Essay about Psychological Themes in Duncans Novel,...

The Novel Killing Mr. Griffin by: Lois Duncan is a story about the plot of kidnapping the English teacher of Del Norte High school. Being a student of Del Norte High school, Susan McConnell (the protagonist) encounters some difficulties and joy after she finally gets accepted in the â€Å"popular† herd. These upside and downsides turn into major themes which are incorporated during the course of the book. The major themes that are developed inside the book are: peer pressure/manipulation, psychopaths, conscience/guilt. First of all, peer pressure/manipulation is the lighting match of the whole conflict inside the story. Mark Kinney is the father of all peer pressuring during this story; he uses phrases as: â€Å"aw its just a joke, last year†¦show more content†¦Mark’s psychological problems become more and more clear to the reader throughout the book. Eventually Susan McConnell can’t take the guilt feelings and decides to tell the whole story to the cops, but Mark is not okay with this and decides to tie up Susan and burn down the house with Susan and Mark inside. This part of the book is most likely the climax of the book; at this point, the reader finally is certain that Mark has some psychological problems. After this suspenseful scene the next chapter immediately starts back at the house of Susan, she is still alive and does not want to talk about what happened. Her mother tries to convince her to speak up and tell what happened, her mom eventually reads her something about a certain personality: â€Å" This individual has a behavior pattern that brings him repeatedly into conflict with society. He is incapable of significant loyalty to individuals, groups or social values. He is selfish, callous, irresponsible, impulsive and totally unable to experience guilt. His frustration level is low; he cannot stand to be thwarted. He tends to blame others or offer plausible rationalizations for his behavior.† The reader immediately thinks of Mark Kinney and so does Susan McConnell. Right after her mom reads to her it a clinical description of psychopaths. Last is conscience/guilt; conscience/guilt is most likely to be the major conflict in the story. The protagonist has constant battles inside her head aboutShow MoreRelatedMacbeth9435 Words   |  38 Pagesafter the murder ofDuncan; Banquo s ghost; Macbeth duels Macduff; and Macbeth. Macbeth  is a play written by  William Shakespeare. It is considered one of his darkest and most powerful tragedies. Set in Scotland, the play dramatizes the corrosive psychological and political effects produced when evil is chosen as a way to fulfil the ambition for power. The play is believed to have been written between 1603 and 1607, and is most commonly dated 1606. The earliest account of a performance of what was probably