Rebecca Gunnin Curation Board 3 by Rebecca Gunnin

Element #1: Literary Elements

rgunni6660 — 2017-05-08 15:18:03 UTC

One of the more prominent literary devices used in "Everything, Everything" is the use of metaphors. A metaphor is a figure of speech where a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. In the novel, one use of metaphors is that of page 73, when Madeline states,"'They're the bane of my existence,' I say, referring to the freckles" (Yoon 73). Her freckles aren't literally the bane of her existence, hence the metaphor.
Another literary device in the novel is the use of an antithesis, where the writer employs two sentences of contrasting meanings next to one another. This is used in "Everything, Everything" when Madeline is in Hawaii and recalls a theory about the creation of the universe, as stated in the lines, "According to the Big Bang theory, the universe came into being in one single movement-a cosmic cataclysm that gave birth to black holes, brown dwarfs, matter and dark matter, energy and dark energy. It gave birth to galaxies and stars and moons and suns and planets and oceans. It's a hard concept to hold on to- the idea that there was a time before us. A time before time. In the beginning there was nothing. And then there was everything" (Yoon 227). In this excerpt, an antithesis is used when the author writes, "In the beginning there was nothing. And then there was everything" (Yoon 227). These two sentences directly contradict each other, and are used in close proximity, fulfilling the definition of an antithesis. Yet another literary device used in the novel is aphorism, concise statements that are made in a matter of fact tone to state an opinion or principle that is generally understood to be a universal truth. Aphorism is used when Madeline and Oliver are talking and she says, "Correlation is not causation," (Yoon 121), a phrase that is often used when describing things that are correlated but not caused by one another, for example, if people tend to shop more when it's cold outside, that doesn't mean that colder temperatures cause people to excessively shop. This phrase is also used a lot in math and sciences, especially physics, where logic plays a heavy role. The fourth most common literary device in "Everything, Everything" is that of Bildungsroman, where the author bases the plot on the growth of the main character throughout the timeline of the story. This relates directly to the novel in the way that Madeline undergoes many different changes, especially emotional ones. Throughout the novel, Madeline falls head-over-heels into love with Oliver, and discovers that she cannot go back to her way of life before meeting him, as portrayed in the lines, “How am I supposed to go back to my old life, my days stretching out before me with unending and brutal sameness? How am I supposed to go back to being The Girl Who Reads" (Yoon 162).
The final literary device that is prevalent in "Everything, Everything" is foreshadowing. In many instances (major spoiler alert) the author hints towards Madeline's mother being mentally ill and therefore not entirely trustworthy when it comes to Madeline's diagnosis. For example, the quote, "I've never seen a photo of myself Outside before. I didn't know such a think existed. 'Where's this?' I ask. 'Hawaii. Maui was your dad's favorite place.' Her voice is almost a whisper now. 'You were just four months old, before we knew why you were always sick. A month before the accident" (Yoon 160). Madeline learns here that her diagnosis shortly followed her father and brother dying in a car crash, and her mother was the one to diagnose her. This is one of the first references in the book towards the thought that her mother may have misdiagnosed her due to PTSD following her husband and son's sudden deaths. Later on, this turns out to be true.

Element #2: Respond to the Text

rgunni6660 — 2017-05-08 15:18:30 UTC

Hawaii, particularly Maui, is presented throughout "Everything, Everything" as a place with heavy emotional importance to Madeline. This is due to the fact that this is both where her family goes on vacation before Madeline is diagnosed and the location of their last family picture before her father and older brother die in a car crash. Hawaii is also were Madeline runs away with Oliver and visits a hospital where a nurse discovers that Madeline does not have SCID. Madeline feelcs very happy when she is in Hawaii and feels free for the first time. Hawaii is incredibly significant to Madeline for multiple reasons, some of them being that Hawaii is the place her family visited before her father and brother died, the location of her last complete family photo, and where she runs away with Oliver.
Madeline's sun room is where she meets in person with Oliver for the first time and begins to fall in love with him. This is of emotional significance to Madeline due to Oliver being her love interest throughout the novel. Madeline's sun room is often portrayed as a safe space for Madeline and a place where she is happiest. Madeline's sun room is also where she sees her nurse for the last time before she was fired by Madeline's mothers. Madeline's sun room is symbolic of Madeline's happiness in the novel "Everything, Everything".
The first image is of a sun room similar to Madeline's. I couldn't find a picture of Madeline's sun room but I found picture that's similar. The second image is of Kauai, Hawaii. This shows the ocean, which is also a motif in the novel.

Element #3: Reflect on the Text

rgunni6660 — 2017-05-08 15:18:40 UTC

Madeline's top 10 pastimes while she is in her home
1. IMing Oliver
2. Movie Night
3. Honor Pictionary
4. Book Club
5. Phonetic Scrabble
6. Reading
7. People Watching
8. Schoolwork
9. Spending time with Oliver
10. Online Shopping
Madeline's illness restricts her from leaving her house, which means she has lots of time on her hands. She will often read or IM Oliver. The list is of some of her common pastimes.
The image is of two people "people watching" a pastime of Madeline. Due to her vast amount of free time, Madeline watches her neighbors nextdoor and keeps track of their schedules. Her favorite people to watch are Oliver's family.

Works Cited

rgunni6660 — 2017-05-08 15:18:58 UTC

Kauai, Hawaii. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. .
People Watching. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. .
Yoon, Nicola. Everything, Everything. New York: Penguin Random House LLC, 2015. Print.