St Lucy's Home For Girls Possessed By Wolves Analysis

Throughout life, evolution, or change, becomes the center of each day as people overcome many different obstacles. Literature, such as in Thomas Hardy’s poem, “The Ruined Maid” and Karen Russell’s, “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves,” often upholds the same idea about change. In Hardy’s poem, two country girls simply conversate about the times they were apart to emphasize how ‘Melia changed in the city, yet she kept her same individuality. On the other hand, Russell displays through her writing more obvious change as girls were trained by undergoing five different stages as a way to teach them how to conform to new environments while remembering who they were at the beginning. Both authors illustrate the importance of change while hanging on to one’s roots, but Hardy uses a naive tone to create tension between the two girls while Russell uses an abundance of symbolism to represent each stage of change.
A country girl’s reputation often holds high value in her heart which builds a foundation to create tension through small things. In “The Ruined Maid,” the conversational poem between two girls that grew up alongside each other establishes a new view they have of each other over time away

Change is needed to ensure to future of world lies in good hands whether the change is from a societal change or from an environmental change. Hardy and Russell seek to reveal the significance of transformation while clingy to one’s origin through their literature. As they take opposite approaches, Hardy uses the naivety of a country to question ‘Melia’s change from the Town and becoming ruined, or of prosperity. Through the conversational poem, tension grows as ‘Melia’s reminded of all she left behind before going to the Town. With contrasting elements, Russell uses symbolism through characterization and the stages portray change is possible while remaining true to one’s first