Captain Corelli's Mandolin: Doomed Relationship of Pelagia and Mandras

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How does chapter 13 foreshadow the doomed relationship between Pelagia and Mandras? In Chapter 13 are some of the first references to Pelagia and Mandras’ doomed relationship. It becomes obvious that Pelagia and Mandras are not soul mates as their relationship is one based mainly on their looks and lust. De Bernières uses narration and symbolism to foreshadow later events and, ultimately, the end of their relationship. The first method used to foreshadow is symbolism throughout the extract. One symbol is the warship that Pelagia watches go past on the shore. This is obviously a sign of the war, but deeper than that it is a symbol of their relationship. It is described as steaming “portentously” away, which means “ominously significant” or “ominously prophetic”. These definitions and the lexical choice all indicate that this moment is much more significant that it seems – the warship is a prophecy, and later in the book we know that war does end up tearing the couple apart. As it is described as steaming “away”, it implies that their relationship is quickly moving on, travelling to new seas, as it were, in the metaphor of the ship. Another symbol is how Pelagia uses Mandras’ name to fit in with the other dictators when she is playing with the “euphony” of their names, matching up Mandras with Mussolini and Metaxas. This seems contradictory as she is in love with Mandras, yet sees him as a dictator; “I love him” she declares, but she is fearful of marriage to him and wonders how much like a dictator he will be. This brings through the idea of Mandras’ character being one of conflict. He is represented in a series of binary oppositions - the juxtaposed concepts that describe him. Pelagia loves Mandras and sees him as such a beautiful, gentle figure, yet she connects him with the hated dictators, which expresses a clear contrast in how she views him. Later she
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