The Hypnotist quotes
Setting
“He too was a transplant of sorts, though it would be difficult to state exactly where he might call home. Now…the family found itself in Lafayette” (5) the location sets Tom and Amanda apart from others, makes them different
“Slowly, methodically, with the watch swinging in front of Amanda’s eyes, Tom, speaking ina montone, told her to relax..” (22) the reader hears Amanda’s thoughts when she is under hypnosis, helps the reader feel what the character feels
“Many in the class viewed the pair as outsiders” (11) Being from outside of New Orleans makes the main characters different, sets them apart, crates a situation in which the two main characters work together
Character
“By down here, Amanda was referring to the fact she was a transplant of New York City, the result of her parent finalizing their divorce…” (4) Amanda faces person vs self conflict, dealing with her parents’ divorce
“Among other things she still was struggling to master the violin under her new teacher…” (4) Amanda deals with common, everyday struggles
“Tom prided himself on being independent—on taking care of himself and his personal needs, something he cultivate over the years as he was forced to fend for himself in foregin lands…” (12)Tom deals with person versus self struggles, forced to be independent
What if Amanda knew all of this going into the session? He asked himself. Memorized, thed details, and fed them back to me as a way of having some fun at my expense” (31) Tom faces questions about is friend- struggles with person versus self, is she teasing him? This creates uncertainly in the reader as well and suspense
“Was Amanda bound and determined to prove me wrong at any cost?” (33) ) Tom faces questions about his friend- struggles with person versus self, is she teasing him?
“You know, if I didn’t exist and mom had moved down her alone, she wouldn’t have the expense she has and she wouldn’t be fighting my dad the way she does all the time’” (42) Amanda feels guilty all the time, blames herself; the reader can identify with this- this common feeling contrasts with the unreal aspect of hypnosis
“At least she has parents who have been in her corner since the day she was born, Tom thought to himself” (42) Tom faces person verus self, feeling isolated and unloved- This feeling gives a motive for his focusing on hypnosis as a way to interact with people
“Tom rebelled… Family counseling…and the manual labor job he took during the summer finally gave Tom the self-respect he so sorely lacked and set him on a course toward adulthood” (44) Tom’s realization that he has to accept responsibility for his own life reflects real life situations and contrasts with the unreal aspect of hypnosis
“Years of listening to his father talk about the process of negotiation were about to come into play” (60) Tom’s character trait of being clever and manipulative allow him to solve the clues
Plot
“’Mary who?’ insisted Tom. My God, he thought, is this for real: Is she really hypnotized or is she joking” (23) Plot asks the big question, something which needs to be resolved
“To say Tom was bored most of the time would be an understatement” (5) Tom has a motive of hypnotizing people
Mr. Lassitor, the principal, tells Tom, ”’Isn’t the problem that Ms. Wilcox may have been hypnotized? … May I urge you, in the strongest terms, to take your extra curricular activites off campus?” (59-61) The principal’s threats make Tom accelerate his hypnosis of Amanda, moves the plot faster
The chance encounter with a magician… soon became an obsession” (46) This part of the exposition provides a basis for the unusual background of Tom and make his hypnosis of others believable
“’’Lia,’ Tom repeated. who are you, Lia?’”(54) Tom is able to use the clues in Amanda;s past lives to find out who she was.