The storm in no way excuses the characters from the responsibility of their actions. The storm set the story up in such a way that you knew something was going to happen. The comment, "She had not seen him very often since her marriage, and never alone," seems to have a hint of jealousy. (256)
The storm outside and the "storm" of emotions in the house was a great set up for the story. Once they were inside they were sheltered from the one storm yet another was raging to be released. "Do you remember --In Assumption," seemed to be the thought that would throw them into a world of their own. (257)
Alcee and Calixta were not expecting anything to happen though neither regretted. They both knew what they did was wrong yet at the same time they felt it was something they needed to do. They may not exactly be unhappy in their marriages but it would be interesting to know why they were not together rather than being married to different people.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
"The Storm"
I believe that the characters want to say that the storm excuses them from their responsibilities of their actions, but I don’t think it does. Before the storm even came into the picture Calixta explains her feelings about her marriage. The storm to me means more than just a weather condition. I think it means how Alcee and Calixta feel about their marriages and how they feel about each other.
Calixta and Alcee once were boyfriend and girlfriend. After all the years that had passed they still feel a strong connection towards each other. Paragraph 25 states, “the generous abundance of her passion, without guile or trickery, was like a white flame which penetrated and found response in depths of his own sensuous nature that had never been reached.” This to me makes it seem that they are not guilty at all about what they are doing. They obviously still have passion for each other.
Even when Calixta’s husband arrives home from the storm, she acts like nothing has happened. Calixta wanted to find some comfort from the storm and from her husband leaving. Alcee just happened to come in at the right time. I think for some odd reason the affair helped bring each of Alcee and Calixta’s marriages closer. On paragraph 35 Chopin states, “…and she gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek that resulted.”
This is a strange situation in which an affair actually brings people together instead of pushing them away. The storm was just an excuse for Calixta and Alcee to have the affair that they wanted to have for some time. After it was done they returned to their loved ones with more compassion then they ever had.
Calixta and Alcee once were boyfriend and girlfriend. After all the years that had passed they still feel a strong connection towards each other. Paragraph 25 states, “the generous abundance of her passion, without guile or trickery, was like a white flame which penetrated and found response in depths of his own sensuous nature that had never been reached.” This to me makes it seem that they are not guilty at all about what they are doing. They obviously still have passion for each other.
Even when Calixta’s husband arrives home from the storm, she acts like nothing has happened. Calixta wanted to find some comfort from the storm and from her husband leaving. Alcee just happened to come in at the right time. I think for some odd reason the affair helped bring each of Alcee and Calixta’s marriages closer. On paragraph 35 Chopin states, “…and she gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek that resulted.”
This is a strange situation in which an affair actually brings people together instead of pushing them away. The storm was just an excuse for Calixta and Alcee to have the affair that they wanted to have for some time. After it was done they returned to their loved ones with more compassion then they ever had.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
I Stand Here Ironing...
The mother believes that she has not raised her daughter Emily well by not smiling at her when she was younger. She got knocked up at a young age, divorced and then her husband left her. She could not give her daughter everything and was a struggling single mother. I believe that she tried her hardest to keep her babies happy, but I don't recall who the father of the other children were. I think if she realized how hard it was to take care of one child on her own, maybe she should have been a little more careful before she had the other two. I don't know what kind of birth control they had back then, but something could have been done. I think she could have been a little more caring to Emily like she was the other children, but in the end Emily turned out just fine. The mother did the best job that she knew how to do, and sending away Emily had to have been a tough decision but it needed to be done. Not everything is an easy decision but everything will be okay in the end.
Monday, February 2, 2009
The Yellow Wallpaper
By the end of the narrative, the fragile mind of the narrator has begun to crack, beyond the nervousness diagnosed previously. She repeatedly tries to tell her husband that the treatment plan is not working. The very things he tries to tell her not to do, such as letting her mind go on with fanciful thoughts, becomes her escape from her isolated state. With nothing to do she stares at the wallpaper, studying and agonizing over the details, seeing things moving and a woman creeping. Many of her recorded thoughts show that she still comprehends reality and does care about things around her, such as her baby, "There's one comfort, the baby is well and happy, and does not have to occupy this nursery with the horrid wallpaper." (p.372). The wallpaper seems to be a symbol of her mental condition, in that she wouldn't want her baby harmed by its effects. The change in plot occurs with the woman's changing view of the wallpaper. The wallpaper that had repulsed her when she first moved into her room becomes an enjoyable obsession for her (p.374) When her husband expresses pleasure for her improvement,"in spite of my wallpaper", in her mind, she credits the wallpaper (p.374) Though she goes along with her husband (and other family members) urgings, the woman of the story appears to be greatly misunderstood. By isolating her in a room and trying to keep her mind inactive, her husband inadvertenly trapped her into her mental illness and furthered its progress. Even in her apparent insanity, the woman has clarity of mind to see that escaping from her room through the window would be "miscontrued" by others (p.377). Instead, she becomes the woman creeping in the room as a means of escape. When they first arrive, the woman expresses her dislike of the whole situation,"... there is something strange about the house--- I can feel it." (p.367). "I don't like our room a bit." She does not go into detail as to why she dislikes the room, but describes the room she would have preferred, "I wanted one downstairs that opened on the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings." However, as happens too often in the story, her husband decides what is best for her and ignores her desires, "But John would not hear of it." (p.368). And the "repellent, almost revolting" yellow wallpaper. (p.368), which becomes a source of excitement, "Life is very much more exciting now than it used to be. You see I have something more to expect, to look forward to, to watch." (p.374). I don't believe this woman was so much insane, as forced to be obsessed with her mental state, much like she became obsessed with the yellow wallpaper.
"A Good Man is Hard To Find"
The only religious pretender in this story is the the grandmother. She pretends to the this righteous person, but instead is a very selfish person, who lies and is prejudice. She was selfish with wanting to have her son Bobby turn the car around and go look at a house with a secret panel with hidden silver. When realizing, the house was in a different state, she did not speak up to tell him. She was prejudice toward the the little colored boy calling him "picnicking" and "Niger". When the family met up with The Misfit, she only worried about herself. Stating, "You wouldn't shoot a lady" (pg 361) showing no remorse, as her family is being brought out to the woods and shot. When she reaches out to The Misfit, is the moment of grace for her "Your one of my babies, your one of my children". It's like she was asking for forgiveness, knowing she was going die. She had to die, to achieve grace.
The Misfit was the the one with true faith. While talking with the grandmother, she raised doubts with his beliefs with Jesus. When the grandmother talked about Jesus raising the dead, The Misfit said " if I would of been there I would of known and I wouldn't be like I am now". (pg 364) And in the last sentence, The Misfit said "It's no real pleasure in life". (pg 365) He got upset with Bobby Lee stating it was fun to have taken lives.
The Misfit was the the one with true faith. While talking with the grandmother, she raised doubts with his beliefs with Jesus. When the grandmother talked about Jesus raising the dead, The Misfit said " if I would of been there I would of known and I wouldn't be like I am now". (pg 364) And in the last sentence, The Misfit said "It's no real pleasure in life". (pg 365) He got upset with Bobby Lee stating it was fun to have taken lives.
A&P
I think that this story was about conformity. The narrator talked about how the people moved around like "sheep", just grazing along the aisles in the same pattern so they do not disrupt anyone else (221, paragraph 2). Then in walks these three young girls deciding to make a statement. Not only were they barefoot in a grocery store, but in nothing but bikinis. Considering it was inappropriate to dress like that anywhere other than the beach, and the beach was five miles away (page 221, last paragraph), what excuse did they have? They even seemed to acknowledge they knew they where breaking the rules by acting a little nervous about being in the store. The narrator stated (page 220, paragraph 2 toward the end) "She kind of led them, the other two peeking around... but you got the idea she had talked the other two into coming in here with her..." When Lengel told the girls he wanted them to be dressed decent the next time they come in, "Queenie" responded, "We are decent" (page 233, paragraph 2 &3). I believe this is why Sammy spoke of them like he had just seen a couple of movie stars walk in to the store. He was also bored with the humdrum ways that most people lived and found the action of these girls exciting, changing the pace. When his boss came into the picture and embarrassed the girls in front of him. Sammy felt that he had to stand up for them. He hoped by saying he quit , the girls would think of him as their hero (page 223, paragraph 7). I think that Sammy really felt that the girls did nothing wrong. He could have taken what he said back, his boss would have forgave him. Although everyone thought he was making a bad choice, he still felt it was the right one. I think the epiphany Sammy had, was when he realized that nothing turned out the way he thought it was going to, and after looking back into the store he had some regret knowing how his choice will affect his future.
"A&P"
"A&P" is a story about conformity. Conformity is all around Sammy in his job at the grocery store. Customers walk down the rows in the same directions every day. Lengel spends each work day in his office, hiding away. Stokesie's life dream is to replace Lengel and manage this small town grocery store.
However, when the three girls walk through the door, they are the image of nonconformity. They walk against the usual traffic patterns, wearing nothing but their bathing suits, which is against the store's policy of customers having their shoulders covered. Queenie is even wearing her straps down off her shoulders, and she argues with the manager when he says that their clothing choices are inappropriate. The girls transform the story into a struggle between conformity and nonconformity.
Sammy can't seem to take his eyes off these girls, and becomes somewhat entranced by their every move. When they are confronted by Lengel at Sammy's register, Queenie is embarrassed and blushes. We are later told that that's what made Sammy upset enough to quit his job. He is angry at Lengel for embarrassing the girls, and he also hopes to become a hero for them and draw their attention with his quick resignation. As Sammy begins to remove his uniform, he has second thoughts about his decision. He knows that the girls have already left, without paying any attention to his attempt at becoming their hero, but feels that "once you begin a gesture it's fatal not to go through with it" (223). This is when Sammy begins to understand his final epiphany. He has the option of sticking around at the grocery store, keeping his parents and Lengel happy, but he wants to stick out, to get attention, and to be a nonconformist. Thus he loses his job, the respect of his boss, and possibly the approval of his parents all for Queenie, who may never give him a second thought. However, he seems to gain a sense of pride in his ability to make his own decisions. While his family experiences feelings of dismay over Sammy's unemployment, Sammy doesn't think it's sad. Nevertheless, this experience causes Sammy to realize that deciding matters on his own has made his world much more complicated than ever before.
However, when the three girls walk through the door, they are the image of nonconformity. They walk against the usual traffic patterns, wearing nothing but their bathing suits, which is against the store's policy of customers having their shoulders covered. Queenie is even wearing her straps down off her shoulders, and she argues with the manager when he says that their clothing choices are inappropriate. The girls transform the story into a struggle between conformity and nonconformity.
Sammy can't seem to take his eyes off these girls, and becomes somewhat entranced by their every move. When they are confronted by Lengel at Sammy's register, Queenie is embarrassed and blushes. We are later told that that's what made Sammy upset enough to quit his job. He is angry at Lengel for embarrassing the girls, and he also hopes to become a hero for them and draw their attention with his quick resignation. As Sammy begins to remove his uniform, he has second thoughts about his decision. He knows that the girls have already left, without paying any attention to his attempt at becoming their hero, but feels that "once you begin a gesture it's fatal not to go through with it" (223). This is when Sammy begins to understand his final epiphany. He has the option of sticking around at the grocery store, keeping his parents and Lengel happy, but he wants to stick out, to get attention, and to be a nonconformist. Thus he loses his job, the respect of his boss, and possibly the approval of his parents all for Queenie, who may never give him a second thought. However, he seems to gain a sense of pride in his ability to make his own decisions. While his family experiences feelings of dismay over Sammy's unemployment, Sammy doesn't think it's sad. Nevertheless, this experience causes Sammy to realize that deciding matters on his own has made his world much more complicated than ever before.
"The Yellow Wallpaper"
The narration follows a woman’s thoughts as she descends from sanity to insanity. At the onset, the narrator is convinced, much at the prompting of her husband, that she is ill, though her thinking and reactions are reasonable. A disliking for the wallpaper for esthetic reason becomes obsession, obsession becomes insanity. "This paper looks to me as if it knew what a vicious influence it had!” is the first hint of her degrading state of mind. Her obsession of frivolous “fancies” concerning aspects of the house is actually a reaction to not being able to live a normal life and engage to normal activities. “I’m getting really fond of the room in spite of the wallpaper. Perhaps because of the wallpaper” she thinks, as delusion sets in when distain becomes fondness, the wallpaper being the only thing on which she is allowed to focus. As the story progresses, isolation causes her imagination to become more and more vivid, convinced a woman “lives” behind the design in the wallpaper. In the end, true insanity sets in to the point where she is the woman, escaping the wallpaper, symbolically escaping her chains of isolation.
A Good Man Is Hard to Find
In this story, I feel as though there is only one religious pretender. I feel that the religious pretender is the misfit because even though he is quite intelligent in my eyes when it comes to believing in Jesus, he still kills the innocent family. I feel that if he was really a firm believer in Christ he would have shown the family at least a little mercy and wouldn't have killed them. I also feel like he made them suffer by only killing Bailey and his son first, and making the grandmother, mother, and the two girls suffer by having to hear what was going on in the woods. I feel that if he was truly a believer in Jesus he wouldn't have killed them let alone made them suffer.
I think that the grandmother is the only person who has true faith because throughout the scene with the misfit and his buddies present she tried several times to convince the misfit not to go through with killing her and her family. She also tried to convince the misfit that praying to God in a time of need would do him some good and that just going through with killing them wasn't the only answer or the only way out of the situation. I personally don't understand why he killed the family in the first place.
The only person I feel had a moment of religious grace was the grandmother because she was praying only moments before she was killed.
I think the role violence played in the equation was simply pointless. I don't think that anybody gained anything from the innocent family being killed. The background information on the misfit was too vague for me to understand why he did it, but I think maybe he felt safe in the pen, no matter how boring or how crazy it made him to be locked up in it. I think he felt a sense of satisfaction for breaking out of the pen and then he realized that he was better off in the pen than out in society so he would do anything to be found and put back in the pen, even if that meant killing an innocent family.
I think that the grandmother is the only person who has true faith because throughout the scene with the misfit and his buddies present she tried several times to convince the misfit not to go through with killing her and her family. She also tried to convince the misfit that praying to God in a time of need would do him some good and that just going through with killing them wasn't the only answer or the only way out of the situation. I personally don't understand why he killed the family in the first place.
The only person I feel had a moment of religious grace was the grandmother because she was praying only moments before she was killed.
I think the role violence played in the equation was simply pointless. I don't think that anybody gained anything from the innocent family being killed. The background information on the misfit was too vague for me to understand why he did it, but I think maybe he felt safe in the pen, no matter how boring or how crazy it made him to be locked up in it. I think he felt a sense of satisfaction for breaking out of the pen and then he realized that he was better off in the pen than out in society so he would do anything to be found and put back in the pen, even if that meant killing an innocent family.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
"A Good Man Is Hard To Find"
I found the story very interesting. Certainly not what I expected to read as I am sure most people think when they finish reading it. In my opinion it is only between the grandmother and The Misfit on the question of religious "pretenders". They are the main characters that are singled out in their conversation. I believe the grandmother believed in her God. I think she really even believed that her God may get her out of that predicament. At the same time, and maybe it is my own beliefs on God that play a part, I feel as though the grandmother said a lot of what she did to get pity from him. Try to make him see that she is a good religous person and doesn't deserve to die a death that he had planned for her. A way to try to make him change his mind on killing her. When she said, "Why your one of my babies," (364) that was the last straw for him and he shot her.
I also believe that The Misfit was true in his own stance on God (Jesus). He had true faith in his belief that "Jesus thrown everything off balance." (363) The Misfit was true to himself and his faith that no matter what you do bad things happen. Because of this I feel he was not a "pretender" as he was very open about his belief (non-belief) in Jesus and needing his help.
As for violence playing a role in the equation, without the violence the grandmother would not have brought up her beliefs and try to make The Misfit "see the light" and pray. You hear stories all the time of people, when faced with an unimaginable event in their lives, start to pray. They suddenly realize or believe that there is a God out there that will help them.
This was a very difficult question to answer. Not sure if I am even close but this is what I interpreted from the story.
I also believe that The Misfit was true in his own stance on God (Jesus). He had true faith in his belief that "Jesus thrown everything off balance." (363) The Misfit was true to himself and his faith that no matter what you do bad things happen. Because of this I feel he was not a "pretender" as he was very open about his belief (non-belief) in Jesus and needing his help.
As for violence playing a role in the equation, without the violence the grandmother would not have brought up her beliefs and try to make The Misfit "see the light" and pray. You hear stories all the time of people, when faced with an unimaginable event in their lives, start to pray. They suddenly realize or believe that there is a God out there that will help them.
This was a very difficult question to answer. Not sure if I am even close but this is what I interpreted from the story.
"A Good Man is Hard to Find"
In this story there are what some would refer to as religious pretenders. Differences in the views of what a religious pretender is could make any one character in this story a religious pretender. Is a religious pretender one that relies so heavily on faith that they believe nothing or no one can hurt them? The grandmother in this short story is just that. As she knows her life is about to end she makes a strange comment, " Why you are one of my babies. You are one of my own children!"( O'Connor. 364) This is all said in the midst of a discussion with misfit about Jesus. She seems to be talking as if she is Jesus or He is talking through her.
In the other spectrum, The Misfit could be the religioug pretender. In a heated discussion with the grandmother of whether or not Jesus rose people from the dead he said, "If I had been there Iwould of known and I wouldn't be like I am now." (O'Connor. 364) Acting as if he were one of Jesus's disciples.
In the end, the grandmother relied on her faith and belief in Jesus that she would be safe from all harm. The rest of the family did not act or talk as she did of Jesus. Having true faith did not seem to help the grandmother much at all in the end, when the Misfit shot her. O'Connor's story takes a twist though and puts a question out there....... Is the Misfit a man of true faith or a religious pretender? He can be seeen in both lights, but maybe made to make a reader lean to a man of true faith. The quote above will sum up why. His violence plays a part in all of this too. O'Connor uses the act of killing the religious pretenders, by The Misfit, to show us that they were not of real faith with all the fear they showed. Maybe at the same time showing the grandmother in a naive light of blind faith showed she was a real believer, but still had to die while trying to coddle him (Misfit).
In the other spectrum, The Misfit could be the religioug pretender. In a heated discussion with the grandmother of whether or not Jesus rose people from the dead he said, "If I had been there Iwould of known and I wouldn't be like I am now." (O'Connor. 364) Acting as if he were one of Jesus's disciples.
In the end, the grandmother relied on her faith and belief in Jesus that she would be safe from all harm. The rest of the family did not act or talk as she did of Jesus. Having true faith did not seem to help the grandmother much at all in the end, when the Misfit shot her. O'Connor's story takes a twist though and puts a question out there....... Is the Misfit a man of true faith or a religious pretender? He can be seeen in both lights, but maybe made to make a reader lean to a man of true faith. The quote above will sum up why. His violence plays a part in all of this too. O'Connor uses the act of killing the religious pretenders, by The Misfit, to show us that they were not of real faith with all the fear they showed. Maybe at the same time showing the grandmother in a naive light of blind faith showed she was a real believer, but still had to die while trying to coddle him (Misfit).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
