In the novel Belinda, Hervey’s character may at first appear obnoxious and fake, but through further examination, readers can understand the complexity of Hervey’s character. Through the use of tone, point of view, and language, Maria Edgeworth develops the complex character of Clarence Hervey.
Tone, when used correctly, decides how readers should read a piece and how they should feel while reading it. Tone also gives voice to characters and sheds light on their personalities and dispositions. The passage is somewhat humorous, showing the different sides of Harvey. In the beginning of the passage, Harvey is described as a pleasant young man, even though Harvey believes that he is better than everyone else. The passage exhibits Harvey’s somewhat obnoxious personality by using Harvey’s own descriptions of himself to paint a biased picture of his personality. It says of Harvey that he was “flattered with the idea that he was a man of genius; and he imagined that, as such, he was entitled to be imprudent, wild, and eccentric.” (5-8) The passage also describes Harvey as a “chameleon character” (14) that “seemed to vary in different lights, and according to the different …show more content…
Having Hervey’s descriptions and opinions of himself helps us to not only learn what he’s telling us, but really be able to uncover more about his personality based on what he says and how close to the truth it is. Harvey’s perceptions of himself are a great tool in helping the readers to uncover more of Hervey’s complex character. The point of view of the narrator serves as an argument against Hervey’s claims. Hervey is shown to be a bit obnoxious and fake, but through Hervey’s point of view, we can see that he is also smart and humorous. This twofold perspective helps the readers to really gain more perspective and insight into Hervey’s
Tone, when used correctly, decides how readers should read a piece and how they should feel while reading it. Tone also gives voice to characters and sheds light on their personalities and dispositions. The passage is somewhat humorous, showing the different sides of Harvey. In the beginning of the passage, Harvey is described as a pleasant young man, even though Harvey believes that he is better than everyone else. The passage exhibits Harvey’s somewhat obnoxious personality by using Harvey’s own descriptions of himself to paint a biased picture of his personality. It says of Harvey that he was “flattered with the idea that he was a man of genius; and he imagined that, as such, he was entitled to be imprudent, wild, and eccentric.” (5-8) The passage also describes Harvey as a “chameleon character” (14) that “seemed to vary in different lights, and according to the different …show more content…
Having Hervey’s descriptions and opinions of himself helps us to not only learn what he’s telling us, but really be able to uncover more about his personality based on what he says and how close to the truth it is. Harvey’s perceptions of himself are a great tool in helping the readers to uncover more of Hervey’s complex character. The point of view of the narrator serves as an argument against Hervey’s claims. Hervey is shown to be a bit obnoxious and fake, but through Hervey’s point of view, we can see that he is also smart and humorous. This twofold perspective helps the readers to really gain more perspective and insight into Hervey’s