Book review
Book report English 5 VWO The Fifth Child
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Book report English, full book report for 5 VWO. Things such as theme, style, motif and symbolism are dealt with.
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Mac Peeks D G5VBMrs. Reining
27-11-2020
1
,Table of contents
Literary knowledge.................................................................................................................................3
Characters....................................................................................................................................................................... 3
Harriet............................................................................................................................................3
Ben.................................................................................................................................................4
Setting............................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Theme............................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Motif.................................................................................................................................................................................. 6
Symbolism....................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Narrator........................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Style................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Literary skills...........................................................................................................................................9
Reading experience..................................................................................................................................................... 9
Literary assignment.................................................................................................................................................. 10
Bibliografie...........................................................................................................................................15
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, Literary knowledge
Characters
Harriet
The main characters of the book are Harriet and Ben. Harriet is the most important person in the
book from the start to the end. Harriet is mentioned in the book and the story is told around her.
“You had better go and get Dr. Brett to check the dates,” said David. Harriet said nothing, feeling it
was beside the point: she did not know why she felt this.” (Lessing, 1988, p. 36)
At the start of the story Harriet is a lonely old-fashioned woman, until she met the thirty-year-old
David at an office party on old year’s day. When they saw each other, they fell in love straight away
and they planned to marry in the spring.
"They had already decided to marry in the spring. Why wait? They were made for each other."
(Lessing, 1988, p. 11)
Harriet is a young lady who knows what she wants in the future and what she needs to do to
accomplish her dreams. As an example, Harriet and David wanted to have a lot of children.
"But they meant to have a lot of children.
Both, womewhat defiantly, because of the enormity of their demands on the future, announced they
‘would not mind' a lot of children. 'Even four or five . . . ' 'Or six,' said David.
'Or six!' Said Harriet, laughing to the point of tears from relief." (Lessing, 1988, p. 13)
Because they wanted a lot of children, they needed a big house, which they found. “and they soon
found a large Victorian house in an overgrown garden. Perfect! But for a young couple it was absurd
a three-storeyed house, with an attic, full of rooms, corridors, landings. . .. Full of space for children,
in fact.” (Lessing, 1988, p. 8)
Harriet loves being a mother, and also loves to show her new born child to all her friends and family,
when they all got to Harriet and David their house for the Holidays.
“That Easter was the first of the family parties. Rooms had been adequately if sketchily furnished,
and they were filled with Harriet’s two sisters, Sarah and Angela, and their husbands and their
children; with Dorothy, in het element; and briefly by Molly and Frederick, who allowed that they
were enjoying themselves but family life on this scale was not for them.” (Lessing, 1988, p. 18)
And this was not the only holiday that the house was full of people.
“That Christmas, Harriet was again enormous, in her eighth month, and she laughed at herself for her
size and unwieldiness. The house was full. All the people who were here for Easter came again.”
(Lessing, 1988, p. 19)
Harriet sometimes shows unpleasant traits “Harriet said to David, privately, that she did not believe
it was bad luck: Sarah and William’s unhappiness, their quarrelling, had probably attracted the
mongol child” (Lessing, 1988, p. 22) “it seems that she thinks that you can be punished when you are
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