An Essay On The Book "Moonstone" by Wilkie Collins.
Written by Artemiy Patorskiy.
Wilkie Collins was born on January 8, 1824 in London, in the family of the
famous landscape painter William Collins. At the age of 17, he graduated from
school and, at the insistence of his father, got a job as an intern in the company
"Antrobus & Co", which sold tea. He spend five years there, then entered the
Lincoln's Inn court, begin studying law, becom a member of the Corporation of
Lawyers in 1851. The first novel "Iolani, or Tahiti, as it was" was written in 1843. The
work was rejected by the publisher in 1845 and was first published a century and a
half later in 1999. Collins published his best creations in the 1860s, gaining
worldwide fame. Collins died on September 23, 1889 of a stroke.
During the winter holidays, I read the book "Moonstone". The author of this
book is Wilkie Collins. The action takes place in England, or rather in Bradford, where
the Verinder estate is located. That's where the stone came from London in the
summer of 1848.
A lot of things happened in this book thanks to the detective line and intrigue
that allowed the author to touch on the topics of religion, politics, non-reciprocal
feelings and even medicine. This book will not let you get bored because at every
step there are questions like "who has the stone?!", "how could Rosanna do this?!".
There is also a love line in it, which was exciting to watch. It seems to me that the
problem with this book, which is connected with our days, is that you can't steal.
One family member stole a stone and then his whole family was under a curse. And
I am happy that the stone has returned to its place and does not harm anyone else.
Rachel and Franklin: These two characters combine wealth, positivity and
flaws, which makes them unpleasant compared to other actors. They are rather
positive heroes because they have done nothing wrong. They also have
disadvantages. Rachel is selfish and arrogant. Franklin is obscene and whines a lot,
which I don't like about him. In addition to the beauty mentioned in the book, I did
not find any positive qualities in them. They both play an important role in the
disappearance of the moonstone.
Gabriel Betteredge: He's Julia Verinder's butler. I think he is a very wise man
because he reads a lot (but he always reads only one book). He is also kind and loyal.
His kindness is shown when he took pity on the maid and himself went to call
Rosanna to the table. He also has no problem respecting people who are below him.
I liked this hero because he has no flaws.
Rosanna Spearman: A maid in Lady Verinder's house, a former thief. She is far
from being in good health. Not infrequently, she fainted and was the ugliest girl in
the house. Rosanna is thoughtful and loves solitude. Gabriel Betteredge said, "She
was reading or working in her spare hours when others were chatting among
themselves." Rosanna is very polite and tries to be away from everyone. It seems to
me that her disadvantage is shyness and timidity, so she is afraid to confess her love
to Franklin Black. It is also important in the story about the loss of the stone.
Richard Cuff: A visiting policeman from London to investigate the missing
Moonstone. He is the best in his field and shows his skills from the very first survey.
He's trying to find the moonstone. Cuff uses incredible methods for his assignment.
He examines the stain, which has not dried out, to understand whether it was made
on purpose or not. But unfortunately, he can't find the stone. I added this here
because it plays an important role in the author's main problem — finding a
moonstone.
Lady Julia Verinder: The lady of the manor and Rachel's mother. She is generous
and kind. She give Rosanna a second chance and take her out of the correctional
home. She also has an important role in the story about the moonstone, as her
brother gave the stone to Rachel.
This book is written in a clear and not complicated language. Sometimes there
are difficult words. The only minus is that there are too many details and little things
in this book. That’s why, the book is quite large. Wilkie Collins is an excellent writer
because he knows how to combine different genres into one. In this book, he
combined drama, detective, mysticism, adventure and love. This is the most unusual
of all the ones I've read. It was informative to read it because I discovered a new
kind of books. Also, this book is very interesting at least for me because I love
detective stories.
There are many interesting and wise passages in this book that make you think
"when it comes to the worst, it will start to change for the better", "today we love
what we will hate tomorrow".
It seems to me that this book will be interesting to read because the story is
told on behalf of several persons who tell everything they know about what
happened. And it makes the novel even more lively and voluminous.
This book will be interesting to read to anyone who likes something unusual
and new. I would advise you to read this book.