I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, tells the story of Cassandra Mortmain, a girl who is hardly able to be called a woman. She aspires to become a writer and the novel is written as her journals. Her family lives in poverty, a condition they have been suffering with for five years, close after her mother's death. She has a sister named Rose, a girl who would marry anyone just for their money. After the family meets the Cotton brothers, Simon and Neil, Rose takes interest of their wealth. Throughout the book, Cassandra learns from her sister's mistakes and experiences, gradually growing up to the women she becomes at the end of the novel. Out of ten points, the book would deserve a seven; the book had an interesting plot, but rambled too much.
Dodie Smith wrote the book as a journal, Cassandra describes it as an "exercise book" for she doesn't write "dear diary" or "dear journal," she uses the journal to exercise her speed writing. When writing about her day, the conversations are what she recollects.
I recommend this books to girls, it does not seem to be a book that would engross boys. Also for people who enjoy romances and fiction.
Melissa Liu A2
Elise Kronquist
ReplyDeleteHonor’s English A2
October 3, 2011
I Capture the Castle
In I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, the protagonist Cassandra is a bright yet naïve young girl seeking a place in her world. Her family has no consistent source of income; they live on 118 pounds or less some years. I enjoyed the tone of voice that Cassandra is portrayed as having, she is optimistic but not overly so and she understands the level of her family’s poverty. Although she thinks that the family’s situation is romantic, but she is not have any illusions that she will be rescued by a handsome prince. I thought she seemed like a realistic seventeen years old.
In terms of other characters, Rose seems annoying. She is always complaining, calling her father useless, and although he is, it seems impolite to point such things out especially in front of company. Also, when the Cotton boys visit, she practically throws herself at them, hoping to get out of their poverty. She says that she is willing to do anything to be out of the poverty that consumes her family. She includes selling herself. She also prays to a statue of a “devil” to be richer.
I think that the setting of this book is very important; Cassandra and her family live in an abandoned old castle called Godsend. They have a 43-year lease and have not been paying the rent consistently since the money ran out. The castle was chosen by her father who was quite rich after selling his first book, Jacob Wrestling. The castle is broken down and old and the family is living in rooms with hardly any furniture. Although they are hopeful, the rundown castle tends to aid in either lifting their spirits or putting them down.
Heather Pippus
ReplyDeletePeriod A2
I Capture the Castle
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith is a compelling story narrated by a seventeen year old girl living in the ruins of a castle that her family purchased before they were overcome with extremely oppressive poverty. Living with her widowed father, stepmother, younger brother, and whiny, disrespectful older sister, Cassandra optimistically tells the tales of her life in the castle.
The setting of I Capture the Castle affects the story in every way. Although most of the castle is now in ruins and the inside is bare, because of the family’s need to sell their belongings in order to make any money, living in a lavish, romantic castle seems like an ideal life for any teenage girl. The poverty that wreaks havoc upon Cassandra's life greatly contrasts with the castle's beauty, and affects the relationships she has with her family.
The characters in this story seem somewhat realistic to me, because of their family orientated attitudes and their approach toward each other. Cassandra, the protagonist and narrator, is extraordinarily hopeful about her family’s unfortunate situation. She acts like most seventeen year old girls in the respect that she admires her father even though he is imperfect, and she has many ambitions, such as the desire to become a writer and overcome the shortage of money that surrounds her. Cassandra's sister Rose disrespects her father by saying his lack of income is from “sheer laziness and softness,” in the presence of the family’s friend, Miss Marcy. Thomas, Cassandra’s younger brother, is caring and loving, as shown when he volunteers to give up his schooling so he can generate revenue so that the family can have a higher quality of life. Though the family denies Thomas's request, his willingness to sacrifice something he wants to better benefit his sisters is touching.
Elise,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Rose appears to be extremely desperate for money and goes too far to own the money. I want to point out how you called Cassandra the protagonist, I believe that there is no protagonist or antagonist in the story. There is no character is the story that shows a obvious malevolent side, Dodie Smith used naturalism for all the characters so good and bad happen to all of them. The setting of the book may seem important for even a short description of castles was even included, but I believe the character's motivations and thoughts are more important throughout this book. Rose though is an exception, she does think she deserves better than the castle ruins and throughout the book, her attitude will be effected by the castle. Good Job!
Heather,
I want to first would like to point out that I am confused where you ended your section so I am going to be vague about the book's plot. I mostly agree with you about the castle's effect on the characters. It certainly effects the parts of the plot, but is not of central importance. Focus on the character's emotions, actions, etc. Poverty does have an extreme influence on the book's plot, it will seem that it dictates some of the character's motives. Good Job!
Melissa Liu
A2 Huss
Melissa, before i wrote that blog post, I had finished the book, but technically that was pages 1-85. I think the castle is very important in terms of the plot because it causes many things to happen. I agree that the characters are created to seem realistic and natural. I think Topaz is pretty awesome!
ReplyDeleteElise Kronquist
Huss A2
Melissa, I have read up to chapter 11 so far. I really like the perspective that I Capture the Castle is written from. Even though Cassandra is growing up in the 1930's in the novel, there are still a lot of similarities between how she acts and how modern day teenagers act. For instance, she is constantly talking about the Cottons and she loves when they are around, and teenage girls talk about boys a lot! I also like that Cassandra is more appreciative of the family and love she has rather than focusing on the fact that her family does not have many materialistic possessions with great value. Although sometimes Cassandra is more concerned about what dresses she has, she doesn't usually mind not having as many things as other people do. Elise, you are so right! Topaz is amazing! I think she is a great step-mother especially when she tried to make herself less beautiful so Rose could stand out at the Cotton's dinner party. So far, I am really enjoying this book.
ReplyDeleteElise Kronquist
ReplyDeleteHuss A2 English
In pages 85-169 of I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, there were many interesting turns in the events. Some of the most hysterical include Rose being mistaken for a bear and Cassandra realizes that she really does not love Stephen their boy who lives with them and helps out. Unfortunately for her, he is madly in love. One detail that I love about this book is the language that the author uses. Cassandra seems smart and sure of herself, but still very naïve. She uses vivid words to describe her life and the way things are. The descriptions that are used are simply hilarious. At one point, Topaz the stepmother is described as, “Topaz tall and pale, like a slightly dead goddess” (Smith 102). The way things are described allows the reader to see the world through Cassandra’s perspective. I think that the plot has been very interesting so far. I like the Cotton boys who are funny and American (which to Cassandra pretty much means weird). They mistake Rose for a bear and cover it up by claiming that they have killed one and dumped it into the river. They are nice boys, but I do not like the engagement of Simon and Rose. Rose is so obviously not in love with him, and I really like Simon.
Elise Kronquist
ReplyDeleteA2 Huss English
In pages 170-255 of I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, Cassandra, the protagonist, learns a lot about her sister after she helps Rose become engaged to Simon Cotton, a rich young man who owns the castle that her family lives in. Rose truly believes that she is in love with Simon Cotton, but she freely admits that even if she did not, she would marry him. Although she is extraordinarily poor and upset with her social status, Rose also seems to be manipulative and petty. She also hates Neil, Simon’s brother for an unknown reason, and it seems very foolish of her. When Rose sends a letter to Cassandra from London, she talks on and on about material goods, and not at all about being in love or engaged.
Although Cassandra does not seem to realize it, Rose is not in love with Simon.
Though it seems obvious to the reader, it takes Cassandra forever to realized that she is in love with Simon. She also comes to the conclusion that she does not love Stephen, the young man who is crazy in love with her. He helps around the house and saves his money for presents to her. Rose’s pettiness hurts Cassandra when Cassandra realizes that she is in love with Simon. On her birthday, Cassandra is upset to find that she has not received a gift from Simon, though she later gets one. Also, her own father forgets her birthday, but cheerfully tells her that Topaz will have remembered and bought something for her that is “from” her father. He is right, but these incidents show how overlooked Cassandra is by everyone. Many still think of her as a child.
In I Capture the Castle, an intriguing novel by Dodie Smith, the protagonist, Cassandra tells many stories of her time living with her family surrounded by poverty. After her sister Rose is proposed to by a wealthy American, Cassandra realizes that her sister may just be marrying her fiancé for his money, and not because she is in love. After she spends an evening with Simon, Cassandra sees how likeable Simon is and how much she wishes he loved her instead of her sister. Even Cassandra's father is skeptical of the relationship Rose and Simon have, "Are you sure she's in love with him, Cassandra? I'd be interested to know." The fact that her own father doesn’t think Rose would marry a man because she loves him makes me question how Simon doesn’t notice that Rose is only looking for his money.
ReplyDeleteSimon treats Cassandra so well in this section of the book. He joins her in celebrating the Midsummers Eve, and then takes her back to Scoatney and gives her dinner and listens to music with her. This made me like Simon so much because he wasn’t just being nice to her because he loves her sister, it seemed like he genuinely wanted to spend time with Cassandra after she had been left alone in the castle.
Elise Kronquist
ReplyDeleteHuss A2
November 17, 2011
A Spectacular Novel
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith is the story of Cassandra Mortmain, a seventeen-year-old girl whose grows and matures under the strangest conditions. Cassandra is seventeen and she lives with her family in an old abandoned castle, which they have a forty-three year lease. Her father, a once famous writer is eccentric and spends most of his time in a tower of the castle. Cassandra and her rather odd family meet the Cotton family, the boys and their mother who own the castle. Thus begins a very strange year in her life. The Cotton boys are approximately the age of Cassandra and her older, ditzy sister Rose. Rose is willing to marry anyone for money because the family has lived in poverty since the death of the girls mother five years prior. Through Rose’s experiences and her own, Cassandra learns about love, happiness, and loss. These experiences lead Cassandra to become a young woman.
Dodie Smith portrays the story through Cassandra’s journal which she keeps as she wishes to follow in her fathers footsteps and become a writer. The journal shares her thoughts, the actions and dialogue of the characters and her hopes, fears, and dreams.
On a scale of one-ten, this book deserves an 8 because the writing is clear and funny but sometimes Ms. Smith wanders off on tangents that seem inconsequential to the plot. The plot itself is hysterical and perhaps a little fantastical but very intriguing and sweet. I would recommend this book for girls ages 10 and up because Smith uses words that younger girls would probably not understand. It is a very sweet book and people who enjoy fiction and romances would love it.
Heather Pippus
ReplyDeletePeriod A2
November 20, 2011
I Capture the Castle
I Capture the Castle, a novel by Dodie Smith, is written as a collection of journal entries written by Cassandra Mortmain, a young girl growing up surrounded by poverty. Since the death of her mother Cassandra has been living with her two siblings, along with her peculiar father and his new wife in an old castle that they are leasing for forty-three years. As the story progresses the Mortmains meet the family who they are leasing their castle from, the Cottons, and the two families become very close friends. The two Cotton sons are around the same age as Cassandra and her older sister Rose. After Simon, the oldest Cotton boy, proposes to Rose, Cassandra begins to realize that her sister is not really in love and is only marrying Simon for his money.
As she writes about her sister throughout her journal Cassandra’s view of Rose significantly changes when she realizes the true reason Rose wants to marry Simon. Cassandra and her sister seem to be best friends, but once Rose decides to marry Simon for his money, Cassandra seems disgusted by her sister’s actions. Cassandra represents how children learn from what they see. By watching her sister make a terrible decision, Cassandra begins to mature into a woman because she starts making her own decisions.
On a scale of one to ten I give this book a six. Although the themes of the book are very intriguing, the plot is fairly slow, and at some points the naïve attitudes of the Mortmain girls make the story boring. I would recommend this book for people who enjoy romance with a touch of comedy.