Donna Tartt's The Secret History

The distinctive ethics that define each character, end up dividing all to highlight the vast differences between them. The

Death is perhaps humans greatest enigma. It is inevitable, shrouded in mystery, and yet troublesomely peaceful. Greek philosopher Epicurus described humans greatest flaw to be that of the fear of death: “Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not”. Two notable novels, Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood and Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, both similarly analyze the complexities and consequences of death. Death and loss cause the collapse of human rationality and moral integrity thereby leading to the downfall of Agnes Magnusdottir and Grace Marks. Firstly, The traumatizing events of death of loved ones experienced by both protagonists early in their adolescence invoke the prolonged destruction of security and morality even later into their adulthood. Secondly, The alleged murders committed by Agnes and Grace result in deeply scarring events

Both characters in the story faces conflict within himself. He struggles with what he believes is right and what society wants him to do.

What are the ways in which each major character experiences conflict (either with self, with other characters, or with the social and/or physical environment)?

The main charaters in these stories face some tough conflict; it's either man vs. self, man vs. man, or man vs. nature. For example, Louise,

At first glance, The Secret History by Donna Tartt does not seem like a book that deserves to be anthologized; no one in the modern day has heard of it (The Goldfinch by the same author is a common recommendation, a Pulitzer Prize winner and the most recent publication by Tartt), the book is long and thick with a slightly academic tone to the writing, and the majority of the story relies on Ancient Greek mythology, customs, and language. It does not seem relevant enough to preserve. But, the books publication in 1992 tells a different story with immediate buyouts, the book so popular that it was immediately translated into 23 different languages. A close reading of the text shows a unique examination of the human psyche through various players, analyzing how certain people will react differently when put under immense strain. The story also remains gripping from the very first line, regardless of if the main themes of the book remain in Ancient Greece and continuously draw upon it throughout the 559 pages. I believe that this book should be anthologized because it has proven to be popular with its initial press and sales, it draws upon plenty of literary devices to create a seamless story, there are

But because death also entails physiological decay, the beauty of the just-departed contains an element of terror, since the passage of time implies a subsequent and inevitable mutation to loathsomeness…. The dying woman became a sign of her own fate, and her dissolution presented a spectacle at once irresistible and unbearable. 3

Donna Tartt opens The Goldfinch by having the protagonist Theo Decker describe the gloomy, confining but mystical hotel room in which he has been staying for weeks. While discussing and describing how miserable he really is, Theo is enraptured by the sight of his mother in the mirror. Upon waking up, Theo realizes that it was just a dream. Theo then goes on to relish the happier times he has had with his mother before her death. By fast forwarding in time and capturing the decrepit and pitiable condition in which adult Theo is living and then juxtaposing them with those happy moments of sitting and eating with his mother, Tartt draws readers in, making them wonder how Theo’s life spiraled so much out of control. The juxtaposition of setting also lends credibility to this notion. Theo’s mother died in New York; however, he is half way across the globe in Amsterdam, compelling readers to ponder what exactly made Theo want to go to Amsterdam and stay in a hotel by himself.

Have you ever believed in something or someone so much that you would give up everything? Or felt so obligated to do something that was, in reality, the wrong thing to do? Everyone has their own views on what is morally correct based on where they came from and what day in age it is. Within two stories we can see the differences and similarities of how we all can make mistakes and how we can all fight for what we believe in. In the selections “Godfather Death” and “A&P” the authors, Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, and John Updike, uses the elements of plot, through exposition, climax, and resolution, in different ways to express their take on morals.

The novel also deals with two main human concerns, which include a person's goals or aspirations as well as the issue of pride and its affect on a person.

b) This story is ironic since eventually everything the student have dies tragically. Throughout, deaths builds upon the little things starting with trees, continuing with rodents and reptiles. Then, a puppy and the foreign student Kim they adopted had died. This is ironic because when the children have these wonderful pets, one by one they suddenly die. However, Edger the teacher tries to make the thought of death not important. Edger portrays death to the children as a natural thing and they shouldn’t care. Furthermore, he makes a lot of excuses to avoid the thought and dismiss death but the amount makes death The story is all about death and life is just part of it.

Death, besides being present in the form of the characters' mortality, also dominates much of the conversation, such as the brief discussion of an order of monks where they "got up at

Sometimes, choices may have a greater effect than one might have initially thought it would. In Insurgent, by Veronica Roth, the main character, Tris, is forced to make many tough decisions that could potentially decide the fate of her entire city. She has to decide which of her boyfriend, Tobias’s, parents to support. Tris' final decision of who to support and how it impacts the city illustrates two of Roth's themes—how small choices can have a large-scale effect and division of community—and how they relate to the central conflict.

Individuals become compelled by contradictory and subjective intentions to achieve their self-serving agenda. At the summit of the tale, everything intensifies tenfold; the characters experience multitudes of emotions and

In the poem “The Truth the Dead Know,” Anne Sexton narrates her struggle to overcome the desolation and sorrow caused by the death of her parents. Throughout the poem there is an attempt to discover the truth, meaning, and nature of death. Sexton demonstrates that death can be understood through its relationship with life. Death is shown to erode physicality, divide people, and escape definition as even nature and religion fail to provide comfort and an understanding of death.