How To Read Literature Like a Professor (Chapters 18- 19)
Chapter 18
Of the many types of “baptism scenes” as described by Foster, the classic film Titanic fits the “near-drowning baptism” category. As many should know, the highlight of the film is when Rose and Jack are hanging onto a plank of some sort that can only support the weight of one person. Now, this scene can actually show both baptism and drowning; however, the focus will be on the baptism…with Rose. Jack sacrifices his life for his love, Rose, so that she may live to a ripe old age. Rose doesn’t want to believe this for by her own survival, Jack will have to die and she will have to give up her one true source of happiness and love. But Jack isn’t dying just to preserve Rose’s body; he is actually giving Rose something far more superior than a wooden plank. Towards the end of the film, Rose realizes his gift of a lasting thrill of adventure, excitement, freedom, and most of all, love. Before she met Jack, she was distraught by her forced engagement to a materialistic man named Cal Hockley. She longed to break free from his tight control and her mother’s guarded supervision. Jack gave her all she had ever wished for, just by giving her a wooden plank. He really was her lifesaver, both physically and spiritually. And as baptism is a reciprocal relationship, Rose struggled to release Jack to embrace the new life awaiting her. She emerged from the sea as a renewed person, maybe a bit nostalgic, but much happier and grateful for the new life she’s been given. So though Rose nearly drowned, she survived and lived to a good old age with treasured memories and a lighter heart, as Jack predicted she would.
Chapter 19
Foster attributes geography to define a character. An example of this first attribute is illustrated in The Great Gatsby. Gatsby, Tom, and Daisy all live in upscale New York during the roaring 20s. Because of the geography of upscale New York and all of the factors that go into the geography one could argue that these characters would not be who they are if it wasn’t for the specific geography they are in. If the story was set on the prairie or in the Deep South, none of these characters would have the uppity, arrogant attitude associated with the materialistic, lavish lifestyle associated with the location of New York. A second aspect of geography is its ability to play a specific role in the plot. For example, in Sandra Brown’s novel, White Hot, she sends the main character down South to revisit her past, but while down there, she becomes woven in a mess of scandal and intense, sinful passion. The act of sending characters South, as stated by Foster, is for them to “run amok”, and that is exactly what happens in White Hot. The geography of the South is associated with danger and sin which in turn has the ability to affect the plot, thereby allowing geography once again to play a specific role in shaping a literary work.
A third aspect of geography is its ability to develop the character. In The Giver, Jonas might not leave the community until the very end, but the very idea and images of the environment outside of the utopian society change him. The images of the different geography and the hope and freedom associated with it grow him as a person, and ultimately lead him to leaving the community for Elsewhere. The fact that images of the geography of Elsewhere caused him to change as a character once again shows the power and purpose of geography in a literary work. A fourth aspect of geography is its ability to represent a symbol in the literary work. In Dean Koontz’s novel, Odd Thomas, the geography of the hot, barren desert the story is set in symbolizes the complete loss of life and feeling experienced by the main character after he loses the love of his life. It is this geography of a desert that represents the loss of life and the lack of cultivating a new future without his love. This once again shows the ability of the geography of a desert to represent a symbol in a literary work.