Two Fishermen And The Snob Analysis

In “the Patented Gate and the Mean Hamburger,” Robert Penn Warren’s two main characters, Mr. Jeff York and his wife, portray the stereotype of a Midwestern, MidAmerican, less than affluent farmer and his wife during the 1930’s. However, both Mr. and Mrs. York have characteristics that deviate from their main stereotypes.

Throughout the course of the year, as a class, we have discussed countless works from a variety of authors, artists, directors and speakers. One overarching theme from these works is the ability that a character can have to redefine social standards and have the courage to break societal norms. In society, it is incredibly hard to take a different stance than your peers and choose an alternative to the ordinary. The contrasting forces between good and evil in the world is the cause for exceptional people who are able to break social norms, however, not always in a positive manner. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the film Schindler’s List directed by Steven Spielberg, and the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut,

In George Saunders’ essay from The Guardian, he states, “We often think that the empathetic function in fiction is accomplished via the writer’s relation to his characters, but it’s also accomplished via the writer’s relation to his reader” (The Guardian). In Kurt Vonnegut’s story “Harrison Bergeron”, we can see this idea shown through the reader’s connection with Harrison. Vonnegut uses the main character of the story, Harrison Bergeron, as a symbol of empathy by allowing the reader to relate to his desire for individuality.

All through the diverse communities around the world, lower social classifications are given unprincipled facades with regard to their valor, loyalty, and commitment. However this is proven incorrect throughout the novel ‘The Outsiders’, as the characters Ponyboy, Tim Shepard, and Dallas Winston all display forms of honor and integrity throughout the events that they encounter. The author, S.E Hinton gives readers an understanding of the many honorable and sincere actions and perceptions that individuals who are considered as hoodlums and louts by society are capable of.

In “Of Mice and Men”, John Steinbeck uses a range of techniques to help the reader understand and feel sympathetic to the outcasted, sad characters in the novel. Steinbeck describes the state of the outcasts, which are Curley’s wife, Crooks and Candy,and in which they are discriminated against the others in the ranch. Steinbeck refers to the characteristics of the outcasts in society to make the readers feel sympathy and understand that the stereotypical categories they are put under are not always true.

Porter analyzes “A & P” by relating the story to a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson regarding the consequences and benefits of nonconformity. Porter views Sammy as nothing short of a hero who rebels against the oppressive nature of policy and monotony. Porter explains that Sammy has “an eye for quality” (Porter 1) amidst the insincerity of his small town. He is surrounded by groups of people who mindlessly follow the rules that are set before them, and is angered by their blind obedience, often referring to the customers as “sheep pushing their carts down the aisles” (Updike 621) and remarks that they would not even notice if the entire grocery store exploded. This, Porter elaborates, is why Sammy is so drawn to the girls who saunter into the

At first glance Grace and Smitty appear to be completely different characters. One is a tall, elegant woman while the other is a short, elderly hangman. In the story Two Fishermen, Smitty is an out of town hangman. He is interviewed by Michael Foster and ends up being friends because of a fishing trip. The townspeople hate Smitty because he is hanging someone who doesn’t deserve it, even though it isn’t Smitty’s fault he is just doing his job. Despite their friendship Michael doesn’t defend him against the angry town after the hanging the next morning. The Snob is a story about Young John Harcourt and when he see’s his father at a book shop with Grace, the girl he loves. John is scared that his dad will embarrass him because he isn’t the same social class as Grace. John tries to avoid his father and gets in an argument with Grace where he calls her a snob. If you let your fears and worries control your actions you are going to hurt people close to you. Both Grace and Smitty suffered the backlash of the protagonist’s actions. It was neither of their fault but they had to face the consequences all the same.

Individuals may come across a moment in their lives where he/she will have to choose between their own interests or to conform to the norm of society. To some, the choice will be clear; others may feel conflicted where the choice will be unclear. In the short story, “The Glass Roses” by Alden Nowlan, Nowlan shows a sensitive individual’s reaction when experiencing difficulty while deciding between their self-interests or to integrate into society. Stephen, a young fifteen year old boy, suffers from being significantly different to those around him. As a result, he musters up both feelings to fit in his social environment and his own interests. Alden Nowlan develops the idea that individuals with a strong personal desire, but are stricken by the need to conform, may feel unsure to follow their own interests or to comply by the social norm.

In the vagaries of life, everyone encounters various constraints and adversities. It is vital for individuals to consider and balance the influences of these factors toward their life. Although utilizing suggestions and comprehending the experiences may help individuals to have improvement or enhancement, it is critical for them to be conscious about their own perspective. Occasionally, people allow the external voices to overcome their own attempts, and this will eventually undermine their personal characteristics. In Alden Nowlan’s works, the Glass Rose, the character Stephen comes across with several collisions simultaneously. He encounters the external issue of physically disparity with the people that he get along with, and the internal conflicts between being a man with the characteristic that his father modeled for him or being a unique

The way of man is to err. This truth cannot be denied, even with the most innate valor of individuality. George Orwell’s 1984 and Solomon Asch’s 1955 line conformity experiment illustrate the fallibility of human individuality.

In A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, the story focuses on a community where racism is prominent, creating a racial hierarchy. Black people are supposed to respect white people, and address them with ‘sir’ or ‘mister’. During our first book club discussion, I brought up that at the beginning of the story, Grant seems to be forgetful of the system, as when he was talking to Henri Pichot, a white man, “[Henry Pichot] stared at me, and I realized that I had not answered him in the proper manner. ‘Sir’ I added” (Gaines 21). In the third discussion, we realize that as Grant’s character evolves throughout the story, he eventually does not care about what is expected of him as a black man, “‘Paul’s not here today?’ I asked. He looked at me

In Rand’s Anthem, O’Neill’s “Hairy Ape”, Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter, and Miller’s “Crucible”, an individual’s bad choices determine the reputation assigned by a conformed society. These four books have characters that have different personalities from each other but still end up sharing similar problems within a conformed society. A conformed society is where people follow certain rules just because they are afraid of the consequences that come with not following the rules. Conformity impacts the way that someone thinks because of the influences around them. It can be a good thing, but in these character’s live they make bad choices that impact their reputation. The way that these characters think is what makes them different from society,

William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying is an adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey, with both works chronicling the adventures of Anse Bundren and Odysseus, respectively, as they strive to complete their great journeys. The similarities between the two end there, as Faulkner’s world of Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, is a grim portrayal of Southern society. Anse certainly not the archetypal Greek Hero, but rather a sleazy, lazy man. This attitude infects the rest of the Bundren family as they traverse through Faulkner’s Southern Gothic South to bury their mother, Addie. Pride, defined as being satisfaction from staying true to one’s own identity and dignity, unfortunately, shares a similar fate with Addie Bundren as pride being tarnished as the Bundrens turn their backs on the very same identities they once held in high regard.

In a time when society demands more than you can deliver, anxiety is a common problem plaguing the human race. Human beings constantly worry about ev-er-ry-thing! We worry about the minutest details. We even tend to worry about why it’s so quite in the house when everybody is out! And why wouldn’t we? The world has turned into a concrete jungle with perhaps more dangers than a real jungle. Every bend, every corner opens a new can of worms! Some people manage to deal with it well enough, and some do not.

Let me begin by addressing the difference between jail and prison. Prison is used for longer than a year, while jail is temporary. In jail you have people being release in an hour, month or waiting to know. You also have people waiting to be prison. Jail is the mind ground between outside world and prison.