Ensayo Literario: Los Pilares De La Tierra

Literature Essay: The Pillars of the Earth
Shannen Guerra
12th Grade B

Life and humanity’s real essence is such a complex topic to cover. To try to do so in a book would imply a carefully thought over work and its extension would obviously not be short. There is a very large amount of aspects, each with a singular characteristic or particularity, that the person in question to develop thetopic has to have a very good way of conveying the message in order for the public (in this case, the readers) to fully comprehend. There are so many things to take into consideration, all of which are to be further developed. The Pillars of the Earth, a historic-fictional novel situated on a specific area of the 12th century England and written by Ken Follet, is the work to be talked about. Let’stake a better look into it, with all the regard and carefulness it deserves.
As a point of departing, the first literary element to be discussed about is the characters. To start, there is Jack Jackson, the son of Jacques Cherbourg and Ellen. He’s a red-headed, blue-eyed, smart, instinctive, passionate young architect, the stepson to Tom Builder. He adores Aliena as a kid and throughout hislife, and dreams of building a cathedral with the different styles he has seen in France and Spain. Jack Jackson is a round character because he’s a fully developed character throughout the story and because one would feel Jack is real. We have Tom Builder, as well, who’s a tall architect, thorough worker, a concerned and somewhat ingenuous father who looks forward to the welfare of his family; lovingof both Agnes, his dead wife, and Ellen, his lover. He’s a round character because on his account the storyline of the book changes. Then, there’s Ellen, a beautiful, athletic, determined, wild, unreserved, amber-eyed woman, mother to Jack Jackson. Early in her life, she was hurt by other people and then accused of witchcraft. She’s an outlaw, and fiercely defends her son before all; she’s also around character because her own story is intertwined with that of the book. After, we have Prior Philip, the most important and favorite character in the story---for me, at least. Prior Philip is a warm hearted, somewhat naïve, determined, energetic, clever, piteous, devoted, righteous, small-sized and intense blue-eyed monk who becomes prior of Kingsbridge and, later, Bishop of Kingsbridge. Hisdetermination to transform Kingsbridge into a prosperous town is, to me, the central point to this book, and that’s why he’s a round character. Then we got Aliena, daughter to the Earl of Shiring and sister to Richard of Kingsbridge, a decided, altruistic, beautiful woman that, due to some bad decisions she takes, suffers a lot throughout the story; only at the last part is when she sees herselftruly realized with herself, after being terrorized by William Hamleigh through all her life and after giving herself to a vow she made to her father. She becomes the lover and wife of Jack Jackson and bears him two children. Now, let’s proceed with the antagonists, the evil characters of the story. There’s William Hamleigh, an evil, cruel, demented, sadistic, and son of a minor landowner. Hethinks himself of noble ascent and stalks Aliena till the day of his death; he’s a round character because many of his actions alter the course of the story. After, we got Bishop Waleran Bigod, a covetous, sly, sick of greed for power, manipulative and corrupt cleric, the responsible for many of the catastrophes that happened to Kingsbridge, along with William. He tries throughout the story tooverpower Philip’s actions in order to get what he wants. He’s, as well, a round character, because his actions totally affect the story; he changes whenever it is convenient for him. I don’t agree with what we discussed in class that characters such as Richard, Martha and Alfred (daughter and son of Tom Builder and Agnes), Agnes, Jonathan, and Lord Percy and Lady Regan Hamleigh (William Hamleigh’s...