Literary Critique Essay Placed on the setting of a farm, the story “Pigeon Feathers” holds many literary techniques to captivate the reader and also descriptively construes the story of a boy and his heartfelt search for the truth. The author, John Updike, is a recognized award-winning author of many short pieces as well as novels. Updike utilized certain techniques highlighting the course of the main character, David. After his recent move to a farm with his family, David begins to struggle with the concept of death. By using conflict, imagery, and point of view, Updike relays the steps it took David to finally realize the truth while enhancing the story and drawing an emotional tie with the reader. After moving with his parents and
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The day David read the false account of Jesus, worry began growing in his mind over death and eternal life. Initially, David’s conflict was an internal fear. This became fully evident with his startling vision. The fear he had was full, even to the point where he could feel it around him. Updike explains, “[a]t the same time that the fear was dense and internal, it was dense and all around him” (264). Once he began looking for answers to his question about death, conflict arose between himself and others, namely Rev. Dobson and his mother. Rev. Dobson did not have an answer and gave David a quite untrue one saying heaven is “the way the goodness of Abraham Lincoln did lives after him” (267). Nearly offending him with his answer, David was forced to keep looking, resulting in more conflict with his mother over the issue. His mother did not have a satisfying answer for him either, only suggesting it does not matter as much as David thinks, putting his unrest at a stalemate. The conflict described is mainly used to bring attention to David’s need for truth and his struggle to find it. Conflict such as this helps to engage the reader with the character and can help commit the reader to a certain idea or side. Updike used the conflict David experienced to communicate David’s …show more content…
This is especially true in the instance of David’s vision. The vision comes to life as Updike describes it “[a]s strata of rock shift, your fingers elongate, and your teeth are distended sideways in a great underground grimace undistinguishable from a strip of chalk” (264). The reader can better understand David’s view on the topic because of the descriptive use of imagery. But, that is not the only time Updike utilized this. He frequently does when describing the setting or certain objects. David grew a special liking to a pinball machine in town. It seemed to relieve him of internal weight “as he bent over its buzzing, flashing board of flippers and cushions, the weight and constriction in his chest lightened and loosened” (270). Reading this, one can understand how the pinball machine looked, but can also understand its emotional value to David as he played. This skillful imagery causes someone to grasp the visual, audible, and emotional sense of an object all at once. Updike certainly used imagery to enhance his writing but also to give insight and feeling to the
The day David read the false account of Jesus, worry began growing in his mind over death and eternal life. Initially, David’s conflict was an internal fear. This became fully evident with his startling vision. The fear he had was full, even to the point where he could feel it around him. Updike explains, “[a]t the same time that the fear was dense and internal, it was dense and all around him” (264). Once he began looking for answers to his question about death, conflict arose between himself and others, namely Rev. Dobson and his mother. Rev. Dobson did not have an answer and gave David a quite untrue one saying heaven is “the way the goodness of Abraham Lincoln did lives after him” (267). Nearly offending him with his answer, David was forced to keep looking, resulting in more conflict with his mother over the issue. His mother did not have a satisfying answer for him either, only suggesting it does not matter as much as David thinks, putting his unrest at a stalemate. The conflict described is mainly used to bring attention to David’s need for truth and his struggle to find it. Conflict such as this helps to engage the reader with the character and can help commit the reader to a certain idea or side. Updike used the conflict David experienced to communicate David’s …show more content…
This is especially true in the instance of David’s vision. The vision comes to life as Updike describes it “[a]s strata of rock shift, your fingers elongate, and your teeth are distended sideways in a great underground grimace undistinguishable from a strip of chalk” (264). The reader can better understand David’s view on the topic because of the descriptive use of imagery. But, that is not the only time Updike utilized this. He frequently does when describing the setting or certain objects. David grew a special liking to a pinball machine in town. It seemed to relieve him of internal weight “as he bent over its buzzing, flashing board of flippers and cushions, the weight and constriction in his chest lightened and loosened” (270). Reading this, one can understand how the pinball machine looked, but can also understand its emotional value to David as he played. This skillful imagery causes someone to grasp the visual, audible, and emotional sense of an object all at once. Updike certainly used imagery to enhance his writing but also to give insight and feeling to the