Collective power vs individual power - villagers vs outsiders Flashcards
What ideas does Crace explore when regarding individual vs collective power?
. Ideas of community
. Isolationism
. Mob Mentality
. Power of leaders
How does Crace present the villagers?
As a collective
The implication being that the villagers are all related
‘We live in a rookery’
Evidence of the villagers being very similar
‘Sound and look the same’
How can we expect the villagers to react when newcomers arrive?
As readers we can expect some kind of warm welcome from a community in desperate need of new villagers
Instead of a warm welcome we are told…
‘To touch a strangers flesh is dangerous’
How is xenophobia shown to be a collective issue?
‘why should we share with strangers?’ - showing the villagers have collectively decided to close ranks and behave in a hostile manner
How is the collective hostility towards the newcomers significant in the destruction of the village?
Where the novel begins with newcomers starting a fire, the village ends with burning
Why is the villager’s unwelcoming of the newcomers significant?
Arguably what destroys them
Walter questions the right for the newcomers to stay as he watches…
‘The first smoke’
The cyclical structure is evident through the quote
‘What starts in fire, will end in ash’
Fire is a symbol of the newcomers but quickly shifts to
The village’s destruction
What have critics related the ideas of isolationism to?
Britain’s decision to leave the EU - choosing to be isolated as opposed to being part of a wider community
