Tips for Using Literary Devices on This Week’s Critical Lens Essay
To assist you in your efforts to prepare for this week’s Critical Lens Essay on Fight Club and Passing, I thought I’d give you some suggestions about the literary devices you might use to frame and to analyze each text. As I’ve already said, one literary device that is always helpful to focus on is when discussing a novel is characterization, and this device is deeply related to the plot devices of conflict and climax: Think about the ways that each author uses characters, character conflicts, and character-driven climaxes to address the themes that underlie the critical lens you have chosen.
In addition, remember that while characterization is the technique of conveying ideas by creating fictional people (or characters), symbolism is the technique of conveying ideas by describing objects that have a larger significance. You might also find it helpful to spend some time thinking about how the setting, the narrative point of view, the tone (the emotional state of the speaker), the mood (the emotional state of the reader)of each text help to reinforce what the author is trying to do.
In addition to these general comments, I thought I’d remind you of a few of the literary devices peculiar to each text:
In Fight Club, one major device used is allusion. The novel frequently alludes to the Bible to add depths to the novel’s character conflicts, themes and plot elements. Here are some page numbers where such allusions (or explicit references to Christianity) occur: 15, 22, 70, 72, 76, 78.
As far as the symbolism in Fight Club, you might find it useful to remind yourself of concrete objects that are significant and that speak to the deeper meanings of the novel: for example, drivers’ licenses (the narrator’s, which he shows to Marla and which has his real name; Raymond K. Hessel’s; and all the other drivers licenses that Project Mayhem people collect for homework); perfume bottles; airplanes; clam chowder; the national history museum (14); Parker-Morris Building (12-14); cigarettes; the Australia-New Zealand tattoo (104-5; 108); cliffs and other wilderness imagery (12 and 41). You might also consider whether some of the more intangible objects in the novel serve as symbols that might be useful in your analysis: What do corporations represent? (See p. 12; 30-31; 41; 95-96; 99; 113; 114-15.) What does materialism in general represent? (See 41-44. Remember, in Fight Club, people wear no shirts, shoes, rings.) What do names represent? (See 19 and 25; this also connects to the driver’s licenses.) What does human sacrifice represent? (See p. 74-78; 122-23.)
As far as symbolism in Passing – a literary device that, in this novel, is deeply tied to imagery (or language that appeals to the senses) – you might find it useful to remind yourself of concrete objects that are significant and that speak to the deeper meanings of the novel: for example, Irene’s description of the outer appearance of the second letter she receives from Clare (1); the ragged blue sofa (1); the bright red cloth of the Sunday dress Clare wished to make (1-2); cats and their behavior (2-3; 67). You might also consider whether some of the more intangible objects in the novel serve as symbols that might be useful in your analysis: Brazil and South America (31; 87); Europe (46); paleness (3); bright color (3); “dark and deep and unfathomable” (30); speaking “darkly” (30); the skin tone of Brian and Zulena (40); “Clare’s ivory face” (73); the names of Felise and Dave Freeland (74; 89).