Literary Techniques In Three Came Home

Three Came Home is a movie directed by Jean Negulesco. Claudette Colbert plays the role of Agnes Keith, the loving mother and faithful wife. Her husband, Harry Keith, is played by Patrick Knowles. Together they have a son named George, played by Mark Keuning. This movie revolves around the Japanese invasion of Sandaken. Throughout the film we see the struggle and heartbreak of the family as they face many trials and tribulations. Three Came Home is relevant to our class due to our studies of the pre and post World War II time line. The three literary devices best captured in Three Came Home are the pot, characterization, and the setting. The first literary device effectively used in Three Came Home is the plot. In the opening scene Agnes explains that they are located in Sandaken, “the tiny capital of British North Borneo.” Agnes, the only American, is here with her …show more content…
Depicted mostly throughout the movie are Agnes and her struggles. Agnes is characterized as a strong and faithful woman. Even when she knew the Japanese were coming she chose to stand by her man and did not take her child to safety. Due to this choice Agnes and her son were separated from Harry. Did Agnes make the right choice? In one scene, Agnes sneaks out to see her husband while George is sick. She chose to be with her husband rather than be by her sick child’s side. While she was away, another woman went out and asked for medicine for the child. Did Agnes make the right choice? At the end of the movie, Agnes and her child were reunited with Harry. Agnes made many controversial decisions throughout the movie, but in the end her decision was justified by the family reuniting. It seems that all along Agnes knew they would be back together, but was it really worth taking the chance? With the effective use of characterization, the audience was able to sympathize and despise Agnes’s