The novel Briar Rose by Jane Yolen is a heart wrenching...

The novel Briar Rose by Jane Yolen is a heart wrenching story of Sleeping Beauty intertwined with the horrors of the Jewish Holocaust. Yolen portrays the difference between the fairytale and the ugly reality through this novel. The character, Gemma, tells a fairytale called Briar Rose to her three granddaughters every time she is with them. Gemma’s identity at the start of the novel is hidden, and Becca, Gemmas granddaughter, is on a journey to unveil and discover the truth about her identity and Briar Rose. The truth ends up being that Gemma is the Briar Rose she speaks about in her stories. During this journe, Becca discovers not only her grandmother’s identity but also her own. Becca grows up and realizes that her grandmother chose†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Oh they are much in appreciation† and â€Å"Once upon a time† represent that language is a big part of the novel through the characters. The first quote shows Magdas awkward, broken Engli sh, and the second quote shows Gemmas fairytale. Through the language of a text, readers are able to get the different ideas about the people’s backgrounds and who they are. Irony is often used in Briar Rose, especially with Josef. Josef represents the prince because he saves Gemmas life during the Holocaust. The stereotypical view of princes in fairytales is that they rescue the female, and they kiss and live happily ever after. That was never going to be the case with Gemma and Josef because Josef is a homosexual, and he was in love with Aron, Gemmas husband. Briar Rose is an allegory for the Holocaust. The harsh details of her survival are hidden in the magical fairytale, and it softens the impact of reality for the reader. Jane Yolens techniques pull through to create an interesting story, and they also help carry out the different themes throughout the book. The themes of the novel make Briar Rose a good book. There are many different subjects that build and make the fiction story stronger. â€Å"I have no memories in my head but one†¦a fairytale. † This quote shares a theme of past, memory, and remembrance. Gemmas past was so traumatic that in order to cope Gemma’s memory of the past, she had to present in a unique way. This theme reminds the readers that memoriesShow MoreRelatedBriar Rose Essay1325 Words   |  6 PagesYolen enlightens and inspires responders through the use of structure, language and other techniques. The novel Briar Rose by Jane Yolen is a heart wrenching story of sleeping beauty intertwined with the horrors of the Jewish Holocaust. The structure of the novel is altered in a way to interweave three stories including Gemmas Briar Rose fairy tale, Beccas quest and Josefs story. The use of language techniques explores the idea of the characters as it gives an understanding of their circumstances