I think the major conflict in this story is about wether you should forget the past and just move on for the sake of some peace and quiet or to lift the past up to the surface to be able to analyze it and really work with your past. Either way is right and wrong. Maybe the past is so dreadful that you just can't handle bringing it up, hence it would only make the wounds worse. But at the same time it might just be what you need to do to get on with your life...
Sarah choose to forget and build a new life, but the truth came out evetually. Even though the truth came out when Sarah was dead, it still came out and her family that knew nothing got to know a whole new side of the person they thought they knew. But maybe, just maybe that was for the best, the truth could have done more harm back then, then it did now... who knows?
The theme of the book, is according to me, the same as the major conflict. It's about telling the truth or white lies. If I got the question wether I would prefer the truth or a white lie, I would just say the truth of course. But if you really think about it, it's not an easy question to answer, especially not in Sarah's case. Sometimes the truth would just hurt too much... but wouldn't it hurt more if the truth came out when the white lie already was said. I'm so ambivalent in this question. And I think that's what the Author wanted us to think about, so that's why I've come to the conclusion that: "The truth or a white lie" is the theme.
The first couple of chapters are divided the way that every other is from the past and present time. But later on in the book that stops, and after that it's the present time you get to follow. The language that Rosnay (the author) has used is the same in both past and present time. Since the book only reflects two minds, and one of them for just a few chapters I find it hard to see a difference in the language. But as far as I'm concerned the language doesn't change a bit, i.e remains the same through out the book. Maybe that's a problem, for it would be natural for the past to be written in a more old fashioned way.
I totally agree! Your analysis of the book is in good agreement with what I most likely would write myself. I must say you have done a nice analysis on this on Emma.
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting question about the art of telling the truth or use a little white lie. This of course might also be seen as one of the moral questions in the novel. What would you have done?
ReplyDelete/Camilla