Monkey beach thesis

Eden Robinson uses the literary device of flashbacks to develop Lisa's character. In the beginning of the book Lisa is an adult, but through flashbacks the reader learns of her childhood and teenage years. The symbol of cigarettes represent the bad choices she makes, salmon represent her swimming up stream showing individuality.

In Monkey Beach, the descriptions of nature are an essential part of the storyline, with the ocean and mountains almost like characters in themselves. As is common in First Nations culture, the natural world is seen as alive and full of power.

Eden Robinson, the author of the novel Monkey Beach uses symbolism to develop important themes in the novel. The major points I will examine is the relationship between symbolism and the themes of death and disfigurement, spiritual world, and rights of passage.

Lisamarie's joyful boat trip to Monkey Beach with her Uncle Mick is a highlight of her childhood, yet it is also the ocean which eventually takes Mick's life. Ultimately we see how the ocean is connected to cycles of life and death, which we see at the end of the novel when Lisa goes into the ice-cold ocean in a ritual-like moment of rebirth.