Hey, this is everything i have so far. All corrections and expansion from hardcopy+critted version you sent by e-mail. Just thought if i put it up here i will def have access to it tommorrow in case i forget my memory stickor something! there are a couple of bold bits i have left as notes, but they loose their boldness when i paste it in.
Chapter 1: Characterisation
O’Farrell’s effective use of characterisation effectively portrays the theme of Claustrophobia in all three of the previously mentioned texts. Through her protagonists she explores the ways they try to survive the pressures created by their surroundings and the people closest to them. It is through this that she examines the idea that ultimately life itself is the catalyst for the suffocation her characters endure and that only death can elevate the feeling of constriction.
In “The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox” O’Farrell uses her protagonist, Esme Lennox, to highlight and explore the theme of claustrophobia. Esme is a 60 year old woman who has spent the majority of her life in Cauldstone, a mental institute. She has just recently been released into the care of her great niece as Cauldstone is closing down. The way in which Esme is unable to cope with her thoughts creates a claustrophobic atmosphere. She prefers to trap them inside her head instead of expressing herself.
“She speaks to no one, these days. She wants to concentrate, she doesn’t like to muddy things with the distraction of speech. There is a zoetrope inside her head and she doesn’t like to be caught out when it stops. Whir, whir. Stop.”
Esme struggles to control her thoughts during her life in the asylum. The cycle of thoughts in her head creates a feeling of entrapment and an inability to interact because she cannot think clearly or structure them. She prefers to forget her past and because of this she keeps her thoughts trapped inside her head. The image of the zoetrope is developed later in the novel during one of Esme’s many flashbacks to her life before Cauldstone.
“She enters the zoetrope, briefly, catching a glimpse of Kitty on their swing in India… But then she remembers she has to talk, to speak, and pulls herself out.”
A zoetrope is a old fashioned toy in the shape of a cylinder and has slots around the sides. When you place a strip of drawings inside the zoetrope's drum, spin it and look through the slots, you will see the images come to life, although of course, they are not really alive. The image of a zoetrope represents the endless cycle of her thoughts because it never ends. Once the cylinder has spun fully round, the animation begins again seamlessly. It never stops.
In “After You’d Gone” O’Farrell’s protagonist, Alice, also struggles with her thoughts similarly to Esme, whilst in a comma.
“The strangest thing is that a thought can go on and on circling in your mind that you can’t stop obsessing over it, that there are no brakes to apply to things you no longer want to think about…The problem with being like this is that you are constant prey to these exhausting cycles of thought.”
Similar to Esme, Alice wishes to forget what has happened instead of dealing with the situation in front of her. Her literal inability to move prevents her from being able to stop the thoughts in her head. O’Farrell’s word choice such as ‘obsessing’ and ‘prey’ highlights Alice’s unachievable desire to halt the thoughts and how she feels threatened by their prescence. It also indicates their tiresome nature and how they have become wearing. She feels suffocated by the circling images and the fact she can’t escape enhances the sensation of claustrophobia.
Alice’s interpretation of her surrounding out with the comma also cause her to feel claustrophobic. After returning to Edinburgh in a frenzy, her immediate environment becomes confusing.
“It seemed her life was narrowing down to a vanishing point. People flowed around her, crossing the road, moving on. But she stayed still.”
Alice cannot order her thoughts and decide how she will cope with her situation. Her life becomes dramatically altered and this creates a feeling of isolation from the rest of the world. She feels like a stranger in her own city because only she knows the struggle she is facing. In conjunction with this isolation comes the contradictory feeling of claustrophobia as she is crushed by her thoughts and the crowds simultaneously. As she attempts to process what has happened, the people around her in the busy streets literally constrict her as they make their own journeys. Immediately after this moment, Alice steps into the traffic and enters her coma. O’Farrell creates the claustrophobic environment during this scene to foreshadow the danger to come and the fact she will soon enter into the comma.
In “The Distance between Us” O’Farrell continues her effective use of characterization in the character of Stella. Stella’s thoughts
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Internal claustrophobia, such in the protagonist’s mind, is inescapable and creates a strong sense of constriction throughout the three novels as it is not a literal object that can be avoided. In “The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox”, when Iris returns her to Cauldstone, after freeing her only days earlier, Esme once again shuts herself off from her surroundings .
“She shuts her mouth, closes her throat, folds her hands over each other and she does the thing she has perfected. Her specialty. To absent yourself, to make yourself vanish… Even breathing can remind them you are there, so only very short, very shallow breaths. Just enough to stay alive.”
O’Farrell’s use of drowning in all three novels is a clear representation of suffocation. She uses breath which also helps in her characterisation of her protagonists and developing the theme of claustrophobia. The fact this act comes so easily to Esme highlights how much it has been a part of her life. The lack of breath or air creates a feeling of constriction and this literal shortage of air shows Esme’s self suffocation. The concept is developed as O’Farrell describes an incident when Esme was younger and almost drowned at the seaside.
“Esme makes an attempt to swim against it but it’s as if chains are tied to her limbs… Her mouth and lungs are filled with bitter water”
Drowning is a very explicit example of suffocation or claustrophobia and through Esme’s failing attempt to remain above the surface, The imagery of chains creates sense of constriction whilst making reference to Esme as a prisoner, something that will feature strongly later in her life. O’Farrell effectively enhances the theme.
She uses a very similar incident in “After You’d Gone” when she describes Alice at the Beach with her partner, Mario.
“I twist and thrash under his grasp, lashing out at him, swallowing great gulps of bitter water…The sound of the beach roars in my ears and I gasp for air.”
The techniques used by O’Farrell are identical to those in “The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox.” Alice’s struggle however is not self imposed and is caused by Mario. He is dominant over Alice and forces her under the water. Through this we learn that claustrophobia can be a result of self imposed dangers or by others around us.
In “The Distance Between Us” O’Farrell reverses the roles and it is her protagonist, Stella, who drowns somebody else. Anthony has teased the sisters throughout their school years and during a field trip, Stella looses her nerve and finally fights back.
“She would not let him get Nina, she would not… They watched him stagger back, crashing into the river… They watched the black waters claim him, swirling round his legs.”
Stella drowns Anthony, in an attempt to relieve the oppression he placed upon them. His taunting caused the sisters to feel trapped and she thought that by pushing him away, she would free herself and Nina from the persistent comments. This would allow them to feel relaxed and less threatened. However, the guilt of murder became a much greater burden and ended up suppressing her even more. The memory of Anthony is inescapable and Stella feels haunted by him. She develops panic attacks and a sensation of constriction whenever she sees someone with ginger hair as it reminds her of Anthony.
O’Farrell continues the idea from After You’d Gone and Alice and Mario’s relationship, that secondary characters are also able to intensify the claustrophobic environment, in The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox.
“Half way across the lino of the café floor. Her hands flew to her neck. A kind of tense crushing feeling had closed about her. She suddenly couldn’t breathe, as if her apron was tied too tightly, as if her clothes were suffocating her.”
Unlike Mario, it is the mere presence of a stranger in a café that causes the feeling within Stella. The guilt of her past constricts her and at any moment the simplest and most harmless things such as her clothing can become a threat and create the sensation of suffocation. The reference to her neck and literal suffocation is a link to her tormentor who once strangled her in front of her class causing embarrassment and added to her hatred of the boy. The neck is asscociated with breath and so constriction and strangulation both enhance the claustrophobia created in this scene.
Overall, O’Farrell’s use of thoughts and breath are both excellent examples of how a character’s interpretation of their surroundings can create internal claustrophobia. This constriction effectively enhances the novel’s theme and characterization of her main protagonists.
O’Farrell’s uses characterisation to highlight the theme of claustrophobia is developed and enhanced when she explores her protagonist’s views on relationships. Throughout all three of her novels, O’Farrell uses relationships to create a sense of entrapement or claustrophobia. In “The Vanishing Act Of Esme Lennox” she explores her protagonist’s attitude towards relationships in general. Esme does not wish to get married in the future, something that would be expected of her at that time. Esme was raised in a reasonably wealthy family and during the 1930s, it was important for families to marry their daughters into a reputable family in order to maintain their image.
“She tried to imagine herself in this big house with its dark walls, its windows crushed by plants, its winding staircase and a room upstairs that would be hers and one that would be his, close by… ‘I’m not going to get married. To anyone.’ ”
As a young girl, Esme’s vision of marriage was one of entrapment. you could quote the Carol Anne Duffy poem 'Valentine' to support this.She imagined a perfectly sized house to seem small and the symbol of escape or outdoors, the windows, would be smothered and blocked. She is terrified of the idea of being tied to somebody so definitively and without a means of escape.
In her other novels, O’Farrell’s protagonists cope with the idea of forming relationships reasonably well, however she still explores the idea of oppressing or abusive relationships in order to develop the theme of claustrophobia. Esme’s only experience with a boy before she is sent to Cauldstone is an unpleasant and very suffocating one as he is violent, forceful and smothering.
“His hand over her mouth, his head ramming against her chin. Esme thought about... how she must just keep breathing.”
At a New Year’s Eve dance, Esme is raped by the only boy who has ever given Esme attention as normally boys only notice her sister. The experience is terrifying and O’Farrell’s use of word choice throughout the scene(is it not enough to use quote below) highlights the intense claustrophobia she experiences.
“The music beat thick and fast... Overtaken by darkness... Arms tight around her.”
This event is a turning point for Esme and as a result; she becomes unable to even contemplate marriage. Her reaction to the attack is extreme and a contributing factor to her institutionalisation. She screams loudly and does not communicate with adults around her. This behaviour in the 1930s was seen as unacceptable from a young lady and would cause embarresemt to the girl’s family. Through Esme’s reaction, O’Farrell shows that a suffocating event and closing up of the truth both result in further oppression as they lead to her confinement.
O’Farrell creates yet another similarity between her protagonists when, in “After You’d Gone”, Alice also deals with an abusive partner who causes her to feel trapped and suffocated.
“Mario had kept her clamped to his side...He sent her flowers that soaked her room in a heavy sweet scent, he called on her at all times of the night.”
Mario is a fellow University student, with a strong and oppressive obsession over Alice. His constant following of her leaves her no room to feel free and creates a constrictive environment both literally and in Alice’s head. He arrives in her room whilst she is trying to study and even follows her home when she returns to North Berwick for a family holiday. Further into their relationship, when Alice tries to break free of him, he rapes her. This violent attack mirrors that of Jamie’s attack on Esme. Alice finds it difficult to feel free with other men for a long time after the rape until she meets John. Example? (i don’t have)
“There was the most incredible rainbow yesterday... You can see quite a few from up here, must be the height or something.”
Through Alice and John’s trusting and balanced relationship, O’Farrell creates a sense of space and freedom. This contrasts with the theme of claustrophobia and suggests that there is a cure to be found through mutual trust and respect. A rainbow is generally associated with the moment after rain when the sun appears and the biblical stor of forgiveness. The image of a rainbow in “After You’d Gone” suggests that John is the positive energy after the horror of her past relationships. When Alice and John are together, the claustrophobic atmosphere doesn’t exist and O’Farrell creates a sense of space .
This is also true in “The Distance Between Us” when Stella meets Jake. The protagonists are able to forget their pasts and failed relationships and this creates a contrasting theme of freedom.
“The kiss seems to explode into her, like the first gasp of air after a long dive... She breathes in and the scent of him fills her body. She imagines the molecules of his particular smell pulled deep into her lungs... then rushed away into her system.”
When she is with Jake, Stella is able to breathe freely and avoid feeling restricted. The idea of a ‘first gasp’ suggests that it is the first time in a long time she has been able to feel liberated due to the constant haunting of her past. However, her sense of freedom is quickly cut off when she discovers Jake has a wife. The oxygen that he was represented to her is no longer available and she struggles to breathe.
“There is a peculiar feeling in her solar plexus, as if it’s filled with a heavy, damp gas.”
One day whilst working at the bed and breakfast, Mel, Jake’s wife, phones looking for him and Stella’s illusions are shattered. She becomes angry with Jake and the feeling of constriction returns. O’Farrell uses different aspects of the character’s relationships to highlight how claustrophobia is created by uncomfortable or threatening situations.
Away from heterosexual relationships, O’Farrell also uses the presence of a close relative or sibling in her novels to create a feeling of oppression. Kitty is Esme’s sister in “The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox” and is often referred to in Esme’s flashbacks at moments of claustrophobia.
“Two girls at a dance, then. One seated one standing.”
Esme has always felt trapped by her sister and is seen by her family as a disappointment when compared to her sister. In the beginning, Kitty is shown to be standing over Esme and this feeling of dominance is continued to the very end of the novel when the roles are reversed and Esme is finally able to feel free.
In “After You’d Gone” Alice, like O’Farrell’s other protagonists, has siblings. However, they don’t seem to create any tension or difficulties in her life. On the contrary, when trying to escape the horror of John’s death, Alice turns to her siblings for help. The same cannot be said for Stella in “The Distance Between Us” as her sister Nina is the primary cause of claustrophobia for her.
“Their mother tells them that Nina spent all day hanging over the bars of Stella’s cot.”
From birth, Nina has been present in Stella’s life. Her hanging over the cot indicates her dominance as she is literally above Stella rather than being on an equal level. The bars on the cot create an intensified sense of claustrophobia and have connotations of a prison or punishment. This, in turn, indicates that Stella has no ability to escape from Nina. O’Farrell develops this idea as Stella grows up and begins to make decisions about her life.
“She had the sensation, when she got close to Nina, that her sister exuded a force like gravity, pulling her back.”
She decides to move to London for University instead of Edinburgh where Nina will be. Later, Stella makes another attempt to escape Nina when she runs away to Kildoune. She feels free in Kildoune until Nina follows her there. O’Farrell shows that the suffocation Stella feels stems from her sister; however there is no escape as Nina will always follow her. Nina also encroaches on Stella’s personal relationships, before, in University when she enters the room whilst Stella is with a boy, and again when she arrives in Kildoune and steals away with Jake. Her interference with every aspect of Stella’s life creates a very claustrophobic atmosphere both physically and mentally.
Overall, it can be said that O’Farrell’s use of relationships, both with strangers, lovers and family effectively enhance her characterisation of her protagonists and the theme of claustrophobia. O’Farrell’s characterisation continues to explore the theme of claustrophobia when she uses the presence of life or death in her novels.
In all three texts, she creates a feeling of constriction around life and a sense of release in death. In “The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox”, Esme kills her sister at the climax of the novel.
“Esme holds the cushion between both hands. Its fabric- textured damask in a deep burgundy- is packed with tight foam stuffing.”
O’Farrell’s effective word choice of ‘packed tight’ heightens the claustrophobic atmosphere and develops the idea that Esme has felt trapped all her life by her sister’s actions. The fact Esme suffocates Kitty is an explicit form of oppression and constriction and immediately after the attack, Esme feels a sense of relief.
“It is a relief that the noise has stopped, that everything is still.”
A weight has been lifted and Esme can feel free from oppression for the first time. Earlier in the novel, Esme considers suicide and ponders what it would feel like to die. She imagines the experience would provide a sense of freedom and escape. Through this unorthodox view, O’Farrell is able to demonstrate how Esme has felt trapped her whole life and has lived in a suffocating atmosphere.
Alice also experience’s a feeling that life is trapping and constricting her in “After You’d Gone.”
“She thrashed her red, angry limbs until she was free.”
O’Farrell describes Alice as a newborn baby and how she felt trapped in his blanket. This indicates that from even the earliest moments of her life, she felt constricted and a desire to be free. As Alice grows up, she continues to experience this feeling of entrapment.
“The narrowing down of the clean white days between the red days and the encroaching black-lined ones made a crawling fear quicken in her stomach.”
Alices exams are growing near and she feels that time is passing too quickly. O’Farrell’s image indicates how Alice feels she cannot control her life and she is slowly becoming trapped by a life she doesn’t wish. As with Esme, Alice feels a sense of freedom when contemplating death.
“She just loosened her fingers and the breeze snatched it away.”
When spreading her grandmother’s ashes, Alice experiences an odd sense of relief. She sees the act as setting her grandmother free from the constrictions of life. O’Farrell’s use of language creates a relaxed atmosphere. The word ‘snatched’ also indicates the speed at which life can take an unexpected turn. She had no control over natural causes such as the wind.
In “The Distance Between Us”, O’Farrell shows how, from the beginning of her life, Stella has lived in an environment with a feeling of entrappement.
“Before there was anything, there was Nina. Stella is sure her face is the first thing she ever saw, or ever remembers seeing.”
O’Farrell shows how Stella never had a chance to live as an only child or without Nina present, and so she has never experienced the freedom Nina had. This characterisation of Stella clearly highlights the theme of claustrophobia. Before Stella is born, her mother’s bump is described as a ‘dense dome.’ This indicates that even the environment in which Stella was formed was one of claustrophobia, something that would follow her throughout her life.
Overall, O’Farrell effectively explores the idea that life is a cause of constriction for her protagonists whilst simultaneously suggesting that the only escape from this suffocation is through death. Therefore, O’Farrell suggests her protagonists might never be free from their numerous claustrophobic experiences.
Although suggesting escape is potentially unachievable, O’Farrell highlights the theme of claustrophobia through her use of escapism in her three protagonists. In “The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox”, Esme is trapped within the four walls of Cauldstone institute for the majority of her life. Her actions within the institute reflect her desire to escape and be free.
“There is always a moment before her body reasserts itself, readjusting her eyes to the proper reality of the world, when it is just her and the trees, the road, the beyond. Nothing in between”.
At the very beginning of the novel, O’Farrell describes Esme looking through the bars on her window. This informs the reader early on that she spends her time within Cauldstone longing to leave. She focuses her eyes to blur the bars and enjoys imagining being free and outside. Throughout her flashbacks to her time in the institute, O’Farrell describes Esme’s constant desire to leave.
“She has to get out of here.”
O’Farrell’s emphatic, short sentence shows Esme’s determination and that there is no room for negotiation. This desperation enhances the theme of claustrophobia whilst causing the reader to feel sympathetic towards Esme. The concept of escape is not a new one to Esme because before she was institutionalised her family fled from India after a family tragedy.
“Esme didn’t mention that… this bothered her that he was being left in India”
After her brother died of Typhoid, her family moved away to Scotland. This act is one of many moments in O’Farrell’s novels when the characters run from a difficult situation instead of dealing with it. As a teenager, before she was sent to Cauldstone, Esme wished to travel. She was desperate to escape the claustrophobia atmosphere created by her family or by the concept of creating her own constricting family with a partner.
The idea of travel is one...
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should i send you it now, try add in the corrections you e-mailed me then send it, or wait till tommorrow?