People Might Hear You

Introduction

Ultimately, within fiction novels, authors are able to shape and determine the readers understanding through a key moment. Robin Klein’s ‘social protest’ novel People Might Hear You highlights and exposes multiple themes and ideas while following the transition and struggle of a teenage girl into a cult religion. The critical ideas and themes of control, sacrifice and religion are particularly evident in Chapter 12 towards the ending of the novel. This chapter particularly stands out as the key turning point as it allows the reader to realize the immensity of the situation and the lack of freedom and potential dangers the protagonist faces.

You Might Hear

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The concept of control ultimately proves an individual’s dominance over another’s, resulting in the loss of individuality and opinion. Klein focusses the crucial moments in Chapter 12 through the idea of control in the cult. “She was no longer allowed to go out each evening for exercise”, Frances’ finds her self being punished for her ‘actions’, and alluding to her being caged similarly to an animal, there for taking her human rights.

The realization that she is now controlled 24/7, points to the reader that she no longer has a normal life; therefore, shadowing escape as her only option. “The only real companionship was that of a cat” The use of high modality in ‘only’ demonstrates her lack of freedom and relationships, due to her control, having to resort to a cat to feel some sort of emotion, degrading her yet again as an animal.

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This allows the reader to sympathize towards Frances’s situation and positions the reader to see her step father in a negative light. Due to Frances’s loss of control and freedom the author positions the reader’s opinions and perspective on the characters and the novel it self.

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In an individual’s life, sacrifice is a common practice, however, if sacrifice is forced it can have negativ…