Category: Short Essays

Introduction to Feminism in “The Story of an Hour”

When the movement for women’s rights picked up momentum around a century ago with the short story by Kate Chopin, feminism in “The Story of an Hour” was never envisaged. It was also never envisaged that statistics in 2016 would defy the claims of feminists later. The natural inclination of Louise Mallard regarding feminism in “The Story of an Hour” would prove just an illusory mental urge – a point not considered by the later supporters of equal women’s rights. In fact, the controversy was there at that time, but the movement for the equality of women just rose and reached its peak during the next two decades in such a ferocious manner that unrestricted liberty and equality in everything became a much-touted slogan. The women hardly felt that they were naturally made different from men. Their mothers infuse in them an idea that they are different, as Sheryl Sandberg claims in her article, “Why I Want Women to Lean In” when she says, “Women internalize the negative message we get throughout our lives” (471). The message is that they are inferior to men in certain ways and that they should stay submissive before them. This becomes a permanent habit not only in educational careers but also in domestic and professional life. Sheryl Sandberg and Phyllis Schlafly both argue that women themselves are responsible for staying in the background in the professional and financial field on account of their natural, psychological, and professional differences from men, which could be removed only when women start demonstrating their abilities.

Differences Among Genders

As far as natural differences are concerned, they have existed since childhood and it is clear a cursory analysis of feminism in “The Story of an Hour”. Although Sheryl Sandberg does not mention any childhood teaching or learning experiences of how women internalize that they are not superior to men, she mentions that the moment a girl comes into this world, she faces a different treatment. This different treatment internalizes a negative attitude in her that she should not be “outspoken, aggressive and more powerful than men – and pull back when she should lean in”, which demonstrates that women have the feeling imbibed in them that they are not superior to men (Sandberg 471). This goes with them when they enter their professional life. Phyllis Schlafly also points out the same thing saying that when it comes to higher pay for men or better to say lower pay for women, the reason is “the choice women make in their personal lives, such as having children” or the preference to raise a family go with them in their paychecks, too (Schlafly 467). She, then, explains it by saying, “Women with children earn less, but childless women earn about the same as men” but, of course, the problem is that hardly any woman wants to lag behind in performing this natural responsibility of begetting children (467). Therefore, this is natural that they prefer their children and then family – the reason that they lag behind men in earning more. However, this is not the only difference, there is also a psychological difference that is also clear when reading feminism in “The Story of an Hour”.

Psychological Differences Among Genders

The psychological difference is that women like to work fewer hours than men, as they are physically weak, like to stay safe and neat, and favors a pleasant atmosphere when they start working. However, compared to them, men like to work more to earn more for their families. Phyllis Schlafly points it out in her article, “Facts and Fallacies about Paycheck Fairness” arguing while referring to the Bureau of Labor Statistics that “men are twice as likely as women to work more than 40 hours a week” which is a psychological issue, for she adds, a man often “works longer hours to maximize his earnings” if he is supporting his family at mid-career (467). This is a psychological reason for both. Another psychological reason she mentions is women’s preference for a partner earning higher than them. Sandberg points out the same issue by referring to a Princeton survey, which states that around “62% of women … anticipated work/family conflict”, while this ratio for men was just 33% (Sandberg 472). This means it is a psychological fact that women are ready to sacrifice their career for the family. One more reason is that as women are psychologically not ready to sacrifice family, or whenever they are going to have children, they do it much earlier than they are required. Sandberg accepts that these “sacrifices and hardship are not choice but a necessity”, saying they are psychologically accepting this, as it is due for them to render sacrifices (473). Yet, it is quite interesting to note that feminism in “The Story of an Hour” is perhaps the first streak of this feminism. However, there could also be professional differences.

Think of Men and Feminism in “The Story of an Hour”

It is because men think differently in the professional field, while women think differently. Although it has something to do with psychology, it, too, is a professional difference. For example, men mostly prefer working hard when they are supporting family, stay in dirty places, do not avoid meeting bad people, and take the courage to step where angels fear to tread as compared to women. The women, on the other hand, she says, “spend fewer years as full-time workers outside the home, avoid jobs that require overtime and choose jobs with flexibility to take time off for personal reasons”, which are hardly personal for they cannot become professional (Schlafly 467). Schlafly wants to say that these occasional breaks do not make a person professional, whether they are men or women. Another difference is pointed out by Sheryl Sandberg who states that “success and likeability are positively correlated for men” by which she means that if you put a professionally successful woman side by side a professionally successful man, the woman will feel the difference in attitude towards her (473). This is a professional difference that they can remove by, she suggests, “changing attitudes today” (473). One more difference Sandberg states is that although men work very hard, as Schlafly, too, points out, it is that women either do not do a task or do it perfectly. This is again against the professional norms, for a professional becomes a professional only with practice and commitment and then does perfectly by the end of his career or after some time, not from the very first day. However, there are several counterarguments both of them have presented.

Feminism in “The Story of an Hour”

The first one is that women are leading men in the educational field, which makes it clear that if women prefer to choose the professional field, they can make men follow them. Schlafly has stated it in the case of childless women who earn equal to their male counterparts (467). Secondly, women can also learn to balance their lives and careers as men do by removing occasional long breaks from their careers and by removing hesitation of doing perfect or not doing, or by keeping family and work life balanced Sandberg argues. She adds that it is proved now that moms of this time do spend the same amount of time with their children, as moms of the 80s (473). Sandberg also suggests to change the attitude to make men think about women differently. In the same way, Schlafly also argues that men’s pay has rather “stagnated”, which means that now women would not be marrying those men. Therefore, to keep marriages intact, this pay gap must remain the same that is men should have higher pay than women. This also means that they are defying their own arguments, which is not the case. In fact, they are vying for equality that does not seem to fill the natural and psychological gap, though both of these differences contribute to widening the professional difference.

Conclusion

In short, the argument that men are naturally built to work outside of the home, while women are naturally built to do domestic chores is valid but to some extent and not always. There are several women such as Sheryl Sandberg who have made phenomenal success in professional life, defying the law of gravity that women are not built for work outside of the home. However, this depends on how women are able to keep a balance between work and family which is a very difficult decision and women are not made to make such tough decisions, as she points out, too. However, when women are able to make such decisions, they succeed in life and overcome several obstacles. When this happens, it means that they are becoming equal to men – leaders in the commercial world and not just female leaders. Perhaps, Schlafly is also suggesting that the effort to make women and men at par in terms of financial earnings is the very reason that marriages are failing and becoming unstable. But then these prices are worth the pay if a woman has to achieve prominence.

Works Cited

1. Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” AB Longman. n. d. Accessed Web. 22 Apr. 2016.
2. Sandberg, Sheryl. “Why I Want Women to Lean In. “Breeze, William et al. The Engaged Reader. VAN-ORINER. 2015. pp. 471-474.
3. Schlafly, Phyllis. “Faces and Fallacies about Paycheck Fairness.” Breeze, William et al. The Engaged Reader. VAN-ORINER. 2015. pp. 467-471.

Relevant Questions about Feminism in “The Story of an Hour”

1. How does Kate Chopin’s portrayal of feminism in “The Story of an Hour” offer insights into the protagonist’s emotional journey and her response to the confines of a patriarchal society?
2. In what ways does “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin exemplify feminist perspectives, particularly through its depiction of the protagonist’s awakening to her own desires and autonomy?
3. How is the concept of feminism conveyed in “The Story of an Hour,” and how does the story’s narrative trajectory highlight the complexities of women’s roles and expectations in the late 19th century?

Introduction to Feminism in “Bloodchild”

Feminism in “Bloodchild” does not seem a far-fetched idea. Although the feminist approach has reached its peak in bringing transformation in a patriarchal society through a demand for political and social rights for women, the thinking about the reversal of the naturally-given roles is emerging as a new aspect of this perspective. Perhaps, Octavia Butler represents this thinking that man should also go through the trials and tribulations of bearing children. However, as it seems impossible in the face of natural hurdles and the physical makeup of the bodies of both man as well as man, she has selected the fantasy genre in which it is easy to assign this role to different characters and deduce results.

Feminism in “Bloodchild”

Feminism in “Bloodchild” shows that she throws her earthly human beings on some extrasolar planet where they live in, the Preserve, a space reserved for them by the strange local creatures she names the Tlic, while the earthly human beings as the Terran. The local Tlic named T’Gatoi develops a love for Do Gan who is far younger than her, for she is of his mother’s age. She plans to have her children from Do Gan, who hates this sort of birth, yet he acquiesces to her commands when she says that it would be Xuan Hoa, his sister. To save her sister, he consents to her love when the story ends, but his consent throws fresh light on the feministic perspective in that men seem to agree to the demands of women. This means that Octavia Butler has used fantasy to make unfamiliar topics familiar. She has, in fact, reversed gender roles in “Bloodchild”, putting the question of human evolution and childbearing in the forefront as feministic features.

Gender in “Bloodchild”

Octavia has reversed the roles of genders as Gan is going to bear children of T’Gatoi – a new type of feminism in “Bloodchild.” However, this new feminine perspective has been set on some other planet and the new children are injected through eggs by this strange creature who also feeds human beings through eggs. It happens that T’Gatoi takes fancy to Do Gan and makes an arrangement with the family in that she would save them from the other Tlic and that they would let her make love with Gan to bear her children. However, this is a strange role that Do Gan hates to adopt. He, though, at some point gives his full consent and also sleeps with T’ Gatoi who sometimes becomes very angry and kicks him with any of her six legs. He has seen an unfortunate man Bram Lomas impregnated by another Tlic and cut up by T’Gatoi to take out maggots, or children of these creatures. That is where she asks him to slaughter an achti but Do Gan feels terrified at which he tells, “She knocked me across the room” with her tail. This is where this reversal takes place. He himself feels it when he thinks that he “ignored her warning” (Butler 6). However, even if it is done, it is T’Gatoi who is doing the job, while Do Gan is a passive onlooker, a reversal of roles that he has taken for granted. He does not do anything but sees when she cuts through Lomas to take out maggots that another Tlic has implanted in him. He is presenting a role model for him to do the same for T’Gatoi. This is a new feminine perspective that Butler wants the readers to see that it could happen in the near or far future. However, though it is a fantasy, this has taken place in the world where now women are working after giving birth to children, while there are dad-at-home men who are quite common in western society. This means that male becomes passive when females take an active role and do most of the jobs. However, as it cannot take place in reality, she has reserved these roles in a fantasy story to see what happens. This is how we trace feminism in “Bloodchild”.

Gestation in “Bloodchild”

The second perspective that she presents before her readers regarding feminism in “Bloodchild” is about gestation. Women have the ability to become pregnant and produce the next generation. What happens if this role is reversed? Although it has already been shown, she is of the view that with the power to give birth, women also hold physical and political powers though these areas are reserved for men. In fact, women have a natural bent of mind to keep progeny alive. T’Gatoi has this natural inclination that she wants her progeny to survive and human beings are fit for maggots born “from Terran bodies [which are] larger as well as more numerous”, a clear hint to physical health that women prefer for fertility (9). In fact, she has also removed love and romance from her gender roles to give priority to only gestation. The eggs that Tlic creatures feed to others seem to opiate exactly like a sexual act in which women become almost intoxicated. That is why his elder brother when he comes to meet him tells him that “You’re just her property” (11). However, the cutting by T’Gatoi of Lomas is a hint to cesarean sections now quite common that women have to undergo to give birth to children. It means that this could be reversed to give a new feminine perspective on whether men still love women, or that they would be as much consenting as women in the child-bearing trial, an entirely new way of projecting feminism in “Bloodchild”.

Childbearing in “Bloodchild”

In fact, childbearing is a feminist feature that is reversed in this story in that men even can’t bear their own children. The love and hate relationship that seems quite repulsive to the reader of this story is just a metaphor used to demonstrate differences between men and women and in their natures. In fact, practically this is impossible that a man could be bearing children impregnated by a woman. However, there is a symbiotic relationship between these two genders, because both have to live together for survival, as is shown by the anger of T’Gatoi when Gan refuses to host her children. She says it is because she wants “To provide the next generation of host animals” (13). T’ Gatoi knows that if she does not do this, her next generation would not be able to survive. It is also that there is a disparity between these two creatures, but Do Gan family can only survive by living in the Preserve and they cannot live there without T’Gatoi as she tells him, “We wait long years for you and teach you and join our families to yours” only to take care of progeny that is survival (15). She has done much for the family, the reason that Gan’s mother is also happy with this relationship. She rather coaxes him to sleep with her as she knows that without this they would not be able to survive on this planet. That is why there is somewhat love between Gan and T’Gatoi but this does not seem convincing. The reason is that sometimes even men and women do not love each other or only make love for the survival of their future generations. The objective of Butler about projecting feminism in “Bloodchild” seems to show that this dissimilarity does not bridge as this is natural.

Conclusion

In short, the story has been written from a feministic perspective in new dimensions to show that this could happen or not happen. However, it is clear that in societies such couples are found having reversed the roles except for the role of childbearing. Therefore, it is but natural that she has reversed to see how grotesque it may seem to others. It could be that this is a forewarning from her that if these roles are reversed, the result may be sterility as the Tlic creature is suffering from “One fertile female in every lot” a bleak reference to this sterility. However, despite all these foreshadowings, it seems that Octavia Butler has demonstrated that it could happen with severe results for mankind as this is unnatural, the reason that this maggot bearing seems a repulsive job. It could be the same that childbearing from a man seems repulsive and the feministic assertion has reached a limit where it should explore the next aspects and see what consequences it may have for the next generation.

Works Cited

Butler, Octavia. “Bloodchild.” Online Literature. n. d. Web. Accessed 05 March 2016

Relevant Questions about Feminism in “Bloodchild”

1. How does feminism in “Bloodchild” by Octavia Butler influence the dynamics of power and control within the unique reproductive relationship between the Terrans and the Tlics?
2. In what ways does Octavia Butler’s exploration of feminism in “Bloodchild” challenge traditional gender roles and expectations, especially in the context of Gan’s role in the partnership with T’Gatoi?
3. How does the theme of feminism in “Bloodchild” connect to broader discussions about bodily autonomy and agency, particularly regarding the choices and sacrifices made by the Terran characters in the story?

Introduction to Mother in “Everyday Use”

Exactly like the mother in “Everyday Use”, every mother is a universal character; always full of passion, love, affection, and emotions for all of her children. Her sense of justice lives in her heart. She treats all of her children equally with no prejudice or bias of color, deformity, education, or status. However, sometimes, it happens that even mothers neglect one child and prefer another, and it seems from the character of the mother in “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker that mama is tilting towards her educated daughter Dee in the first half of the story, and to deformed daughter Maggie in the later half, but on close reading, it is revealed that this is not the case. She is quite fair in her treatment of both of them equally without having any inclination toward any one of them. Her fair treatment is based on her understanding of the situation of each girl, their overall behavior toward her and the home, and their attitude toward the family and family heritage.

Character of Mother in “Everyday Use”

This anonymous character of mama or mother in “Everyday Use”,  is highly caring about both of her daughters, as she prepares her home to welcome Dee. She also takes care of Maggie on account of her accidental injury and bleak future prospects. Mother knows that she cannot do well like Dee. With her “burn scars” (Walker 443), she can only see her sister with “envy and awe” (445). She has suffered these injuries during a fire in the house around ten or twelve years earlier whereas Dee is “Maggie [has] nice hair and fuller figure” (444) which means a good future. It is also that, as contrary to Dee who got a chance to study in a school in Augusta with the help of her mother and church, Maggie did not have this golden chance. “Like good looks and money, quickness passed by her” (445), mother says, and she knows that contrary to her the situation of Dee is totally different, as she is not only quick and sharp but also has “a style of her own” (445). And she “knew what style was” (445). Whereas Maggie is a shy girl, always hiding her face somewhere, “hesitation was no part of her nature” (444) of Dee who was quite advanced in her ideas of marriage as well, as her previous boyfriend Jimmy T “flew to marry a cheap city girl” (445) and also that she might not have married to the present dandy Hakim-e-barber. However, Maggie has to marry John Thomas, who “has mossy teeth” (445). Therefore, it is a realization on the part of her mother that she can go ahead in her life on account of her education, her situation, and her sharpness. However, as Maggie has no bright prospects, her mother has to take care of her and hence greater care of her.

Mother-Daughter Conflict in “Everyday Use”

As far as behavior toward the mother and the home is concerned, Maggie is living within the home comprising three huts and a yard. She is dependent on her mother. She always turns to her in case of any help or needs or if she is to ask a question, and even in the case of marriage. It is on account of her disfigurement due to burns she suffered during the fire. Whenever she needs something or is to ask something like “how do I look, Mama?” (444), she turns to her mother for this. Even when she “makes a dash for the door” (445) to see Dee coming, mother calls and she comes back immediately. This obedience makes the mother love her even more. However, the case of Dee is highly different. She is not only condescending due to her education but also insolent toward her mother. Even during her dreams, the mother sees that there might be a “curse and insult” (444) during a television program as she thinks of her daughter’s arrival. Contrary to Maggie, Dee wants her mother to be “hundred pond lighter” (445) and should make her hair “glisten” (445). She has been forcing “words, lies, other folks’ habits” (445) and several other things on them, that they do not need. She has not even consulted her mother in case of her marriage or no marriage with “Assalamoalaikum” (446). To top it all, she has changed her name, and “every once in a while he and Wangero sent eye signals over [her] head” (446). It means that mama knows that she is making fun of their poverty. That is why she feels more love for Maggie than Dee because of her behavior.

Family and Mother in “Everyday Use”

Another important argument is her behavior towards the family, family heritage, and familial bonds. As Maggie is living within the home and knows everything, there are no questions about her behavior. However, Dee has taken not only her home but also her full family heritage just a relic to decorate in some drawing room. Instead of loving them and keeping them with her to improve their conditions, she looks down upon them as “she will never bring her friends” (445). When she reaches home, she receives a warm welcome, but she is behaving as if it is some museum for her. She is getting one or the other thing “This churn top is what I need” (447) and “I want the dasher” (447) because she thinks it is “something artistic to do with the dasher” but she does not know that it is for them an object of everyday use. Even she is against remembering the names of all of her great-grandparents, as she would have to count them “up to Civil War” (447). She also rummages through the trunk without the permission of mama, and then asks her to get the quilts that mama says that she has made for Maggie to use in the future. However, she belittles Maggie saying, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts”. Contrary to her, mama sees something spiritual in Maggie due to her innocence instead of Dee, who is merely pretentious. Therefore, she pays more attention to Maggie.

Conclusion

In nutshell, it is the sense of fairness of mother in “Everyday Use” shows that she treats both of her daughters equally but seems to tilting toward Maggie because of her situation, her behavior, and overall behavior towards the family. It also shows a sort of mother-daughter conflict in “Everyday Use”. Although Dee is educated and sophisticated, she is also clever contrary to Maggie, who has more of spirituality in her. It seems that she might be prejudiced against Dee but this is not the case. She clearly knows that she can live on her own, as she has got another young man after the escape of the first one, but Maggie walks like a “lame animal” (445) who obviously cannot live such a fast life without the help of mama. Mother knows that she has spent on Dee more than she has done for Maggie. Therefore, she pays more attention to Maggie in order to compensate for the shortcomings she has developed on account of neglect in the case of education. Otherwise, she is quite fair to both of them. It is also that Maggie is highly respectful and depends on her while Dee thinks of herself a creature of some other star instead of her daughter. Therefore, she does receive treatment like Maggie, as Maggie is a part of her home but Dee has left it by changing her name.

Works Cited

Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use.” An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing. Ed. Kennedy X. J. & Dana Gioia. 3rd ed. Vol. 10. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. 444-449. Print.

Relevant Questions about Mother in “Everyday Use”

1. How does the character of the Mother in “Everyday Use” perceive her role as a mother, and how does this perception influence her interactions with her daughters in “Everyday Use”?
2. What is the significance of the mother-daughter conflict in “Everyday Use”and how does it shape the central conflict surrounding heritage and identity in “Everyday Use”?
3. How does the Mother in “Everyday Use” represent traditional values and heritage, and how do her beliefs and actions impact the way she navigates the conflict between Dee and Maggie in “Everyday Use”?

Introduction “The Dead” and “The Metamorphosis”

Stories “The Dead” and “The Metamorphosis” published during the modernist movement show the impact of this movement in various ways. This movement emerged out of industrialization and the ravages of WW-I and affected individuals as well as characters presented in literary texts, specifically fiction. Various novellas and short stories including “The Dead” and “The Metamorphosis” have depicted characters demonstrating impacts of the modern life on their minds as well as their relationships with other characters. “The Dead” by James Joyce as well as “The Metamorphosis”, by Franz Kafka, show the impacts of the modern lifestyle on the characters in various ways. Most emblems of the modern lifestyle and modernism are clear from the way they behave with one another and treat each other as well as how they see themselves. The intellectual and spiritual crisis not only shows through the characters at “Misses Morkan’s annual dance,” gathering guests such as Mr. Gabriel, Mr. Brown, and other characters, but also through their activities, relationships, and treatment of others (Joyce 01). Meaningful activities are absent in their lives. And their approach toward life and others, too, is mostly self-centered. The same idea goes in the relations and treatment of others with Gregor Samsa, Grete Samsa, the mother, the father, and the boarders in the novella, “The Metamorphosis.” Characters in both stories “The Dead” and “The Metamorphosis” not only show the absence of meaningful activities and relations but also the importance of financial pressure or animal instinct more than humane passions as well as psychological consciousness in their treatment of others and themselves.

Modernist Culture and “The Dead” and “The Metamorphosis”

Whereas “The Dead” is concerned, it opens with Mokran’s dance party where various people gather to enjoy. Everyone, who knows the family of Mokran, comes to the party including Gretta and Gabriel along with Mr. Browne and Mrs. Conroy (01). The conversation among the family shows that they do not have a single meaningful topic to talk about. Then, their departure shows that there are “cross-directions, contradictions, and abundance of laughter” but no single purpose in the whole issue (15). This is entirely meaningless whether it is Aunt Kate, Aunt Julia, Mary Jane, Gabriel, Mr. Browne, Gretta, or other characters. Everyone in the gathering is engaged in making himself important through his conversation at the time when Aunt Kate is taking care of everybody by telling them what they are doing. For example, she states that Gretta is not down yet and Browne is everywhere (14), which shows amply that she is taking care of everybody, but mostly through her own self-centered approach. In other words, she is asking about everybody to show that she is also present. Even Gabriel is obsessed with his own personality regarding the impression he leaves upon others. This shows that not only is this entire activity meaningless and full of contradictions, but their relationship is full of absurdities. Gabriel is rather more obsessed with his wife as if “she [was] a symbol of something” for him (16).

Although there is no financial pressure, the psychological dilemmas that Gabriel faces when his wife, Gretta, tells him about her former lover, Michael Furey, brings him to the point of consciousness about others as well as about himself. At that time, Gabriel noticed what was the reason behind his wife’s strange mood. Simultaneously, he wanted to crush her body against his own (20). But when he became conscious regarding his relations with Gretta, he rather felt ashamed as “he turned his back more to the light lest she might see the shame that burned upon his forehead” (20). The moment dawned upon him the absurdity of his earlier relation and “His soul approached that region where dwell the vast hosts of the dead,” dawning upon him the reality of his life and his own act of treating Gretta merely through his lust (20). Commenting on Gabriel’s consciousness in Shen Yuan and Dong Hong’ paper, “The Modernist Features in James Joyce’s Dubliners,” they maintained that after Gabriel realizes his wife’s situation and news of her former lover, he felt shocked. He realized that he was a blind person who was given self-satisfaction and self-deception in the past despite his intellectual life (30). This was his consciousness not only about himself but also about others.

However, the modern impacts of the treatment of characters of other characters and with themselves have some other patterns, a bit different from that of the characters in both stories “The Dead” and “The Metamorphosis”. It is because there is a sudden transformation of shape and role of Gregor Samsa, the central character of “The Metamorphosis”. He suddenly realizes that he is no longer a human being. It is because he has turned into a cockroach. Then he questions what has happened to himself, whereas his treatment of himself starts with, somewhat, different thinking (Kafka 03). He becomes self-reflecting on his new life, leaving his role as a bread-earner, and thinking about his family members who must be facing hard times. He tries to come out of this situation through his ruminations about his job, his boss’s reaction, his family’s situation, and his own activities at his job. But all this seems absurd and meaningless to him in the face of a new situation, because he cannot go out despite his care for his family. When his sister comes to call him in the morning for breakfast, he faces a new situation in which his voice becomes very cold. The same reaction comes from different people who come to take him out of his room (07). Although Gregor tries his best to enter the circle of humanity by acting as a human being in the shape of that cockroach, the financial pressure on his family transforms their relationship. The cockroach, Gregor, treats them as his family members, but they are losing interest in him, as he is no longer a breadwinner. That is the reason why his sister starts chasing him down from the wall which is an action that makes him realize his new existence of no value and no importance due to having no role of a breadwinner (47). His father, who used to love him, yells at him with mixed feelings of anger and confusion, but this does not go down well with him. All of a sudden, the cockroach relationship starts changing, as “it was no longer the animated social interaction of the former times” (53), but a new reality having financial repercussions as his father starts working. Now he does not need his son’s financial help as he used to have in the past. As a result, Gregor thinks that if he leaves the apartment, his family will not need him and he will not cause a financial loss for them (65). In fact, characters in both stories “The Dead” and “The Metamorphosis” demonstrate the same traits.

Psychological Impact on Characters in “The Dead” and “The Metamorphosis”

Even on a psychological level, it has impacted his own view of himself and of his family members. They start treating him not as Gregor Samsa, but as vermin. As his sister discusses with her father that “It must be gotten rid of,” (65) referring to Gregor which she sees as the only option to save the family from financial and psychological ruin. Commenting on his thinking and his family’s treatment of her Cecile Rozuel in her article “Otherness in Self and Organizations” maintains that Gregor is a man who tried hard to support his family, but he fail, saying “he is a man who has tried, and perhaps, failed to support his family in whichever way he could” (06). She that “he becomes further alienated” due to his transformation not only in shape but also in his role as a breadwinner (06).

Conclusion

To sum up, modern lifestyle has impacted the characters of these two pieces in such a way that their treatment and their relations with others are based on their search for meaning in life, though their activities demonstrate this meaninglessness. Financial pressure has its consequences in the shape of contradictions in life as well as thinking. Psychological realities stare characters in the face and bring self-consciousness as well as consciousness about others, as Gabriel feels about his wife or Gregor has a moment of epiphany that he feels about his family and himself. However, the consciousness of one character about others does not change this; Grete and Gregor’s father want Gregor to be dead so that they could live, while Gabriel in, “The Dead,” feels that his own identity is “fading out into [a] grey impalpable world” after realizing that he does not love his wife but wants to possess her due to his lust (Joyce 22). These moments of consciousness show how modern life has impacted the characters to see and treat others differently due to the alienation that has crept into their lives.

Works Cited

1. Joyce, James. The Dead. English Leaners. n. d. english-learners.com/wp-content/uploads/THE-DEAD.pdf. Accessed on 24 Mar. 2017.
2. Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis. Planet Ebook. 1999. www.planetebook.com/ebooks/The-Metamorphosis.pdf. Accessed on 24 Mar. 2017.
3. Rozuel, Cecile. “Otherness in Self and Organizations: Kafka’s The Metamorphosis to Stir Moral Reflection.” Research in Ethical Issues in Organizations, vol. 11. 2014. pp. 25-50. http://www.cecilerozuel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CRozuel_Kafkas-Metamorphosis_REIO.pdf. Accessed on 24 Mar. 2017.
4. Yuan, Shen and Dong Hong. “The Modernist Features in Joyce’s Dubliners.” Studies in Literature and Language, vol. 12, no. 2, 2016. pp. 28-32. www.cscanada.net/index.php/sll/article/download/8173/9030. Accessed on 24 Mar. 2017.

Relevant Questions about “The Dead” and “The Metamorphosis”

1. How do the characters in “The Dead” and “The Metamorphosis” grapple with existential isolation, and how does this isolation shape their perceptions of life in “The Dead” and “The Metamorphosis”?
2. In what ways do the modernist narratives in “The Dead” and “The Metamorphosis” challenge conventional notions of life, death, and meaning, and how does this challenge reflect the authors’ modernist presentation of life?
3. How do the settings and atmospheres in “The Dead” and “The Metamorphosis” contribute to the overall portrayal of life in a modernist context, and how do they differ in conveying the themes of existence and mortality in “The Dead” and “The Metamorphosis”?

Introduction

About Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”,  Nathaniel Hawthorne does not directly attack but launches a mildly pleasant criticism against its form prevalent in the United States during the early period of the 19^th century. At that time, people used to pay more attention to religious rituals and considered them yardsticks to judge a person’s moral worth. Like all other literary pieces, the story reflects the cultural milieu in which Nathaniel Hawthorne had to live and present his views about the issues involving religion; a very sensitive issue at that time. Therefore, a direct attack against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown” would have immediately invited wrath against him for being a heretic. Sensing this, he has sagaciously invented characters and placed them in a situation where their faith and belief systems face an extreme test. The characters find that they are not only ordinary human beings but that all others, too, have the same nature. The faith of their religious piety and devotion to religious causes experience a severe jolt when Goodman Brown finds that almost all characters have the same fallible nature as he himself has. Hawthorne, therefore, has criticized the religious faith of that time, using symbolic characters, ironic dialogues, and creating a dreamy and allegorical story using religious-like characters.

Indirect Attack against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”

The first mild and indirect attack against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is in the shape of the characters. The protagonist is Goodman Brown, whose very name is suggestive of goodness but his nocturnal errand is entirely contrary to his name’s expected role. The next in line is his wife who is Faith and he even calls her “my Faith” (672) by which it also means that she is his faith. However, she is also seen in the Devil’s company when he goes to the forest and sees several good characters from his village, “Salem” there. The village name itself is a symbol of peace and religious tranquility. Then he remembers “Where is my Faith?” (679) which is an irony not only about his wife’s name but also about his very faith. The same is the case of Goody Cloyse who is a very good Christian but in the meeting with the Old Man, she reveals she is with him. Even the Minister and Deacon Gookin, a clergyman from Salem, is present in the meeting despite being very good names belonging to the religious hierarchy. Almost all of these names are very pointed ones in the sense that they connote religious meanings but their actions in the forest before the Devil are showing them otherwise. Even in the real world, it happens almost the same that deeply religious people hide their nature from the public. This ironic situation continues even in dialogs against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”.

Moreover, similar to dialogs, Hawthorne has used a very pointed and ironic dialog of the characters against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”. When Goodman Brown is going to the forest, his wife Faith whispers in his ears “A lone woman is trouble with such dreams and such thoughts” (672), which is proved when she is found in the company of the Old Man in the forest even before Goodman reaches there. He even implores her not to doubt him “dost thou doubt me already” (672) which shows that he suspects her of knowing his intentions of meeting the Devil in the forest. Another such thinking comes to Goodman when he is going through the forest, knowing that he is going to meet the Devil but thinks that “There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree” (673), which is not only ironic by also hypocritical. When the Old Man asks him the reason for coming late, then again he speaks the same ironic language that is “Faith kept me back” (674), which could also mean that he has misgivings about the Devil and that his religious faith was keeping him back. All these dialogs clearly show how Nathaniel Hawthorne has put the whole belief system of Puritanism to doubt. It is through ironic dialogs that he has criticized the faith of different characters. However, it is very interesting to note all the characters have created a very good allegory.

Situation of Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”

The story has been set in a dream-like situation in which a good young man with the same name leaves his faithful wife having the same name. Both harbors very strict religious ideas due to their being residents of the village Salem, a true village, around which Hawthorne has constructed his story.  Due to the nature of its names and their similarity with the religion of Puritanism, the story is a deep allegory that represents the culture of Salem at that time. In the story, Young Goodman Brown loses his innocence and gullible nature due to having seen all other relations and Christian characters in the Devil’s company. The Devil is successful even in seducing his parents who were considered deeply religious and pious people. The end result is that he feels fully disenchanted with the piety of the people. Therefore, it leaves a moral lesson that no person seems truly innocent until he undergoes a trial and test. Therefore, this entire Christian allegory mocks the Puritan beliefs of those times when it was ruling the roost in Salem and around it and different people were persecuted due to being called heretics on account of their faiths or differences with the religious authorities. Therefore, it is still not such a scathing attack against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”.

Conclusion

In short, Nathaniel Hawthorne has used his storywriting skills to criticize the religious dogmas of Puritanism and blind faith in religious figures of Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”. He has done this by using symbolic characters and making them speak pointed and ironic dialogs. He has also built his story as an allegory with a moral that no person should be naïve enough to consider others deeply religious when he himself is not as religious as Goodman Brown. The story revolves around the naivety and gullibility that Goodman shows toward his forefathers, his wife, and other religious figures of the village with whom he finds himself in the forest in the Devil’s meeting. Almost all the literary tools in the story are at the disposal of Hawthorne to criticize the religious beliefs of Puritanism prevalent at that time.

Works Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Young Goodman Brown.” Norton Anthology of American Literature Edited by Nina Baym and Robert S. Levine. WW Norton. 2012. p. 672-679.

Relevant Questions about Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”

1. How does Nathaniel Hawthorne depict the influence of Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown,” and what impact does it have on the characters and plot?
2. In what ways does Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown” shape the moral dilemmas and conflicts faced by the protagonist, Goodman Brown?
3. What symbols and allegorical elements are used to represent Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown,” and how do they contribute to the story’s themes and message?

Introduction about sexual appeal in “A&P”

Regarding sexual appeal in “A&P”, John Updike has woven several different strands of themes together in a way that none is separable from the other. Not only it seems like an ancient romance but also it touches on the conditions of the modern age. It is because now no old heroes come out to fight for the honor of damsels like King Arthur’s knights. Sex, romance, wealth, and democracy have changed the very concepts of love and honor. Wealth, everyday livelihood, and bread and butter are bigger realities staring into the faces of modern human beings. Although Sammy makes the courageous move of quitting the job, he finds himself in hot waters after he thinks that nobody pays attention to him. The reason is that even the girls have nothing to do with “their unsuspected hero” (Updike 452) that he thinks himself to be, and he hopes that “they’ll stop and watch me.” He then feels “how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (459) after he leaves the store. This shows that these heroic and self-centered decisions are made more based on sex and romantic notions rather than reality. About sexual appeal in “A&P”, the story not only shows the sex and sexual appeal of the teenage generation but also the romantic notions the teenagers harbor and the sexual symbols used in this story.

Objectives of Sexual Appeal in “A&P”

Sex and sex appeal in “A&P” are the primary objects that attract the minds of young men. This has further intensified during this modern age because now young minds find more attraction and more beauty. The example of the description of Sammy is a case in point. He states that the first one was “a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft- t” which clearly shows his focus—the queenie that he calls her (457). The same goes for the nameless narrator of “Araby” by James Joyce who sees Mangan’s sister in the same light whenever she comes out of her home to call her brother (Joyce). The look of both teenagers sees the sex and sex appeal in both ways. The next remarks made by Sammy are enough to show how Updike explores the teenage minds that such statements “become the matrix of the story, the backdrop that mirrors and parodies Updike’s society” (Metamorphictin). This shows that even with no sexual purpose, comments of Sammy clearly show that in other cases he would have taken such a bold step. This is because of his age and sexual appeal in “A&P”. This also could be called the romance of the medieval age when the knights used to come out to defend the honor of women.

Teenage and Sexual Appeal in “A&P”

However, this is the modern age and there is no such escapade. Now Sammy is to fight the battle of his livelihood against this modern age where he may have several prospects, but this livelihood does not come easily. However, when the “queenie” enters the story in two pieces, he immediately starts harboring different notions. Lengel, the manager of the A&P, seems to present the reality that is a social convention too that they are living far away from the beach and there is no concept of a two-piece-wearing girl. However, when they come, there is a buzz in the story over which he comes and sees it. This gives rise to a conflict while earlier Sammy has engaged himself in romantic reveries about the girls — specifically the queenie.  Gena Miller Walters in her paper on the comparison between “Araby” and “A&P” states that “Sammy also attempts to win the attention of a beautiful girl by making a chivalric gesture” (Walters). These sorts of gestures were made in the medieval period. However, as it is based on the romantic notion, this is against the reality that is to conform to social norms. This immediately breaks his notion and he starts thinking about his future. To show this romance, Updike has filled the story with sexual symbols.

Symbols and Sexual Appeal in “A&P”

Updike has beautifully used his narrator to use these sexual symbols that make the story seem favoring feministic sexuality everywhere. The quitting of Sammy is in support of the girls because he is affected by feminine sexuality. This is a subjective approach as it affects the protagonist who immediately sees them “in nothing but bathing suits” (452) which is a sexual symbol. Then he uses different words with Stokesie who is also affected by this sexuality. However, George Bentley states in his paper “Sammy’s Erotic Experience: Subjectivity and Sexual Difference in John Updike’s “A&P”, that there is also male sexuality that is based on status, economic condition, role, power, and authority. Stokesie is a responsible male who is also engaged in role-play with Sammy, “the unsuspected hero (452). On the other hand, the bare condition of the girls, specifically the walking style of the queenie and her leading role is a strong sexual symbol that immediately works wonders on the spectators specifically the teenager, Sammy (Bentley). There are several other sex symbols too that increase sexual appeal in “A&P”.

Conclusion

In short, John Updike has beautifully used Sammy to give his opinion about sex in the modern period and the realities that are spread around the people. In fact, this also borders the sex appeal towards which Sammy gets attracted and quits his job but gets nothing in return. When he comes out the girls have left long ago. His notion of romance that he harbors about the girls, himself as a hero and the people around him as spectators dashes to the ground. He immediately comes to the reality but then it is done. Updike has presented several sexual symbols to bring his readers to his point that these are the modern-day realities that do not let romance and sexual appeal take hold of the world or teenage minds.

Works Cited

1. Bentley, Greg W. “Sammy’s Erotic Experience: Subjectivity and Sexual Difference in John Updike’s “A&P.” Journal of the Short Story in English. [online]. 43 (Autumn 2004). 17 Sep. 2008. Web. 16 July 2015.
2. Joyce,  James. “Araby.” Online Literature. Online Literature. n. d. Web. 16 July 2015.
3. Metamorphiction. “Sex and Dissent in Mid-Twentieth Century Literature.” Metamorphiction. Metamorphiction. 03 Jan. 2012. Web. 16 July 2015.
4. Updike, John. “A&P”.” Charters, Anne. The Story and Its Writer. New York: Bedford /St. Martins, 2014. 452-459.
5. Walters, Genna Miller. “Joyce’s “Araby” and Updike’s “A&P”: A Culture Hostile to Romance.” UGA. UGA. n. d. Web. 16 July 2015.

Relevant Questions about Sexual Appeal in “A&P”

1. How does Sammy’s perception of sexual appeal in “A&P” drive his decision to quit his job?
2. What role does the girls’ attire play in conveying sexual appeal in “A&P”?
3. How do societal attitudes towards sexual appeal in “A&P” influence the store manager’s reaction to the girls’ attire?

Introduction

If it is stated that the community in “A Rose for Emily” acts similar to a mob against an insect left alone in the colony without any other insect to take care of her. Then the analogy that man is a social animal fits her. The reason is the community a person lives in shapes her/his attitude, lifestyle, and even behavior. When people form a community, they vow to abide by the values the community creates because of long-held customs, traditions, and norms. It does not matter whether these are stupid norms such as in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson or better ones. It is also that the community heightens and increases the status of some in such a way that he/she becomes an icon. Then when the time comes that the person does not conform to the topical and existing social norms and conventions, he/she becomes a butt of jokes, torture, and repression. The people turn into a mob and become hostile against that individual. The victimization of a single individual based on collective torture transforms him/her into a psychological patient suffering from several mental complications. Almost the same happen due to the community in “A Rose for Emily”.

Emily of “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is such a victim of the antagonist role of society that it turns her into a psychological patient, leading her to kill her would-be husband. In connection with her, the role of the community and social circle around her is highly complicated, objectionable, and hazardous. Although the community in “A Rose for Emily”  has turned Miss Emily into an icon of the elite of the South, it has also insulted her through her victimization with the public attitude of sharp and pointed censure.

Community in “A Rose for Emily”

To understand the inner workings of a person and his/her psychological issues, the role of community and environment is vital. The individuals or families such as Emily Griersons, who lived in the community of Southerners, were first elevated to the elite class. However, then the befallen house for them has become a good place. The narrator says, they feel “respectful affection” for Emily as if she is a hero (52), but the pity is that Emily has left her house for her eternal abode in the end. It is at this point that the narrator states that the women of the town wish to see “the inside of her house” (52) “out of curiosity” (52)  to get more information about their lives, as the women were not allowed to enter their house after Emily finished taking China painting classes. In fact, their house becomes a tradition of status quo, as the people have given much respect to tradition like its inmates. It clearly means that the townspeople have accepted Griersons as icons and elite of the community. Hence, the narrator states that the time came when Col Sartoris remitted their taxes (28) because she was the only remnant of the great Southern part, and it was given because her father did a great charity for the city. However, when he states that the “next generation” came to power, they felt dissatisfied with their elite lifestyle without paying taxes (52) by which the narrator means that they wanted to impose taxes on all and sundry. They did not want to leave any house in the town. However, even when they visited Emily, they paid full respect as the narrator states that “they rose when she entered” (53) and she did not even notice their arrival. Even when she displayed rudeness, they did not demur and accepted her manners as being from the upper class and left her house. The narrator further states that she again insulted them saying her servant to “Show these gentlemen out” (53) which clearly shows that she was placed so high that now it was difficult for her to come down to their level to accept their rude entry. In fact, the community transformed the whole family first into their icon, and then each surviving individual into a status-conscious individual that they became a sort of “noblesse oblige” (53). It means that they became very noble people, and it was beneath their dignity to treat or contact or meet people lower than their status. Hence, they were to be considered above all customs, norms, laws, and transformations. Hence, they could not merge in community in “A Rose for Emily”.

Anti-Individual Role of Community in “A Rose for Emily”

The major point is that the same community turned against the very Griersons whom the narrator has stated as “august names” (52). The very first blow comes from the very authorities, which remitted their taxes years ago. Even the mayor could not stay behind and sent her a letter to make her pay the taxes with offers that he could come himself (52), showing her respect. It is also that when both the daughter and the father used to come out in the past, the young men of the area used to chase them. When her father died, they paid a visit for condolence. When there was a smell, they started complaining, which the narrator says is “another link” between them (54). This link suggests that although the people were hellbent on ending that smell, the city judge did not want to interfere, considering this a taboo. According to the narrator, he did not want to disrupt this long-preserved “tradition” (52).

Narrative and Community in “A Rose for Emily”

It is actually the narrator, who has presented the Griersons and their house as a tradition, becoming a judge by himself to give his verdict about them, commenting that Griersons were haughty themselves. This seems the only reason for their downfall. However, when it is time that the mighty have fallen, it is the same community about which the narrator states that the people feel “sorry for her” that she has turned into a spinster, and nobody was there to marry her (52). However, at the same time, the narrator also thinks that these misfortunes are rather good for her as the lady has “become humanized” (53) for she was left as “a pauper” (53). It appears to have made the community happy which is quite a contradictory attitude. These sudden contradictions in the role of the community in giving them a high status equal to squires and earls of the area and then punishing the Griersons for none of their faults show how callously the community turns against the icons it has elevated to the heights of social status. They feel happy about what is left of her, and also offer condolence for the misfortunes. This victimization leads a person to suffer from psychological ailments and this is exactly what happens to Emily.

The narrator also points out the contradictory censure of Emily Griersons living in the community in “A Rose for Emily”. He states that nobody wants to help her in her misery. It is true that her father did not arrange her marriage but it is also because of the very community. The community realized that there was no young man suitable for her and when her father left her, nobody paid attention to this fact. When she started meeting the northerner, Homer Barron, the narrator states that the whole city seems to realize that “a Grierson” should not marry such a lowly person (53). It seems hypocritical as they did not help her in either way but again started criticizing her choice. When this time is over, the usual comments about her are just that she is a “Poor Emily” (55). However, when her escapades with the Yankee started again, they report it to the church minister and also communicated the same to her relations.  It affects her so much that she was transformed into a reclusive. When she purchased arsenic, the narrator says that the rumor was spread about her that “She will kill herself” (56). The narrator clearly states that “We were a little disappointed” (57) about this event of the going of Homer from her life. This shows the callous attitude of society that there was no rumor and no enjoyment at her expense. However, when Homer was seen again entering and exiting Grierson’s house, it was said that “She will marry him” (56). The community also spread rumors about her lover that he might have been a homosexual as the narrator tells that Homer himself stated that he was interested in men “he liked men” (56). This sort of censure does not leave any option for her except to commit suicide. Even the narrator does not stop saying at the end that “we did not even know she was sick” (56). It means that nobody from the locality has ever bothered to interfere in her life or ask whether she is feeling sick or good. When her funeral is held, the narrator states that “some in their brushed Confederate uniforms – on the porch and the law, talking of Miss Emily as if she had been a contemporary of theirs, believing that they had danced with her and courted her” (58). These comments and chit-chat of the older generation after her death is pointed criticism of the role society played in her horrible death.

Conclusion

In short, it was the role of the whole community in “A Rose for Emily”, including the narrator that proved antagonist to the wishes of an individual. The community was responsible not only for giving them a great status but also for making them a fallen household by gripping them in so-called norms and traditions. It is correct that she started behaving strangely after the death of her father, but it is again the community, which was responsible for this. The people living around the Griersons made them so much high that they enjoyed it for the time being, forgetting that they were also human beings. Society is fully responsible for this and it made her a butt of its victimization and amusement. This constant eavesdropping about her personal life and intrusion into her privacy turned her into a confirmed spinster that she could not even marry Homer Barron which they also disapproved of on the basis of her high status. The people around them consider her coming down to meet Homer a sacrilegious act, tantamount to slandering the very honorable name of the Griersons. Even if she attempts to see a little happiness in life by meeting him, it is rumored and duly reported to her relations and church authorities. This constant censuring transforms her into an individual who suffers not only psychologically but also socially and financially. This becomes clear that the local community treats her with respect and honor as a relic of the past but it also censures and criticizes her and her acts as sacrilegious, which finally leads her not only to kill her paramour but also to commit suicide.

Works Cited

William Faulkener. “A Rose for Emily.” An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing. Ed. Kennedy X. J. & Dana Gioia. 3rd ed. Vol. 7. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. 53-58. Print.

Relevant Questions

1. Social Isolation: How does the community in “A Rose for Emily” exemplify the theme of social isolation, and what are the consequences of Emily Grierson’s isolation on both her and the town’s residents?
2. Community as a Character: In what ways does the town of function as a character in its own right in the story, and how does the collective mindset and actions of the community in “A Rose for Emily”  contribute to the overall atmosphere and outcome of the narrative?
3. Tradition vs. Progress: How does the town’s community in “A Rose for Emily” represent the tension between tradition and progress in “A Rose for Emily,” and what insights can be gained about the South’s changing social landscape during the time the story is set?

Introduction

In her fictional treatise “A Room of One’s Own,” Virginia Woolf creates the character of Shakespeare’s sister, Judith Shakespeare. She is a genius of the same caliber as her brother and also is a great writer in waiting. However, the pursuit of her career led to her ruin and ultimate suicide. It is because she suffered from several social, financial, familial, and religious constraints at that time. These limitations did not let her demonstrate her talent. It is not a surprise that Woolf suffered from the same inhibitions and ultimately met the fate that she chose for her fictional character. In fact, her thesis in “A Room of One’s Own” is based on the independence of a woman having money and room to “write fiction” (Woolf). By this, she means that similar to men, women should also have financial and social independence to succeed in the literary world. Therefore, in the third chapter of her fictional and narrative lecture, she has to create a fictional character of Judith Shakespeare who faces several problems and obstacles, which women of her ilk generally face.

Presentation of Judith Shakespeare

When presenting details of Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf says that suppose he had a sister Judith and she was similarly adventurous and imaginative as her brother, William Shakespeare (Woolf). She means that she must have been as intelligent and genius as Shakespeare, her brother was. However, she faced several problems and obstacles her brother William Shakespeare could not face because of his being a boy, Woolf supposes. The first aspect of her life as seen in “A Room of One’s Own”, is that unlike her brother whose mother, Woolf said, was “an heiress” (Woolf) who got him educated, “she was not sent to school” (Woolf). She means that social conventions and traditions did not let her study. Therefore, unlike her brother “She had no chance of learning grammar and logic” (Woolf). Even when she found time and tried to do some reading, Miss Woolf says that “her parents came in” and tried to make her engage herself in household chores and other womanly activities (Woolf). She was not even allowed to see or flip pages of books of her brother. They told her that she should not dream about reading and learning. The supposition is that if the Victorian Era does breed persons like Beadle who interrupts Woolf’s creative pursuit of having a tug from an idea, then surely Judith would have suffered the same fate at home two hundred years back. Secondly, she was stopped by the librarian from entering the library on the pretext that “ladies are only admitted to the library” with some family member or with a letter of recommendation (Woolf). She is of the view that if male chauvinism barred her, it must have barred Judith and other female writers in waiting. These are social norms and domestic conventions that stop women from pursuing their careers. Their career in domestic work does not pay them. And it is counted as of no monetary or social value.

Observation of Geniuses in “A Room of One’s Own”

Secondly, in “A Room of One’s Own” she is of the view that as she states in the first chapter that geniuses depend on two conditions; social and material. Judith did not learn, nor had a chance to go to school like her brother. Even material conditions did not allow her parents to send her to school even though her mother was an heiress. This material means financial situation and that is what did not allow her parents to let her stay at home. They married her and she was soon with her husband. She tried her best to avoid marriage but she was “severely beaten by her father” (Woolf). Even her husband pleaded with her not to shame him” (Woolf). Hence, she left for London where she could not succeed as compared to her brother who became financially stable and famous. When she entered the theater over there, the “men laughed in her face” (Woolf). It is typical for all males and this is because she was not materially strong and stable. And even when she succeeded Nick Greene exploited her to have his child (Woolf). Thus she ended up bearing a child from that actor-manager. It is because he first exploited her material vulnerability and her talent.

Vulnerabilities of Geniuses in “A Room of One’s Own”

The third is the “contrary instincts” which Virginia Woolf claims in “A Room of One’s Own”, “pulled her asunder” (Woolf) along with vulnerabilities of her financial and social conditions. She suffered psychologically from a religious point of view. It is because, at that time, stress was so much on chastity that no girl could have imagined it to visit London and enter the male company of actors (Woolf). The reason is that it has still religious significance in the life of a girl of such a tender age. To live such a free life must have been “a nervous stress and dilemma” (Woolf) that killed her. And it was not unique to her as other literary sisters also suffered the same conflict. That is why they wrote anonymously so that they should not get stigma on the honor of their families.

Inhibition of Creative Spirit in “A Room of One’s Own”

These three factors, Virginia Wool states in “A Room of One’s Own”, inhibited her creative spirit and thus she could not brook this hindrance any longer. Hence, she cut her life short by committing suicide. As she has committed suicide due to social and financial obstacles and then her own inner conflict, Miss Woolf says that “She lives in you and in me” and every woman doing domestic chores (Woolf). This is central to her argument in that all these obstacles that led to the suicide of her fictional character hinder a creative woman from living the same life as their male counterparts. Ultimately they commit suicide. Her own death is a case in point.

Work Cited

Woolf, Virginia. “A Room of One’s Own”. Adelaide. n.d. Web. 07 April 2014 http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/w/woolf/virginia/w91r/complete.html

Relevant Questions about “A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf

1. Character Exploration: In Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own,” how does the character of Judith Shakespeare serve as a symbol or representation, and what key ideas or themes does she embody within the context of the book?
2. Gender and Literature: How does Virginia Woolf use the character of Judith Shakespeare to discuss and shed light on the challenges and limitations faced by women in the field of literature during her time, and how do these insights resonate with contemporary discussions on gender and creativity?
3. Creative Potential: In “A Room of One’s Own,” what does Virginia Woolf’s portrayal of Judith Shakespeare reveal about the potential and possibilities of female creativity, and how does it contribute to the broader discourse on women’s roles in art and culture?

You may read more on Short Essays below:

• “The Story of an Hour”: Irony
• Child Narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”
• Community in “A Rose for Emily”

Introduction

Like the child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square,” when it comes to writing stories in different voices, it seems writers are too ingenious to let readers know their true intentions in using the type of voice they chose. The third person or first person; whatever it is, they use it on purpose. The most interesting, however, is the use of a first-person child narrative as Ralph Ellison has consummately done in his story “A Party Down at the Square.”

Objectives of Using a Child Narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”

Disregarding fulfillment of his real objectives, he has done it very ingeniously to demonstrate that a third-person adult may have ulterior motives, vested interests, or something more to hide due to ethnic bias or racial prejudice. Ralph Ellison has shown that it is difficult for a child of just ten years to hide the malice of a mob when it incites individuals to torture and perpetrate horrific crimes against others. These others are mostly different from the mob such as African Americans or American Indians. The treatment includes burning a human being alive, watching him, and enjoying his suffering. Though it does not appear that the white mob is sadistic, the boy has reported in such an objective manner that it has become their routinized ritual to kill an African American man. It happened even though nature is also showering its fury on them in one or the other way. Despite clear signs of the anger of nature in the form of a storm, the mob does not feel any remorse or prick of conscience. Ralph Ellison uses the child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”to observe every detail minutely, transforming him into his literary device to demonstrate the impacts of mob violence on the children’s mentality, comment on the public mood and report the events with honesty.

Studying Mob Through a Child Narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”

Studying the mentality and psychology of a mob and its violence objectively is very difficult due to racial, ethnic, and familial loyalties. No individual, part of a mob resorting to ritualistic violence, takes the risk of betraying it by joining the bandwagon of rebels to condemn the violence. The best way to unearth such realities is to use a child, as it happens in investigations of crimes where mob violence takes place. Ralph Ellison has adroitly pictured the worst form of racial segregation through mob violence by placing a ten-year-old child from Cincinnati in the middle using him as a child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square.” True to his innocent nature, the boy starts narrating the whole party and how his uncle invites him to see it though he is unaware of the major reason “what started it” (01). By the end, he tells that it must have been a ritual performed after a hiatus (01). The child very minutely observes the mob violence. When he reaches the spot with his Uncle Eds, the violence is taking place right in “front of the courthouse” (01). No adult would have noticed such a point, for it is highly ironic that an innocent person is being burned alive in front of the symbol of justice. This device of using a child is not only innocently proving ironic but also laying bare the very gist of the loud shibboleths of equality, fair play, and justice. More than this, the child narrator also observes mob psychology.

Observation of a Child Narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”

The narrator, when reaches the spot, starts observing the psychology of the mob very minutely. He sees that a person is moving his shotgun at the African American man encircled by the people and is threatening him that he is going to pull the trigger though he does not do so. He hears somebody yelling to enjoy the discomfort of the African American man by suggesting him to “take [his] hands out of … pockets” (02). He sees that when a single person yells, he, in fact, coaxes others to follow suit. “Everybody was yelling crazy,” the child states after this, adding he could not hear any voice of the African American man for which he had to make a way from the crowd to come in the front rows (02). However, he is pushed from this side to the other and he hears yelling again. He observes that people are either yelling or pocking fun at the burning of the feet of the African American man. Even when he sees that an airplane comes down in the clouds, hovering over the heads of the crowd, going past them after striking with the high voltage wires, the crowd does not take notice. They rather carry on torturing the African American man. For the crowd, it is important to continue with their ritualistic torture of the individual from the opposite community instead of saving the life of any one of them, as a woman becomes the victim of the broken electricity wires. The boy says that he does not know what to do in the midst of so many people. However, he observes another striking fact of the mob psychology in that they do not fear the sheriff. And he must have been there to support them, though he only asks his men to pick up the body of the burnt woman and does nothing else. The mob does not move at his arrival, while the mob is exuding its confidence or fearlessness. Even when the African American man tries to tell something to the mob about his wish to die like a Christian, he faces ridicule. It would have been considered blasphemous in some other cases, but for the crowd, it has become a holy response. In other words, the boy, though feels sick of these actions, realizes that the life of an African American man is worthless. He feels deeply about the psychology of the mob and how it turns violent and disregards basic humanity and fundamental teachings of religion. However, as he is a literary device as a child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”, he receives the impacts of this mob violence.

Child Narrator in “A Party Down at The Square” as a Literary Device

The child narrator proves an effective literary device to observe the violence and mob psychology, but he is, after all, a human being and an innocent one. He must have the impacts of such heartrending and merciless burning of an individual alive. Ellison shows this through different comments of the narrator. Although some of his comments show that he is indifferent to the events like the courthouse, the sheriff, the statue of the general, and even the natural storm. It has, however, very shocking impacts on his mind. The first thing that he learns is to watch and see what happens to a man when a mob kills him. This makes his senses, somewhat, numb. When he feels that it is becoming a new normal despite the presence of people, he starts integrating with the mob, “The crowd was running. I ran too” (03). He mixes himself with them, but still, he is an innocent human being. When he faces push from the crowd, he also touches the burning African American man. Thus, he could feel the “taste the blood in my mouth” (03). It makes him feel disgusting. It is because he cannot stand the burning of a human being and that too alive. Another realization to the child narrator is how much torture a person can withstand. Among the common white people, a person must have died of what is being applied in the case of the African American man. “Well, that African American man was tough,” (05) he states which further leaves grave impacts on his mind that African Americans (ne–) are from some other community – which is perhaps a way different from them. That is why it implicitly enters his mind that they are to be killed no matter whether they are right or wrong. He, stoically and silently, hears a person saying that they were to kill two African American men, but one escaped. The child narrator imbibes the mob violence so much so that even his uncle tells him that he is “the gutless wonder from Cincinnati” when he shows him that he is somewhat weak from yesterday’s happenings but the response is “you get used to it in time” (04). It is showing clearly that he is getting in for what his uncle brings him to the square. However, Ralph Ellison’s strategy of using the child narrator has made its impact in objective and honest commentary.

Objectivity Through a Child Narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”

A child is a very innocent individual who cannot think of inventing lies and contriving excuses to hoodwink others and shelve the facts under the carpet. The objective of Ralph Ellison to use a child narrator to report the public mood and incident honestly and objectively seems fulfilled. The child, though, does not state his objective of visiting the square and tells it honestly what is happening over there. He records the actions of different individuals and describes the place, the circumstances, and the mood of the weather. He also reports the landing of the plane, the breaking of the electricity wires, the dying of a white lady, and then the taunting and burning of the African American man. At several places, he displays honesty in such a way that it seems ironic. It seems that the author has intentionally put those descriptions in the narrator’s mouth such as he tells that the incident is happening “in front of the courthouse”, then he tells about the statue of a general, probably of one of the founding fathers of America, and then of the slogan, the crowd raises that “We are all Americans” (03). All these three comments that the boy reports about the crowd honestly are highly ironic due to the severity of the crime being committed in the presence of these symbols of justice, fair play, safety, and security.

Another purpose of using a child narrator is to report the events honestly. The boy, despite experiencing sickness due to the burning of the flesh of the African American man, reports exactly what he feels. He sees when he is burning, reports the comments from the people, and describes different methods of torture. It seems that the child narrator is describing the full detail of how the police are conniving with the mob. It is clear as a sheriff comes there with his men but he hardly notices the burning of the African American man. His final comment “All that in one night, and all of it but the storm over one African American man” is testimony that Ralph Ellison’s objective of bringing honesty and objectivity into the recording of an incident of the worst racial killing has fulfilled to a great extent (04) through his use of a child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”.

Conclusion

Ending the argument of using a child as a first-person narrator, it is fair to laud the efforts Ralph Ellison has made to take the risk of presenting the incident of a racial killing event through a first-person child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”. It is quite interesting to note that this literary device of using a child narrator and that too in the first person has proved effective in recording and then reporting minute details. The child from Cincinnati, though hardly ten, does well to imbibe the impacts of the mob violence to the point of making him numb. Even he feels sick at times and expresses his disgust openly. What he does best is the honest and objective recording as well as reporting of the public mood as well as the events how, when, and where they happened and how people reacted. In nutshell, Ellison has been highly effective in using the first-person child narrator to prove his objectivity and honesty in his short story.

Works Cited

Ellison, Ralph. “A Party Down at the Square.” UWM. n. d. Web. 21 Jul. 2023.

Relevant Questions

1. Narrative Perspective: How does the use of a child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square” influence the reader’s understanding of the events and themes in the story, particularly in relation to issues of racism and social tension?
2. Character Development: What insights does the child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square” provide into the character development of the story’s adult characters, and how does the child’s perspective enhance our comprehension of their motivations and actions during the gathering at the square?
3. Symbolism and Innocence: In Ralph Ellison’s story in “A Party Down at The Square”, how does the child narrator’s innocence and limited understanding of the complex racial dynamics at play symbolize broader societal ignorance and prejudice, and what message does this convey about the story’s social and political commentary?

Introduction to Comparison of “The Hunger Artist” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”

       Like the stories, “The Hunger Artist” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”no two pieces of literature are the same, it happens that sometimes two pieces bear resemblance even though two artists do the same work in different situations, in different environments, and under the influence of different philosophies and ideas. Gabriel Garcia Marques, the proponent of magical realism, has no resemblance with Kafka of the same country as both have lived in different times, yet there are several points in their stories “The Hunger Artists” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” that resemble each other. On the character level, the old man with wings could be compared to the hunger artist of Kafka in that both have bizarre mental and physical traits that a normal person can possess and they differ from each other in this in this connection. At the same time, there is a great resemblance in the setting in which they are set that readers get a different picture from one story as compared to the other. The setting of both the stories in terms of audience differs a great deal. It is also that whereas one is demonstrating magical realism, the other is showing Kafkaesque philosophy of self-inflicted torture only to amuse the readers. It could be stated that the hunger artists have no whatsoever resemblance to the old man with enormous wings but their handlers such as the manager of the hunger artists and Pleyaho and Elisenda bear a resemblance. Both managers and administrators of these two different characters manipulate them to their own ends. The role of the audience, too, is very important in both that in both situations, the people get bored with time and lose their interest. Therefore, the stories “The Hunger Artist” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”could be compared on the level of setting, the role of the audience, the interests of the handlers of the respective main characters, and then the difference in the philosophy presented in these stories.

Setting in “The Hunger Artist” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”

Whereas the setting is concerned, it bears a certain resemblance. The hunger artist is dying to win the attention of the public and he succeeds in winning it in the beginning when the people come in queues to see him bearing the pangs of hunger. Kafka clearly states in the beginning that the “audience’s involvement grew from day to day” (Kafka 489), when he starts fasting. The children were keener to look at him. The hunger artist is placed in a rural environment where he can show his skill of bearing hunger to the people. The people come in throngs to watch his feat. A manager is arranging everything for him though he is lying to the people. In explaining the story, Richard To Garry states that “Throngs of spectators are drawn” within the given setting where no geographical point has been given or explained (Garry 132). However, the setting of the story “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” is entirely different because. There is a geographical location of the village where Pelayo and Elisenda live and the old man, somehow, falls in their yard. However, the situation is almost the same in that throngs of people queue up to watch this with great interest as the whole “neighborhood [was] [there to see the] angel” (Marquez 802). The major difference lies in the geographical location. It is not specified in the case of the hunger artists as he has been taken to tour the entire Europe, whereas, in the case of Pelayo and Elisenda, it is their village where they have become rich enough to have their son treated and construct their homes afresh. However, both of these resemble in narrator that in both there is an omniscient narrator who sits somewhere high above the setting and the character and comments on their lives. Literally, there is a carnival in this story, while it seems almost the same scene in the first one “The Hunger Artist” where it is a game for the people (Pelayo 72). Therefore, to some extent the setting in terms of the carnival type of presentation is similar in both stories “The Hunger Artist” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.”

Handlers in “The Hunger Artist” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”

However, the great similarity lies in handlers in “The Hunger Artist” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.” The handler in the case of the hunger artist is his nameless manager. The artist whispers whatever he feels to the manager who starts or ends his show whenever he wants but against his will of what he wants to say to the people. There was clearly a world of misunderstanding as the artist does not want to convey to the people what he wants to convey and the manager does not convey to the people what the artist wants to say. “This perversion of the truth … unnerved him” (492) though he does not show it to the people but feels it strongly. Although there are not much active audiences in the case of the very old man with wings, still Pelayo and Elisenda have some other people who do the work for them to make it known such as the neighbor woman “who knew everything” (803). She has concluded that he is an angel and has also done the work of spreading the news in the whole village. Several others also comment about him, and Father Gonzaga, too, declares otherwise, the managers set a ticket for the show. Soon they start earning in the same way as the manager of the hunger artist has done. In one way, there is no difference between both the managers as one is completely aware of the lies that are being told disregard of whatever he thinks, while in the case of the old man, all lies have been concocted not by the managers but by the people living around them. However, the interests of all these managers in both stories are the same which is to earn something for a living. It is because the owners, Marquez writes “had not reason to lament” because they have saved enough to “built a two-story mansion with balconies and gardens” (805) while in the case of the hunger artist, the circus hirs him after he loses his worth. The interest is again money in both stories “The Hunger Artist” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.”

Audiences/Readers of “The Hunger Artist” and “Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”

Although the writers’ audiences are their readers, both stories “The Hunger Artist” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” have separate audiences. In the first story “The Hunger Artist” the audience comes to see the feat of the hunger artist that he shows them in the shape of fasting for a long time. He is intoxicated with the popularity that he is winning among the people. They are coming to watch him in queues. When the show ends, the audiences are satisfied with what they see but the artist is not satisfied. With the passage of time, the behavior of people changes. It is because the public wants to see something new, not the same old person going hungry for them. Therefore, the hunger artist is “deserted by the pleasure-seeking crowds” (384). It means that the audience has lost interest in him. Therefore, he joins a circus but then the people only come to see the animals placed near him. They do not think to have any interest in him. He loses his worth and his life with time. The same happens with the old man. The people come to see him in queues when they hear the news. However, with the passage of time, they lose interest in him and soon they forget that there is an angel, or a devil in the midst of them. However, at the same time, there is a difference because in the first story the audience does not see a strange creature but a living man like them who is doing a feat of fasting longer than an ordinary man can do. However, in the case of the second, there is a strange creature like an angel that is before the audience and they lose interest after looking at him. There may have been the possibility that the managers would have taken this angel to a world tour and made the whole world take an interest, but it is a farfetched idea. It is merely the use of magical realism to show how people lose interest howsoever strange thing may be there.

Eccentrics in “The Hunger Artist” and “Very Old Man with Enormous Wings”

However, in the garb of this artist, Kafka has presented the role of people and the nature of some eccentrics who inflict injuries on themselves merely because they want to entertain the people, knowing little that the people always want something new, not caring that the artist is losing his life. It could be that Kafka’s philosophy is to show his own situation he was placed in. A lecturer in English, Bushra Naz, states that “The Hunger Artist” is seen as an ensemble of signs and signifiers” (Naz 71-75). By this, she means that it is the biography of the artist and the conceptualization of his philosophy into his story that is being reflected through his characters. She has also commented on his other novel, The Metamorphosis, to show the inner self of the artist. However, in the case of Gabriel Garica Marquez, it is his magical realism, a technique, with which he presents esoteric and stranger characters in a situation where the willing suspension of disbelief of T. S. Eliot is automatically at work. The people start believing that it could happen to them, too. Magical realism lies at the heart of the storytelling art of Garcia Marquez but at the same time, he does not leave attacking the current realities of life (Kennedy).  Therefore, both stories depict the philosophies and ideas of the writers.

Conclusion

It is also that both the major characters the hunger artists as well as the old man with enormous wings are symbols in the stories, “The Hunger Artist” and “Very Old Man with Enormous Wings.” However, in the case of Kafka, the hunger artist is a symbol of an artist who goes through pain to please the people living around him. In terms of setting, audiences, and characters, the stories have certain resemblances but the timing and the purposes could be different for which theoretical purposes could be applied to both stories to have deeper understanding.

Works Cited

1. Kafka, Franz. “A Hunger Artists” Charters, Anne. The Story and Its Writer. New York: Bedford /St. Martins, 2014. 488-494.
2. Garry, Richard, T. A Franz Kafka Encyclopedia. Greenwood Press. 2005. Print. 74-92.
3. Pelayo, Ruben. Gabriel Garica Marquez. Greenwood Press. 2001. Print. 72-73.
4. Naz, Bushra. “Hope of Death as the Possibility of Life: A Psychosemiotic Reading of Franz Kafka”s The Hunger Artist as the Narrative of Existence into Non-Being.” PJSS. 31(1). (June 2011). 65-77.
5. Kennedy. “ The Origins of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Magic Realism.” The Atlantic. The Atlantic. 17 April 2014. Web. 07 Aug. 2015.

Questions:

1. How do the themes of isolation and alienation manifest in “The Hunger Artist” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” and what do they reveal about the human condition in each story?
2. Both “The Hunger Artist” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” feature characters who are outsiders or marginalized in society. How do the authors use these characters to comment on the treatment of those who are different or unusual?
3. In “The Hunger Artist,” the protagonist seeks to express himself through extreme self-deprivation, while in “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings,” the focus is on the mysterious arrival of a supernatural being. How do these different narrative approaches shape the stories’ messages about human fascination and cruelty?
4. The concept of spectacle and entertainment plays a significant role in both stories, with the hunger artist’s fasting and the old man with wings becoming a sideshow attraction. How do these narratives explore the ethics of exploiting others for entertainment and profit?
5. “The Hunger Artist” and “A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings” both challenge conventional notions of reality and the supernatural. How do the authors use elements of the surreal and the fantastical to comment on the limitations of human understanding and belief systems in these stories?

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