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Minithemes

"No sooner do we come into this world than bits of us start to drop off." -- Gustave Flaubert

Several samples

Analysis and evidence are a minitheme's key ingredients.

Keep in mind that this is an example of a film minitheme. When writing a minitheme for a novel you will want to remember to use page numbers, quotations, and other specifics to support your argument. See the syllabus for more direction.

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Sample 1
Name: Jeff Tweedy
Prof Todd
EN 220 Date: x/x/x/
Title: Neo's Evolution: Mirrors, Death, and Growth

I'm interested in how mirrors appear to signal growth (agency and freedom, etc.) in Neo's life. One sees mirrors, or mirrored surfaces, on:

  1. Morpheus' glasses. Morpheus is the only one who wears such mirrored shades; the agents wear the more typical variety.
  2. The pill case that Morpheus twirls in his and Neo's first meeting.
  3. The spoon at the Oracle's apartment. Later, Neo states, "There is no spoon" as he and Trinity begin their attack on the Agents
  4. The doorknob to the Oracle's door.
  5. The mirror following Neo's ingestion of the red pill.

What is clear about all these instances is that they go hand in hand with steps in Neo's evolution from nihilism. At each point that we see a mirror, we see Neo make a choice, accept a challenge, and take a position. This taking a position slowly weans him away from his state of nihilism. When Neo accepts the red pill, he is faced with the shiny pill case and Morpheus' glasses. Much of the film is taken up with a series of tests: Neo fighting Morpheus, jumping from a building, or taking on the agents. In the background or foreground of all of these actions are Morpheus and his glasses. Incidentally, most of these tests involve death. It is as if Neo has to face death to change. In a sense the entire film, by portraying the environmental disaster from humanity's creation of dangerous machines (AI), is trying to make us face death. And, by facing death, we will take action and leave behind our nihilism.

Two suggestions: 1. The mirror symbolizes Neo's need to be introspective (to look at himself as at a mirror) and his need to rethink who he is, and this leads to his evolution away from nihilism and towards Belief (this introspection is driven by his constant facing of death). 2. All the mirrors are external and fixed to more mature or enlightened individuals. Perhaps their maturity in some sense is what leads to a reevaluation of Neo's own life; he considers himself in light of them and doesn't like what he sees.

Sample 2
John V.
Waiting for the Barbarian

The Eurocentric world of the 15th through 19th centuries labeled people that were different as barbarians. Waiting for the Barbarians, a novel by J.M. Coetzee, describes an account of the civilized interacting with so-called barbarians. Through vivid descriptions and dialogue, Coetzee seems to question exactly what a barbarian is.

Is barbarianism defined by one's conduct or is it a degree of apparent class and civilization? The way that I read the novel, the author paints the administrators of the Empire as barbarians , not the uncivilized native people of the territory. I agree with the interpretation that a barbarian is determined by actions, and not the degree of civilization.The novel jumps right in to an atrocious act of Colonel Joll, an agent of the Empire. During interrogation of a young native boy, the Colonel uses a knife and "thrust into the boy's body and turn the knife delicately, like a key, first left, then right." He does this until the boy's "belly and both groins are pocketed with little scabs (10)." Joll finds this necessary to find truth. One would think a "non-barbarian" would have better means of doing this.

The agents of the empire do not maintain this sort of treatment for only the "barbarians." The magistrate himself is also given a taste of the Empire's cruelty. After bringing back the barbarian girl to her people, the magistrate is punished for his treasonous act: "I run around the yard under the blazing sun. When I slack he [Warrant Officer Mandel] slaps me on the buttocks with his cane and I trot faster," (116) throughout which he is naked and people watch him. Having these people watch and judge him is yet another form of abuse. Sight is a common theme when discussing the interactions between the two societies in the book.

The Empire had been causing emotional problems for the magistrate ever since the arrival of Colonel Joll. There is a scene in the book when Joll brings back some tortured prisoners which prompted the magistrate to think to himself: "Let it at the very least be said, if it ever comes to be said, if there is ever anyone in some remote future interested to know the way we lived, that in the farthest outpost of the Empire of light there existed one man who in his heart was not a barbarian(104)." Here the magistrate hints that he does not know who the barbarians are any more.

With all of this in mind there seems to be two interpretations of a barbarian. Who is more a barbarian, the educated man who uses fine tools for torture or the native who dresses in ragged animal skin and uses rudimentary tools to hunt? The argument is whether a person believes barbarianism to be a mental or physical characteristic. Although I respect others' opinions, I feel it is a mental trait, a choice one makes.

Sample 3
Cheyenne B.
Big Fish

Big Fish by Daniel Wallace is a story of transition and change. William, the son, feels as though he has lived his entire life not knowing who his father really was. William states, "He became just a man, a man without a job, without a story to tell, a man, I realized, I didn't know" (14 Wallace). On the other hand, Edward, the father, lives his life telling stories because he feels as though stories will survive forever, making it seem as though he was a great man, who lived a life full of adventure, bravery, and heroism. Throughout the story, Edward remains on his deathbed. While speaking to his son, Edward says, " 'remembering a man's stories makes him immortal, did you know that?' "(20 Wallace).

Throughout the novel, we keep returning to the last conversations that took place between William and his father. Each time, William confronts his father and asks to talk about life. As a son, William feels as though his father is a stranger, a man who continues to hide behind his stories. At one particular moment, we find ourselves in Edward's room and William says, " 'Let's talk, okay? Man to man, father to son. No more stories.' " (111 Wallace). Edward refuses to have a serious conversation and responds with humor. William responds with, " 'See? Even when you're serious you can't keep from joking. It's frustrating, Dad. It keeps me at arm's length. It's like -- you're scared of me or something' " (112 Wallace). This conversation proves that William is having a hard time dealing with his father's constant joking.

William understands that his father is dying but is striving to take advantage of his last few conversations with his dad. From the beginning of the book, William longs to have a serious conversation with his father. He does this by asking if his father believes in heaven, or god. Edward says, "'Who really knows for certain? Proof is unavailable. So one day I think yes, the next no ... Under these less then ideal conditions, a good joke somehow seems more appropriate. At least you can laugh'" (73 Wallace). William can not bring himself to understand why his father feels this way. "'But a joke, it's funny for a minute or two and that's it. You're left with nothing. Even if you changed your mind every other day I'd rather -- I wished you'd shared some of these things with me. Even your doubts would have been better than a constant stream of jokes'" (73 Wallace). William would rather have his father's different opinion every day then to hear jokes from him. William does not take well to his father and strives so hard to figure out who he thinks his father should be, instead of looking at who he is.

Edward has spent so much of his life trying to prove himself to the world, that he never proved himself as a father. A turning point in William's life came from a dream. When talking of Edward, an old man said, "'We all have stories, just as you do. Ways in which he touched us, helped us, gave us jobs, lent us money, sold it to us wholesale. Lots of stories, big and small. They all add up. Over a lifetime it all adds up. That's why were here, William. We're part of him, of who he is, just as he is part of us. You still don't understand, do you?'" (139 Wallace). Until this point, William had not given any thought to the fact that he was indeed a story. He was the story of a man who changed the world with his humor. Edward made people laugh, which is who he was.

William made a transformation from wondering who his father was and feeling distant, to finally understanding his father's meaning of life. William says, "'Which reminds me of a joke. I'll always remember his jokes, but this one especially I will remember. It's a family heirloom.'" (171 Wallace). William sees that his father told stories as a way to live on, forever. William was so angry with his father that he continued to fight about his relationship with him, up until the day his father died. However, he went out of his way to remember every story and joke that his father told. The stories and jokes finally mean something. They mean that William is the continuation of Edward's story. William finally understands his father and proves it when describing his death. William states, "'And that's when I discovered that my father hadn't been dying after all. He was just changing, transforming himself into something new and different to carry his life forward in. All this time, my father was becoming a fish'" (180 Wallace). It's over, and the transformation is complete. Edward will always live on in his son, who now realizes that everyone has a story. Without stories, no one has anything to believe in.

Sample 4
Kaycie A.
Big Fish

The novel Big Fish by Daniel Wallace states from the beginning that it is much like a myth; "My father became a myth" (2). Several times throughout the book, Edward Bloom, the father, is compared to a god, having mythic adventures and the like. However, his life nearly directly mimics that of a great hero or god. The gist of it is that The Hero is born with sprecial skills or abilities. As he grows he is able to start using these abilities or skills, much to the amazement of his family, friends, and neighbors. As he develops these powers, people begin to put faith in him and believe in him. With this new faith, his powers grow. Throughout his life he will be presented with trials/labors that he must overcome. His life will end only when people stop believing in him, when they turn their attention to something new. Sometimes The Hero will die, but other times they will be transformed into a new creature and continue to live forever, but without the notoriety.

Edward Bloom follows this itinerary almost to a 'T'. He is The Hero. And as The Hero he must have a weakness, for, after all, he is a mortal. His weakness is his feeling of self-worth. At each new turn in his life Edward must find something, do something that he can use to prove to himself that his is a life worth living. As a side benefit, almost everything that he does to prove his self-worth benefits someone else. That's also one of his abilities, to know without consciously knowing what to do to make someone else's life better by bettering your own, as in the story of Mrs. Rainwater and the girdle. He knew that the Perfect girdle would make her happy, and in order to prove his worth as a sales assistant he would be the one to help her find it, and he did. His lack of self-worth is his Achiles' Heel (another Hero doomed to tragedy). But, as time progressed, his self-worth began to grow.

And then William was born.

His downfall as The Hero had begun; "[William] would become a giant, and Edward would become nothing, invisible to the world" (123). Which is also another aspect in the life of The Hero; as the tales begin to grow about him, so does his physical form. The more popular The Hero, the more of a giant he literally becomes, and the opposite is true as well.

Edward does love his son, but he loves himself as well. He wants the best for William, but he does not want his life to end so that his son's could begin. Again, Edward sets off to re-prove to the world that he is The Hero, that his life is worth something still.

But, it's not as easy this time around. He has started to lose the faith and belief granted to him by other people. His powers are beginning to fade. He has had great successes as a businessman, but he feels those successes are doing nothing for him as a man; "...despite his great success no seems happy. Not [William's] mother, not [William], and certainly not [Edward]" (143). His life at home is doing nothing for him, so he sets out to make a new home in hopes that it will be able to make him happy, that he will be seen as worthwhile. So he buys a home and the town that it was in. But again, that failed. His powers are lessening faster than he realized.

In the end, when he has been reduced to nothing, when the cancer has taken over his life, his powers, he knows that his tale is over. But, he also realizes that his self-worth can grow even after he is gone. He imparts the story of his life to his son in the hope that he, William, will succeed where he has failed. His worth as a father, a man, The Hero can continue to grow through William.

And like most Heros, he is transformed into a new creature so that he can live forever as a myth, the myth that he has become; "He was just changing, transforming himself into something new and different to carry his life forward in" (180).

Sample 5
Abby K.
Ordinary People

In Ordinary People, the author, Judith Guest, uses colors as a way to allow the reader to recognize what emotion the character Conard Jarrett is feeling. The reader has knowledge of this from the very beginning when Conard thinks to himself about the walls in his room. "Pale blue. An anxious color. Anxiety is blue; failure, gray" (pg 1). These are two reoccurring colors throughout the novel that permit the reader to understand how Conard may be feeling since he has trouble communicating his thoughts.

While Guest was blunt about indicating what color corresponds with what emotion, she also indicates that Conard knows this as well. "...Conard Jarrett the Anxious Failure dress this guy in blue and gray" (pg. 2). The reader knows right up front how Conard feels about himself and how to indicate when he may be feeling anxious and like a failure by using the colors blue and gray as a clue.

Most places Conard enters throughout the novel, he makes a point to describe the surroundings. It is obvious that he must be anxious the majority of the time because walls (pg. 1, 213), cars (pg. 134), shadows (pg. 149), fabric and bedding (pgs. 183, 213), rugs and curtains (pgs. 213, 225) are illustrated as having a blue color.

Conard also appears to be anxious around his doctor, Berger, and his girlfriend, Jeannine. When he speaks to either of them he makes a point to describe their blue eyes. While talking to Berger one time he shares with the reader, "The eyes have pinned him to the wall. A hard blue light. He shifts uncomfortably" (pg. 121). Also, while with Jeannine Guest depicts her eyes, "Her washed-out blue eyes will not pierce him. Yet he stumbles over the speech he has been preparing all week" (pg. 133).

As for the color gray, failure, it is introduced when Conrad tells the story of the boating accident with his brother. "...get the goddamn sail down! Grabbing at gray a billowing mass sticky and wet against his face it smothers him with its weight..." (pg. 217). Conrad feels as though he was responsible for the death of his brother that night, thus he has failed as a brother for allowing him to die.

Toward the end of the novel, Conard has an important breakdown to Berger and at this time he narrates, "Narrowing his eyes, he blends everything to gray- the curtains, the walls painted with huge, atomic grapevines and leaves, the dark, gorilla like man across the table from him" (pg. 226). It is at this time that he believes that he is an absolute failure in life.

Besides the very last page where the color blue is mentioned when Conrad is thinking about his mother, the colors blue and gray are not mentioned anymore after his big breakdown. Guest is trying to reassure the reader that his anxiety and thoughts of failing have finally come to an end, except perhaps when he is thinking about his relationship with his mother.

Sample 6
Tiffany B.
Maus

The entire graphic novel of Maus can be summarized by the very subtitle of the book; "My Father Bleeds History."

Throughout the course of the novel Vladek is undergoing a phase of intense healing. In an almost literal translation of the subtitle, the author is explaining that history is flowing from his father's wounds.

In order to bleed, one has to first be injured. There can be injury without the loss of blood, but there can not be blood without injury. In this sense we can view Vladek's many stories as the blood flowing from his unhealed wounds of his past.

Vladek had never really shared his stories/past with many people. As he stated, "No one wants anyways to hear such stories." (pg 12) So for many years after the war he has left "open wounds" unhealed and has never tried to get any sort of help to deal with what he has experienced both physically and mentally.

In the process of telling Art his experiences (bleeding), Art is, in a way, healing the wounds with which the war has left his father. As Vladek and Art are walking, Vladek begins to describe the move into the Ghetto of Srodula. (pg105) At this point he begins very hesitantly but then leads into many stories at once, telling us about the guards and his sending his son off. All at once there was a breakthrough and a sudden outburst of these many stories. (pg105-109)

Vladek tells stories one after the other, dealing with everything from hiding in a bunker (pg 110) to his role-playing as a non-Jew (pg 136). As he tells these stories, the history and raw images of the war are transformed from Vladek's words, into the beautiful imagery that Art scribbles of his father's past. History is being transformed into a comic of his father's life.

And so ...My Father Bleeds History. Simply stated...simply read...until one looks into the many trials and tribulations of Vladek Spiegelman's life during WWII.

Sample 7
Karlie N.
Maus

"With money you always get anything"(73 Vladek). This comment was refering to the black market that was estblaished when the Nazis began taking control. This minitheme will set out to show how money has control and can corrupt and change those that have it. Money was a factor in getting Vladek started on the wealthy track. His father in-law paid for a place to stay and invested in a business for Vladek. Money and valubles came to save Vladek and his first wife Anja many times, getting them places to hide, food, and eventually smuggled out of Poland. Vladek is an example of how money can corrupt and change an individual.

Vladek's father in-law was a very wealthy man and as a result of his genorisity Vladek became a wealthy man. Vladek's father -in -law paid for his first living arrangment and even started a business for Vladek. The father- in -law even went as far as paying for the damage when Vladeks factory was robbed. This use of money can be noted as genorisity towards a son in law but it can also be a symbol of power. In that the father in law wants to make sure is daughter has a well off life and stabliizes the son in law in order to do this.

Money and valubles bought with money saved Vladek and his first wife Anja many times.c Money got them places to hide, food and eventually escape from Poland by being smuggled into Hungary. One incident that stands out is when the couple was taken to a place that was a massive gathering of Jewish people awaiting to be sent to concentration camps. Vladek's cousin was one of the guards and Vladek made a sign stating he had money, Vladek's cousin helped him and Anja escape but only for a handsome fee of gold and diamonds.(114) There are other incidents stated through out the story of Vladek trading in money and valubles for food. The other major use of money was when Vladek paid a stranger to keep Anja and him in their home and where they were safe. "Artie asks Vladek if he had to pay for this and Vladek says of course I paid and I paid well, what do you think someone will risk their life for nothing." This is a true illustration of the power that money holds.

Vladek ended up turning into a stingy old man with his money, money corrupted him into this. A great example of this is when Vladek wants his son to fix the drainpipe and the son tells Vladek to hire someone and he replies"you and Mala! You both think money grows on bushes! I'll fix it myself!"(73) Vladek's second wife Mala speaks quite a bit about how strict a budget Vladek keeps her on. She says that he controls all of her money and she only gets $50.00 a month to spend.(130-131) Mala says he, refereing to her husband, "has thousands of dollars and lives like a pauper, corruption causes someone to be stingy"(131).

The theme of this story is money holds power and power can easily corrupt. Power was demonstrated by the many times Vladek paid others to make sure he and his wife Anja were safe, and fed. You can see the corruption and control side of money through the man it has turned Vladek into. He uses money to control his second wife Mala and is even to stingy to pay somone to fix a drainpipe. Money rules the world and throughout this story a vivid picture of that corruption, control and power is painted.