Practice Makes Perfect: My first English Exam Essay

"Showing convincingly how characters develop and so achieve a sense of identity is an essential way in which novelists and poets engage fully with their readers"

    Authors often use varying techniques to engage fully with their readers. Charles Dickens, the author of Great Expectations, has been analysed to create a sense of identity through demonstrating how characters develop. This technique has been argued to be one of the essential ways in which Dickens engages with the reader fully, as it explores a much untouched area of society for his era- upward social mobility. However, when digesting this novel, it is unambiguous to see that Dickens utilises other methods in which to fashion a sense of identity to engage the readers, rather than showing development; two such approaches being symbolism and setting.

    

    To embark upon this exploration, we first need to analyse the limited ways in which Dickens uses development to create a sense of identity thus, engaging the reader.  A pinnacle aspect of identity development in which Dickens explores is social mobility. This rare progress in the nineteenth century is one of the key elements in which the book revolves around, and commences when Jaggers states “that he be immediately removed from his resent sphere of life and from this place, and be brought up as a gentleman.” (Ch. 18, Pg. 117) However, the beginning of the character Pips’ development of identity can be gleaned to be tainted with negative connotations. The quote stated prior is quite impersonal, and uses the legal dialect of the character Jaggers to describe this otherwise joyous and exhilarating transition in Pip’s life. Due to this, Dickens may very well be leaking his opinions upon his contextual society through this scenario. Mirrored in his novel, Dickens, like Pip, was a poor boy who rose to success and through the social classes, to eventually obtaining a high status. By describing Pip’s identity development into higher standings in such a way, could suggest that Dickens was not content with his new life. From being raised as poor, and to be catapulted into fame and fortune as a result of his writing, Dickens may have found this transition difficult to contend with, and may have been met by adversity from members of the upper class. Alternatively, Dickens could be representing his opinion on the class system as a whole. The author could be implying that to band people as rich or poor is to consume ones identity, and that identity can only be achieved through materialism, not personality.

    Contextual readers in the nineteenth century may have been fully engaged with this novel when reading it. As described before, by developing Pip’s social standing and creating a new sense of identity for him, Dickens explores a much isolated topic within his society. Readers then may have been shocked at such a concept: that a poor boy could infiltrate their lives of money and luxury. Today, contrastingly, readers may not be as engaged with this concept, but rather relate to it easier. The invisible barrier of class has become more penetrable over time; therefore readers may be able to relate to Dickens’ characters more, than during his era. As a result, by showing how characters develop and achieve a sense of identity, readers may become fully engaged within the novel.

    Although the development of characters can be a powerful way to achieve a sense of identity, this is not the only essential way in which Dickens engages the reader fully. Rather, Dickens’ use of landscape and setting can achieve similar or even better results. Many novelists use setting to covey a certain message to the reader. Dickens uses this technique in such a way that the characters identity is portrayed through their surroundings; therefore, engaging the reader. Dickens describes Pip’s home to be “marsh country, down by the river, within, as the river wound, twenty miles of the sea.” (Ch. 1, Pg. 3) There are a lot of connotations associated with this use of setting which can reveal deeper depths to Pip’s identity. Not only does it give immediate impressions of an underprivileged existence, the use of the river and the sea gives certain fluidity and movement associations with Pip. Dickens may be suggesting here Pip’s need for change, as the tide changes; combined with Pip’s confinement, like the water flowing within the rivers course. As a result, a sense of identity is created, without the need to show development.

    This use of setting has many personal connections with Dickens. Dickens, as a child, was moved to Kent with his family. For Pip’s home and further locations in the novel, Dickens draws upon personal experience to fuel his location choice. By doing so, Dickens may be showing his fondness for these landscapes, as they played an important part in his life. On the other hand, Dickens continues to describe Pip’s location as a “bleak place overgrown with nettles” (Ch. 1, Pg. 3) this may indeed draw opposed inferences upon Dickens’ opinion of his childhood home. By depicting the setting as “bleak” with “nettles” does provide negative connotations; implying that Dickens may not have reminisced his childhood with fond memories.

    This novel has often been related to having aspects of the gothic nature. A typical gothic genre includes landscapes and settings that are far away. By using setting to achieve a sense of identity may engage readers as Dickens uses local, familiar locations in his novel, rather than exotic, ostentatious ones- as in line with the typical gothic genre. Both contextual and modern day readers may experience a sense of familiarity within Great Expectations, due to this choice of setting, making it increasingly easier to become engaged with the novel. If Dickens selected a more outlandish setting, readers may not have been able to engage fully with the book; even more so for nineteenth century readers, as travel abroad was not as accessible as it is today. Therefore, as a result of Dickens using setting to achieve a sense of identity will engage the readers fully within the novel.

    The last exploration into Great Expectations takes the form of symbolism. This method is often a favourite of Dickens, and appears throughout the novel. Dickens uses symbolism in such a way, that like setting, it can achieve a more profound sense of identity while engaging the readers fully. Time and Miss Havisham are often related heavily, exposing certain elements regarding identity. When Dickens writes Pip’s first encounter with Miss Havisham at Satis house, he notices that “her watch had stopped at twenty minutes to nine, and that a clock in the room had stopped at twenty minutes to nine” (Ch. 8, Pg. 49) This symbolism of frozen time can demonstrate certain characteristics of Miss Havisham’s identity. A certain air of self-created, timeless pain emits from this imagery. Dickens’ symbolism here may be highlighting Miss Havisham’s prerequisite for self-torture, as she decided to freeze time at the moment her fiancé left her. Ideas of a self-created purgatory exude from this symbolism also; as if Miss Havisham is destined to remain in her timeless state until her revenge has been accomplished. Thus, this symbolism may reflect upon her identity, as her need for pain and continuous torture.

    Such ideas could be imitated from Dickens’ past. Like Miss Havisham stuck in her timeless hell, Dickens’ father was sent to prison for his collation of debt. His father, much like Miss Havisham, created his own ‘unhappy ending’ by not paying his debts. It could be inferred that Dickens is suggesting that people create their own bad outcomes, and inflict pain upon themselves, rather than being products of other people’s actions.

   Using symbolism to achieve as sense of identity can engage the readers fully, as they become more involved within the novel. A tone of mystery can be created when introducing symbolism to the reader, as they attempt to interpret its meaning; as a result, the reader becomes actively involved within the novel.

     

   Showing convincingly how characters develop and so achieve a sense of identity can be an essential way in which novelists and poets engage fully with their readers. The use of social mobility to highlight development is quite effective in creating identity and engaging the readers. However, Dickens does use alternative techniques with a more successful result. Using location and setting portray an instant impression of a characters identity, and the familiar of the setting can create engagement; while symbolism can conjure mystery into a novel, that makes the reader engage by interpreting the hidden meanings. However, does identity have to be the central motif to create engagement? Can other motifs such as the class system or the criminal justice system engage the readers just as well?

Bibliography:

Charles Dickens (1992). Great Expectations, Wordsworth Classics, Hertfordshire

Façade

 The mirror,

Its reflective face taunts me as,

I glare into the unforgiving depths.

The hand,

Caresses the un-crafted scars,

Prize of the former and forthcoming.

The tear,

Cascades over the lies and hatred,

Crafting the familiar path. Unchanged.

The silence,

Engulfs the beating,

Refining the veils.

The self-destruction remains.

Concealed by my,

Façade

United in The Dark

Here we stand, our hands will bind; bracing against the roaring tide.

They may bombard us with their fire and blades,

But we will prevail on, their poison aside.

Inch by inch the shadows may creep; in attempts to make us weep.

But they will be met by our resistance- strong!

Compelling us out of our twilight sleep.

The laughing, the jibes, the persistent malicious lies; filling our ears, drowning our cries.

But we look away, towards the light,

Travelling onward, towards fresh skies.

Here we stand, our hands never unbind, prevailing against the roaring tide!

They hurt, they break, and they have lied.

But our unity will keep us strong and alive…

Thoughts in The Night

The void darkness embraces me tightly,

While a cradle in my defeat.

The deafening silence secures me slightly,

As I ponder my mistakes.

The sun seeps through the gaps lightly,

The day of reckoning arrives.

Out of my door, I creep quietly.

I will face my destiny and lies. 

Confronting the Context

 Great Expectations of Class, Crime and Kings

    

    Novels, upon the surface, may appear to be just organised letters of ink printed upon pieces of paper with the aim to entertain. Although, beneath the depths of these words could hoard unlocked secrets of the author and of their time: personal opinions accidentally spilt across the pages, references to events of their era weaved into the story and fragments of their life scattered amongst the imagery and dialogue.

    Great Expectations by Charles Dickens may have the façade of the transgression of a boy’s life into wealth and adulthood. But, behind this novelistic mask may conceal the authors views on the justice system of the 1800s, references to royalty and most certainly class. How has Dickens accomplished in entwining these subjects into his novel, and what does this illustrate to us about the author himself?

    We find that many authors have a tendency to inject their own personal experiences into their work; fuelling their plots with poignant incidents from their life and sculpturing their characters from acquaintances of the past. Many previous explorers of Great Expectations have commented on the extent to which the protagonist Pip mirrors Charles Dickens’s childhood.  “It is impossible to read Great Expectations without sensing Dickens's presence in the book, without being aware that in portraying and judging Pip he is giving us a glimpse of a younger self.” (Professor David Cody, 2000, pp1) As Professor Cody discusses, Dickens may have used fragments of his younger years as inspiration for the character of Pip, and many events which occur within the plot.

    As a boy, Dickens lived the first nine years of his life in the coastal regions of Kent. Contrary to many of the great authors of the nineteenth century, Dickens did not develop within a life of luxury, education and comfort. John, Dickens’s father, was rather unapt at controlling the family finances, resulting in accumulating debts and eventually confronting debtors’ prison when Dickens was twelve. His mother moved his siblings into prison with their father; however, she arranged for Dickens to live outside the prison and work pasting labels on bottles in a blacking warehouse. Dickens viewed this work to be beneath his talents, and spent a wretched three months suffering the labour. Although, his suffering was not prolonged, as when his father was released from his confinement, Dickens returned to school eventually and earned his place as a law clerk before becoming the novelist we celebrate today.  

    The parallel between Dickens’s early life and Pip’s is extremely unambiguous.  Before Pip’s Great Expectations come to fruition, he spends his childhood in the marshes- much like Dickens’s first settlement. Pip also suffered “that curtain [drop] so heavy and black, as when my way in life lay stretched out straight before me through the newly-entered road of apprenticeship to Joe.” (Ch. 14 pp. 91) Much like Dickens experienced when working in the blacking warehouse. In extension, we additionally find that one of the more engaging characters, Wemmick, to be a law clerk; much like Dickens was. Are these just strange coincidences, unconsciously sewn into the fabrication of the novel? Or did Dickens intend to give the readers a sliver of his previous life, before the wealth and fame of his literary success?

    Royalty and politics within the Georgian era was a point of conflict, as the battle of the Georges grew to its climax. Dickens, rather cunningly, may have attempted to portray this royal quarrel within Great Expectations.

    King George III and his son George IV did not have a strong bond, with politics being the core conflict within their relationship. As such, in a statement of rebellion and defiance, George IV married Maria Fits Herbert in 1785 who was not of royal lineage. This juvenile attempt of mutiny had a short duration of only ten years, and George remarried to a Princess Caroline, making George miserable. As such, Caroline was sent to look after the ailing George III.

    These events described may have some connotations within Dickens novel. Wemmick, Pips acquaintance and eventual professional and personal friend, often described his house as a “castle” where his father known as “the Aged” resided. There is one focal scene in which Pip meets “a neat little girl in attendance, who looked after the Aged in the day.” (Ch. 25 pp. 178) We may draw from this phenomenon that Dickens endeavoured to recreate the politics of the era. But the question remains, why? Could by highlighting this event suggest that Dickens agrees with the fact that George had to remarry to keep a royal blood line within the royal family? Or maybe, he agrees with the royal rebellion of the frowned upon marriage to Fits Herbert? For we find that Wemmick does not marry this “neat little girl” who may represent Princess Caroline, but his love Miss Skiffins. Did Dickens intend Miss Skiffins to play Fits Herbert in this indefinite performance of the Georgian reign?  

    The last exploration of context arrives in the form on the justice system. As Dickens travelled through the life as a law clerk, he may have formed strong opinions of the English justice system, in particular, the death penalty. The beautifully written scene of chapter fifty six describes the passing of sentences of criminals, including Pip’s benefactor: Magwitch. Dickens writes the horror that Pip experiences when he “saw two-and-thirty men and women put before the judge to receive that sentence together.” (Ch. 56 pp. 388) The magnified passage Dickens writes notes all of what Pip experiences, down to “the April rain on the windows of the court, glittering in the rays of April sun.” (Ch. 56 pp. 388) By emphasising the sentencing, Dickens may be suggesting his views on the death penalty. The author may be stressing his aversion to the law, accumulated from his days as a law clerk, as the passage sees Pip’s benefactor being sentenced to death.

    Context is a wonderful way for authors to express their own experiences and opinions without causing conflict and controversy. This powerful tool used by Dickens has given us an incomplete key into his past and of his opinions of topical subjects of his era. Through context, authors may be the passive politicians of the world, shedding light on taboo subjects and opinions.

Bibliography:

Charles Dickens (1992). Great Expectations, Wordsworth Classics, Hertfordshire

Professor David Cody (2000). Autobiographical Elements in Dickens's Great Expectations, http://mural.uv.es/mobero/dickauto.htm Viewed at: 20/08/2012 15:34 pm 

Season of The Hunt- Chapter 4

  

                      In the Middle of the Night 

  The moon’s pale light spilled into the darkened office. Immense glass panels stretching around the entirety of the back of the room allowed the moon’s waxing spell to enthral the office, casting an eerie ambience.    

     A man sat at his desk, placed with is back to the panels at the end of the oval room. His fingers danced delicately over the computer keys as he slaved mechanically over the machine. The computers synthetic glow poured onto the man’s face- the only source of the light in the room except that composed by the moon. Shadows clung to the edges of the office, as if in waiting for the computers light to dissipate, so that they may embark in their attack upon the man.

    A red light flashed three times upon the desk. The man stopped his typing as a thin smile cut across his otherwise indifferent face. Next to the light the man pressed a button. “She has arrived, sir,” informed a woman’s voice.

The man replied dryly, “You may send her through.”

     

    The man rose from his chair and walked over to the glass panels. He looked out into the metropolis which lay before him. His black, lifeless eyes inspected the concrete mass of buildings, spreading into the distance like a vast ocean. A few cars weaved around the complex series of roads, determined to get to their destination. From the height in which the office sat, the cars resembled small toys, rather than vehicles used to transport people. The city seemed unnervingly still, compared to its cosmic number of its inhabitance.

    Over in the distance an enormous clock chimed its scheduled melody; twelve rings completed the tune as once again the city returned to its state of relative silence.

    Three knocks at the door shattered the dark serenity. “Come,” responded the man with a commanding tone of authority. The door to the office opened and a slim professional looking woman strode in. She was garbed in a plain black suit, with a silver pin constructed of four circles connected so that they formed a sort of square, which was attached to the lapel of her jacket.  All of her facial features were sharp:  her piercing eyes bored into everything her glare rested on, her pointy nose corresponded well with her pointed chin and her black hair was fashioned into a bob style cut. As she walked, the sound of her high heels striking the floor resonated through the room. Following her were two men wearing police officers uniforms; again, wearing the same pin as the woman. In-between the two, they dragged what appeared to be a girl, no older than sixteen, her legs trailing behind her as she was carted across the floor, her hands bound by handcuffs. Her face depicted pure terror as she was thrown to the ground, in the middle of the dark office. Behind the parade, a final police officer entered the room clutching a brown sack, which he gave to the woman, who received it with a look of disgust. The sack was moving.

    The man looking out of the panels- with his back to the performance- raised his hand. As signalled, the party left the room, all except the girl and woman. “As you requested sir,” spoke the woman, as if fishing for praise.

“You have done well Elsa; your efforts will be rewarded.” The man’s silky smooth voice resembled the pouring of honey. It had a hypnotic effect, as if everything he said was the truth, and that nothing else mattered apart from what was crafted by his voice. It was the personification of grandeur.

The woman produced a look of glee at her recognition. “Thank you sir,” she said whilst bowing her head.

    The man still looking out into the world below continued his address, “I have been searching for you for a while, Ren; and now that you are in my presence, it makes me very happy.” The man turned around to face the frightened child. The veins in his hairless head began to throb as he advanced towards the girl; his face still in the same unemotional state. He knelt down to Ren and locked eyes with her. She responded with a look of fury. “You really do not know how special you are.” The man attempted to kiss her on the head, but his efforts were only met by Ren’s hand as she slapped him around the face. “Don’t you touch me,” she spat. The man stood up, his frozen face leaked the slightest hint of wrath for just a second, only to be smothered again by cool composure. “You have caused me some trouble child. Who would believe that you could kill two of my hunters? No matter, you are here now. Although, if you had just followed instructions, blood would not have been spilled.”

“You expected me to just let you take me?” The man placed his hands behind his back and walked over to the panels again.

“No, but what is happening and going to happen is inevitable. You might as well embrace your fate. You should be honoured to play such a vital part; after all, you are the first of the four.” The man paused. “Elsa, please escort our esteemed guest to the holding cells, and take that with you.” The man was addressing the sac which Elsa was grasping. It began to wriggle again as she motioned towards the door. The police officers entered the room, and grabbed Ren by her arms as they dragged her to the door. “And do not fret if you get lonely my lovely. The others should be joining you soon.” The sound of Ren’s furious shrieks trailed off down the hall as the door to the office closed once again.

    The man exhaled heavily, as if exhausted from the events which just transpired. He sat back down at his desk and continued to work, seemingly unaffected by fatigue. As he laboured away a sudden message sprung up in the bottom left hand corner of the screen. The man selected the icon which resulted in an email appearing. The email contained only five words: The second has been found. 

Season of The Hunt- Chapter 3

                                                               Taboo 


“I never wanted to come here in the first place!” roared Iris, as she burst into her substitute bedroom in a wild rage, slamming the door behind her with such vigour the fragile cottage seemed to tremor in fear. Tears began to drown her eyes as she leant against the wall. Iris released a pitiful sob as she slid down to the ground; where she sat hugging her legs to her chest, her head buried within her knees. And there Iris cried, all alone, in the dark unfamiliar room.
  
  Iris and her aunt did not get off to the best of starts. Bella’s effectively schizophrenic behaviour can appear uncouth to many, Iris included. At first her aunt appeared nice enough, just an innocent old lady living in a cottage in the woods by herself. But, with a mention of that picture, her façade soon liquefied…
   
   As Bella hauled Iris over her threshold, an assault of flowery aromas bombarded her senses. The concoction seemed spicy, sweet and fresh all at once; the fragrance tickling Iris’s nose as she inhaled the intoxicating air. It was obvious why the atmosphere was so alive with the floral scents, for everywhere Iris looked were plants of all colours and varieties: roses of every colour potted around the tables, vines with purple and yellow flowers crawled their way around the beams of the cottage, large bush like plants were placed in the corners of the room, all species of plant you could imagine occupied the small house. “Wow!” breathed Iris as she surveyed the area. 
    Apart from the dense forest which filled interior, the cottage looked just as cosy on the inside as it did from the out. To Iris’s left was a small living room: a log fire burned at the back of the room, casting its smouldering red light and warmth throughout the base of the cottage. Iris counted three arm chairs and a rocking chair in front of the fireplace, with a well-worn circular rug in the centre. To her right was an equally small kitchen and dining room. A compact wood burning stove was seen to be stationed there, with a few shelves, working counters, sink, cooling cupboard and a dining table with four chairs surrounding it. It was clear that Bella had eluded the technical advances of electricity and heating, but that added to the charm of the property. Installing industrial amenities would have destroyed the comfortable, rural ambiance.       
    Directly opposite Iris was a staircase, cutting through the centre of the cottage, dividing the living room and kitchen. Bella floated over to the stairs and extended her arm out towards the banister. Tanis slipped off Bella’s arm and twisted her way along the wood. “Welcome to my humble home Iris, I hope you like plants as much as I do! Otherwise you might find the next two weeks rather uncomfortable,” chuckled her aunt. “Unfortunately I have no television or phone, but I’m sure you can survive two weeks without them.”
“What! No tele or phone?!” exclaimed Iris, discussed at the notion of being cut off from modern civilisation for two weeks. “How am I supposed to live in this place without some entertainment?”
“I would thank you not to insult my life style if you please,” rebuked Bella. “Society and I do not exactly get on, so why should I grace it by becoming another zombie glued to a screen for hours upon end? People waste their lives in front of the television; they become so blind that reality and fiction become blurred.  The world is a wonderful place Iris; if you just open your eyes for once in your life I am sure you would be surprised at what you will discover. Now, would you like a cup of tea dear?” Bella’s tone seemed to shift from stern to placid in a matter of words. It was as if she was endeavouring to suppress an inner rage buried deep within her.

    Iris walked around the living room, occupying herself while her aunt was making the tea. The red glow of the fire gently kissed the walls of the room, creating fading shadows dripping onto the floor.  The mixture of the heat and low light made Iris sleepy as she inspected the photographs decorating the walls. Every one of the pictures were constructed of black and white film, reflecting their age. Mostly the photographs were of plants or woodland. “The woman is obsessed!” whispered Iris under her breath. 
    As Iris fleetingly glanced at the field of film, one odd picture caught her eye in particular. It was small portrait, rectangular in shape; strangely, the only print to have people as the subject, rather than foliage. Five people posed in the photograph, positioned with two small girls at the front, a man and a woman behind and to the side of either girl, and another woman in the middle at the very back. The image gave the impression of a family portrait; everyone looked happy, with their beaming grins animating the scene. Iris inspected the photograph closer, when she realised who one of subjects were; for the woman placed at the back to the middle resembled her aunt Bella! At shallow exploration, Iris did not detect her aunt in the photograph, as her youth disguised her identity,  but the factor which concreted Iris’s speculation was the snake looped around Bella’s arm. Only her aunt would carry around a snake with her at all times! Her face was smooth and youthful. Life seemed to overflow from her features, with a smile so wide that it drowned out all others.
    Another oddity which Iris spied was that all the other people in the photo seemed to have an animal with them also. The girl in the front left had a small puppy in her arms, the girl next to her -seemingly twins as they looked so alike- had a ferret curled around her shoulders, the woman on the left was cradling a spider, whilst the man on the right had a petit sparrow perched on top of his shoulder. It was indeed an unusual capturing of events! 

    Bella floated silently into the room, laden with a tray containing a tea pot, two cups and some oat biscuits; everywhere Bella walked, she looked as if to glide above the ground with incredible ease, silent as the clouds drifting across the sky. 
    Her features winced at the sight of Iris viewing the peculiar picture. Iris turned around at the sound of her aunt placing the tray down, seemingly unaware of her aunt’s entrance prior. Iris asked, “Aunt Bella, who is in this picture?” Bella continued to prepare the beverage, ostensibly evading the question. 
“Oh that old thing? Just something I found in the attic when I moved in here. It looked nice so I thought I would keep it.”    
“But isn't that you in the picture? I mean, that snake looks like Tanis,” pursued Iris.
“No, don’t be silly! There is many a snake that looks like Tanis. She isn't the only snake of her species in the world!”
Iris could sense her aunt was attempting to conceal something, “But the woman does look like you… Your keeping something from me, aren't you?”
Bella’s face darkened, “There are some things that people do not want to share Iris, it is best not to go on about it-“
“But I want to know! I'm not a little kid any more  Tell me now!” Iris began to revert back to an immature state: she crossed her arms in a defensive position and stamped her feet in the ground. 
“Listen child,” Bella ceased in preparing the tea and drifted over to Iris, her voice deepening with a mixture of annoyance and anger. “If I do not wish to tell you something I won’t. You may think you are old enough to understand the complexities of the world but you are very, very wrong. You may think that you are no longer a child, but you are. And if you think that by throwing a tantrum you will get your own way, you are severely wrong. Now sit down, drink your tea and we will not discuss this topic any longer.” 
Iris’s face flared into a burning red, “How dare you talk to me like that you stupid old woman! No one ever talks to me like that! Now tell me about the picture, now!” Something shattered deep within Bella. The rage she controlled previous was now boiling into an overbearing force, easily defeating the strongest of wills. Her gentle, calm nature was now consumed by pure fury. She raised her hand and slapped Iris around her left cheek; the sound of the contact echoing throughout the cottage. As soon as Bella’s hand met with Iris’s cheek the rage within Bella seemed to dissolve instantly, leaving regret in its wake. “I'm so sorry!” whispered Bella, shocked at her own actions. Iris looked back at her aunt in utter reverence. She never thought that Bella would be capable of such actions! The timid, floaty woman that Iris once knew was no more. Here stood authority and challenge to the immature Juvenal. Iris pushed past her aunt, fleeing upstairs to find sanctuary. “Dear, I'm sorry!” bellowed Bella after Iris. 

    Iris continued her weeping for many minutes. No one- apart from her mother- had ever dared to talk to Iris in such a manner, let alone hit her! Iris felt entirely alone in the cottage. She had attempted to contact Naomi, but her efforts failed when she realised that there was not mobile reception in which to send a message or call. 
    Iris was so engrossed within her misery that she did not even notice the cat which stood on the windowsill. The window to Iris’s room had been left wide open, allowing the animal to enter the cottage with ease. It was probably disturbed by Iris’s din and wanted to see the source of the wailing. 
    It was a majestic creature standing pound upon the windowsill. Its short white fur shimmered in the pale light of the moon. It had a muscular body, with a thin tail that flicked back and forth as if annoyed. Its eyes were spellbinding, glistening yellow; like two candles flickering in the night. But the most prominent feature of the cat was its markings. The creature was almost completely white, apart from the strange black line that commenced in between its ears, and continued in a straight line, discontinuing at its nose. It was like an odd kind of birth mark.   
    The cat stood staring at Iris for a while, as if it was conjuring a plot. After a few minutes, it leapt off the windowsill and landed elegantly upon the bed. It stooped frozen, its tail erect, waiting to see if Iris had detected the cat’s movements. Satisfied that she had not, the cat slickly jumped off the bed, landing next to the crying girl. Again, Iris failed to notice the cat! The animal looked to shake its head in amazement; as if to say: "how can one human be so oblivious!" The cat walked around Iris and brushed its tail along her leg. Iris lifted her head, startled. “Oh! I didn't know Bella had a cat as well! Hello there kitty. You come to keep me company?” The cat did not respond, and just sat on the floor inspecting Iris. “You’re a strange looking thing aren't you? All white then that one streak of black?” Iris stretched out her hand to stroke the cats head. But just like her aunt, the cat seemed to transpire into a fit of anger. Before Iris touched the animal it hissed in displeasure, bearing its sharp fangs. It then scratched Iris’s hand away before leaping off the floor, onto the bed and out of the window, disappearing into the dark. Iris sat bewildered; unsure of the event that just transpired. She looked down at her hand to find her knuckles bleeding from the cat’s assault. It stung greatly as the blood exuded from the wound. 
    Iris arose from the floor and walked over to the window from where the cat made its departure. A slight refreshing breeze nipped at her face as she gazed out into the world: the moon floated brilliantly in the middle of the blackened sky; its silver radiance casting a mystifying spell over the forest below. The expanse was unspoilt be any clouds, allowing the moon to shine unhindered.  To the left of Iris sat New Bud village. A few lights still remained, shining like stars. The village’s serene atmosphere calmed Iris as she shut the window.