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Gospel of Luke Analysis

In: English and Literature

Submitted By caleighmckeen
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I chose the short story of from The Gospel of Luke- Story of a Lost Son. This captured my attention because it is a religious story from the bible. This story represents a certain Tone (The mood or attitude reflected in a literary work; it is important in identifying how the author approaches a subject and conveys it to readers. (Clugston, 2010)) of moral theme. Throughout the story we see examples of jealousy, envy, regret, forgiveness and a father’s undying love.

I will use the Formalist approach for my analysis of this story. The formalist approach is most widely used in literary criticism; it focuses on the form and development of the literary work itself. (Clugston, 2010)
What makes the setting so memorable?
A setting was not explained in the Story of a Lost Son. However, it does mention after the youngest son left for distant country. This indicates a setting before technology and large buildings. The story also states there was a bad famine after the youngest son left home. This tells me there was a lack of food and shelter.
Why was the plot intriguing? Did surprise occur?
A surprise occurred when the father had a positive reaction to his youngest son coming home. The son thought his father would have him become a servant due to the sinful nature he had shown to his father and to God. However, the father was happy to see his son and rejoiced, having his servants bring his son clean clothes and preparing a feast.
Page 2
A second surprise occurred when the older brother who had remained loyal to his father working in the fields became jealous of the music and dancing in honor of his brother.
How were the characters described, contrasted, and developed?
The youngest son was developed and describe very early in the story. He is quickly announced to be envious and irresponsible. Later, we see he has been humbled as he returns to his

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