The Fifth Child Essay -- literary Analysis, Doris Lessing

The intricate complexity and astonishingly realistic descriptions of post in Doris Lessings The fifth part Child masterfully illuminates conjunctions shocking inability to cope with its imperfection. Society demands immaculate perfection, a initiation free of defect, and the lust to live in a flawless utopia drives the naming and elimination of crude invalids. These desolate individuals are feared and deemed to be barbarous degenerates who moldiness be placed beyond the boarders of functioning rules of order to assure an innocent world. Less desirable beings are cast into heterotopias or counter-sites while society denies their existence and feigns perfection. Lessings novel tears this image down and hastily exposes societys despicable attempts to marginalize, blame, and exile those regarded as abnormal and impaired in the supposedly immaculate world. In The Fifth Child the just executed heterotopia of the intro draws on this theory of a parallel space as a capsule for undes ired bodies and Harriet, the mother of a lewd beast, is victim to societys brutality. Harriet is an outcast and her remarkably horrific interaction with the cruel institution further alienates her from her family and miserably casts her into her own tumultuous heterotopia. passim the novel Harriets striking differences are juxtaposed against the societal trends of the age and she is commonly viewed as a misplaced oddity. Early descriptions in The Fifth Child define Harriet as abnormal and her image places her outside of the big-shouldered and transitional society in which she lives. Harriet is a curious misfit and she sometimes felt up herself unfortunate and deficient in some way (10). This recognition of insoluble peculiarities soon establishe... ...ly illuminates and exploits the despicable views and problems in society. The novel exemplifies societys elitist spatial relation and unjust marginalization of individuals who are regarded as degenerate, invalid and grotesque t hrough and through Harriet. Her harrowing interactions with the magnificently developed and horrific institution highlights the pathetic attempts of society to displace individuals and dispose of them beyond their functioning boarders. In addition, Harriets parallels with the institution lead to her alienation from the world. She is regarded as grossly unnatural, criminalized, and left alone to hook her difficult son Ben. It is clear that Harriets unfortunate interaction and confederation to the ghastly institution uncovers societys unforgiving demeanor and demonstrates the prankish and irreparable rift between misunderstood, peculiar individuals and the world.