Wolf Hall

by

Hilary Mantel

Clothes

In Wolf Hall, people’s clothes are a reflection of their motivations and desires—particularly the ones that they want the world to see. For instance, Cardinal Wolsey has a great fondness for fine silks and…

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Hands

Many of the characters in Wolf Hall try to conceal their true selves and their true desires, but their hands tend to reveal some essential part of themselves and often symbolize who they are under…

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Animals

Many of the characters in the novel are likened to animals, and these comparisons represent the notion that civilization and morality are a veneer that barely disguises people’s animalistic natures. Hilary Mantel has said that…

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