1) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight can be viewed as a journey from life to death and back to life. Discuss how this works.
The story of Sir Gawain can be viewed as a journey from life to death and back because of the different trials and places where Gawain goes. He starts out in a very lively place, Arthur's Court. Here they are partying and even when the Green Knight gets beheaded he is still alive. This is a place of great health and happiness. Gawain is also still very faithful to the code of chivalry and devoted to god.
However, when he goes to Bertilak's castle and the green chapel he is on a quest where he is supposed to meet death. While on the quest his faith in God dies and he believes that his chivalry honor died as well. The Green Chapel is a symbol of death and rebirth also.
Because the Chapel is a symbol of rebirth, Gawain is reborn into faith and life. He also returns to Arthur, alive, and joins in the joyousness and livelyness of the hall.
2) Sir Gawain is reborn both physically and spiritually at the end of the book how?
Physically he is reborn because he expected to die by the Green Knights axe. His livelyness is reborn uin that he did not die. He was spiritually reborn because he looses faith with god when he accepts the girdle as his protection over the protection of god. When the Knight confronts him he realizes that he has been unfaithful and is reborn into faith.
3) Whose Point of View are we suppose to exact at the end of the book? Why?
At the end of the book we are supposed to be looking through the eyes of Gawain. Throughout the story we look through his eyes at his hardships and trials. We see his personality and character change. The end of the story we see another change in character as he remorses for looseing faith in god. By viewing the story through his eyes, we also are given insight into the "silliness" of the people of Arthur's court
4) Is Gawain ruined as a knight or will we see great deeds from him again?
Gawain is not ruined as a knight. He is just being a sissy and not wanting to go on because he thinks that he has failed. however, with time he will realize that he is doing a greater misdeed by not being a knight than by being a knight who has made a mistake. He will take up the chivalry code again and will be a better knight than he was. This is because he would have already been exposed to his flaw so he can combat it.
5) In your opinion who is really in control?
Morgan Lafey is the controler of the story. She plans and executes the prank on gawain, not by acting herself but by controling those people around her. Bertilak and the lady, however, are not just pawns, they are powerfull people which emphasizes morgana's powers of control. Gawain is not in control because he is the one who gets jipped in the story. He is tricked and falls for it fully.