Introduction

Picture Perfect is a novel written by Jodi Picoult. Throughout the text, there are characters, events and symbols that convey the idea of realism; of how the ‘picture perfect’ image of someone can cause you to put your life on the line for them. This novel is about the quickly sparked love between an anthropologist, Cassie Barrett and the Hollywood celebrity, Alex Rivers. Alex becomes obsessive over his wife and cannot bear to think of them ever leaving each other, however, his harmful upbringing begins to be expressed onto Cassie when he starts to physically abuse her. Cassie spends most of their relationship in denial of it, making excuses for him but when she falls pregnant everything changes between them.

Cassie Barrett is the main character in the novel, Picture Perfect. Intelligent, genuine and self-assured is the way Cassie is presented to the audience, although the presence of her husband Alex causes these characteristics of hers to disappear. She becomes un-opinionated, making sure she does everything perfectly for Alex and does anything that he wants even if it means that she gets hurt as she said in her own words “I loved Alex so much that it was easier to let him hurt me than to watch him hurt himself.” In the novel, Cassie also was mistreated whether it had been being called a “slut” and “is asking for it” for what she was wearing or when she got walked over at her job. I think Jodi Picoult chose to portray Cassie with these manners and have these things happen to her because it is a very realistic view of what would happen in a situation of being harmed by your significant other and how women are commonly treated in society today. In my opinion, this makes me feel a mix of emotions but mainly sad and angry as it reinforces in society what women are still overcoming, that we are weak and don’t have valid opinions. Women used to and still commonly are being treated like this in relationships or in workspaces with statistics of 1/3 women experiencing domestic violence throughout their lifetime and

Paragraph 2 Symbol (Glass Jar of snow)

Paragraph 3 Major Event last scene

Conclusion