When creating a work, authors often turn to literary techniques and tools in order to convey the main idea and problem more deeply. A Princess in Theory, written by Alyssa Cole, is no exception. The writer reveals the worldview and everyday life of a fairly modern girl and guy from Africa. With the help of various turns and techniques, the author makes the reader feel the relevance and simplicity of the story, despite the fact that it is fictional. It is necessary to analyze in detail what Cole does and what tools she uses to reveal her idea.
First of all, it is necessary to emphasize that the actions of the book take place in a modern world, therefore, familiar to the reader. Based on this, the writer is trying to convey the spirit and actual experiences of the twenty-first century, using cultural characteristics and public voice. The main character is Naledi Smith, who lives in New York and studies epidemiology (Cole 2). Through small details, the author explains the character of the girl and her system of values. For example, an important detail is that the heroine has a small apartment with two mice.
On the one hand, this suggests that she is not rich and caring. However, the meaning of these clarifications is that the girl is extremely unsure of herself, which is revealed with the help of her attitude towards money. She has a certain amount and a good salary, but she continues to permanently doubt her every action. The mice that are the inhabitants of her apartment do not end up there by chance; the heroine saves them after an unsuccessful experiment (Cole 51). However, she is a scientist who does not tend to feel affection for the animals they work with. Nevertheless, Naledi differs from her colleagues in her special humanity, experiencing throughout the book feelings of anxiety, care and worry.
With the help of tools such as small details of the heroine’s work, Cole conveys to the reader that Naledi is a rather fragile and insecure girl. At the same time, another tool, opposition, is used. According to the story, the heroine has a prince with whom they got engaged back in childhood. Interestingly, this hero is different both in character and in worldview from Naledi. Before proceeding to a detailed analysis of the difference in cultures, it should be mentioned that the girl knows she is a wealthy prince’s bride (Cole 15). The source of this information for her is the regular e-mails she receives. The problem is that the girl has much more mundane worries and problems, and she is so mired in them that she ignores the fact of the wedding.
Prince Tabiso is in a difficult situation, but he is clearly more courageous and purposeful. Here there is an opposition of cultures, which is especially clearly seen in a number of facts. Firstly, Naledi is not under anyone’s control, but independently deals with both her own problems and providing for herself. Tabiso, on the other hand, is under pressure from his family to get married as soon as possible. Another example is that one of Naledi’s key principles is to stay honest and face the truth, which is what she follows throughout the play. Tabiso decides to commit a cunning plan, pretending to be a poor and the most ordinary guy in order to get to know the girl better (Cole 24). Finally, the characters have a different attitude towards money, which is noticeable in the course of their actions. As mentioned above, the girl is embarrassed to spend money if she is not sure about the benefits of this action. In contrast, Tabiso easily buys a ticket to America without even taking into account the possible risks or force majeure.
It is important to emphasize that the author combines several literary devices for a more effective explanation of the situation. From the difference of cultures and worldviews, Cole smoothly moves to the public voice. The book has problems with the healthcare system, palace intrigues and the theme of finding a family. Naledi is used to the fact that at any moment, an emergency situation can arise, which will lead to negative consequences (Cole 91). She is so ready for this that she saves money all her life for a rainy day, looking for a catch in the simplest remarks and saving on herself in all areas. This is explained by the fact that she knows that health care is expensive while not always working as it should. She believes that people tend to deceive, take advantage of and benefit from others (Cole 34). Tabiso is simply not familiar with such problems due to his aristocratic position, so he does not think about such things.
Finally, another effective tool used by Cole is Portia’s friend. This is a character of the second plan, which is necessary in order to show the complications in the interaction between Naledi and society. Portia earns enough to afford a lot in this life, trying different interests and hobbies. Here it becomes noticeable that Naledi is not able to accept this since she lives in a kind of cage (Cole 78). In other words, feelings and uncertainty serve as a serious barrier for the heroine, which does not allow her to enjoy life. In the end, the heroine is sure that Portia is a bad friend and a person because she allows herself a lot and is not in the same tense state.
However, Naledi is not such an unambiguous character that she reveals herself in a stressful situation. In the process of getting to know and learning about her roots, family and fate, the heroine begins to destroy her familiar world, which puts her in a state of protection. It is in this situation that she shows herself to be real. Namely a person who can stand up for herself, cope with difficulties and emerge victorious from difficult problems. At this stage of the story, Tabiso fades into the background, and Cole devotes most of the book to the heroine.
The public voice in the production is not straightforward; it lies in the different problems and subtleties of the worldview of the main character. In other words, one cannot find in the book the opinions of society on a particular situation or issue, but based on Naledi’s thoughts, it becomes clear that it was negative and positive social phenomena that made it so. The most striking example of this situation is Naledi’s belief that people don’t get stuck in life for long. Each individual is a temporary stage of life, but then they leave without experiencing (Cole 68). In this scene, there is an obvious social problem, expressed in the fact that people are indifferent. Accordingly, the principle of not trusting anyone and withdrawing into oneself becomes the voice of society here.
Interestingly, the public voice can be traced not only in the character and life of Naledi but is characteristic of Tabiso. He has another problem: he does not know how to eat. He has to learn a lot, make mistakes and study the world in order to understand the pillars on which normal human communication is built. In this case, the voice of society broadcasts the same idea that people have ceased to trust each other, but reveals the root causes of this problem. With the advent of social networks and the cult of money, individuals are only interested in material goods and values, which spoils communication (Cole 107). This is the reason why Tabiso decided to pretend to be poor, because he is sure that he is loved only for his inheritance.
Based on the foregoing, it can be argued that the work has become more related and relevant to the reader. The fact is that the described problems and social phenomena are characteristic of a large number of people. Despite the fact that the world of Naledi and Tabiso is partially fictional, money, distrust and self-doubt are problems for the society of any modern state. The tools used by Cole provide the most effective and vivid demonstration of the main idea for the reader. Thanks to the way the author combined all the literary techniques into a single system, the book turns out to be solid, vital and interesting for the reader to analyze.
Work Cited
Cole, Alyssa. A Princess in Theory, 2018. Web.