Follow Your Heart
Brenna Duff wrote, “….It is emotion, not reason, that motivates characters in literature.” This quote means that writers create characters who follow their heart. In literature, and life for that matter, humans often romanticize the idea of not needing to make the rational choice, and to be able to do things without needing to think them through first. This quote is valid because in literature characters almost always choose love over comfort. The hero’s journey exists because the hero chooses what is right over their personal comfort. There would be no story if character’s did not follow their heart, because readers would not be drawn to that idea. Readers are drawn to the idea that even if they follow their heart, everything …show more content…
One way Phillipa Gregory proves this point is through one of the themes in The Queen’s Fool which is a coming of age novel. Coming of age literature focuses on the growth of the main character over a period of time where they usually discover or become more comfortable with a major part of themself and often end with the main character making a choice that is going to greatly impact their future. The book The Queen’s Fool starts off when the main character, Hannah Verde is a nine year old girl working in her father’s printing shop and hiding behind a pair of trousers, however she meets so many people; all of which impact her decisions. Love is a powerful emotion, and it greatly impacts Hannah’s decision when she chooses to stay behind in Queen Mary’s court while her betrothed and father both go to Italy in search of a safer place to live. She loves Queen Mary like an older sister and when she sees that her queen needs her to stay she does it in an instant. Another example of Hannah’s maturity within the choices she makes is when she saves her husband’s child during an English attack on the city they live in. When the woman he was involved with outside of their marriage is slain before Hannah, she chooses to save the child and …show more content…
Writers write characters that inspire their readers, characters who follow their dreams and passions and still end up with a happily ever after or die a noble death. Characters who make everything right in the end and provide a satisfactory ending. We see this characterization in the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte very clearly through Jane’s actions and success. When she was a child all she wanted to do was get out of Lowood and she worked incredibly hard in order to achieve that success. Her marriage to Mr. Rochester is a “success” she achieves through reckless decision making that could have ended very badly for her. However, it does not, and the novel is concluded with Jane’s happy ending. We also see these characterizations and themes in the novel The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory. Hannah has many experiences and many emotions that the reader can easily relate to, such as being berated by society, the loss of someone close, and loving someone who takes advantage of you through manipulation. She inspires the reader through her perseverance over these setbacks and the hope that they could achieve the happiness Hannah does. This philosophy is not exclusive to these two books, it applies to hundreds of other novels and to life. As humans, we have it ingrained into us to follow or hearts, to make our own choices, and to do what is right.
Brenna Duff wrote, “….It is emotion, not reason, that motivates characters in literature.” This quote means that writers create characters who follow their heart. In literature, and life for that matter, humans often romanticize the idea of not needing to make the rational choice, and to be able to do things without needing to think them through first. This quote is valid because in literature characters almost always choose love over comfort. The hero’s journey exists because the hero chooses what is right over their personal comfort. There would be no story if character’s did not follow their heart, because readers would not be drawn to that idea. Readers are drawn to the idea that even if they follow their heart, everything …show more content…
One way Phillipa Gregory proves this point is through one of the themes in The Queen’s Fool which is a coming of age novel. Coming of age literature focuses on the growth of the main character over a period of time where they usually discover or become more comfortable with a major part of themself and often end with the main character making a choice that is going to greatly impact their future. The book The Queen’s Fool starts off when the main character, Hannah Verde is a nine year old girl working in her father’s printing shop and hiding behind a pair of trousers, however she meets so many people; all of which impact her decisions. Love is a powerful emotion, and it greatly impacts Hannah’s decision when she chooses to stay behind in Queen Mary’s court while her betrothed and father both go to Italy in search of a safer place to live. She loves Queen Mary like an older sister and when she sees that her queen needs her to stay she does it in an instant. Another example of Hannah’s maturity within the choices she makes is when she saves her husband’s child during an English attack on the city they live in. When the woman he was involved with outside of their marriage is slain before Hannah, she chooses to save the child and …show more content…
Writers write characters that inspire their readers, characters who follow their dreams and passions and still end up with a happily ever after or die a noble death. Characters who make everything right in the end and provide a satisfactory ending. We see this characterization in the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte very clearly through Jane’s actions and success. When she was a child all she wanted to do was get out of Lowood and she worked incredibly hard in order to achieve that success. Her marriage to Mr. Rochester is a “success” she achieves through reckless decision making that could have ended very badly for her. However, it does not, and the novel is concluded with Jane’s happy ending. We also see these characterizations and themes in the novel The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory. Hannah has many experiences and many emotions that the reader can easily relate to, such as being berated by society, the loss of someone close, and loving someone who takes advantage of you through manipulation. She inspires the reader through her perseverance over these setbacks and the hope that they could achieve the happiness Hannah does. This philosophy is not exclusive to these two books, it applies to hundreds of other novels and to life. As humans, we have it ingrained into us to follow or hearts, to make our own choices, and to do what is right.