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.
As cliché as it is, “get back on the horse that bucked you” is a crucial piece of advice to remember when struggling to surmount obstacles. These obstacles are personal barricades that we set up unconsciously based upon our fears. It may be easy to identify what we are afraid of and how to overcome it, but challenging our fears proves to be more difficult. Sometimes, we don’t even address these problems because we are subconsciously trying to avoid them such as in the beginning of The Georges and the Jewels by Jane Smiley. The main character unknowingly tricks herself into thinking that just because she continues to get thrown from her horse, it will always hurt. Although this may be true physically, confiding in a close friend (one of her prized horses) helps boost her confidence.
One of the themes of “The Chrysanthemums” by John Steinbeck is gender inequality. In this short story, the main character Elisa Allen was a strong, smart woman who was stuck being a common housewife. Elisa wishes she could go out and be like the tinker, sleeping under the stars and adventuring every day of her life. Elisa’s husband owns a ranch of some sorts, and when he tells Elisa of the business deal he’d just made he gave her an unspecific explanation, or a dumbed down one so he doesn’t “confuse her”.
“It is not the voice that commands the story; it is the ear.” (Italo Calvino) Italo Calvino was a famous Italian writer who wanted his life to be known and wanted the people to be interested in his stories. It was not only about what he wanted, it was about what the people wanted to hear. He did not just want to make his stories, he was striving to catch the eye of the readers. Italo Calvino’s writings were inspired mainly by his experiences in the war and acquaintances.
In Maxine Maxine’s narrative, “Cherry Bomb”, it openly shows how she uses literary techniques of symbolism, imagery, and allusion to characterize her childhood innocence being destroyed. Maxine uses these literary terms to characterize her childhood memories being destroyed by an incident in the summer. In the narrative, she talks about how it affected her and her perception. She mentions people and objects in her story. Every detail she described was an important factor in her life.
The novel Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes effectively explores the complex human experiences of disability and the impact that it has on individuals and society through its three major themes; Self-realisation , Alienation and loneliness and treatment of the mentally disabled by society. Through these themes this response will highlight the difficulties experienced by people with disabilities and the people in their lives.
Elizabeth & her family are struggling through the "punishment" called poverty. Elizabeth's difficulty coping with her poverty is mainly what influences her to destroy the marigolds in Miss. Lottie's yard. In the beginning of the story Collier expresses an
In the short story “Marigolds” by Eugenia Collier, a woman named Lizabeth tells the story about her 14-year-old self maturing into the woman she is now while having to deal with the Great Depression. This story tells the events that occurred in Lizabeth’s childhood that causes her to mature, it takes place in a town that struggles with poverty. Although Lizabeth’s adolescence affects her actions when she would disrespect Miss Lottie and her garden, her adult perspective in the story reveals that she learned that one can’t have both compassion and innocence.
In the short story, “Marigolds,” the author, Eugenia Collier, acknowledges the universal theme that people can create beauty in even the most dreariest of places. The story takes place in Maryland during the Great Depression. Lizabeth, the main character, is an adult looking back to the time when she had transitioned from childhood to womanhood. Miss Lottie, an old woman who lived in a shabby, broken down house, planted marigolds. As a child, Lizabeth had thought Miss Lottie to be a witch and despised the marigolds because it did not match the poverty and sadness that surrounded her. After witnessing her father break down because of his inability to provide for his family, Lizabeth, in a mess of emotions, destroys the marigolds, marking the
The story "Marigolds" by Eugenia W. Collier is a short story that goes through the journey of Lizabeth. Lizabeth is a young girl that goes through an event that transitions her from a child to a woman. She shows many different sides to herself. She is wild, immature, and conflictual. Throughout the story, she comes to show that with maturity comes compassion. It is a coming of age story that shows how Lizabeth evolves as a person and as a character.
Everyone around the world has a mindset that certain genders have certain rules in relationships and everyday life. The author, Susan Glaspell, showed many ways in the story “Trifles” how males can look at things in a different perspective than women sometimes do. For generations, women have fought for power and rights, one of the biggest events in history is The Women’s Rights’ Movement starting in 1848 and going on for years until 1920 when the 19th amendment that granted American women the right to vote. Throughout history the fight between women and men has been a long process from rights, to gender specific roles in career, pay, and equality.
There is beauty in life for those who choose to see it. The Marigold is a story that is about the time of the Great Depression and how people were growing up in poverty with no shoes, little to no clothing, and barely a roof over their heads literally.The theme is see the good in little things for those that do see it. The marigolds were a symbol of beauty in all of the ugliness that was around them but at the time Elizabeth could not see it until it was too late. The title of the book is Marigolds short story by Eugenia Collier and is historical fiction.
In his short story, “A Rose for Emily,” William Faulkner intends to convey a message to his audience about the unwillingness in human nature to accept change and more specifically the secretive tendencies of aristocrats in the South during the early 20th century. In order to do this, Faulkner sets up a story in which he isolates and old aristocratic woman, Miss Emily, from her fellow townspeople and proceeds to juxtapose her lifestyle with theirs. In doing this he demonstrates her stubborn refusal to change along with the town, but also Among several literary devices the author employs to achieve this contrast, Faulkner sets up his narrator as a seemingly reliable, impartial and knowledgeable member of the community in which Miss Emily lives by using a first person plural, partially omniscient point of view. The narrator is present for all of the scenes that take place in the story, but does not play any role in the events, and speaks for the town as a whole.
There is an important theme in the story Flowers for Algernon By Daniel Keyes. It is a fiction novel about a thirty year old man who has been battling to overcome an intellectual deficit all of his life and has an opportunity to become more intelligent than he ever had imagined through an experimental operation. He takes the opportunity and in a few weeks he becomes a genius for a short time before his itelligence receded as fast as it increased. The author includes many important themes throughout the passage. Daniel Keyes develops the theme that intelligence doesn’t affect who you truly are through Charlie’s experiences both before and after the operation.
A flowering garden in the spring crafts conceptions of fertility, beauty, and bliss. Certain people are similar to plants: some are functional, others radiate beauty, while the worst are those that kill. Not all plants are welcome such as the purple flowers from the Judas tree that should be kept at bay from the hearts of the tender because of their morbid connotation. While Laura in “Flowering Judas” by Anne Kathrine Porter is seemingly sweet, a deeper analyzation exposes the true intentions of this dynamic character. Porter conceived the ideas in “Flowering Judas” from her time in Mexico during the Marxist Revolution in the 1920’s. Some authors speculate the main character Laura is an extension of another strong female lead, Miranda, from previous short stories on female principles (Untrue). Laura is a powerful central character embodying dishonesty of true Judas figure as seen through characterization, allusions, and symbolism.