Student Name: Christina Lamb
Text Title: Safe Haven
Author/Director: Nicholas Sparks
Text Type : Written Text (Novel)
Date Finished: 24th August
Brief outline of plot (2-3 sentences):
A mysterious woman with a big secret named Katie arrives in a small town in North Carolina. Reluctant to making any real connections or getting close to people because she’s on the run, unsurprisingly she falls in love with Alex and has a genuine connection with him which causes her to stay.
What theme/s are addressed in the text? How is the theme explored in this text? Use specific examples/quotes
There are two main themes that are developed throughout the novel, one of them being perseverance and the other in relationships. The theme of perseverance is shown through Katie’s determination of not being caught. She has one goal, which is to keep moving and run away from her past whilst not making any genuine connections that may keep her in the place. Although Katie has been through a lot with her abusive husband, she never stopped believing. she always had hope that he would change and that their marriage would get better but when he snapped and nearly killed her, she decided that she’s had enough and had the courage to run away even though her husband was a policeman. When Katie moved she had hardly any money but she found a job and worked really hard to gain that money and buy a small cottage. The second theme that is addressed through this books is relationships. The novel highlights the healthy and healthy relationships we should have and shouldn’t have in our lives. For example, Katie’s relationship with Kevin is unhealthy because it is one-sided and he has full control over her and abuses her. When Katie moves to the new town she falls in love with Alex, and they form a strong positive relationship, as well as Katie, gains the trust from Alex’s kids and they become a very happy family once again since their birth mothers death.
How does this text connect with the rest of the world (socially, culturally, politically, historically) Use specific examples/quotes
Socially this text highlights that there are many woman in the world that are being abused by their partner and majority of them can not get out of the relationship, mainly because of fear. Safe Haven has a more positive approach to this global situation, it shows Katie moving on and getting into a healthy relationship. The novel proves and encourages those struggling in the real world that their is a way out of this, as well as there is someone out there that will treat you with respect and love you. By sharing this message through the novel it will hopefully help women break away from their unhealthy abusive relationships and move on to a better part of their life.
How/What does this text teach us/you about society and the world we live in (setting/themes/characters/plot) Use specific examples/quotes
As above, this text teaches us, especially young people, that we need to be careful with who we trust and the relationships we get ourselves into. In the text, Katie was young when she married Kevin and was clueless, which unfortunately many young girls get themselves into abusive relationships because they don’t know better. It just shows us that the world we live in is not all perfect and wonderful and we do need to be aware and make the best decisions possible.
How/does this text connect to your personal experiences or viewpoints?
This text connects to my viewpoints because I believe that everyone has the right to being in a positive and a healthy relationship, no one should be abused and everyone should be happy.
Explain why you would recommend this text (writing style/ideas/structure/language features used) Use specific examples/quotes
I would recommend this text to others because it is a very captivating novel that hooks you and makes you want to keep reading.