How to Read Literature Pro 18-19

Chapter 18

In the Notebook it rains on the two characters, Allie and Noah, which are just friends at this point, but soon after they frolic around in the pouring rain Noah picks Allie up and carries her inside, as if everything between them had changed and became in love in an instant. The rain cleansed the two by instilling love and allowing the two to be together, which is a very crucial point in the literary work.

Chapter 19

Foster would classify geography as any setting, detail, or surroundings characters. Geography in literature is very symbolic.

1)      No Country For Old Men was in a desert which is desolate, dry, and unsettling, all of which help shape the story itself. For example, Chigurh was quite disturbing and unsettling, which without such a desolate and isolated area may have not been plausible. The dryness of the desert also symbolized how times have changed or “dried up” and there are far worse threats in the world today than in the past.

2)      In the novel, The Catcher in the Rye, the geography matters because of the big city feel and sense of loneliness, fright, and distance from the world the book presents. Without the geography, Holden, would not have realized that a lot of people are uncaring and willing to leave you behind for their own personal needs and use you, even though they are so called friends; which basically is the moral of the story.

3)      In the short story, A Rose for Emily, the geography helps influence the meaning of the work as a whole. Without the small town feel and the mostly white community, in a predominantly racist area the reader could not connect to Emily or the rest of the characters. From the geography the reader can sense that something serious and unusual is going on.

4)      Forrest Gump is vastly influenced by geography, which in this case is constantly shifting. Although the geography shifts from place to place, Forrest Gump and the rest of the movie is greatly influenced by the different geographies which is directly correlated to Gump’s many experiences. The geography connects the viewer closer to Forrest and feel as if they enjoy the story with him.