WilliamWelch

Oct.5,2015
HonorsEng.11,Per.5B
LiteraryAnalysisEssay
TheRealityofLife

Lifeisaveryinterestingandanintriguingprocess.Allpeopleknowwhatlifeislike
becauseeveryoneismovingthroughitscyclicalmotionsrightnow.Lifecanbeveryharshand
cruel,manytimeslifetearspeopledownandkeepsthemthere.Averycommonquestionamong
peopleis,Whatisthemeaningoflife?,orinotherswords,Whatistherealityoflife?
Cast
TwoShadows
byAnnRinaldiisanovelthatdescribesthelifeofafamilyduringRevolutionary
Warperiodinthesouthernstatestoldbythepointofviewofagirlnamed,Caroline.Thisnovel
helpsthereadervisualizesomeoftheharshandmiserablerealitiesoflifecanbring.Whiledoing
this,thenovelpullsthereaderin,andcreatesaveryintriguingandengagingplotbydescribing
sucheventsasthedeathofKitanddescribingwhythesethinghappen.
ThefirstengagingpointinthisnovelisthedeathofKit.Thefirstsentenceofthenovel
states,ItwasalongtowardeleveninthemorningwhentheyhangedKitGales(1).By
describingthedeathofacharacterinthefirstsentenceofthenovel,readersbecomeinterested.
AtthismomentthereaderdoesnotknowanythingaboutKitincludinghowheplaysarolein
thisnovel.
ItissoondiscoveredthatKithasaspecialplaceinthenarrator's,Carolines,heartandis
veryimportanttoher.ThemysteryofthedeathofKitandwhyittookplacenotonlypullsthe
readerinbutitalsohelpsdescribetherealityofhiswartornlife.Thereaderrealizesthatdeathis
verywellapartoflife,itisallaroundandeminent.

Thesecondengagingpointin
CastTwoShadows
isthequotethatthenarratorusesatthe
endofthenoveltodescribewhythingshappeninlife.AttheendoftheEpilogueitsays,War
takesaterribletollonpeople,onfamilies.Andifwardoesntthenjustordinarylife
does(263264).

Thisquotehelpsanswerthequestionsthatpeoplemayhaveaboutwar,lifeand
tragedy.Whatistherealityoflife?Therealityoflifeisthatsometimesitcanbeterrible.
Sometimesbadthingshappentogoodpeoplewhichtearthemapartandeffecttheirfamilies,
overallthat'sjusthowlifeunfortunatelycanbesurroundingawar.
Thisnovelgreatlyengagesthereaderbyfirstpullingthereaderinanddescribingthe
deathofacharacter.Thenholdingthereaderthroughoutbycuriousityofwhatwouldhappen
next.Thenfinallycatchingthereadattheendwithwhatcanbetherealitiesoflifewhile
summingupthenovel.Thereaderisfirstengagedbymysteryandthentravelsthroughthelifeof
Carolineandherfamilyandalltheeventsthereof.Thenlastly,thereaderisleftwithan
awakeningquotethatleavesthemquestioningtheharshnessoftheirownlives.

Rinaldi,Ann
CastTwoShadows
1998.NewYork:GulliverBooks,1998.Print.