two completely different paths. Pinkie rejected all emotion that was headed his way, the only emotion he let empower him was hatred, Contradicting this, Rose grasped any emotion that was in her reach, explaining her naive nature and why she was so quick to marry Pinkie. They allowed their pasts to envelop them in their own unique ways.
Greene presents Pinkie as an emotionally scarred individual which we, as readers interpret to be because of his childhood/ upbringing, which evidently lacked affection and love, this partly excuses Pinkie from some of his unnatural and disturbing behaviour. This kind of behaviour is depicted in the quote “the word murder conveyed no more to him than the word ‘box’, ‘collar’, ’giraffe". this quite gives evidence that Pinkie is not affected by is own actions in anyway, no remorse or guilt is felt as a consequence of his actions. However, Greene presents Rose in the complete opposite, we are given the impression that Rose had a nurturing upbringing of compassion, love and safety. This is shown through her completely trusting nature and the way she believes whatever Pinkie tells her eg. when Pinkie lies to her and tells her Hale was the one caught up in the mob violence. Rose is also portrayed as quite weak by Greene, this is achieved through the fact that she allows Pinkie to harm her without telling him to stop, this presents an idea of desperation/ leaching onto anyone and everyone around her. -Tom Brooks
The theme of Nature vs Nurture is present throughout Brighton Rock; this is shown with the two conflicting characters and personalities of Pinkie and Rose. Pinkie is seen as Nature as he has not had a childhood, this is present with the quote “the word murder conveyed no more to him than the word ‘box’, ‘collar’, ’giraffe". This shows how inhuman he is and how animalistic he is as he sees death as nothing effectively as meaningless as a giraffe is to him, as he would have never seen a giraffe or cared for one, this is the same way he views death. It is meaningless to him the word and action means nothing to him. These shows how animalistic he is as he acts the same way animals do, they have no feelings you wouldn’t see a lion mourning the death of a zebra, nor would you see Pinkie having any regrets for his actions or even seeing them in the same way that we would. Contrastingly the theme of Nurture is shown through the character of Rose who is very human, very weak and incapable compared to Pinkie. This is shown with the quote “had only just begun to learn a thing or two". This shows how she has very little real world experience compared with Pinkie as she has been sheltered her whole life. Greene does this is to help show the difference between the two characters and how unusual it is for these two to even get along with each other. Yet alone have a relationship. Ollie Tanner
The theme of Nature vs Nurture is present throughout Brighton Rock; this is shown with the two conflicting characters and personalities of Pinkie and Rose. Pinkie is seen as Nature as he has not had a childhood, this is present with the quote “the word murder conveyed no more to him than the word ‘box’, ‘collar’, ’giraffe". This shows how inhuman he is and how animalistic he is as he sees death as nothing effectively as meaningless as a giraffe is to him, as he would have never seen a giraffe or cared for one, this is the same way he views death. It is meaningless to him the word and action means nothing to him. These shows how animalistic he is as he acts the same way animals do, they have no feelings you wouldn’t see a lion mourning the death of a zebra, nor would you see Pinkie having any regrets for his actions or even seeing them in the same way that we would. Contrastingly the theme of Nurture is shown through the character of Rose who is very human, very weak and incapable compared to Pinkie. This is shown with the quote “had only just begun to learn a thing or two". This shows how she has very little real world experience compared with Pinkie as she has been sheltered her whole life. Greene does this is to help show the difference between the two characters and how unusual it is for these two to even get along with each other. Yet alone have a relationship. Ollie Tanner
Rose presents an impression of naivety, in absolute contrast to that of Pinkie, who is vastly competent, and experienced. The confidence, and trust of which she shows towards Pinkie, a character known to the reader as obnoxious, and unpleasant, and having knowing Pinkie this short amount of time demonstrates this lack of understanding, and naivety, 'Vitriol?', and the hidden truths of Brighton. The constant, repetition of this; Rose has an impressive memory for faces which could allude to the possibility that such is all that she sees, and as with Pinkie, although Rose does remember the appearance, though she is unable to look beneath the physical appearance, and understand a person’s true qualities. - Ben Spicer
Rose presents an impression of naivety, in absolute contrast to that of Pinkie, who is vastly competent, and experienced. The confidence, and trust of which she shows towards Pinkie, a character known to the reader as obnoxious, and unpleasant, and having knowing Pinkie this short amount of time demonstrates this lack of understanding, and naivety, 'Vitriol?', and the hidden truths of Brighton. The constant, repetition of this; Rose has an impressive memory for faces which could allude to the possibility that such is all that she sees, and as with Pinkie, although Rose does remember the appearance, though she is unable to look beneath the physical appearance, and understand a person’s true qualities. - Ben Spicer
One character in which Greene presents the theme of nature vs. nurture is through Pinkie. Also Pinkie to the theme of appearance vs. reality, Pinkie is introduced to the readers as a troubled, sinister character, yet at the same time seemingly wise and old. A quote that would link the theme of nature vs. nurture to Pinkie would be "'I'm seventeen too' the Boy said, and the eyes which had never been young stared with grey contempt". The quote suggests that due to a rough childhood, Pinkie has been brought up faster than he should have, presented through the contrast in his lack of understanding in life yet supposedly similar to an elderly man. This idea supports the idea of nurture having a profound effect on your actions as an adult. As well as this, the fact that Pinkie carries a bottle of acid (vitriol), instead of a common weapon shows his warped vision on life, as a result of his upbringing. This alludes to the fact that Pinkie would rather scar somebody than to simply hurt them, emphasising his anger.
Rose shows a sense of naivety, especially when contrasted against Pinkie, seemingly full of wisdom. "Pinkie you wouldn't - " The faith she shows in Pinkie, someone proven to us to be a distasteful/untrustworthy character, after knowing him for such a short amount of time demonstrates her lack of understanding, and naivety when faced with the "real" world, or perhaps just the underworld of Brighton. The reiterated point that Rose has a good memory for faces could imply that that is all she sees, as insinuated with Pinkie, although she can remember the aesthetic qualities, she is unable, or unwilling, to look deeper, and discover their true nature - the impact of nurturing.
ReplyDeletePinkie, from the beginning, has always radiated an air of maturity, despite appearances, that is far beyond his years, this could be due to the lack of nurturing he received in childhood (a phase he continues in the book). Pinkie shows signs of severe detachment from emotion and feeling, moreover an inclination to sadism, this is only reinforced by his possession of a bottle vitriol (an acid), as opposed to a more practical weapon such as a knife or gun. The acid goes to show that he would rather scar someone, physically or mentally, than simply get the job done, an indicator that someone has scarred him for life, or neglected him, either way, leaving a mental disfigurement on this young boy, and leading to the way he treats others in the novel, left to nature, that of the Brighton underworld, has done him no favours. - Ed Hobson
Greene presents the character of Pinkie as a sinister and dark boy who has been forced to grow up far too quickly, this is reflected through the quote ‘his grey eyes had an effect of heartlessness like an old mans in which human feeling had died.’ The simile of Pinkies eyes to those of an old man’s highlights to the reader how unnatural and twisted Pinkie is, this could be down to a number of reasons, one of which being that Pinkie being bought into the mob at such a young age has robbed him of his childhood moulding him into an emotionless monster that isn’t able to connect with anyone on an emotional level. This argument would fall into the side of Nurture, whereas the opposing argument for nature would suggest that Pinkie was simply born as a sadistic human being which is a lot harder to believe.
ReplyDeleteThe way that Greene presents Rose also seems to be able to be explained by the nurture argument, Rose is shown as being relatively gullible and naïve and is always running away from the past and the present and running towards the future. This is shown through the quote ‘anything you say- said Rose’ conveying to the reader that she is willing to obey Pinkie in almost all circumstances. This could be explained by her past which contrasts dramatically with Pinkies. This could of created the desire that she feels for excitement and love that she thinks Pinkie can give to her as it’s something new and dangerous that she has never known before. This is Greene’s way of showing the reader how important upbringing is for children and how it determines the rest of their lives forever. – Jack Wright
In light of chapter one part one, the characters of Pinkie and Rose seem to be both completely different yet somehow similar. Neither characters seem to look harmful but in reality, both their strikingly contrasting personalities enforce the belief that they are dangerous. Both characters tragic childhoods may have impacted this and have caused them to somehow become unstable as young adults. Rose's unique innocence has caused her to acquire information that could get her in to trouble. Whereas, Pinkie's violent personality has led him to turning in to a threatening individual. Both characters childhoods could have had an impact on their nature as young adults, however, in some ways their dreadful upbringing may have caused them to aspire to make their lives different.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, Greene presents the character of Pinkie as being an innocent yet sadistic 'boy.' For example, Pinkie is alluded to being a child-like character yet he emphasises an emotionless and violent personality, "The word murder conveyed no more to him than the word, 'box,''collar,''giraffe'..." The simple nouns infer to the reader that Pinkie is just a 'boy' as they show child-like connotations. This reference to childhood from Greene contrasts vastly with the overall sentence as its focus is on murder. The syndetic listing emphasised by Greene connotes a sense of normality complacent with murder as the list dilutes the term. Furthermore, the third person narrative running throughout detaches the reader from not only Pinkie but gives the word murder no emotional attachment. This outlook of Pinkies obvious harsh childhood due to his neutral feelings on murder has caused him to turn in to a sinister and dark young adult.
However, The vulnerable and struggling character of Rose, provides the reader with the impression that she wants her life to change. Therefore, Rose's obvious unloving childhood which should have caused her to become a lazy and wasteful young adult has in fact steered her in to being a determined and willing character. For instance, Rose works at 'Snow's' which implies that she wants to do something with her life,"the lightening showed a strut of tarred wood, a wave breaking and her pale,bony,terrified face." The flash of lightening mirrors a flash of the past which impacts the reader as it connotes a shocking and terrifying past. In conclusion, the way you are nurtured as a child is and isn't an excuse for your nature as an adult. Both the characters of Rose and Pinkie act differently in relation to this.
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ReplyDeleteGreene presents Rose as a naïve character who is oblivious to the evil in the world and who spends all her time trying to run away from the present and the past which is evident in the quote “as for the present – she got through that as quickly as she could, running away from things, running towards things … her heart pounding at an escape or an expectation”. This supports the nurture argument as she must have had bad experiences for her to become so obsessed with escaping the present and always heading for somewhere else without actually knowing where it is as she runs towards “things”.
DeleteIn contrast Pinkie is presented as an emotionless monster who takes a perverse pleasure in hurting others as seen in the quote “the emotion hadn’t woken. He couldn’t see through other people’s eyes… what would be the fun if they didn’t squeal?”. This demonstrates his perverse nature as he takes pleasure in the pain that he inflicts on others and without experiencing any feeling of empathy to others due to his lack of imagination. This supports neither argument as it can be argued that this is the result of a poor upbringing which is also responsible for his “slatey eyes touched with annihilating eternity” however it can also be argued that he was born this way and naturally has psychopathic tendencies, which has resulted in his lack of emotion.
Rose’s character is one of childishness and naivety. She shows her naivety in the quote “Vitriol? What’s vitriol?” as she is completely unaware of the destructive effect it can have on someone. Her unawareness comes with her youthfulness and non-exposure to the criminal underworld that Pinkie grew up and lives in so she has become naïve and trusting of any stranger that gives her attention even if they carry a possible devastating weapon.
DeletePinkie on the other hand comes from an upbringing much different to Rose which made him the hardened and isolated character he is. Unlike Rose, Pinkie enjoys and relies on isolation as he meets Rose at the end of the Brighton Pier at the dark of night. The idea of isolation shows Pinkies mind set towards being emotionally detached from people and society and how he can murder and commit crime without a second thought. This is backed up with “the word murder conveyed no more to him than the word ‘box’, ‘collar’, ’giraffe’ where he also shows the idea of his emotional detachment from the people he kills. Murder to him is just another ordinary part of life that he experiences and believes is normal. His emotional detachment may come from his hardened upbringing where he may have witnessed terrible things as a small child which would have shaped him into the person he is today, even though he is only still a “boy of seventeen”.
Matt G
Greene presents the theme of nature vs. nurture through the character of Pinkie. Pinkie is introduced to the readers in the opening chapters as a dark, sinister yet reserved figure who described as acting older than he is in reality. This idea of the contradiction between his appearance and attitude links to the theme of nature vs. nurture as shown in the quote "'I'm seventeen too' the Boy said, and the eyes which had never been young stared with grey contempt". The word grey implies there has always been a hidden darkness within Pinkie on his outlook and perception on life. This quote shows that due to the rough and poor upbringing Pinkie had suffered which led to him having to grow up quickly which explains why he had "never been young" and had such a lack of youth in his presence. This supports the idea of nurture in the nature vs. nurture argument.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, Greene presents the reader with the nature vs. nurture theme through the character of Rose. Rose is initially presented a naive, innocent and youthful character by Greene. From the quote "the eyes which had never been young stared with grey contempt into the eyes which had only just begun to learn a thing or two" we learn about rose's background. It suggests to the reader that like Pinkie she had a tough childhood but unlike Pinkie she has still not grown up as shown when the narrator claims she "just begun to learn a thing or two" showing her lack of understanding and naivety in the adult world. This further supports the concept of nurture as it implies that her lack of knowledge and understanding was influenced by her upbringing. - Will Morley
It's immediately obvious to us as readers that Pinkie has had a tough childhood, but we do not immediately assume that he behaves the way he is because of this, as he seems so emotionally unattached from everything. It makes us hard as readers to believe he ever was able to seem caring, the use of the 3rd person narrative also assists this as we feel as if we are blocked of from him and emphasis the fact he doesn't know how to love or how to accept love as he never received it. This idea about Pinkie suggests that maybe his actions are acceptable and may be excusable due to his past, until we meet Rose.
ReplyDeleteRose contrasts to Pinkie as she is very naive,innocent and pure. However we see from the quote "the eyes which had never been young stared with grey contempt into the eyes which had only just begun to learn a thing or two" this suggests to us that Rose's childhood was so perfect either, except Pinkie grew up as a result of his and she didn't, it also emphasis the contrasts between herself and Pinkie as it makes the reader feel she lacks understanding and this is because of her past and Pinkie has gained knowledge because of his. This now suggests to us Pinkie's actions may not be excusable due to his childhood, he just chose to let his past consume him.
Eleanor Lambert
Rose's use of "Vitrirol?" shows her naive nature. This can be seen as how even though she as grown up in a slum like environment she has retained the naivety of youth. This shows the power of nature over nurture. pinkie on the other hand is on the opposie of thisscale, where he grew up in a terrible environment in the gang and was constantly in situations where emotion was seen as weakness, therefore the emotions he feels, which are represented by "music" are supressed by himself due to the way he was nurtured and his instincts to feel have been alienated from himself, Greene therefore provides contrasting views on nature vs nurture, with Rose representing someone pure and innocent of nature who has not been corrupted by the world she has grown up in whilst Pinkie is the opposite, someone who has been influenced by his surroundings to the pouint of psychopathy as can be seen in "a faint secret sensual pleasure he felt, touching the bottle of vitriol with his fingers" which shows he enjoys the idea of inflicting pain on others and having power over their fate
ReplyDeleteGreene presents Pinkie and Rose as a contrast to show the severity of Pinkies emotional detachment in comparison to Rose's naivety. When Pinkie is first introduced to the reader, it is clear that he is significantly different to other people whilst he still shows glimpses of friendly characteristics, this is shown in the quote "'I'm seventeen too' the Boy said, and the eyes which had never been young stared with grey contempt". This quote shows whilst he has not had a proper childhood, which is supported by "the eyes which had never been young", he does however often appear friendly "I'm seventeen too". This shows the audience that Pinkie wants Rose to relate to him which contradicts the previous impression the audience develops of him which shows no emotion or compassion. This may support the idea of nurture being the greater factor in his personality as he shows both elements of being completely detached from emotion whilst also showing glimpses of kindness which shows how he is not psychopathic. However, the description of his eyes being grey shows the lifelessness his character has which may support the perception that nature has caused him to be this way. This heavily contrasts to Rose's character who is desperate to find an escape from her reality. When Pinkie comes into her life, she sees a new world and a way to get her new life. This is shown from the quote "the eyes which had never been young stared with grey contempt into the eyes which had only just begun to learn a thing or two". Saying Rose's eyes "had only just began to learn a thing or two" shows us that she may have had an underwhelming childhood and now Pinkie has entered her life she feels alive. In the short time they have known each other she has already started developing a new perspective on the world. - Dylan Peters
ReplyDeletePinkie is presented as a character who had a tough upbringing, that lacked love and nurture. The reader is able to depict towards the idea that Pinkie’s taboo behaviour is due to this abandoned and unnatural childhood. The sense of Pinkie’s detachment from the rest of the characters is portrayed through the narrative perspective being in the 3rd person, making the text impersonal, meaning there is no sympathy available from the reader. Although some may argue that Pinkie’s detachment from the reader also causes them to make a desperate connection, causing them to feel some empathy due to his lack to do so and his inadequate social skills. Pinkie never received any love from his parents and therefore had none to give to other characters. To pair Pinkie with Rose is an ironic situation. It is expressive of how this unexpected and immoral union is reflective of something being hidden behind the relationship, in this instance a union of un-requirement, inferiority and imbalance. Despite this there is some sort of connection between the two due to their improper upbringings, although the way they coped with it in the future were two completely different paths. Pinkie rejected all emotion that was headed his way, the only emotion he let empower him was hatred, Contradicting this, Rose grasped any emotion that was in her reach, explaining her naive nature and why she was so quick to marry Pinkie. They allowed their pasts to envelop them in their own unique ways.
ReplyDeleteGreene presents Pinkie as an emotionally scarred individual which we, as readers interpret to be because of his childhood/ upbringing, which evidently lacked affection and love, this partly excuses Pinkie from some of his unnatural and disturbing behaviour. This kind of behaviour is depicted in the quote “the word murder conveyed no more to him than the word ‘box’, ‘collar’, ’giraffe". this quite gives evidence that Pinkie is not affected by is own actions in anyway, no remorse or guilt is felt as a consequence of his actions.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Greene presents Rose in the complete opposite, we are given the impression that Rose had a nurturing upbringing of compassion, love and safety. This is shown through her completely trusting nature and the way she believes whatever Pinkie tells her eg. when Pinkie lies to her and tells her Hale was the one caught up in the mob violence. Rose is also portrayed as quite weak by Greene, this is achieved through the fact that she allows Pinkie to harm her without telling him to stop, this presents an idea of desperation/ leaching onto anyone and everyone around her. -Tom Brooks
The theme of Nature vs Nurture is present throughout Brighton Rock; this is shown with the two conflicting characters and personalities of Pinkie and Rose. Pinkie is seen as Nature as he has not had a childhood, this is present with the quote “the word murder conveyed no more to him than the word ‘box’, ‘collar’, ’giraffe". This shows how inhuman he is and how animalistic he is as he sees death as nothing effectively as meaningless as a giraffe is to him, as he would have never seen a giraffe or cared for one, this is the same way he views death. It is meaningless to him the word and action means nothing to him. These shows how animalistic he is as he acts the same way animals do, they have no feelings you wouldn’t see a lion mourning the death of a zebra, nor would you see Pinkie having any regrets for his actions or even seeing them in the same way that we would.
ReplyDeleteContrastingly the theme of Nurture is shown through the character of Rose who is very human, very weak and incapable compared to Pinkie. This is shown with the quote “had only just begun to learn a thing or two". This shows how she has very little real world experience compared with Pinkie as she has been sheltered her whole life. Greene does this is to help show the difference between the two characters and how unusual it is for these two to even get along with each other. Yet alone have a relationship.
Ollie Tanner
The theme of Nature vs Nurture is present throughout Brighton Rock; this is shown with the two conflicting characters and personalities of Pinkie and Rose. Pinkie is seen as Nature as he has not had a childhood, this is present with the quote “the word murder conveyed no more to him than the word ‘box’, ‘collar’, ’giraffe". This shows how inhuman he is and how animalistic he is as he sees death as nothing effectively as meaningless as a giraffe is to him, as he would have never seen a giraffe or cared for one, this is the same way he views death. It is meaningless to him the word and action means nothing to him. These shows how animalistic he is as he acts the same way animals do, they have no feelings you wouldn’t see a lion mourning the death of a zebra, nor would you see Pinkie having any regrets for his actions or even seeing them in the same way that we would.
ReplyDeleteContrastingly the theme of Nurture is shown through the character of Rose who is very human, very weak and incapable compared to Pinkie. This is shown with the quote “had only just begun to learn a thing or two". This shows how she has very little real world experience compared with Pinkie as she has been sheltered her whole life. Greene does this is to help show the difference between the two characters and how unusual it is for these two to even get along with each other. Yet alone have a relationship.
Ollie Tanner
Rose presents an impression of naivety, in absolute contrast to that of Pinkie, who is vastly competent, and experienced. The confidence, and trust of which she shows towards Pinkie, a character known to the reader as obnoxious, and unpleasant, and having knowing Pinkie this short amount of time demonstrates this lack of understanding, and naivety, 'Vitriol?', and the hidden truths of Brighton. The constant, repetition of this; Rose has an impressive memory for faces which could allude to the possibility that such is all that she sees, and as with Pinkie, although Rose does remember the appearance, though she is unable to look beneath the physical appearance, and understand a person’s true qualities. - Ben Spicer
ReplyDeleteRose presents an impression of naivety, in absolute contrast to that of Pinkie, who is vastly competent, and experienced. The confidence, and trust of which she shows towards Pinkie, a character known to the reader as obnoxious, and unpleasant, and having knowing Pinkie this short amount of time demonstrates this lack of understanding, and naivety, 'Vitriol?', and the hidden truths of Brighton. The constant, repetition of this; Rose has an impressive memory for faces which could allude to the possibility that such is all that she sees, and as with Pinkie, although Rose does remember the appearance, though she is unable to look beneath the physical appearance, and understand a person’s true qualities. - Ben Spicer
ReplyDeleteOne character in which Greene presents the theme of nature vs. nurture is through Pinkie. Also Pinkie to the theme of appearance vs. reality, Pinkie is introduced to the readers as a troubled, sinister character, yet at the same time seemingly wise and old. A quote that would link the theme of nature vs. nurture to Pinkie would be "'I'm seventeen too' the Boy said, and the eyes which had never been young stared with grey contempt". The quote suggests that due to a rough childhood, Pinkie has been brought up faster than he should have, presented through the contrast in his lack of understanding in life yet supposedly similar to an elderly man. This idea supports the idea of nurture having a profound effect on your actions as an adult. As well as this, the fact that Pinkie carries a bottle of acid (vitriol), instead of a common weapon shows his warped vision on life, as a result of his upbringing. This alludes to the fact that Pinkie would rather scar somebody than to simply hurt them, emphasising his anger.
ReplyDeleteAlfie Narborough
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