The three stories to be discussed in this essay are “The Bouquet” by Charles W. Chesnutt, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and “Gimpel the Fool” by Isaac Bashevis Singer. It’s interesting to dissect these pieces of literature to see how they reflect the time period they were written in, by whom they were written, and if the stories they read have any abnormalities outside what is expected.
A house is not a home. A home is somewhere your heart feels content, a place where you feel safe. In fact, a wise person once said, “Home is not a place, it’s a feeling.” This particular theme of home appears several times during Sandra Cisneros’ novella The House on Mango Street. Cisneros uses indirect characterization to show that the main character, Esperanza, feels discontent with her house, and feels as if it is not really her home, because deep in her heart, deep in her mind, she feels that her home is somewhere else, and she feels lost.
“That’s what stories are for. Stories are for joining the past to the future ... Stories are for eternity, when memory is erased, when there is nothing to remember except the story” (36). The Things They Carried is a captivating novel that gives an inside look at the life of a soldier in the Vietnam War through the personal stories of the author, Tim O’Brien . Having been in the middle of war, O’Brien has personal experiences to back up his opinion about the war. In The Things They Carried, O’Brien reveals his view on war through telling his readers how the Vietnam War had no point, was emotionally devastating, and displaying that there is no purpose in war unless the soldiers know what they are fighting for.
Esperanza’s house on Mango Street is not the house she dreamed on when she lived on Loomis Street, not the kind of house her parent’s talked about, not the house she wanted. Her house on Mango Street is a small, red house with even smaller stairs leading to the door. The brick are falling out of place and to get inside, one must shove the door, swollen like Esperanza’s feet in later vignettes, open. Once inside, where you are never very far from someone else, there are small hallway stairs that lead to the only one shared bedroom and bathroom. This house is just, “For the time being,”[5] Esperanza claims, for this is nothing like the house she longs for. Esperanza does not like her current living conditions, saying she wants, “A real house. One I can point to. But this isn’t
Numerous people stumble upon obstacles, but only a few can overcome them. Most obstacles are influenced by the values of the society. In The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Liesel Meminger overcomes her lack of education and her different beliefs on Jewish people. In Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet both overcome the obstacle of not being able to be together because of the feud between their families. In “The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros, Esperanza overcomes the obstacle of not fitting into her society because of her lack of money. Liesel Meminger, Romeo and Juliet, and Esperanza all overcome many big obstacles influenced by their society.
The story takes in place in the 1920’s. During that era, women were living under the influence of men. They were not so free to make decisions for themselves without being judged upon by society. Seeing a pregnant woman who was unwed was viewed upon negatively.In both The Story of an Hour and Hills Like White Elephants, the authors Kate Chopin and Ernest Hemingway describe women and the desire to express themselves and be free and how men influence their decision making.
The House on Mango Street, is a broad interpretation of a Hispanic girl’s life and her coming of age. Throughout the course of the book, Esperanza, the narrator and protagonist, is constantly fighting a war between her autonomous mind and her forever changing sexual body. You, Esperanza, whose name means hope in English, how did you lose your hope? Your innocence? Your purity? Esperanza, after exploring her changing world profoundly and deeply, experienced a series of psychological changes (changes in her maturity, intelligence, and including personal degradation associated with pubescent teenagers) as she encounters men whom loudly express the negative, masculine stereotypes constantly argued for by feminists. Cisneros uses multiple symbols,
A lot happens in Tim O 'Brien short story "The Things They Carried", at first, the reader speculates what the short story is about and why it is called "The Things They Carried". The narrator Tim O 'Brien tells and describes all the things that the men have to carry while "in-country" during the Vietnam War in the1960 's. The text 's artistic value comes from its plot, characters, conflict, and style.
We can all agree that war is dreadful. The impact to citizens and soldiers during times of war is significant and widespread. The fictional works: The Shawl, The Red Convertible and The Things They Carried, allow insight into the impact that war has on individuals. Although these stories are works of fiction, they all resonate real struggle and unbearable circumstances. Throughout these stories, the characters are continually impacted by their surrounding circumstances. These master works of war torn fiction, allow the reader to experience the impact war infuses on soldiers and citizens alike. Through powerful narration, these stories reveal how their characters are impacted physically, emotionally and psychologically by the war that surrounds
In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” demonstrates the personal growth of the dynamic protagonist Louise Mallard, after hearing news of her husband’s death. The third-person narrator telling the story uses deep insight into Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts and emotions as she sorts through her feelings after her sister informs her of her husband’s death. During a Character analysis of Louise Mallard, a reader will understand that the delicate Mrs. Mallard transforms her grief into excitement over her newly discovered freedom that leads to her death. As Mrs. Mallard sorts through her grief she realizes the importance of this freedom and the strength that she will be able to do it alone.
In part 4: Critical study, we have examined the text The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, I have attempted to replicate a passage from his work to exemplify both the physical and the abstract things I carry with me on a daily basis. Through my written task, “The Things I Carry”, I have attempted to capture an honest introspection of a girl of indomitable spirit despite all the ordeals in her life by mimicking Tim O’ Brien’s writing style.
“The Diary of Anne Frank” is a diary written by a young Jewish girl named Anne Frank. She wrote this diary while in hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. This diary, which was originally written in Dutch was translated into 60 languages. This 330-page book describes the life of Anne Frank during her hiding. The setting of the book was during world war one. Themes of identity and isolation are present in the book.
The ending of James Joyce’s “Araby” is certain to leave its reader reeling. The final scene, in which the young protagonist fails in his mission to purchase a prize for the girl he loves, drips with disappointment. The reader feels a profound melancholy which matches the protagonist’s own, an impressive feat given the story’s short length and the lack of description, or even a name, given to the boy. How does Joyce arrive at this remarkable ending? By utilizing the trappings of the Boy Meets Girl and Quest “masterplots” in his story only to reveal the story as an Initiation, Joyce creates an experience for his readers that mirrors that of the protagonist. In order to appreciate Joyce’s expertly crafted tale, one must examine the way in which
During the 1890’s until today, the roles of women and their rights have severely changed. They have been inferior, submissive, and trapped by their marriage. Women have slowly evolved into individuals that have rights and can represent “feminine individuality”. The fact that they be intended to be house-caring women has changed.
Everyday, people are faced with the task of making decisions. Most people decide when to wake up, what to eat, what to wear, who to interact with, and countless other choices. In a world surrounded by choices, people are confronted with easy-to-make and, conversely, challenging decisions. A decision can be influenced by one’s own experience, logic, and feelings. Making a decision is synonymous with a result; whatever choice one accepts, results in a particular outcome. Eveline, Moons of Jupiter, and A Village After Dark are three short stories that reveal multiple themes including trust, family, and relationships; however, the theme most prominent and characteristic of the three short stories is the impact of decisions. These three stories delve into the complexity of one’s decision and how each character’s decision affects relationships.