Geraldine Brooks 'Heroism In Year Of Wonders'
SAMPLE ESSAY – ‘Year of Wonders’
‘Heroism is a feature of ‘Year of Wonders’, but so is its reverse.’ Discuss
What is it to be a hero / heroine? Is it just a matter of goodness? Is it possible for someone whose character is flawed – or suddenly revealed to be flawed - to still retain this status? Geraldine Brooks’ novel, ‘Year of Wonders’ leaves us with such questions and reminds us that these are complex considerations. A ‘hero’ (or ‘heroine’) can be defined as, “a person who is greatly admired for their noble actions and nobility of spirit”. In terms of ‘Year of Wonders’, we can flesh this out more clearly – those we deem ‘heroic’ are seen as such because of their selfless devotion to the welfare of others. They serve others without …show more content…
What can we say about them, either as ordinary people or exceptional ones? All of this, in its final analysis, depends very much on their actions and reactions to the events of the plague – what we see them doing in response to the horrors brought to the village by this fierce epidemic, and whether that is something, finally, to be admired. Brooks certainly weaves a moral landscape in and around the little village of Eyam. Some rise to the occasion with goodness, service and compassion, while others become even more self-concerned, more self-seeking and apparently more capable of nasty indifference to the sufferings of others – even to the point of exploitation. All of this provides a strong backdrop to the novel against which, set in high relief, are two distinct camps – those we admire and those we do not. Central to this is the novel’s protagonist – and yes, ‘heroine’ – …show more content…
Against these we have juxtaposed the very reverse, in characters such a Joss Bont, his wife Aphra and the self-serving nasty piece of work that is Colonel Bradford. Joss is all about himself and Aphra not far behind him. He has a suspect history with Anna, who had suffered at his hand for years, before the story opens, and he deals the same treatment out to his other children, when it suits him. He is depicted as lazy, opportunist and a drunkard. He is greedy, scheming and exploitative, when the opportunity arises (as when he becomes the village grave digger) and he is not – as we see in the case of Christopher Unwin – above killing to get what he wants. If heroes are admired for their nobility of spirit, Joss is feared and despised for his lack of it. Few shed tears for him when he dies in the stowe, having been left there as punishment for his heinous crimes. Aphra is in some ways a sadder character, her one redeeming feature being her love for her children, but her dependence on Joss and her willingness to be his ‘partner in crime’ does little to save her from our critical judgment. Bradford (and his family not much less?) is arguably the least likeable and admired character in the novel. He shares many of the characteristics of Joss, but perhaps has less reason for being as he is,
‘Heroism is a feature of ‘Year of Wonders’, but so is its reverse.’ Discuss
What is it to be a hero / heroine? Is it just a matter of goodness? Is it possible for someone whose character is flawed – or suddenly revealed to be flawed - to still retain this status? Geraldine Brooks’ novel, ‘Year of Wonders’ leaves us with such questions and reminds us that these are complex considerations. A ‘hero’ (or ‘heroine’) can be defined as, “a person who is greatly admired for their noble actions and nobility of spirit”. In terms of ‘Year of Wonders’, we can flesh this out more clearly – those we deem ‘heroic’ are seen as such because of their selfless devotion to the welfare of others. They serve others without …show more content…
What can we say about them, either as ordinary people or exceptional ones? All of this, in its final analysis, depends very much on their actions and reactions to the events of the plague – what we see them doing in response to the horrors brought to the village by this fierce epidemic, and whether that is something, finally, to be admired. Brooks certainly weaves a moral landscape in and around the little village of Eyam. Some rise to the occasion with goodness, service and compassion, while others become even more self-concerned, more self-seeking and apparently more capable of nasty indifference to the sufferings of others – even to the point of exploitation. All of this provides a strong backdrop to the novel against which, set in high relief, are two distinct camps – those we admire and those we do not. Central to this is the novel’s protagonist – and yes, ‘heroine’ – …show more content…
Against these we have juxtaposed the very reverse, in characters such a Joss Bont, his wife Aphra and the self-serving nasty piece of work that is Colonel Bradford. Joss is all about himself and Aphra not far behind him. He has a suspect history with Anna, who had suffered at his hand for years, before the story opens, and he deals the same treatment out to his other children, when it suits him. He is depicted as lazy, opportunist and a drunkard. He is greedy, scheming and exploitative, when the opportunity arises (as when he becomes the village grave digger) and he is not – as we see in the case of Christopher Unwin – above killing to get what he wants. If heroes are admired for their nobility of spirit, Joss is feared and despised for his lack of it. Few shed tears for him when he dies in the stowe, having been left there as punishment for his heinous crimes. Aphra is in some ways a sadder character, her one redeeming feature being her love for her children, but her dependence on Joss and her willingness to be his ‘partner in crime’ does little to save her from our critical judgment. Bradford (and his family not much less?) is arguably the least likeable and admired character in the novel. He shares many of the characteristics of Joss, but perhaps has less reason for being as he is,