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Makenzie Fine American lit-3 Independent author study Nicholas Sparks Nicholas Sparks is an amazing author and has written many best sellers. Some like the The Notebook and Dear John have been turned into huge motion pictures. Most of his books are based about life and family experiences. In A Walk to Remember the main character Jamie ends up dying from cancer and it just so happens that Sparks has a sister who died from a long battle of cancer just like Jamie. Also his book The Choice has a character named Travis who is based by his brother Micah in real life.
This proving the fact that his life events play a huge role in what he chooses to write about. To understand his writing more I will go in depth and talk about his themes, characters personalities, setting and style of writing in the following paragraphs. One wouldn’t argue that the biggest theme throughout Sparks’ book would simply be love. He is always talking about how you can’t escape your true love, or how love makes you do things for someone that you wouldn’t normally do for anyone else.
Also that love brings out the true person you are. One quote in particular I thought applied to this theme was on page 175 of The Choice and it says “…both aware that they were sitting across from a person who just might change the course of their lives forever if they weren’t careful. ” By saying that Sparks was emphasizing that your true love can’t be ignored. The one person you are meant to be with is there, and somehow they will find you, and you will be together. Destiny will take its path for whatever it has in store for you.
After the initial finding of the love there is the remaining power that the love has to offer. People will go in and out of love and have complications but that’s what makes the game interesting, and in the long run better for the couple. For example, there is a quote from a letter that Wilson writes to his wife Jane in The Wedding on page 220 is says, “Throughout our marriage, you have been my dream, and I’ll never forget how lucky I’ve felt since the first day I walked in the rain with you. By writing his letter to Jane about his deeply passionate love for her, she finally understands that even though he has never been a perfect husband, she is the only thing that he really cared about, and in fact has always been deeply in love with her. This passion for loves runs wild in all of his books, from “The Notebook” with Noah and Allie, to “The Choice” with Travis and Gabby. Another theme that is shown in Sparks’ writing is the theme of having someone close to you die.
Not all of his books have this in the story line, in fact neither of the two books that I chose to read for this assignment had one of the main characters die. But in many of his other stories one of the main character dies. Like Allie dies in The Notebook, and Jamie ends up dying in A Walk to Remember. Even though it is extremely difficult to cope with their deaths the other main characters get through it, at their own pace of course. The main characters of his novels are seldom based on real people in Sparks’ life.
Having Jamie die was based on how his sister died from cancer, which is also how Jamie dies. In addition to that his mother died, and it just so happens that Allie from The Notebook dies. Even though there was a huge age gap for the ages that they died there is still common characteristics that the story, and real life have in common. Not to mention that his brother Micah (who didn’t die and is his only living family member) has much impact on the character Travis in The Choice. Now Travis pretty much was living with death because his wife Gabby was in coma for about a year.
Every day he felt the guilt and was severely depressed about his “living” wife. I think that having my significant other be in coma would probably be one of the hardest things I could ever imagine. I don’t know how he did it, or how people in real life could. It’s heartbreaking to even think about. Even though having someone die greatly affects other people physically and emotionally, everyone deals with is differently and heals on their own time, this is represented in many of Sparks’ award winning novels. Many authors develop their own unique style of writing.
Sparks is no exception. The layouts of his sentences are very developed and easy to read. He leaves the reader wanting more when they read the stability of one of his sentences. I know I catch myself stopping to think and being like okay what is going to happen next, and how is he going to structure this sentence? I find it a little game to guess what the next theme of events will be in his books. One of the best examples that I think apply to his style of writing would be found on page 3 of The Choice and it says “But things change.
People change. Change was one of the inevitable laws of nature, exacting its toll on people’s lives. Mistakes are made, regrets form, and all that was left were repercussions that made something as simple as rising from bed seem almost laborious. ” This example just represents a small amount of his writing, but leaves out no room to question that his writing style is so developed that it always brings the reader back wanting more. Something that I have learned from Sparks’ novels is that once you pick one up you can’t put it down.
I blame that mostly on his ability to start out a chapter easy but smooth then slowly pull at your heartstrings so by the end of the chapter you find yourself wanting more and more! Now by the end of the book you do everything you can to get your hands on another one of his bestselling novels just to experience the effects that his other books had on you. Believe me I try to find another one that I haven’t read and have it in reach so the second I’m done with the first one I can pick it up and start the eventful rollercoaster all over again.
Another example that represents his style of writing would be found on page 166 of The Choice and says, “If conversation was the lyrics, laughter was the music, making time spent together a melody that could be replayed over and over again without getting stale. ” Sparks is just a brilliant writer that doesn’t get enough credit for his ability to form a novel let alone a paragraph. If you have read a few of Sparks’ novels you would know that all of his settings have something in common. They are all towns in North Carolina, many of them in the same towns.
Also, it just so happens that Sparks and his family live in New Bern North Carolina, where most of his books are set. I find it very interesting that he sets his books in the same towns. It is also a reoccurring theme in his writing. When I visited his website www. nicholassparks. com I found a map of the settings to his books. I found this very useful in understanding why he always writes his stories in the same places. In fact I haven’t read a book yet that hasn’t taken place in North Carolina. For example on page 8 of The Wedding it says “… I have worked with the law firm of Ambrey, Saxon and Tundle in New Bern, North
Carolina. ” Another thought I have on why he sets his stories in North Carolina is that he writes a lot about life experiences. That is why I think settings in North Carolina are constantly being repeated throughout his novels. After reading many of Sparks’ stories i have noticed many similarities among his main characters. Typically he will use a male and a female for the main characters. The male character tends to be the narrator as well as the protagonist. They have to deal with problems caused by the antagonists. Many times the antagonists are not other characters, but things that cause problems for others.
For example the protagonist in The Wedding was Wilson, and the antagonist was his marriage. He forgot his 29th anniversary and was planning a huge surprise for his wife to reunite there marriage on there 30th anniversary. Everything fell into place and Wilson ultimately overcame the antagonist. All of his books have similar plot lines resembling the one in The Wedding. These plot lines impact the antagonist characters greatly. Overall Sparks is an amazing author when it comes to writing. He has a way to capture the readers attention right of the back.
You will find yourself addicted to his novels. Believe me I am! Not only does he have a way of writing about love that no other author does, Sparks somehow manages to put valuable lessons into each of his novels. I believe that quality is better than quantity and there is no doubt that he is 100% dedicated to putting his all into each book he writes. From the beginning to the end of each novel I find myself inside the story. That is a rare quality and Sparks has very well accomplished it! I strongly suggest anyone to read any of his books. You will not be disappointed.