Discussion Topic

Literary elements and themes in Rick Riordan's The Last Olympian

Summary:

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan incorporates several literary elements and themes. Key elements include a first-person narrative, foreshadowing, and vivid imagery. Major themes are heroism, sacrifice, and the importance of family and friends. The story emphasizes the protagonist's growth and the value of teamwork in overcoming challenges.

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What are some themes in Rick Riordan's The Last Olympian?

Rick Riordan’s book The Last Olympian deals with a number of significant themes, including the following:

  • Courage: Courage is required by many characters in the novel, especially the young hero Percy Jackson.  Thus, at one point Paul says to Sally (Percy’s mother),

. . . it sounds to me . . . it sounds like Percy is doing something noble. I wish I had that much courage.

  • Physical bravery, as when Zeus commends Tyson for his bravery in war.
  • Evil, a trait frequently illustrated by Kronos.
  • Luck, since many characters frequently wish each other good luck.
  • Death, a theme mentioned constantly throughout the book.
  • War, a major focus of much of the novel, which consists of one battle after another. At one memorable point, for instance, when Percy’s mother asks what he will do next, her son replies,

“I go to war. . . . Me against Kronos. And only one of us will survive.”

  • Virtue versus Vice, as in the quotation just cited, in which Percy represents virtue and Kronos represents vice.

All the themes just mentioned are highly appropriate to a novel that describe the battle to save all that is good and just from all that is evil and vicious.

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What literary elements are used in Rick Riordan's The Last Olympian?

Like most effective authors, Rick Riordan almost inevitably uses a variety of literary devices in his works. The opening pages of his novel The Last Olympian, for example, employ a number of different literary techniques, including the following:

  • A surprising, puzzling opening, as in the first sentence of the book:

The end of the world started when a pegasus landed on the hood of my car.

This kind of opening catches us off guard, piques our interest, and makes us curious to read further.

  • First person narration, as in the sentence already quoted.  Readers tend to have a natural curiosity about the experiences of other persons, especially if those experiences are described by the persons involved. In first person narration, we learn not only about events but about the personalities and values of the persons involved in those events.
  • Characters to whom the intended audience can relate. The first paragraph of the novel makes it clear that the book will be narrated by a teenager, and teenagers are obviously the intended audience for this book.
  • Informal, colloquial, realistic language, as when the narrator says,

Now, I know you’re thinking that was really irresponsible of him, blah, blah, blah . . .

In phrasing such as this, the narrator directly addresses readers, thus helping to give the book an intimate, direct, and highly personal tone. The narrator speaks in language that seems familiar, unintimidating, and relaxed.  His language is the opposite of stiff and pompous and makes the narrator seem a realistic human being.

  • Vivid, precise imagery, as when the narrator notes,

Rachel’s red hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she wore a white blouse over her swimsuit. I’d never seen her in anything but ratty T-shirts and paint-splattered jeans before . . .

Such phrasing helps us see and imagine whatever is being described and is much more effective than abstract, vague phrasing.

  • Liberal use of dialogue, as in the conversation between the narrator and Rachel in the first few pages.  Dialogue helps bring the characters to life, helps characterize them by implication rather than by overt statement, and contributes to the book’s sense of vitality and complexity of perspective.

These are just a very few of the literary techniques Riordan uses in his novel, but they are important examples because they are the very first techniques the prospective reader encounters.

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