This section contains 494 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
Much of the novel's humor comes from Blossom's resourceful plotting, through which she arranges embarrassing moments of exposure for those pompous and deceitful characters who deserve such lessons. The appearance of Mr. Lacy's abandoned wife and child (acted by Daisy-Rae and her young brother) at the freshman class haunted house, and the humiliating fortune told for the stuck-up Letty Shambaugh are comic moments that depend on the humor of a pratfall. Much of the comedy is boisterously physical, such as Blossom's fall from a tree while spying on Alex Armsworth and his friends swimming in the nude. The most meaningful comic form used by Peck, however, is satire, a device that defines the whole shape of this novel. Satire is accomplished not only through exaggerating the traits of the characters but more importantly by showing human behavior from a distanced perspective that draws attention to things...
This section contains 494 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |