Literature

“The Japanese Quince” by John Galsworthy Handout
Atmosphere: The mood established in this story is very mundane and ordinary on the surface, as Mr. Nilson is rather unexcitingly described as going through his morning routine. There remains, however, an underlying sense of something very peculiar at hand. This is brought on by the strange sickness Mr. Nilson feels throughout the story, as well as the alarming similarity between Mr. Nilson and Mr. Tandram. Characterization: Mr. Nilson is the protagonist. We get to know him well through his actions, thoughts and words. He is a flat character, because he is shown to only accomplish basic, boring tasks with little depth to his character. Mr. Nilson is also static, because although at the end he goes through some self-realization, he takes no action to resolve the problem and change. Instead he opens his newspaper and goes back to his mundane routine. Conflict: Mr. Nilson vs. Himself Mr. Nilson struggles with coming to the realization that his life is boring and not unique, and this struggle is represented by his constant feeling of sickness, as well as his final recognition that Mr. Tandram is identical to him. Foreshadowing: The reader is given an initial sense of some hidden feeling of Mr. Nilson’s that turns out to be representative of the major theme. This foreshadowing occurs with the out of place “sweetish sensation in the back of his throat, and a feeling of emptiness just under his fifth rib.” Plot: Exposition – Mr. Nilson is introduced amidst his morning activities. The peculiar sweetish sensation and empty feeling are introduced. Complications – Mr. Tandram is introduced and we are immediately aware of the astonishing similarity between the two men. Mr. Nilson is troubled and leaves. Climax – Mr. Nilson sees Mr. Tandram looking out at the tree, and realizes that they are in fact the same, which upsets him greatly. Conclusion – The story ends with Mr. Nilson opening up his newspaper, and we are left with the...