Dr Susan Chandler example essay topic

FIRST ENTRY: (from page 1-100) The suspense novel, You Belong to Me, by Mary Higgins Clark, begins by easily catching my interest as it automatically discusses its first conflict. It's setting falls in October in the very busy city of New York. The protagonist, Dr. Susan Chandler, is a young clinical psychologist who hosts a radio talk show. The conflict starts on a Monday when Dr. Chandler discusses on her show about lonely women who disappear and who are later discovered dead.

Dr. Chandler brings up one specific case of a lady named Regina Clausen. Another lady calls in the show and says she might have some information that might be useful to the case, but she wants to remain anonymous. Dr. Chandler tries to arrange a meeting with her, but the anonymous woman is a little hesitant in agreeing to the arrangement. Not even a few hours later, the woman is shoved into a bus and is seriously injured.

The only witness that saw her get pushed is mysteriously murdered the next day. Dr. Chandler starts following the case, but every time she goes to talk to someone that might be able to give her some information, they are already dead. This beginning conflict filled with mystery and suspense lures me to keep reading and I realize I cannot stop turning the novel's pages. Also, as I was reading, I noticed an object that has been frequently mentioned: a souvenir turquoise ring with the inscription "you belong to me" written in it.

This souvenir ring has been Dr. Chandler's one and only clue to the mysterious deaths of Regina Clausen and the witness, and the critical injury of the mysterious woman on the talk show. Dr. Chandler has been told that the unique ring was given to Regina Clausen on a cruise ship she was on before she mysteriously died. An identical ring was also given to the mysterious woman on the radio show who says that it was also given to her on a cruise ship. The woman says a man she met on the ship gave it to her; a man she was about to get off the ship and elope with. Dr. Chandler believes that the man who gave the ring to the anonymous woman is the same man who gave an identical ring to Regina Clausen, and this same man is the man that murdered Regina Clausen. The turquoise ring being mentioned is an obvious symbol of something in the novel.

Right now, I think the ring could be a symbol of death, but it's too early in the novel to make that assumption. I feel there is a strong connection between Dr. Susan Chandler and I. Dr. Susan Chandler lives a very personal life, but also hasan occupation that she holds very important to her. She has an older sister and divorced parents who all love her dearly, although there are daily family dilemmas she must deal with. Dr. Chandler copes with her personal problems ina way that inspires me to face and deal with my problems the same way. She does what she loves to do and doesn't let anyone get in the way of her aspirations.

Dr. Chandler is the ideal person I wish to become, and I feel that the more I understand her character, the bigger chance I have in becoming the type of person I wish to become. SECOND ENTRY: (from page 100-199) Language The writing style Mary Higgins Clark uses is what really shined in this book. She uses such vivid wording, which is significant to un solving the mystery. I love how she packs tons of figurative language and detail into every paragraph. Below are just a few of the thousands of vividly effective phrases in Clark's novel:" She loved the mix of turn-of-the-century townhouses on quiet streets, and the traffic-filled main arteries that suddenly twisted or changed direction like streams wandering through mountains". (page 105) Just in this one quote, it shows how Mary Higgins Clark uses vivid wording, such as details and similes and metaphors, to let the reader picture the whole scenario as if they were watching a movie. ' "Tiffany, I wish you'd call me at my office", Susan said hurriedly, then had a sense of d'ej'a vu.

Hadn't she spoken those same words to Carolyn Wells forty-eight hours earlier? ' (page 134) Carolyn Wells was the anonymous woman on the radio show Susan talked to right before she was pushed into a bus and almost died. This foreshadows Tiffany's death, because Carolyn's near-death started as those same exact words were spoken to her... he had heard the story of a woman who confessed to spreading scandal and was told that as her penance she was to cut open a feather pillow on a wind-swept day, then retrieve all of the feathers that were scattered. When she said that it was impossible, she was told that it was just as impossible to find and correct all the people who had heard her lies... ."But now he thought of the feather pillow story in a different context. Pieces were escaping from the scenario he had planned so carefully. Carolyn Wells.

Hilda Johnson. Susan Chandler. The gnome. He was safe from Hilda Johnson. But the other three were still like feathers in the wind". (page 141) In just these two paragraphs, there is flashback, a simile, symbolism, and foreshadowing. The murderer, who is "he" in these paragraphs, has a flashback of a story he had heard when he was a child.

This story ties to the problem he is dealing with now. He realizes that the "feathers in the wind" that the woman tried to retrieve are a similar type of "feathers" that has scattered in his life. The simile used in the end of the second paragraph shows that the people that know too much about the murders he committed are symbols of the "feathers in the wind". These two paragraphs foreshadow that the murderer will never get away with what he did, because as the woman said, it was impossible for her to retrieve all of the feathers; therefore, showing that it's clearly impossible for also the murderer to retrieve all his "feathers". Thus, at least one of the "feathers" is likely to find and bring out the truth, leading to the murderer's defeat. I have encountered many surprises while reading this suspenseful novel.

One surprise was in chapter 35 when Dr. Susan Chandler found out herself some surprising information. She was researching online about a psychologist, Dr. Richards, whom she has been working with and came across information about his past. It said that he had spent a year working on around-the-world ocean liner as assistant cruise director, and that his favorite ship was the Gabrielle. This information surprised both Dr. Chandler and I, because the Gabrielle is the same cruise ship that Regina Clausen was on when she disappeared. This surprise led me to believe that Dr. Richards could be the murderer of the several crimes committed. I remember being confused two separate times when reading the novel.

The first time was on page 179 when the narrator was describing the murderer's thoughts: "He knew that once that was accomplished, the terrible burning inside him would go away, and finally he would be free-free to become the person his mother had always believed he was capable of being". I was a bit confused when reading this line, because I didn't know what his mother believed he was capable of being, and why he would be what he was "capable of being" after he accomplished the murder of his last victim. I just didn't understand what type of person he wanted to become. Also, another part that I found to be confusing was at the last few lines of the book: "They looked at each other for a moment, then Susan smiled at him, and he put his arm around her.

It seemed to both of them that it was the natural thing for him to do". I know that the last few lines in every book are one of the most significant in the book, but Just didn't understand the significance of the lines at the end of this book. I must " ve forgot or overlooked a key point in the novel that tied to these last few lines that would " ve explained the significance. The symbol of the souvenir ring I talked about in the first entry has developed in the middle portion of the book.

Now understand what connection there is between the inscription on the rings and the murders. The inscription, "you belong to me", is also the title of a song with lyrics containing phrases such as, "See the pyramids along the Nile,"Watch the sunrise on a tropic isle,"See the marketplace in old Algiers,"Fly the ocean in a silver plane", and "See the jungle when it's wet with rain". These lyric phrases, used by the murderer, are the soul key in finding where all of the disappeared women are. The murderer decided that this private joke of his would be his brilliant plan to link all of his murders together. Also, the assumption about the symbol of the ring I made in the first entry has been clearly evident and somewhat proven in the middle of the novel.

On page 158, Tiffany, a waitress who had also been given a turquoise ring, said, "Lousy ring brought be nothing but lousy luck". This statement is further proven when not even 6 hours later, she is murdered. I found this ring of death to be the strategic connection between all of the murders and probable murders and attempted murders. THIRD ENTRY: (from page 199-317) Finding whom the true murderer was and putting him behind bars resolved the major conflict of the novel. It surprised me to find out who the murderer actually was, because he was the person I least expected.

This indeterminate ending led into the climax of the novel, which was when the murderer, the guy Dr. Susan Chandler was dating, tries to suffocate her and leaves her to die. Another doctor friend of Susan's has also been paying attention to the case though, and he is worried about something happening to Susan. He finds her in her office before she suffocates, and they are able to have the police arrest the murderer before he does any more damage. This great sigh of relief led Susan to think, "It all started so innocently. I had intended only to raise the issue of how lonely, unsuspecting women, despite their intelligence and apparent sophistication, can be lured into dubious and sometimes fatal relationships by men who prey on them" (page 316).

This sentence clearly states the theme of the novel. I think Mary Higgins Clark is trying to send an implicit warning to people in vulnerable situations to be more aware and trust their own instincts. More symbols arose towards the end of the novel. Another symbol were the cruise ships the murderer went on, because each new harbor signified an end of the journey for someone; someone he would kill.

It was ironic at the end when, at the dock the killer was waiting at, the cops arrested him, making it the end of the journey for him. You Belong to Me is a twisting and interesting novel that I thoroughly enjoyed. With lots of characters, this story left me guessing whom the murderer was until the end. This is a book that I wasn't able to put down until I knew what the title of the book really meant to the story. Although I felt the ending was hurriedly finished in a page or two, it was definitely a book worth reading.