The novel, ‘The Gathering’, is a Gothic, supernatural tale in which ‘The symbols will be forged into a chain’ and ‘enable the five to to drive the darkness from the sorrowing earth.’ Isobelle Carmody explores the themes of Good and Evil throughout her novel. This impacts on the events in the novel as well as the way she writes and describes the surroundings; causing the main character, Nathaniel, to develop in character greatly. As the novel goes on, the situations, as well as the imagery, slowly grow darker. Carmody creates an intense dark setting which is eerie and strange.
The effect of such a dark environment shows in the character’s personalities and actions. The constant reminder of the abbottoir brings with it, a feeling of disgust …show more content…
Carmody’s central protagonist, Nathaniel, is smart and intelligent, yet he fails to ‘fit in’ to the school. He observes that one would look ‘less like a loser if you sat in the library alone, rather than outside.’ Carmody shows how isolated Nathaniel is and how he misinterprets Indians weird reactions. Carmody reveals how Nathaniel has ‘lost his innocence’, the result of his family life, but shows how he is a force of Good in the novel as he eventually overthrows the forces of Evil in the school.
Throughout this novel, Carmody develops the themes of Good and Evil. This influenced the occurrences in ‘The Gathering’ as well as the style in which the novel is written. This also affected the way she described the environment add to the dark aura of the town. The main character eventually adapts and conquers the darkness and grows a person, opening his eyes more to negative or even dangerous things happening to and around him. In the words of Armin Arlet, “Someone who can't sacrifice anything can never change anything. That to defeat a monster, you have to be willing to throw aside your
The effect of such a dark environment shows in the character’s personalities and actions. The constant reminder of the abbottoir brings with it, a feeling of disgust …show more content…
Carmody’s central protagonist, Nathaniel, is smart and intelligent, yet he fails to ‘fit in’ to the school. He observes that one would look ‘less like a loser if you sat in the library alone, rather than outside.’ Carmody shows how isolated Nathaniel is and how he misinterprets Indians weird reactions. Carmody reveals how Nathaniel has ‘lost his innocence’, the result of his family life, but shows how he is a force of Good in the novel as he eventually overthrows the forces of Evil in the school.
Throughout this novel, Carmody develops the themes of Good and Evil. This influenced the occurrences in ‘The Gathering’ as well as the style in which the novel is written. This also affected the way she described the environment add to the dark aura of the town. The main character eventually adapts and conquers the darkness and grows a person, opening his eyes more to negative or even dangerous things happening to and around him. In the words of Armin Arlet, “Someone who can't sacrifice anything can never change anything. That to defeat a monster, you have to be willing to throw aside your