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  • Essay / Bounce's car: a symbol of freedom lost and gained in "The Pyramid"

    In William Golding's "The Pyramid", the idea of ​​freedom, both lost and gained, is encapsulated in the symbol of Bounce's car. Oliver is part of the events involving the car but is only a spectator, not fully understanding the manipulation that is occurring. The car is a tool used to gain control, both sexual and emotional, and is also a symbol of freedom lost and gained by society as a whole. Technology eventually takes over the town as Oliver's love of music is overtaken by his father's desire to pursue a degree in chemistry. Ultimately, the car is just a decoration, a memorial to the freedom she took and gave while sitting in a garage after Bounce's death. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The book opens as Evie abruptly interrupts Oliver's dream of Imogen by asking him to help get Bounce's car out of a pond where Robert Ewan had crashed it. while he and Evie made love. From the beginning of the novel, the vehicle is presented as a dirty getaway car, used for lewd and lewd acts committed in the dark of night. The driver, Robert Ewan, is a spoiled and conceited man who refers to Evie as "young Babbacombe" and is rude to Oliver. The son of a doctor, he ranks quite high in Stillbourne's social hierarchy and would not be considered an acceptable partner for Evie, the town crier's daughter. He escapes the confines of his position by using Bounce's car to disguise himself in town. Oliver realizes this by thinking "I understood that Dr. Ewan's son couldn't take Sergeant Babbacombe's daughter dancing in his father's car. I didn't need to think. Understood by nature" ( 9). However, as the car slides into the pond, Robert loses this freedom as he needs help from Oliver, someone he despises. Oliver considers this incident a victory over the boy he hated. He expresses jealous contempt for Robert's boarding school, his college promotion, and his red motorcycle, and recounts how Robert called him his servant when they were younger because Oliver's father worked in Robert's father's office. By simply using common sense, Oliver is able to do what Robert cannot and feels a certain amount of confidence in himself. Unfortunately, he realizes that with this event, "something was not finished. Something had begun" (12), perhaps referring to the desire for Evie that was beginning to creep into him. For his favor towards Evie, Oliver expected something in return, which turned into an obsession he couldn't escape as he preyed on her until he got the gratification he he was looking for. Evie hoped to free herself from her father's anger by tricking Oliver into helping move the car, but found herself trapped in physical desire. Like Robert, she breaks free from social norms and expectations in Bounce's car, but the night the car ends up in the pond, loses her cross necklace and begins to fear the consequences of her actions. Oliver comes to her rescue by locating the necklace and returning it to her. The car is a tool of sexual gain in the first scene, providing freedom from social norms for Robert and Evie and giving Oliver the opportunity to become sexually involved with her. At the same time, the car is also used to show the loss of freedom that results from this manipulation, since Robert must seek external help from a man he considers inferior to him. Later..