Practice compare question

Many narratives have one or more significant moments of crisis.

Write about the significance of crises in the work of the three writers you have studied.

Crisis is an integral part of many narratives as they keep the plot moving and interesting. They often happen when there's a tension in the situation that culminates with a dramatic climax. There are clear moments of crisis in The Road, The Great Gatsby and The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

A significant moment of crisis in the Road is when the man and the boy encounter the Road Rat. This is the first time they've been directly threatened and are in serious danger, which is often a part of crisis in texts as it affects the way the characters behave drastically. The Road Rat attempts to kidnap the boy, presumably to kill and eat him. This underlying fear adds to the tension of this crisis as the man and the boy know this is what will happen to them, making them even more scared. The Road Rat grabs the boy "holding him against his chest with the knife at his throat". This accelerates the pace of the section drastically as suddenly there is an immediate danger that must be overcome. McCarthy deliberately makes this event happen quickly to put some doubt into the reader's minds regarding whether the boy will survive or not. The Road Rat's intentions relate to those of the "bad guys" who have emerged due to the apocalypse. In a way, he represents the worst of society post-apocalypse, whilst in The Great Gatsby, the wealthy represent the worst before it. It could be argued that The Road is where the people of The Great Gatsby will end up if they carry on their lifestyles.

Perhaps the most significant crisis in The Road is when the man and the boy reach the abandoned house filled with “naked people, male and female” that try to reach out to them. In this section, we are quickly presented with an immediate threat, making the atmosphere tenser. The mystery surrounding how the people got there heightens the drama. The man and boy’s desperate escape from the cellar implies that above all, their will to survive is the most important part of themselves. When they are faced with a crisis, they must act fast, and do, to ensure they aren’t harmed.

Crisis is an integral part of The Great Gatsby as the novel revolves around the idea of there being consequences to people's actions. A particularly significant crisis is when Tom confronts Gatsby about his relationship with Daisy. This is ignited by Daisy's statement to Gatsby that he "always look so cool". This inadvertently reveals their relationship, yet the circumstances in which it was said, surrounded by others, suggests that Daisy wanted to force a confrontation. When Tom reacts to this later in the chapter, he addresses Gatsby as "Mr Gatsby". This use of formality adds to the crisis as the tension becomes palpable. It's as if Tom wants to burst into a rage, but keeps it constrained to preserve whatever dignity he can keep, at least to begin with. His anger is conveyed through the subtlety of his snide remarks to Gatsby. He mocks and humiliates him, by saying things like "Mr Nobody from Nowhere" to emphasise how he's never going to be accepted into American upper class society. This makes the crisis even worse as it's not clear what Tom's intentions are and the reader is on edge just waiting for to hear his real feelings about the situation.

The killing of Myrtle is arguably one of the most important crises in the whole novel due to both the ramifications and the horrific nature in which she is killed. She is described as being "violently extinguished" and her "left breast was swinging loose like a flap". These are shocking descriptions of her death that Fitzgerald uses to convey the idea that this event will have tragic consequences. In itself, it is a crisis for most characters, particularly Wilson, Tom and Gatsby. For Wilson, his wife dying takes away the last piece of sanity he had retained. He's pushed over the brink into insanity, as displayed when Michaelis watches over him. For Tom, his reaction is one of disbelief, which quickly turns to hatred for Gatsby, as displayed when he says, "The God damned coward!" Gatsby's death links alms directly to Myrtle's because it is due to Wilson believing Gatsby was driving the car that hit her, that he shoots him. Myrtle's death signifies a turning point in the novel due to it being the first time the consequences of the carefree rich have directly damaged a person's life in a drastic way. Their inability to realise that their hedonistic and materialistic ways are wrong contributes to their downfall, beginning with Myrtle's demise.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner revolves around the different crises the Mariner finds himself in. The first significant one is when he experiences the repercussions of shooting the Albatross. Part 1 ends on the cliffhanger "With my cross-bow I shot the Albatross". This appears to be a motiveless killing showcasing the Mariner's apparent disrespect for life and his selfishness. This leads into part 2 as the crew turn on the Mariner, a crisis for him. They call him a "wretch", isolating him and punishing him for his actions. The lack of respect and communication between the Mariner and his crew leads the reader to realise that the consequences of the Mariner's shooting of the Albatross will be catastrophic. They are hurtling towards some kind of disaster, and the fact that they aren't going to work as a team will work against them. This crisis is significant because it set the whole story in motion and it ripples throughout the rest of the text. It displays the Mariner as an egocentric character, which affects our perception of him for the rest of the poem.

Another significant crisis occurs during part 3 when the Mariner and his crew encounter the physical manifestations of "Death" and "Life-in-Death". These supernatural figures arrive on "the skeleton of a ship" and Life-in-Death is said to have "red" lips, "yellow as gold" hair, but "leprosy" like skin. These reinforce the gothic themes present throughout the poem and add to the tension. These are strange creatures who invade the ship to play a game for the souls of the crew, which is a crisis in itself as at this point the reader doesn't know what will happen to their souls. The importance of this event relates to the rest of the poem in that it's the first time we are fully introduced to the supernatural side of the tale and the amount of control they have other the Mariner's journey. The fact that their actions and appearances are described using conflicting vocabulary conveys the idea that the realm of impossibilities and loss of rationality has been entered. This is a notable development as it sets the poem up as one that may not always make logical sense, yet is powerful.

A crisis that is probably one of the most important, as it relates directly to the conclusion of the poem, happens at the end of part 5, but leads into part 6. Two new other-worldy voices are introduced who discuss the Mariner's situation. One of them says, "The man hath penance done And penance more will do". This implies that the Mariner's physical and mental journey is far from over and that he still has suffering to come. Up until this point, it’s suggested that the Mariner as been freed of his restraints, but this proves that he hasn’t. His sin of shooting the Albatross will forever haunt him, which indicates that anyone who sins so drastically won’t ever truly escape from it.