Runaway munro epub

The library card you previously added can't be used to complete this action. Please add your card again, or add a different card. If you receive an error message, please contact your library for help.

Error loading page. Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading. Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help. Louisville Free Public Library. My mother had a privat. But now the fog had changed! Pingback: 16 short stories by Alice Munro you can read for free right now scentofmimosa.

Flora's destiny remains unknown but the story ends with Carla's suspect to Clark. Clark had managed to get hold of a piece of roofing at a runawaay price. When Carla opened it, she is unable to think of a world without constraint and limitation, and Mrs. But after a while all outings came to be seen as a waste of time and money. On the other hand. Not even really closed, or to the horses. Sylvia looked directly at the girl-something that up to now she had not quite been able to do.

Munro writes: "he was mad at her all the times. She would not be concerned about what happened to him. Runaway is a book of short stories by Alice Munro.

There are eight short stories in the book. Three of the stories "Chance", "Soon", and "Silence" are about a single character named "Juliet Henderson". Finally, there is Clark's runaway temper, carefully documented early in the story, that threatens to become truly dangerous when he goes to Sylvia's house in the night to confront her about encouraging Carla's departure. Munro describes the goat's behavior in ways that mirror Carla's relationship with Clark.

She writes:. When Carla first left home, she behaved much in the starry-eyed manner of the goat. She was filled with "giddy delight" in her pursuit of a "more authentic kind of life" with Clark. She was impressed by his good looks, his colorful employment history, and "everything about him that ignored her. Clark's repeated suggestion that "Flora might have just gone off to find herself a billy" obviously parallels Carla's running away from her parents to marry Clark.

What's especially troubling about this parallel is that the first time Flora disappears, she is lost but still alive. The second time she disappears, it seems almost certain that Clark has killed her. This suggests that Carla is going to be in a much more dangerous position for having returned to Clark. As the goat matured, she changed alliances. Munro writes, "But as she grew older she seemed to attach herself to Carla, and in this attachment, she was suddenly much wiser, less skittish; she seemed capable, instead, of a subdued and ironic sort of humor.

If Clark has, in fact, killed the goat and it seems likely he has , it is symbolic of his commitment to killing off any of Carla's impulses to think or act independently, to be anything but the "guileless girl in love" who married him. Though Clark is clearly presented as a murderous, stultifying force, the story also places some of the responsibility for Carla's situation on Carla herself.

Consider the way Flora allows Clark to pet her, even though he may have been responsible for her original disappearance and is probably about to kill her. When Sylvia tries to pet her, Flora puts her head down as if to butt. This sounds a bit trite, but the title is a key theme as well - just not necessarily in the physical sense. Consider all of these different definitions and how they pop up in the stories. Some runaways are described as accidents - 'she — Flora — slipped through' - while others are much more deliberate.

The question here is how much control we actually have over our own lives. Not a lot, it would seem. She brings up complex moral situations but does not pass judgment on any. Throughout the stories, Munro brings in a few elements of Greek mythology or literature.

All of these elements have some significance:. In general, intertextuality is a way to enrich a text by drawing parallels and linking characters to existing stories or archetypes. Here, Munro uses classical texts to add dimension to her characters in a way that is almost-but-not-quite commentary. The other symbol that comes up a few times in the stories is roads or railroads - basically places where runaways might happen.

These ABC components are:. This is where we start getting into whether these boundaries are created or overstepped. Clark creates boundaries for Carla and her attempts to break free from them are unsuccessful. How can we synthesise these ideas into one essay?

Try to think of creative ways to string these ideas together that also build towards a bigger picture or overall contention about the text as a whole. This variation underscores their complexity. Now quite sure how to nail your text response essays? Then download our free mini-guide, where we break down the art of writing the perfect text-response essay into three comprehensive steps. Click below to get your own copy today! Then you're not alone! If you struggle to understand and stay on topic, learn how to answer the prompt every time with this quick free how-to guide.

Whilst he is indeed known for his hair-curling thrillers, Rear Window is a slightly subtler film which focuses not on a murderer at large, but rather a crippled photographer who never even leaves his apartment. Our protagonist L. After breaking his leg after a racing accident, Jeff begins to spy on his neighbours, one of whom he suspects of having committed a murder. Despite some initial misgivings, his insurance nurse Stella Thelma Ritter and lover Lisa Grace Kelly also come to share his suspicions and participate in his spying.

Their contributions ultimately allow the mystery to be solved. On the other hand, Kelly portrays a character much like herself, a refined and elegant urbanite whose lifestyle inherently clashes with that of an action photographer. Before getting into the nitty-gritty of the film, it is crucial to understand a bit about its historical context.

Released in the post-war period , the film is undoubtedly characterised by the interpersonal suspicion which defined the era. In particular, there was a real fear in America of Communist influences and Soviet espionage - so much so that a tribunal was established, supposedly to weed out Communists despite a general lack of evidence.

This practice of making accusations without such evidence is now known as the McCarthyism, named after the senator behind the tribunal. During this era, people really did fear one another, since the threat of Communism felt so widespread. At the same time, the s saw a boom in photojournalism as a legitimate profession. To some extent, this was fuelled by the heyday of Life magazine an American weekly, as well-known then as Time magazine is today.

This explains the prevalence of cameras in his life, as well as his ability to emotionally distance himself from those whom he observes through the lens. Another crucial historical element is the institution of marriage , and how important it was to people during the s.

It was an aspiration which everyone was expected to have, and this is reflected statistically - only 9. People also tended to marry at a younger age, generally in their early 20s. Conversely, divorce was highly frowned upon, and once you were married, you would in general remain married for the rest of your life. In particular, divorced women suffered massive financial difficulties, since men, as breadwinners, held higher-paying jobs, and women were only employed in traditionally female roles e.

Possibly the central tenet of the film is the big question of privacy. The character of Doyle says almost these exact words:. So to speak. Evidently, this is a major moral dilemma. If you suspect that someone has committed murder, does this give you the right to disregard their privacy and surveil them in this way?

In some ways, the audience is also positioned to reflect on this question, and in particular, reflect on the paranoia that characterised and defined the McCarthy era.

Somewhat separate to these questions is the romance between Jeff and Lisa, since Hitchcock seems to keep the thriller storyline and the romance storyline separate for a large part of the film. Their contrasting lifestyles and world views present a major obstacle in the fulfilment of their romance, and the murder mystery both distracts and unites them. The cinematographic techniques employed in Rear Window are important ways of shaping our understanding of the film, and Hitchcock uses a wide array of visual cues to communicate certain messages.

Lighting is one such cue that he uses a lot - it is said that at certain points in filming, he had used every single light owned by the studio in which this film was shot. In this film, lighting is used to reveal things: when the lights are on in any given apartment, Jeff is able to peer inside and watch through the window almost resembling a little TV screen; Jeff is also able to channel surf through the various apartments - Hitchcock uses panning to show this.

On the contrary, a lack of lighting is also used to hide things, and we see Thorwald utilise this at many stages in the film. Jeff also takes advantage of this, as he often sits in a position where he is very close to being in the shadows himself; if he feels the need, he is able to retreat such that he is fully enshrouded.

Low-key lighting in these scenes also contributes to an overall sense of drama and tension. Another handy visual cue is the cross-cut , which is an example of the Kuleshov effect.

The Kuleshov effect is an editing technique whereby a sequence of two shots is used to convey information more effectively than just a single shot. Specifically, the cross-cut shifts from a shot of a person to a second shot of something that this person is watching. By the way, to download a PDF version of this blog for printing or offline use, click here! That being said, one of the benefits of studying a film is that these symbols tend to be quite visual - you are able to see these recurring images and this may make them easier to spot.

Because he has been rendered immobile by his leg, readers can infer from this symbol that he is also incapable of working or even leaving his apartment, let alone solving a murder mystery. The broken leg is in this sense a symbol of his powerlessness and the source of much of his discontent.

Another interpretation of the broken leg however, is that it represents his impotence which on one hand is synonymous for powerlessness or helplessness, but is on the other hand an allusion to his apparent inability to feel sexual desire.

Being constantly distracted from Lisa by other goings-on in the courtyard definitely supports this theory. It is the main means through which he observes other people, and thus, it also symbolises his voyeuristic tendencies - just as his broken leg traps and inhibits him, his camera lens transports him out of his own apartment and allows him to project his own fears and insecurities into the apartments of his neighbours, watching them for entertainment, for visual pleasure.

In this latter sense, the camera lens can also be understood as a phallic symbol, an erection of sorts. Her initial wardrobe represents her elegance and refinery whilst also communicating a degree of incompatibility with Jeff. However, as she changes and compromises throughout the film, her wardrobe also becomes much more practical and much less ostentatious as the film wears on, until she is finally wearing a smart blouse, jeans and a pair of loafers.

The change in her wardrobe reflects changes in her character as well. Finally, the wedding ring of Mrs Thorwald is hugely significant; wedding rings in general represent marriage and commitment, and are still very important symbols that people still wear today. Now it's your turn to give these essay topics a go! In our ebook A Killer Text Guide: Rear Window , we've take 5 of these essay topics and show you our analysis, brainstorm and plan for each individual topic.

While we should use film techniques as part of our evidence repertoire in each essay, this particular type of essay prompt literally begs for it. Contention: Through a diverse range of film techniques, Hitchcock instils fear and apprehension into the audience of Rear Window.

P1: The opening sequence of Rear Window employs various film techniques to immediately establish underlying tension in its setting. If you find this helpful, then you might want to check out our A Killer Text Guide: Rear Window ebook, which has all the information and resources you need to succeed in your exam, with detailed summaries and background information, as well as a detailed analysis of all five essay prompts!

Download a PDF version of this blog for printing or offline use. Back then, Hitchcock was a controversial filmmaker just starting to make waves and build his influence in Hollywood; now, he is one of the most widely celebrated directors of the 20th century. The culture of the s could hardly be more different to what it is today. Within the Western world, the birth of the 21st century has marked the decline of cemented expectations and since been replaced by social equality regardless of gender, sexual preference and age.

So why , six decades after its original release and in a world where much of its content appears superficially outdated , do we still analyse the film Rear Window? Rear Window is a film primarily concerned with the events which L.

Jeff Jefferies, a photographer incapacitated by an accident which broke his leg, observes from the window of his apartment. He spends his days watching the happenings of the Greenwich Village courtyard, which enables Jeff to peer into the apartments and lives of local residents.

The act of observing events from a secure distance is as tempting as reality television and magazines. To this day, these mediums provide entertainment tailored to popular culture. So, if Rear Window teaches us that voyeurism is a dangerous yet natural desire , does the film comment on the individuals who consent to being watched?

Rear Window is a commentary on social values and provokes its audience to examine habits of their own, especially in a world where sensitive information is at our fingertips. The stereotypical nature of these labels, based on superficial traits that Jeff observes from his window, exemplifies the sexism prevalent in the s. The historical background of stereotypes is imbedded within Rear Window and shares vast similarities with the stereotypes we recognise today.

Additionally, Hitchcock delves into the flip side of this matter, presenting the theory that those he watches are just as guilty of allowing his intrusion into their private lives. Contrary to this perception, its ingrained messages are fundamentally true to this day. Not gonna lie, this novel is a bit of a tricky one to introduce. World War II, arguably one of the darkest events of human history, has been the basis of so much writing across so many genres; authors, academics, novelists have all devoted themselves to understanding the tragedies, and make sense of how we managed to do this to one another.

Many reflect on the experiences of children and families whose lives were torn apart by the war. In some ways, Doerr is another author who has attempted this. His novel alludes to the merciless anonymity of death in war, juxtaposes individualism with collective national mindlessness, and seeks out innocence amidst the brutality of war.

What makes this novel difficult to introduce is the way in which Doerr has done this; through the eyes of two children on opposite sides of the war, he explores how both of them struggle with identity, morality and hope, each in their own way.

Their storylines converge in the bombing of Saint-Malo, demonstrating that war can be indiscriminate in its victims—that is, it does not care if its victims are children or adults, innocent or guilty, French or German. However, their interaction also speaks to the humanity that lies in all of us, no matter how deeply buried. Disclaimer: this is a very, very broad overview of the novel and it is absolutely not a substitute for actually reading it please actually read it.

Chronologically, we start in , five years before the war. As she starts to go blind, Daniel teaches her Braille, and makes her wooden models of their neighbourhood to help her navigate. Meanwhile, she befriends Etienne, who suffers from agoraphobia as a result of the trauma from the First World War. He is charming and very knowledgeable about science, having made a series of scientific radio broadcasts with his brother Henri who died in WWI.

She also befriends his cook, Madame Manec, who participates in the resistance movement right up until she falls ill and dies. Her father is also arrested and would ultimately die in prison , and the loss of their loved ones prompts both Etienne and Marie-Laure to begin fighting back.

Marie-Laure is also given a key to a grotto by the seaside which is full of molluscs, her favourite kind of animal. On the other side of the war, Werner is, in , an 8 year-old German boy growing up in an orphanage with his sister Jutta in the small mining town of Zollverein. One day, he repairs the radio of a Nazi official, who recruits him to the Hitler Youth on account of his ingenuity and his very blonde hair and very blue eyes, considered to be desirable traits by the regime.

Jutta grows increasingly distant from Werner during this time, as she questions the morality of the Nazis. Werner is trained to be a soldier along with a cohort of other boys, and additionally learns to use radio to locate enemy soldiers. He befriends Frederick, an innocent kid who was only there because his parents were rich—Frederick would eventually fall victim to the brutality of the instructors, and Werner tries to quit out of solidarity.

Unfortunately, he is sent into the army to apply his training to actual warfare. He fights with Frank Volkheimer, a slightly ambiguous character who a tough and cruel soldier, but also displays a capacity to be kind and gentle including a fondness for classical music.

The war eventually takes them to Saint-Malo. Also around or so, a Nazi sergeant, Reinhold von Rumpel, begins to track down the Sea of Flames. He would have been successful ultimately had it not been for Werner, who stops him in order to save Marie Laure. As America begins to turn the war around, Werner is arrested and dies after stepping on a German landmine; Marie-Laure and Etienne move back to Paris. Marie-Laure eventually becomes a scientist specialising in the study of molluscs and has an extensive family of her own by What kind of questions does Doerr raise through this plot?

To some degree, the single central question of the novel is one of humanity, and this manifests in a few different ways. Firstly, to what extent are we in control of our own choices? Do we truly have free will to behave morally? The Nazi regime throws a spanner in the works here, as it makes incredibly inhumane demands on its people. Perhaps they fear punishment and have no choice—Werner, for instance, does go along with everything.

At the same time, his own sister manages to demonstrate critical thinking and moral reasoning well beyond her years, and it makes you wonder if there was potential for Werner to be better in this regard. That being said, Werner is far from the only character who struggles with this—consider the perfumer, Claude Levitte, who becomes a Nazi informer, or even ordinary French citizens who simply accept the German takeover. Do they actually have free will to resist, or is it even moral for them to do so?

This is what allowed people to do evil things without actually feeling or even being inherently evil—they were just taking orders, after all. Consider the role of free will in this context.

Etienne and Madame Manec, for instance, even disagree on the morality of resistance, which can frequently involve murder.