Andrea+S

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding Andrea Shtatman Block: 2  Plot Overview ** __Bridget Jones’s Diary __ is about a woman named Bridget Jones and what she is going through in her life as a thirty year old, unmarried, smoker, unconfident woman. This story goes through almost every day of Bridget Jones’s life and the goals she sets to become a “new” person. She tries, to quit smoking, and tries to lose weight, and more importantly, she tries to find love. Her friends and family are there to help motivate her to pursue her goals. When she thinks she has found the guy for her, it turns out to be a big mistake. In the end the guy who was there in front of her the whole, was the one she truly falls for. At the end she manages to pick herself up from all the things she has been through in the past year, and has realized who she really wants to be, herself.
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Character List ** Bridget Jones: Bridget Jones, the main character, has a hard time accepting herself for who she is. She wishes she was prettier, thinner, had self confidence, and of course a male figure of some sort in her life. After being sick of all that she has put up with in her life, she has decided to make some changes, for no one but herself. She is daring, charming, and comical. Daniel Cleaver: Daniel is the one who Bridget thinks is the one. Daniel is Bridget’s boss and lover when they’re not at work. They are only lovers for a short period of time; until Bridget finds out he’s engaged. Daniel only cares about one thing, and that is sex. He is a conceded misogynist who doesn’t think of others but himself. Mark Darcy: Mr. Darcy is an old family friend of the Jones’s. He has known Bridget since she was very young. At friend Mr. Darcy comes off as being rude and inconsiderate, but as the story moves on he becomes caring and passionate. He cares a lot for Bridget although he shows it in a weird way at first, there is a sort of charm about him that makes them have feelings for one another.  Important Quotations ** “Ugh. First day of New Year has been day of horror. Cannot quite believe I am once again starting the year in a single bed in my parents’ house. It is too humiliating at my age. I wonder if they’ll smell it if I have a fag out the window.” This quote is important because it show that in the beginning Bridget doesn’t have much to look forward to in her life, also that smoking is a problem she has acquired.  “I’m stuck in a dead end here, and it is just too humiliating working with Daniel now. I had better go and tell him.” <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">This quote is important because it is showing that she is starting to break out of her shell. Bridget is quitting her job because of Daniel and his engagement. Some people may look down on people who quit their jobs because of a love affair gone wrong with their boss, but she has to do this for herself. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Have finally realized the secret of happiness with men, and it is with deep regret, rage, and an overwhelming sense of defeat that I have to put it in words of an adulteress, criminal’s accomplice and G-list celebrity: ‘Don’t say what, say pardon, darling and do as your mother tells you.’” <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> This quote to me shows that Bridget is finally at a point in her life where she is happy and although she was fortunate enough to find love, she isn’t going to hold back anymore.
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Suggestions for Further Reading ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">One book that is similar to __Bridget Jones’s Diary__ is __Gossip Girls__. Although __Gossip Girls__ is a series it faces pressure of being a teenage girl. Although Bridge Jones isn’t a teenager, she is still faces with social pressures like being thin and getting the guys. __Bridget Jones’s Diary__ is easy for girls, and woman, to relate to. Although it is a little for sophisticated then __Gossip Girls__, it shares the same ambitions. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Another Book that can be related to __Bridget Jones’s Diary__ is __Pride and Prejudice__. __Pride and Prejudice__ is about finding love and having the pressure of your family and friends. It’s also about dealing with people who judge you one way, when they first meet you, then later realize you are a completely different person later. This is very similar to __Bridget Jones’s Diary__ because Bridget goes through the same problems. She is pressured by her parents to get marries, because by your thirties, you ought to be marries. Also Mr. Darcy doesn’t like Bridget at first, but in the end turns out he likes her just the way she is.