Friday, April 19, 2013

A Story by Definition


Given the fact that the first chapters are actually told by a child, in this case Claudia, the vocabulary is well…childlike. The words are simplistic and even self-explanatory, but when their definitions are put together they tell a story of their own.

Martydrom: A display of feigned or exaggerated suffering

Schemata: A representation of a plan or theory in the form of an outline or model.

Debris: Scattered fragments, typically of something wrecked or destroyed.

Zest: Great enthusiasm and energy.

Hollyhocks: A tall Eurasian plant (Alcea rosea) of the mallow family, widely cultivated for its large showy flowers

Starch: Stiffen (fabric or clothing) with starch

The family is clearly suffering and the children are mirror images of who they are supposed to be, except that they are shattered wrecked and destroyed. They have been born into an outline of their lives. The way they despise their roots, the way they curse poverty, and the way they accept the fact that they were born into misery is merely proof of the zest they were deprived from since the beginning of their existence. Like Hollyhocks, the minds of the adults are thin, narrow, and still, but the children seem to breakthrough those limitations as long as they stay innocent and naïve when it comes to reality. They are shielded by creation, imagination, and most importantly their ability to question.

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