Zoe Storch
Wilson
AP English Literature and Composition
Wolf Hall Creative Project
8 October, 2013
Text: Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Essence: The commitment to one’s duty results in the destruction of morality and creates a blurred line between what is right and what is necessary.
(Duty vs Morality)
Summary: In early 16th century England, the people worry that if King Henry VIII doesn’t produce a male heir, their country will be plagued by war and destruction. Unknown to much of his constituency, the King has already begun an affair with Anne Boleyn and is trying to rid of his wife, Catherine of Aragon. Thomas Cromwell, a self-made, high-ranking official of the king, is caught in the middle of Henry VIII’s affair, as well as the struggles and death of his own family. In order to maintain his position under the King, he must sacrifice his personal needs to focus on manipulating all who oppose the King’s decision. Navigating the corruption and controversy of the King’s court, Cromwell ultimately attempts to seal Henry VIII’s marriage to Anne without losing himself in the process.
Prompt:
1979. Choose a complex and important character in a novel or a play of recognized literary merit who might on the basis of the character’s actions alone be considered evil or immoral. In a well-organized essay, explain both how and why the full presentation of the character in the work makes us react more sympathetically than we otherwise might. Avoid plot summary.
Thesis which addresses prompt: In Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall, self-made man Thomas Cromwell is forced to choose duty over morality and although he works his way to the top by shoving others to the bottom, Mantel’s relatability and characterization of Cromwell causes us to react sympathetically in a way that makes his actions seem justifiable.
Creative Project: In a game called The Kings Pawn (based off of the board game Battleship), two players, each with a battle board, must attempt to destroy their opponents’ team while simultaneously protecting their own pawns.
Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall centers on the dilemma that exists between duty and morality. Mantel uses Thomas Cromwell to carry out her belief that there is no possible way to balance the two. Through the characters many trials and tribulations, it becomes apparent that focusing on one’s family leaves behind the commitment to your career, but focusing only on career destroys the family unit and individual happiness. It is only in the end of the novel that Cromwell takes a step back to glimpse at the monster he has become. Even at this point, we as readers still react sympathetically to his condition because of Cromwell’s “self-made” personality and unfortunate childhood. We see his inner struggle and true intentions to provide for his family when he says to his newborn son “...I shall be tender to you as my father was not to me. For what’s the point of breeding children, if each generation does not improve on what went before?” (40)
My creative project illustrates this theme physically in a strategy/luck game called The King’s Pawn, based on the board game Battleship. In this game there are two players, each with a battle board, who must try to kill their opponent’s team while at the same time, protecting their own pawns. While opponents try to kill the other’s pawns, they may forget to about their own. This very simple task parallels Cromwell’s personal struggle to balance family with duty. Just like players of the game may see, Cromwell experienced failure when the death of his daughter caused him to realize he was working to help the King instead of spending the time getting to know her. “Grace dies in his arms...I never knew her, he thinks;I never knew I had her.” (140)
Players have the chance to answer trivia cards if they destroy an opponent’s pawn. Answering a trivia card right gifts them a free life card to bring one of their dead pawns back in the game. This paradox of killing to bring back life illustrates the bloody mentality of the King’s court and its constituents. Anne Boleyn, Henry’s mistress, highlights this mindset in her answer to Cromwell’s question concerning the Pope (who was against Anne and Henry’s marriage). “Yes,” Anne says, “but the cardinal fixed him, and most unfortunately the cardinal is dead.” (346). Although we think of him as the “good guy”, Cromwell is part of this court and must choose to hurt others in order to protect and provide for his own family. The temptation to injure for personal benefit it apparent when King Henry VIII tells Cromwell plainly, “You are to be Master Secretary. Rewards shall follow.” (528)
The purpose in creating The King’s Pawn is to prove Mantel’s belief as well as the main essence of Wolf Hall. In theory, players will realize at the end of the game that doing their “duty” and destroying their opponent’s team may be saving their own pawns but is killing the pawns of another player who is working for the same goals as himself. At the end of the novel, Cromwell has a similar realization as he turns to the self portrait a painter has recently gifted him with. “He turns to the painting. ‘I fear Mark was right...I heard him once say I looked like a murderer.’ Gregory says, ‘Did you not know?’”(489) By finally taking a step back to look at his own identity, Cromwell begins to see that he has made a choice to value duty over personal interests. His family is already broken and his friendships shattered, but he at the very least becomes aware of what he has become, which is what players should ultimately get out of The King’s Pawn.
Works Cited
"Interesting Facts about Henry VIII." Interesting Facts about Henry VIII. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.
"Lists." TIME.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.
Mantel, Hilary. Wolf Hall: A Novel. New York: Henry Holt and, 2009. Print.
"VIII Random Facts About Henry VIII." Mental Floss. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2013.
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