1.
The exposition of the story revealed the glory
of Margaret's household, her demeanor,
and her newfound illness. The story takes place in Seattle, Washington during
present times in a very large house filled with ornate antiques. I would say
the rising action was when Margaret took in her first boarder, Wanda, because
that's when she began making changes to her life. The climax took place when
Wanda was hit by the car and had to suffer through a long recovery which in the
beginning meant contemplating suicide. Margaret gave her the task of breaking
all of the things in the house and creating mosaics from them. The falling
action is defined by Margaret's death. The resolution described Wanda and her
father finally reuniting. Also, Wanda and Troy became a couple. Susan and the chef had a baby.
2.
My understanding of the theme of Broken For
You is that sometimes we don't know what we want. Sometimes what we want is
right in front of us but we're too blinded to see this by what we think we
want. Wanda spent years chasing after Peter while Troy desperately tried to
please her. In the end Wanda finally found Peter and discovered that she didn't
want him, she loved Troy. Wanda and Troy ended up getting married. Another
example may be that MJ left his daughter, Wanda, to chase after his wife for
twenty-seven years before he accidentally found Wanda and realized he's
been chasing her the whole time.
3.
Stephanie
Kallos conveys a tone of awkward normality. For example, on page 136 after
Margaret and Wanda broke their first object, the narrator simply puts,
"They stood quiet for a moment. Their goggles were foggy. They looked like
two explorers adrift on an exotic arctic sea.", she illustrates how after
this moment of bonding and outbreak of emotions that neither character knows
how to express that; many readers can relate.
On page 262 it reads, "Not for the first time, she wished she
hadn't come.", this was describing
the feeling Wanda had sitting at the art gallery. Wanda clearly feels awkward
and ridiculous, even regretful. On page 335, "Margaret closed her eyes and
listened. Her mother held her hand. Daniel snuggled up next to her and drove
his race car, quietly.", This piece is reflecting upon Margaret's
hallucinations of her mother and son. It creates a calm, melancholy scene. I
think the tone is all about reality and how melancholy it can be some times.
4.
1st
Edition
Stephanie Kallos uses foreshadowing to keep
the reader involved. On page 170, when Wanda was hit by the car and the reader
figured out that her father was there and not Peter, The inference came that
Wanda and her father were going to be together in the end once again. Kallos
also used Appeal to Pathos a lot to make a connection between the reader and
the characters. On page 71, Margaret's dreams are described and this gives the
reader a sense of what a tortured soul she is. She also uses Appeal to Logos so
that the reader knows how tough their situation is. On page 160, when Margaret
takes in a boarder who is a nurse it is pretty much the only logical thing a
character has done which creates the realization of what chaos the characters
live in. Flashback is also used quite often. Throughout the novel, all characters
reflect back to their broken past which tells the reader how they became whom
they are. Also, Appeal to ethos is used on page 242 when Margaret explains to
Wanda her project. Once Margaret found out what her father had done and that
there was no way she could reconnect all the objects with their Owner's
descendants; they figured out a way to create a legacy.
5.
Kallos
uses direct characterization when describing Wanda as "small" and
"petite". She uses indirect characterization when Wanda showed up at
Margaret's door and told her a major event that had happened in her life
frantically; it shows what a mess Wanda was. She also uses direct
characterization when she narrated that Margaret felt "stupid" and
"embarrassed" when speaking to Wanda about her play. She uses
indirect characterization when she wrote about the event in which Margaret
offered Wanda, a stranger at the time, her car. This shows how Margaret
desperately wants to please but has simply forgotten. Kallos using both these
techniques shows the reader how other characters see this one, and how this one
sees him or herself. It also shows the surface of their meaning compared to
their deeper meanings.
6.
The
author's diction changes when he focuses on different characters. When he
focuses on Wanda the diction is very melancholy and tragic, whereas if he
focuses on Margaret the diction is more awkward and free.
7.
I've determined that the protagonist is Wanda.
Wanda is a very dynamic and round character. She is dynamic because in the
beginning she is quite an odd girl who shows up at Margaret's door and proceeds
to cry in her bathroom. One may think she's insane because she dresses in
disguise to hunt her ex-boyfriend. Throughout the plot she begins to care more
deeply about Margaret and the other boarders and less about Peter, her
ex-boyfriend, and her work as a Stage Manager. By the end, she has completely
forgotten of Peter, quit her job, and found her passion and her mind.
8.
After reading the book I felt like I had met the
person. I knew Wanda and Margaret and through their obstacles I felt so
involved with the story. At one point in the book, it narrated speaking to the
reader. Telling the reader to imagine themselves in this situation that was
described as later recognized as a scene in which one of the characters went
through. You were drawn into the thoughts and soul of each character.
