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‘In ‘Year of Wonders’, Geraldine Brooks is far more interested in the…
‘In ‘Year of Wonders’, Geraldine Brooks is far more interested in the experiences of her female characters than she is in those of the males.’ Do you agree?
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more interested
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historically speaking they have the power so she displays them as well but Brooks uses this as a way of contrasting their hierarchal power with the power of compassion and knowledge held by the women.
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ultimately brooks is more interested in the lives and experiences of the women before the plague influence their responses in times of hardship
elizabeth
when the plague arrives she, like her father chooses to abandon the town, taking advantage of her wealth and status supposedly 'safeguarding' what is hers.
leaves with 'haste' - this is ironic as being an upperclass woman her main source of power comes from her position within the social hierarchy which she clings to rather than her faith.
parallels the gospel in that when Mary is told in the annunciation of the sign of Elizabeth's pregancy she travels with 'haste' which signifies her faith in God's ability to 'perform his wonders'
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Jane Martin
we do not see much of Jane's experiences however brooks explores the way in which her abandonment of the faith she once followed so religiously before the plague
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all of her values and ideals where shaped by her vast dependence on religious dogma and so when her faith is in question she loses all morals etc.
Anna
before the plague even arrives she has experienced death through that of her husband Sam and her Mother at a young age. From the beginning of the novel we see her utilise coping mechanisms such as reflecting on sam's life in order to validate it and her experience which is something she transfers to her response to the plague
Before the plague she reflects that Sam's life was 'confined' to the borders of the town but when George Viccars arrives he provides her with knowledge of 'London' and other 'far off places' to which he had sojourned. This pre-plague experiences provides Anna with one of her greatest challenges, overcoming her knowledge of the greater world which seemed to make the 'boundaries' of the 'wide green prison' oppress her all the more. To emphasise this, much of Anna's experiences during the plague occur in cucklet delf, the rectory and the miners tavern. Brooks intending to make the constraints all the more clear.
brooks examines the plague from a woman's perspective as historically the men were placed upon a pedestal for their power despite the power that comes with the knowledge of the women.
Anna
Brooks makes the authorial decision to narrate the text using Anna, as an 18 year old widow and lower class woman she has an understanding of her place within society.
'a servant has no right to stay once she is dismissed' 'stayed to offer him a little comfort' = respectful rebellion, independance
by choosing Anna as narrator, Brooks is able to explore the untold female side of history and examine the impacts of social hierarchy and religious dogma on their response. Her awareness of her place in society and the cyclical style narrative allows Brooks to examine the experiences of anna and other women with the benefit of hindsight and respect.
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Elinor
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even though she is raised up by position in heirarchy she doesn't allow the heirarchy to cloud her vision and guide her, she stays true to her own values
feels compelled to help others and hold onto hope despite the adversity along with the 'hardships and bleakness' that the plague ensues
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Anys
woman ostracised by the community for her knowledge and independence, these being qualities in a woman which threatened the social mores and heirachy.
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brooks explores the experiences of Anys once the plague descends and the ways in which the townspeople attack her simply due to her refusal to succumb to the social mores
even in death she does not give in to their dull form of existence 'her hair shone bright against the black water'