ANALYSIS OF A NOVEL

I. TITLE

DARKNESS (by John Saul)

a. Purpose of the Title The title of this novel suggests its theme as well as the sequences of the story, which is dark and frightening. By naming the novel as Darkness, the readers can easily grasp the idea of the novel: it is a suspense fiction.

II. POINT OF VIEW The novel used the third person objective POV. The narrator is not a participant in the story.

III. CONFLICT/S

The conflicts presented in the story are as follows: Man vs. Man The lead characters are trying to pin down the bad guys. Man vs. Society One character seems to withdraw from the crowd because the latter think that she is not one of them, thus she struggles to make a connection even if they refuse to understand her. Man vs. Himself The two lead characters are always torn between their inner feelings and what the other people might think. The girl even imagines herself as pregnant to the point that she tries to kill the baby but was actually trying to kill herself.

IV. THEME a. Does the title suggest the theme? How does it suggest it? Yes, because the plot and the actions/motives of the main characters were rather absurd, eerie and involves evil, or the fact that they need to escape from it. b. Is the theme hinted by a dialogue, characterization and symbolism? Yes. In fact, all of the three, the dialogue, characterization and symbolism are used to make the theme appear obvious and prevalent.

V. PLOT a. Describe the movement of the plotrapid or slow? It does not fall in the rapid nor does it qualify for the slow, but rather it falls somewhere in the middle. b. Why did the author make the movement slow/rapid? The author seems to grip the details to give enough suspense to the readers, and it works because after all its a chilling story of abduction, murder, science and mystery. c. Did the author use flashback? At what point did the story start? Yes, it used flashbacks at several points of the story. The story actually begins with a prologue or an event that describes something that took place before the actual story happened. So it gives you an idea/clue of what the mystery is about. d. Is there a crisis mentioned in it? Yes. A lot of crises were mentioned since the story has several avenues of thoughts that the author had successfully put together. e. At what point is the climax? It came when the lead characters, at the height of their self-realizations, have also accidentally discovered the mystery behind all the kidnappings and faked existence of the people.

VI. CHARACTERIZATION a. Are all characters consistent? No, not all because the main characters seem to evolve throughout the story. The main characters are teenagers who are trying to find themselves and make a connection. They have angst, but towards the end, they seem to understand things about them and the people around. b. Are the characters flat/round? If they are round, point out the changes. Both the lead and the minor characters are round characters. Their characters change as the story progresses. Another reason is that the

antagonists were portrayed as good guys when they were actually bad. So, they change.

VII.

SATURATION

a. What is the geographical location of the story? The story happened in the fictional town of Villejuene in Florida, USA. It is a swampy town, meaning it has a lot of wet parts and waters around the land. Actually, the land has just been put there to cover the waters. b. Can you as a modern reader identify with the time if it is not in the present? How/Why? Yes. It is not even a time away. It is a present-day setting, with most of the conveniences and characteristics that suggest an easy life. Theres even this lead girl who colored her hair pink and dresses like a gothic punk and the towns teenagers are already driving at the age of 16.

VIII.

STYLE

a. The authors style is: direct, clear, informal or easy The style is informal since it is probably the most convenient for both the author and the readers. b. Does the dialogue seem natural? Yes, because the dialogues imply that it is happening in a modern-day American society, where children talk back to their parents, call people names, and find words like shi* and Jeez as cool. c. Does he use unfamiliar words, short sentences much description? Yes, because first, the novel combines science and fiction so some have words like sternum which is actually a part of the body. Also, the author used short sentences like Her baby. and Their children. to give dramatic effect and emphasis on what was happening to the story.