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The White Darkness

The White Darkness. A novel by Geraldine McCaughrean ‘A book must be an ice-axe to break the sea frozen inside us’ - Kafka. Captain Lawrence ‘Titus’ Oates . Born March 1880- Died March 1912.

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The White Darkness

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  1. The White Darkness A novel by Geraldine McCaughrean ‘A book must be an ice-axe to break the sea frozen inside us’ - Kafka

  2. Captain Lawrence ‘Titus’ Oates • Born March 1880- Died March 1912. • Captain Robert Scott’s expedition to be the first to Pole Antarctica for England, instead of Norway. A race had begun. • An army Officer Lawrence Oates took charge of the horses being used, and did not like them. He didn’t like Scott, but everyone liked him. • Fit for the expedition even with an old bullet wound in his thigh, they set out.

  3. First expedition • Aim: set out food dumps at intervals across the Ross Ice Shelf to the Transantarctic Mountains, and then go back and sit out the Polar Winter. • The unexpected: motor sleds broke down, and the horses suffered. So Scott made the decision to off-load provisions and turn back early. Titus objected because the food dump needed to be further out. • Norway’s team reached there before England, but unfortunately another team had beaten them there. • Scott’s expedition met bad weather, fell behind schedule, and quickly used up supplies. However they made it to the mountains.

  4. History Continued • The team was 5 men: Scott, Dr.Bill, Taff Evans, ‘Birdie’ Bowers, and Titus. • After 200 miles trecking to the destination they found the Norwegian flag. • Possible to make it back, till the temperature dropped, and winter came early that year. Taff Evans was starved and got frostbite. Near the Ross shelf he collapsed and died. Realization that Titus was next. • His last entry in his diary was: Dug up Christopher’s head for food, but it was rotten’. His hands too forstbitten to write- his feet already gone by the cold.

  5. His Heroics • He was slowing his comrades down, and lessening their chances of survival but he just wouldn’t die. On his 32nd birthday he left his sleeping bag. He told them ‘ I am just going outside and I may be some time’. He crawled out and into the blizzard to die. • The team went onwards. If Scott had listened to Titus they would have reached their point, but because of the blizzard they starved and froze to death. Bodies were found frozen in ice, except Captain Lawrence Oates ‘Titus’.

  6. ‘ I have never seen or heard of such courage...’

  7. Plot Summary • Symone ‘Sym’ has been in love with Titus Oates since she watched the film of the Terra Nova expedition and his bravery. Sucked into the dream of being on the same piece of land Titus was as he lives in her mind, her Uncle Victor takes her to Paris with a side trip detour to Antarctica . Though he is not her Uncle, he has been supporting her and her mother since her father suddenly became paranoid or insane and died. Though suspicious of her Uncle when her mother can’t make the trip because her passport has ‘mysteriously’ vanished, she tries to give him the benefit of the doubt. But as their trip resumes she finds out he’s not the kind uncle she thought he was. With only her knowledge to survive on and Titus words and warmth driving her onwards she grows.

  8. Main Characters: • Symone • Titus Oates • Uncle Victor • Her Father • Sigurd the actor • Manfred Brush the con artist, thief and swindler • Mike and Mimi • Pengwings Expeditionary Force ‘Tourists’

  9. Theme 1 • Self-Identity: • As the story goes on it’s found that Uncle Victor is not kind. He took her hearing away with experimental pills as a child, he took her father away, he molded her into his ‘EVE’ to populate humanity in the world within earth. A journey to the centre of the earth STORY nut job. • The boy Sigurd who she thought loved her, was not Mr. Bruch son at all, and was a hired actor. • Mr. Bruch was just a man who swindled rich men out of their money, and not the family man she was made to believe.

  10. Theme 2 • Isolation/Survival: • The young teenage society of talking about and dating boys, kissing, and parties keeps Sym apart from her friends. She only needs Titus, and everyone would make fun of her if they knew of him. • She creates a space in her mind as to not go hysterical and insane against the natural and yet cruel conditions of the cold Antarctica, and the tasks she must do in order not to be killed off.

  11. Theme 3 • Love: • Through Sym’s introverted persona she was never shown love by her father much at all. This also the fault of Victor. Instead she sufficed in the arms of her Titus. Who through love no longer was an imagined character, but had saved her and kept her going. As if his spirit lived with her. Whom had carried her pain. • At Victor’s death Sym’s anger dissipated towards him, and ultimately decided to tell no one of his plans. She decided to talk about him as a good man.

  12. Character development • Symone: ignored by her father as he worked with Victor, became passionate about the books about Antarctica from the only person who told she was smart and had potential- Uncle Victor. An introverted personality, who needed others she slowly finds courage in herself as the place she wanted to be the most swallows her whole in its dreariness. The things she learnt start coming in use, and continues to pushs forward even after the heart breaking realization that Titus’ body has already been washed out to sea.

  13. The princess’ Bonds in the Tower • ‘Her body encircled by three bands of iron. Can’t move, can’t blink her eyes. Can’t speak a word. However hard she tries unless some friend can foil the evil magic, three nights in a row - keep her by his side until morning. With a noise like the crack of ice, one of the iron bands broke, and she was free to blink her eyes. And the second band of iron broke, and the princess could both blink her eyes and move her hands. And the third band of iron broke, and the princess could blink her eyes and move her hands and was entirely free to speak.’

  14. Map of Antarctica!

  15. Overall judgement • This book wasn’t exactly addictive, but heartbreakingly inspirational. • The charisma of the characters and hardship passed casually but stayed in your mind, as the novel flows through the mind like a movie. • Pulls the reader into suspense, with a sarcastic humour about life itself. • A book to reread over and never get tired of it.

  16. Presentation by Erica de Souza Next up: Novel Poster Board

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