An author’s writing is so strongly influenced by the world around him and how he lives. Many authors do not even realize that a book or a piece of work has become so influenced by the social aspects of their lives. Often literature is written with such a strong social influence that is it not until much later that it becomes ‘a comment on society’. Social influence can be described as “the modern, scientific study of persuasion [and] compliance” (Rhoads). Within an author’s life and world around him, he is influenced and persuaded strongly as he begins to write. The people around them, the political situations and the things that they are dealing with in their lives influence authors to plan, set and write their books in certain time periods, with certain elements attached. In order to read a piece of work and have a knowledgeable understanding of it, it is “necessary to know about the author and the political, economical, and sociological context of the time period” (Literary Criticism and Theory). This social vehicle can also be seen as the historical approach. The author takes from his own experiences and situations to form a setting and plot for a book. “In the historical view, it is important to understand the author and his world in order to understand his intent and to make sense of his work. The work is informed by the author’s beliefs, prejudices, time, and history” (Aljohani and Al-Ghamdi). An author’s lifestyle, history and time can influence his books and how he writes, subconsciously and consciously.
As an author writes, his choices in characters, plot lines, settings and style can often be categorized into archetypes. “An archetypal approach to literature assumes that there is a collection of symbols, images, characters, and motifs that evoke basically the same response in all people” (Burris). For a long time, people have been able to recognize specific things in writing that seem to occur repeatedly, like a theme. These ideas, or archetypes, are said to be imbedded in us and part of our psyche. One idea, strongly influenced by Carl Jung, a famous psychologist, is that archetypes are “the ancient, unconscious source of much that we think, do, and say as human beings” (Raffa). As an author writes, often times archetypes form themselves without much of the author’s awareness. Common archetypes include “green for fertility and growth, water for rebirth and purification and the hero for quest and ultimate conquer” (Burris). In each literary piece, due to innate human nature, an archetype can be found, whether purposefully or involuntarily written.
After losing her husband to a tragic battle with cancer, Holly is pressured by the society around her to move on, find someone new and start a family in the heart-breaking novel, P.S. I Love You, by Cecelia Ahern. A common theme throughout a woman’s twenties, thirties and even early forties is the pressure to married, have babies and lead the perfect life. “There is the expectation in our society…that everybody’s desire is to marry as young as possible and start a family. Those people who have other plans or inclinations are often regarded with suspicion” (ChristianCupid). Holly feels upset at the pressures that she faces, although realizes that it is reality and she must make her own path to happiness. “Marriage works best when two people enter into a relationship, totally of their own free will, without pressures of family or pregnancy pushing them into greater responsibilities than they are prepared to accept” (Griffith). Holly knows she cannot force something that is not readily willing to happen. With the pressures that everyday women face to get married and live the perfect life by the age of thirty, Holly courageously steps out of the picture of perfection and learns to cherish her own life the way that it is.
Holly’s life takes a turn for the worst when her husband, Gerry, dies. Holly stresses constantly as she is faced with nagging family members and concerned friends who do not truly understand what she is going through. “‘Any luck with a job yet?’ Her mother’s voice was casual but Holly could tell she was just dying to know…Now she had to go looking for a new one [job]…At the moment it seemed unimaginable to go to work in the morning” (Ahern, 27). Holly’s mother is concerned for her daughter’s well-being and wants her to slowly re-immerse herself into society again. Holly knows that the day will soon come when she has to face the world; however she is not ready just yet. While all of Holly’s friends continue their lives as young adults, embarking on love, marriage and pregnancy, Holly is stuck in a rut, and her friends are constantly encouraging her to continue on with them. Holly’s best friend, Sharon, is an extremely honest person and wants to treat Holly as if nothing has happened.
“That’s also why Holly hadn’t been around to see Sharon for the past month. She didn’t want to hear the truth. She didn’t want to hear that she had to get on with her life…she was happy being miserable. It somehow felt right” (Ahern, 15-16).
As a woman in her early thirties, Holly is struggling to cope with the death of her husband, yet also move on with her life. The pressures she feels from society and the people around her only add to her stress. Ahern, the author, writes so that Holly eventually embraces the society and people around her to help propel her into a healing process, allowing Holly to slowly recover and move on with her life.
In the novel, The Reader, by Bernhard Schlink, Hanna, an older woman, finds love in a much younger boy, Michael. The novel takes place in post-war Germany, after the Holocaust. As the book reads on, Hanna is discovered as a ruthless SS guard at Auschwitz, and is thus put on trial for the murders of over 300 people. As Michael, who has become a pre-law student, observes the trial, he is overcome with waves of emotion. He believes it impossible to be able to love a woman who was such a criminal and feels completely numb to her when he sees her on trial.
“I was jolted. I realized that I had assumed it was both natural and right that Hanna should be in custody. Not because of the charges, the gravity of the allegations, or the force of the evidence, of which I had no real knowledge yet, but because in a cell she was out of my world, out of my life…” (Schlink, 97).
Michael has no feelings for Hanna anymore, mostly due to the fact that Hanna abandoned him without reason in the middle of his first love affair ever. Each relationship that Michael has after Hanna is significantly affected by what happened in his relationship with Hanna. However, some critics argue that Michael’s change of feelings is due to his remembrance and terror of the Holocaust. “Personifying postwar Germany, Michael is conflicted. He wants to help Hanna, yet is repulsed by what she did” (Jenkins). The setting of post-Holocaust Germany is an extremely influential place for the novel to occur. Michael had grown up hearing the horrors of the war, learning of survivors stories, and watching his father try to support the family after losing a job because of the Holocaust. To see a woman that apparently was in love with him turn her back completely and lie to him causes Michael a great deal of agony. Also, Schlink chooses to write about a Holocaust perpetrator, a choice that is very uncommon as more often, novels are written about the victims. Schlink uses a theme which suggests that generations after the Holocaust have had trouble coming to terms with the crimes of the Nazis. Michael insinuates that what he has gone through in his life with Hanna is a “payback” for his generation of Germans. Michael and Hanna’s fate and actions are influenced strongly by the background set for them, the Holocaust.
As each of these novels unfolds, it is clear that the setting, time and society each author has chosen has influenced the characters and the plot. As Cecelia Ahern’s lighter protagonist takes on the task of fighting off relentless pressure to get married and start a family in her early thirties, Schlink chooses a deeper and more moral basis to his leading lady. However, both of these characters surroundings have completely influenced and changed them. Holly finally gives into the pleas from concerned family and friends, accepts what has happened to her husband, and begins to move on. Michael sees that the only person he has ever loved has done wrong, and although he wants to condemn her, he cannot find a way to stop loving her. Each character has significant outside influence that try to encourage them to make decisions and move on; however, these characters need to find out for themselves and blaze their own paths to happiness.
Cecelia Ahern’s novel, P.S. I Love You, can be categorized as a typical love story, however it delves deeper into the character’s than a romance novel does. Holly is a damsel in distress, an archetype commonly found when a woman character is broken down and needs help. “Holly drifted from room to room while she sobbed her fat, salty tears. Her eyes were red and sore and there seemed to be no end to this night…She longed for the couch to hold out its arms to her, but even it ignored her” (Ahern, 3). Holly felt as though she had no one when her husband left. She longed for his comfort and needed him to rescue her. “When disappointed, a Damsel must go through a process of empowerment and learn to take care of herself in the world” (Galley of Archetypes). Holly begins the process of empowerment when she realizes that her husband is gone and there is nothing she can do about it. “The feeling of excitement, of hope, of pure happiness and pride, a feeling of not knowing what the future held but being so ready to face it all…She had enjoyed every second of her life with Gerry, but now it was time to move on” (Ahern, 464). Holly learns to take care of herself by letting Gerry go just enough to be able to move on. She knows she will never completely lose him, but the feeling of knowing that she will be alright on her own signifies that she is no longer in distress. Holly transforms from a thrilled newlywed, to the classic archetype of a damsel in distress, and finally back out of her sadness.
As Bernhard Schlink introduces Hanna in The Reader, she is portrayed as a helpful young woman. However, as the novel unfurls, Hanna’s true character is revealed. In an archetypal view, she is a temptress, seducing Michael and carrying on an affair with him.
“Then she let the towel fall to the floor. I didn’t dare move. She came so close to me that I could feel her breasts against my back and her stomach against my behind. She was naked too. She put her arms around me, one hand on my chest and the other on my erection” (Schlink, 25).
Hanna, significantly older than Michael, comes onto him in a sexual manner, thus giving her the title of the temptress. “The seductress is one of the most potent female personas in existence. Though long misunderstood and ignored, she’s the paradigmatic liberated woman, empowered with men and empowered in life” (Hipnotherapy). The seductress has always been a key factor in literature. She embodies chance, mystery and temptation. Michael cannot resist her temptation as a young boy. Once the trial begins and Michael sees Hanna again, he sees that she has changed. She has admitted to her crimes and is sentenced to jail. Michael sees Hanna again, after quite a bit of time has passed, and is shocked at what he sees. “I had met Hanna again on the benches as an old woman. She had looked like an old woman and smelled like an old woman. I hadn’t noticed her voice at all. Her voice had stayed young” (Schlink, 202). Hanna had changed from a young, sultry seductress who preyed on Michael as a young boy to an old, hardened version of herself. However, Michael comments that her voice has not changed. He believes that part of her old ways still live within her, thus his feelings have yet to go away. Hanna emerges as a seductress and after all that she endures, becomes an old woman; nevertheless, she does not lose the spark of her younger years, as Michael can still hear and sense it.
Holly and Hanna, the protagonists of P.S. I Love You and The Reader, respectively, are two completely different characters. Holly is married at a young age, only to have her husband taken away from her by way of illness. She becomes a damsel in distress, wanting to escape from the way she feels but cannot let her husband go long enough to feel better. Hanna, on the other hand, seduces a fifteen year old boy and falls in love with him. Hanna did not know the boundaries and when she finally met Michael again, she had turned into something completely different; an old woman. Each of these women suffered a great deal with the events that happened in their lives, but their characters are extremely different, in an archetypal analysis.
The social influence of P.S. I Love You and The Reader can be seen throughout the novels. The settings and backgrounds that each author chose for their books ultimately changed the outcome of the characters and influenced their behavior the whole time. Without the push from society, family members and friends, Ahern’s novel would have been lost after the first chapter. Holly’s awakening came as these pressures from society began to send a message to her. She needed the wakeup call and her surroundings provided just that. As Schlink introduces Hanna, an affair and love story emerge, but the trial of her behaviors when employed by the Nazis causes turmoil within the relationship. Michael is torn between his beliefs and justice and Hanna’s love for him. The setting of post-war Germany offers a great deal of suspense to the novel. Every book is influenced by the author’s choice of time, space, setting and history, and it plays an extremely important role in the plot of the book.
As characters begin to fit molds, archetypes are sure to appear. In P.S. I Love You, Holly is a damsel in distress and cannot find her way out of a deteriorating spiral downward. However, as the book reaches its climax, Holly has found herself happy once again, becoming the young, spry girl she was known for being before the tragic death of Gerry. On the contrary, The Reader’s Hanna is a seductress in the beginning, having a steamy affair with a fifteen year old boy and through events that happen to both the boy, Michael, and Hanna, she becomes an old, toughened woman. Conversely, Hanna seems to have a little sparkle of the woman that Michael once fell madly in love with up until the day she dies. Every novel has archetypes in it and how those characters’ situations play out can influence a book greatly.
Works Cited
Ahern, Cecelia. P.S. I Love You.New York: Hyperion, 2004.
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[http://www.lib.sk.ca/booksinfo/WesternProducer/1980/WP800327.html]
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[http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005143]
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[http://www.christiancupid.com/blog/how-can-i-overcome-being-pressured-to-marry]
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[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98020080]
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[http://www.whrhs.org/faculty_web/rbumiller/documents/Literary_Criticism_and_Theory.doc.]
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Schlink, Bernhard. The Reader. Trans. Carol Brown Janeway. Germany: Vintage International, 1995.
Dr. Vishwanath Bite 