eSCAping Type 1

Refresh your memory on the importance of analyzing by re-reading Part 1 of this post HERE.

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A good book (or movie, or show) causes constant questioning. If you’re not wondering something about the plot, there’s no point in continuing to read or watch. I’m not saying to only read mysteries, just be sure to recognize simple wonders – Where are they going? What will he say to that man? Who will be selected? When will she notice that?

But to analyze a book, you’re going to shift your attention to the actual writing and continually ask yourself “Why?”

You see, everything has a purpose. If an author spends time telling you something, there’s a reason for it. If it didn’t matter, it wouldn’t be included.

True, an author might just be doing character/setting/plot development, but a GOOD author is doing so much more. And good readers pick up on this.

For example, viewers learn pretty early on that Indiana Jones is afraid of snakes. Not heights or darkness or mummies or bugs… snakes. So we know that snakes – specifically – are going to come into play later on, otherwise why tell us this?

Similarly, if a character “forgets” to close a door, or sets an item down in an odd place, or is allergic to a particular food, or the house is a certain color… there’s usually more to it.

Now, analysis is exciting because everything can mean so many different things. Really, you just have to know that if you come across SOMETHING it means SOMETHING.

And since there is no right-or-wrong answer, people get really frustrated. They fixate on the fact that since we usually don’t know the author’s intention, analysis is pointless. ELA is stupid.

Right – I very well could be making it all up; that thing might not mean anything. But it’s a lot more fun if it does. It makes reading more exciting for me, more personal, more immersive.

Really, it doesn’t matter what the author intended… the book is in your hands now.

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Quick story: I was a Creative Writing major in college (yup.), and in multiple classes, we’d have to write a poem or short story and give a copy to every classmate for them to read. Then, the group would sit in a circle and discuss it, but the writer was NOT allowed to speak. If something was confusing, or misinterpreted, or overlooked, it wasn’t because the readers were “wrong” – it was the author’s fault for writing it that way. We learned to edit our writing based on the reactions we hoped to invoke.

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So, like John Green says, “Whether an author intended a symbolic resonance to exist in her book is irrelevant. All that matters is whether it’s there because the book does not exist for the benefit of the author — the book exists for the benefit of you. If we as readers can have a bigger and richer experience with the world as a result of reading a symbol and that symbol wasn’t intended by the author, we still win! Yes, inevitably reading is a conversation between an author and a reader, but give yourself some power in that conversation, reader. Go out there and make a world!”

 

And, with that, here are a few (more) analytical items you can look for:

 

1. Color

This one is pretty well-known. Colors are super connotative, so if one is mentioned (like I said) there’s a reason. A woman in a pink dress gives off different vibes than a woman in a red one, right?

I bet you can even associate this with real life since a person’s mood often determines their attire.  There’s a reason brides wear white. There’s a reason proper funeral attire is black.

Find a breakdown of what each color might represent in the chart below, but basically…

• White – purity, cleanliness, innocence
• Purple – royalty, wealth
• Red – intensity, passion, love, anger
• Green – envy, natural, growth, start/begin/go
• Blue – sorrow, calmness, comfort
• Yellow – happy, positive, warning, sick
• Black – despair, unknown

So, why is Hester Prynne’s “A” scarlet? Why does Gatsby stare at a green light? Why is the wallpaper in that one short story yellow?

 

2. Weather

“It was a dark and stormy night…” 

OK, but why? Why not a bright and sunny day? Or a windy, crisp afternoon? And why tell us this right away, before even mentioning characters?

Of course it immediately sets the mood & immerses the reader in the setting. It’s good, that’s why it’s so popular. But weather can do so much more.

Rain, specifically.

Likeeeee fostering cleanliness. Water is often used to wash things away. So if a character is caught in the rain, it could be cleansing them of their sins, their past, certain thoughts, traits… 

Rain is also known for supporting life. We’ve all heard that April showers bring May flowers. So, rain could be providing a new beginning, if you will.

Rain can also create mud (danger, faults), and force people to shelter together, and potentially cause illness, or floods, or rainbows…

It’s much easier for an author to keep their characters warm and dry, so if they’re not – like Gatsby choosing to walk around in the rain while wearing all white right before knowingly reuniting with the “long-lost” love of his life – there’s probably a reason for it.

Fun Fact: It began raining the very second Trump began his 2017 Inauguration Speech. According to Time magazine, “Supporters of the new commander-in-chief took Mother Nature’s timing as a sign of cleansing, while his opponents perceived it as the sky joining them in mourning the transition of power.” One of my students at the time was there and had immediately, excitedly explained this to other patrons. (He earned extra credit when he emailed to tell me all about it right after.)

Told you ELA can apply to real life.

 

3. Eating

Food can definitely show love and nourishment.

If you’re cooking for someone, you probably know them pretty well… at least their allergies and dietary requirements. Eating with someone familiar is generally a sign of intimacy while eating with strangers is usually awkward and uncomfortable.

(Before authors were allowed to write about sex, they would oftentimes write pretty raunchy, descriptive eating scenes instead.)

The very food itself can also be used to evoke certain feelings.

A man drinking a glass of wine probably has a different personality than one drinking a Jack & Coke. An entire page of Game of Thrones details John Snow eating a damn apple while alone in the woods, just in case you were debating his Christ Figure status.

So, if that meal is suddenly interrupted – like when Tom’s mistress calls during his wife’s dinner party in chapter one of the Great Gatsby – don’t you think that probably foreshadows something? 

See? Analysis can make the most boring scenes exciting.

 

4. Other Tips, Symbols, & Characteristics

Foster goes into detail on all of these in his book, but here’s a rundown of what I find important:

– Be sure to pay attention to a character’s physical description – it can give you a lot (alot isn’t a word) more information than you might initially realize. For example, it’s much easier just to give a character a scar rather than explaining their rough past & tough personality.

– A character who is sick or hurt usually has that particular illness or injury for a reason – does it specifically alter their sight, or heart, or mind, or life expectancy? Like Reverand Dimmesdale’s chest hurting in The Scarlet Letter or Mr. Rochester ending up blind in Jane Eyre or Bran Stark’s paralysis in Game of Thrones.

– Keep an eye out for that unreliable narrator! Remember, if a story is told from the first-person point of view (“I” “me” “us”), you’re ONLY getting their side of the story. It might be accurate, but it’s also biased. Like Nick Carraway narrating The Great Gatsby, which the newest movie version emphasizes by putting him in a Mental Hospital.

– Flying usually symbolizes freedom or escaping, so if a bird or plane is seen – even if it’s a quick, one-sentence sighting –  there’s a deeper desire behind it. Disney’s Dumbo is an easy example, but we’ve also got Edna spotting a bird while contemplating divorce in The Awakening, Robbie watching a plane while thinking about life in Atonement, and even Katniss’ Mockingjay pin in Hunger Games. 

– I mentioned weather (fog = confusion), but watch for other natural elements, too. The presence of water is similar to rain, fire (even a candle) has similar symbolism to the color red, dirt can be meaningful in that it can be exposed or covered up…

I hope a few examples popped into your mind while reading this, but if not, don’t worry – I’ll give you a bunch of books/movies/shows (most good movies are books) to try out your new analytical skills on HERE!