World Without End Critique - Essay Example

The mini-series was presented in the form of eight parts and was noted to be a sequel to another of Ken Follet’s novels, entitled “The Pillars of the Earth” (Lloyd, 2012). Due to the length and intricacies of relationships as portrayed by numerous characters, the current discourse would focus on relationships and interpersonal communication applications of one of the main characters, Caris. As a wool merchant’s daughter, Caris went through exciting and challenging experiences ranging from witnessing the untimely demise of her mother, who unknowingly was secretly murdered by her aunt, Petranilla. Her interest in treating the sick was enhanced when she became the apprentice of a woman, Mattie, who practiced alternative medicine. However, since Mattie’s talent jeopardizes the town’s official healer and priest, she was charged with the crime of witchcraft and was sentenced to be hanged in public. Later, Caris suffered the same fate at the hands of her cousin, Godwyn, then Prior; and was just saved in due time by the town’s Prioress who testified that since she was to become a nun, she could not be subjected to the fate of hanging. Therefore, Caris had to sacrifice her love for Merthin until such time that her duty as a nun, eventual Prioress, and healer were all completed. In the process, she became a good healer and even assumed the role of a prioress in times when sickness and plague besieged their town.

The applications of the interpersonal communication theory or social theory were exhibited in various situations in the series. As noted “As humans we have a range of social needs that we satisfy by communicating with others. The Social Needs theory points out that there are 3 basic social needs: (1) affection - to express and receive love; (2) inclusion - to be social, to be in the company of others; (3) control -to have influence” (Bergstrom, 2005, par. 1). The social need of inclusion was manifested through Caris’ being accepted in the convent as a nun, to save her from death. Likewise, this inclusion was also exemplified through the acceptance of the king, who disguised himself as a monk and was allegedly accepted warmly in the monastery and the Kingsbridge community.

Concurrently, the social need for control was exemplified in the mini-series through the power that was vested in the monarchy. It was apparent that if the ruler, in this situation, an evil queen, was most concerned with her selfish interests rather than the good of the people, the townsfolk suffered immensely through justice not being served equitably or fairly. It was during this time that it was exhibited that autocratic power and authoritarian leadership through the order of the king, the queen, or their authorized cohorts could subject people to hanging and death without the need for a just trial. There was much control through the power that was centralized on the monarchy and also from the priory, where the prior was vested with the authority to decide things for himself. For instance, the prior could charge people suspected of witchcraft and immediately, these haplessly powerless women were hanged. Also, only by being suspected of running against the rules of the queen, many people lost their lives by being humiliated and hanged in public – with no recourse for justice or opportunities to defend themselves.

Finally, the social need for affection (or intimacy) was also evident from the relationship between Caris and Merthin, that, despite Caris’ being a nun, the romantic bond that was established between them enabled them to weather trials and tribulations; as well as to wait for the opportune time to share their lives in the end. Another discreet relationship that was interesting was the homosexual relationship between then King Edward II, who disguised himself as one of the monks in the priory.