The Plague In Geraldine Brooks 'Year Of Wonders'
“In the face of the plague, the characters’ beliefs disintegrate.” Discuss.
In Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks focuses on the effects of the plague on the English village of Eyam in 1665. The village is introduced as a spiritual community; there are various religious and moral codes that the people live by. As the plague hits, these strong beliefs are put to the test. Brooks’s narrative asserts the notion that disaster and catastrophe, as widespread in form as the bubonic plague, is capable of destroying both faith and trust between humanity and religion. Some villagers lose hope in what they once had confidence in; the panic and distress during the plague year causes them to behave irrationally. When the most pious character of Eyam, Michael Mompellion, has his passion for God put to the test, he becomes broken and concludes that there is no God. The protagonist, Anna Frith, also loses faith in her religion, however her outcome is much different in comparison. In the midst of chaos, Anna is rational and her sense of purpose in life …show more content…
During the plague year, many minor characters did not completely lose hope but had some doubt and questioned God’s intentions by causing such pain. Michael Mompellion however, originally being the rector of the village, feels almost betrayed by God after the death of Elinor. He wonders why he has to suffer when he speaks optimistically of Christ and continues to have confidence in Him even when others don’t. This causes Mompellion’s belief in Christianity to completely disintegrate. To some extent Anna follows a path similar to Mompellion’s, the senseless and painful deaths of her loved ones seem dissolve her faith in God. She grieves for them and suffers from her losses, but she is able to continue her life with a new belief and motive
In Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks focuses on the effects of the plague on the English village of Eyam in 1665. The village is introduced as a spiritual community; there are various religious and moral codes that the people live by. As the plague hits, these strong beliefs are put to the test. Brooks’s narrative asserts the notion that disaster and catastrophe, as widespread in form as the bubonic plague, is capable of destroying both faith and trust between humanity and religion. Some villagers lose hope in what they once had confidence in; the panic and distress during the plague year causes them to behave irrationally. When the most pious character of Eyam, Michael Mompellion, has his passion for God put to the test, he becomes broken and concludes that there is no God. The protagonist, Anna Frith, also loses faith in her religion, however her outcome is much different in comparison. In the midst of chaos, Anna is rational and her sense of purpose in life …show more content…
During the plague year, many minor characters did not completely lose hope but had some doubt and questioned God’s intentions by causing such pain. Michael Mompellion however, originally being the rector of the village, feels almost betrayed by God after the death of Elinor. He wonders why he has to suffer when he speaks optimistically of Christ and continues to have confidence in Him even when others don’t. This causes Mompellion’s belief in Christianity to completely disintegrate. To some extent Anna follows a path similar to Mompellion’s, the senseless and painful deaths of her loved ones seem dissolve her faith in God. She grieves for them and suffers from her losses, but she is able to continue her life with a new belief and motive