Fiction is a writing form that can give readers an insight into understanding events that may have occurred in a different time and place to that of their own lives. This is particularly so with novels like ‘Mister Pip’ that are set in a time and place, which relays true events. New Zealand author, Lloyd Jones gives us an insight into understanding the effects of a greed driven war on the innocent inhabitants of a mineral rich island. The novel is set on the island of Bougainville during a civil war in the 1980’s, sparked by the presence of an Australian mining company. Jones tells the story through the innocent eyes of 13-year-old local girl, Matilda. In the novel, the island of Bougainville can be seen as a symbol used by Jones in order to
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Bougainville is slowly harvested for its mineral rich land with Matilda stating early in the novel that “The redskins were going to choke the island and the rebels into submission”. The term ‘choke’ has connotations of death and brutality and so by Jones using personification to describe the island, he is foreshadowing its horrific ‘death’ to come due to the greed of the large Australian mining company. With connotations of giving up, the term ‘submission’ is also used by Jones. This helps us to understand how the mining company wants total control and for everyone to give-in to their greed. Jones’ purpose in including this disturbing description, of the treatment of Bougainville, is to convey, once again, how much greed mankind is capable of having. In relation to the wider world, as Bougainville is destroyed we can see the parallel relation to the Garden of Eden once again. The Garden of Eden was mistreated after the greed of both Adam and Eve become too immense and they were convinced by a snake to eat an apple from the tree of knowledge, breaking God's rules. This is similar to the mining company being unable to control itself from utilizing the mineral rich land of Bougainville and destroying it in …show more content…
This greed was able to be observed by the initial, gradual, and then complete destruction of the island of Bougainville, caused by the greed of a large Australian mining company. Mister Pip was successfully able to convey the destructive and horrific nature of this civil war to those who may have never witnessed or even heard of it before. Bougainville symbolises the greed, which eventually lead to the horrific nature of this civil
Bougainville is slowly harvested for its mineral rich land with Matilda stating early in the novel that “The redskins were going to choke the island and the rebels into submission”. The term ‘choke’ has connotations of death and brutality and so by Jones using personification to describe the island, he is foreshadowing its horrific ‘death’ to come due to the greed of the large Australian mining company. With connotations of giving up, the term ‘submission’ is also used by Jones. This helps us to understand how the mining company wants total control and for everyone to give-in to their greed. Jones’ purpose in including this disturbing description, of the treatment of Bougainville, is to convey, once again, how much greed mankind is capable of having. In relation to the wider world, as Bougainville is destroyed we can see the parallel relation to the Garden of Eden once again. The Garden of Eden was mistreated after the greed of both Adam and Eve become too immense and they were convinced by a snake to eat an apple from the tree of knowledge, breaking God's rules. This is similar to the mining company being unable to control itself from utilizing the mineral rich land of Bougainville and destroying it in …show more content…
This greed was able to be observed by the initial, gradual, and then complete destruction of the island of Bougainville, caused by the greed of a large Australian mining company. Mister Pip was successfully able to convey the destructive and horrific nature of this civil war to those who may have never witnessed or even heard of it before. Bougainville symbolises the greed, which eventually lead to the horrific nature of this civil