Tag: short essays

Introduction to Feminism in “Sweat” and “Everyday Use”

The sense of awakening among African Americans emerged after the Harlem Renaissance but it was slow and gradual though it first entered the realm of story writing and fiction and before creeping into the public psyche. Alice Walker and Zora Neal Hurston are two popular female African American voices, who have given a different shape to story writing with African American female experience and collective consciousness. In their stories, they have presented black African American female characters in such a way that they become independent by the end of the stories not only in their thinking like mom but also in their actions like Delia Jones of “Sweat.” Such developments give them an edge over their males and so-called African American male chauvinism although the female body has also become merely an object for sexual appeal and pleasure (Collins 77). Also, both have selected racial discrimination as the major theme for their stories, the reason that their approach is toward feminism or better to say toward the uplift of black sexuality or African American women. It is because both have presented characters, which not only lead to their own independence but also their better thinking and pragmatic approach to life. Zora’s Skyes tells it clearly to Delia, “You sho is one aggravatin’ n****r woman” (Hurston 241) and Zora knows that this n****r woman should be independent to ward off the torture of Sykes, while mom knows that she is a “big-boned woman with rough … hands” (Walker 358). But Maggie should not be dependent on anybody, though Dee has won over the circumstances. Therefore, Zora Neal Hurston and Alice Walker in their respective stories “Sweat” and “Everyday Use” are not the only proponents of female independence, but also demonstrate the decline of male domination and women’s pragmatic approach toward life and their siblings.

Feminism: Women’s Independence in “Sweat” and “Everyday Use”

Not only Alice Walker but also Zora Neal Hurston has presented female characters who are either independent, or vie for independence, or at least try their best and win their independence disregarding the fact that they wait and see the male members getting killed in this connection. The mother in “Everyday Use” knows that her educated daughter Dee is successful, while disabled Maggie is not because Dee “had a style of her own” (360). However, Maggie was dependent on her, and she knew the pains of having no independence. This happens in the absence of a male member of the family. Even Dee is aware of this as she tells Maggie at the end, “You out to try” which means independence that she is asking her about (364). However, in Zora Neal Hurston, it is Delia Jones who stays under male domination for quite a long time and suffers torture and cruelty at the hands of her husband, Sykes. He used to terrify her and in this attempt was “almost rolled on the ground in his mirth” though he used to do nothing (241). Yet when the time comes, “she saw him on his hands and knees” (251). It was time for her to become independent and she knew that the “cold river was creeping up” (251). This is independence from the torture and suffering that she must go through for a long. As a student, Rachel Carazo has stated in her paper that this is “independence [of Delia], but only by assuming a male-oriented stance” (Carazo). It means that she has transformed her role to win independence.

Feminism and Patriarchy in “Sweat” and “Everyday Use”

Male domination and male chauvinism in both stories are either absent or on the decline. In the case of Delia Jones in “Sweat,” Sykes does what he can to roll “on the ground in his mirth” (241) but it gradually declines as he does not perform his essential role of a breadwinner. He merely makes fun of Delia whatever she does to earn her living. That is why in the end when a rattlesnake he brings for Delia bites him, she merely looks at him and does nothing. She even does not support him when he “crept an inch or two” (248) which means that his male domination is now going to end. Whereas Mom and Maggie are concerned, they have no male in the family. She has done whatever she can to educate Dee and support Maggie. There is a male member Hakmi-e-Barbar, but he is associated with Dee and money, not Maggie and mom. It means that male domination and male chauvinism are absent in the story. Alice Walker has made African Americans independent without male domination about which she is of the view that they are on the decline, or perhaps they have lost their sense of responsibility toward the female of the family. However, it does not mean that women hate male domination, or male presence. In fact, they love it as mom mentions their Uncle Buddy, Henry, and their Grandfather Jarrell as they have preserved their relics “Great Grandpa Ezra’s uniform that he wore in the Civil War” but it is just to the point of preservation (361).

Practical Femininity in “Sweat” and “Everyday Use”

Women of Alice Walker and Zora Neal Hurston in “Everyday Use” and “Sweat” are not only pragmatic but also brave and bold. Delia Jones suffers as long as she could bear. The only problem with her is that she has no man at home with her. That is why Sykes is the only male person at home. However, when he crosses all the limits and makes her a butt of his barbaric jokes, she ignores him though she does not kill him. But it is all the same enough for him. The same is the case of mom. She knows that Dee is beautiful and stylish, and she can have her own life. However, the issue is Maggie who cannot walk without her help. She is not as smart as Dee. Therefore, when at the end, Dee asks her to have quilts as they seem to be symbols of heritage, she turns to Maggie and states that it is for her. That is why mom states that I “hugged Maggie” and then puts everything in “Maggie’s lap” (361) — a way that she shows her displeasure at the treatment of her daughter. This is her pragmatism. She knows that Dee has succeeded in her life, but Maggie depends on her because there is no male member in her home to support them.

Conclusion of “Sweat” and “Everyday Use”

In short, Zora Neal Hurston and Alice Walker have given a good picture of African American women. In her story “Sweat,” Zora Neal Hurston has presented Sykes to show how irresponsible and cruel black men are towards their own men. Therefore, women of the African American race not only suffer from racial discrimination but also from their own men. Therefore, both Alice Walker and Zora Neal Hurston have presented their female characters wishing to be independent and touchy about their siblings while removing male domination to assert their own feminism in their respective stories “Sweat” and “Everyday Use.”

Works Cited

1. Collins, Patricia Hill. Black Sexual Politics. Rutledge, New  York. 2009. Print.
2. Cazaro, Rachel. “Feminism Through Religion in Hurston’s “Sweat.” African African. African. n. d. Web. 06 Aug. 2023.
3. Hurston, Zora Neal. “Sweat” Charters, Anne. The Story and Its Writer. New York: Bedford /St. Martins, 2014. 241-251
4. Walker, Alice. “Everyday Use” Charters, Anne. The Story and Its Writer. New York: Bedford /St. Martins, 2014. 358-362

Introduction to Analysis of “The Story of an Hour”

Besides superficial meanings, a literary piece has deeper meanings to tell like Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” which is not only full of symbols but also ironic situations and comments. From the face, it seems a very simple story of a lady who receives the news of the death of her husband and feels depressed. When the same news transpires the wrong report, she immediately dies due to cardiac failure. Yet deeper meanings are not the same as superficial ones. They show not only the character of a woman of the 19^th century but also the social and financial circumstances in which she lives and how marriage traps her. Kate Chopin uses multiple symbols and ironies to convey the real meanings of false love, marriage, and social issues related to the 19^th century through her story “The Story of an Hour.”

Spotting Themes in “The Story of an Hour”

My first reaction to the story is that of stupefaction. I, at once, realized the irony and its symbolical value when I read the last sentence. The heart vulnerable to suffering in the first line stops working due to happiness. What a symbol of the fickleness of mind that the writer uses! It is also that the story has several symbols used dexterously by Kate Chopin to make her meanings clear. The story opens with the mention of heroin. The stress is upon her heart as if she is suffering from some cardiac issue, but also that she has heart problems. It has both meanings that she is an amalgamation of not only physical but also emotional problems. The story shows “Mrs. Mallard … afflicted with a heart trouble” (Chopin) which is the major reason for the great care the news breaker has taken. This heart is also a symbol of society as marriage is the heart of any society and if society must have strong foundations, the marriage institution must get strengthened. Her heart may show the situation of the peril that the family institution faced in the 19^th century. This opens up another debate when the story ends where it shows that she has died due to cardiac arrest but not on account of sorrow but happiness.

Symbolism in “The Story of an Hour”

Kate Chopin has also used symbols such as time, patches of sky, and the chair. Some of them are even personifications. The time is of spring as Kate Chopin states about her that she could watch the “trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life” (Chopin). All the next sentences show her jubilation over the situation she finds herself in. She thinks that now she is seeing all spring and no more autumn as she is going to free herself from the clutches of her marriage. In fact, spring is a symbol of happiness and shows how she views life. In this happiness, she sees all things expressing her feelings such as the patches of the blue sky. It is also a symbol of happiness and freedom. Earlier she thought of ending her life, but now the symbols have changed. Similarly, the chair has also become a significant symbol. The chair is personified when she hears the news of the death of her husband and sinks into it, but when this is over, she relaxes in it.

Irony in “The Story of an Hour”

As far as irony is concerned, Kate Chopin has used both situational as well as dramatic irony. The mere coming back of the dead husband is an example of situational irony. It is highly ironic that a person who is supposed to be dead and going through rituals comes alive home and is hardly aware of his own death. The second situational irony is that Mr. Mallard who should have come home dead, comes alive and Mrs. Mallard who is going to live a new life, dies on the spot. The greatest irony is that Mrs. Mallard is feeling happy and free, while others are worried that she might go into a comma or that this grief may cost her life. However, when the situation turns, they see that she, instead of dying of a heart attack, dies due to excessive happiness. Just read what the story says at the end, “When the doctors [states that it is] joy that kills” (Chopin). The other form is that of dramatic irony which is both when she cries though actually, she is happy that she is now free from her marriage locks. She is, in fact, thinking how wonderful life would be for her, while it is not the case for others who are thinking that life would be difficult for her and taking steps to make her comfortable. Her situation is that she is taking to her fancy imagining good old days of freedom, while her sister is taking care of her by clasping “her sister’s waist (Chopin) so that she should be consoled in any way. This shows how pretension and artificiality have been dominant in the 19^th century and how ladies are fickle-minded.

Conclusion of Analysis of “The Story of an Hour”

In short, Kate Chopin suggests the meanings through symbols and irony in this story. All the symbols used in this story have different meanings that correlate with the ironic situations and remarks. It shows that life in the 19^th century was witnessing fast transformations – the result of fast progress and modern ideas creeping into society. Marriage and false love were destroying social relationships which different symbols amply demonstrate here.

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. The Story of an Hour. n.d. VCU. <http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/hour/>. Accessed 12 Mar. 2020.

You may read more on Shorty Essays Below:

• “Everyday Use” and “A Man Who Was…”: African American Culture
• “Sweat” and “Everyday Use”: Feminism
• “The Story of an Hour”: Irony
• “The Cask of Amontillado”: Revenge

Introduction to Revenge in “The Cask of Amontillado”

The nature of the character Montresor, how he weaves a web around his victim Fortunate, a character in “The Cask of Amontillado” by Edgar Allen Poe, shows that human nature is not only inexplicable but also unpredictable. Even a slight joke, which if considered an “insult” (Poe 1), could be fatal for a person. Montresor states that just a slight insult led him to conclude that Fortunato, otherwise his close friend, in whose death he would demonstrate his true nature. If Fortunato has insulted him by not refraining from making fun of him, he would surely have to pay for it. Even though he belongs to the gentry and lives a highly popular life, once Montresor makes up his mind, he goes for it and takes his life. Commenting about Montresor, Patrick McGrath said, “none are quite as deranged as the narrator of “The Cask of Amontillado” … [whose] story opens with a threat” (McGrath). Not only he makes a plot but goes for its implementation. From the very start, he enters the stage with a bang of “the thousand injuries” (Poe 1). He shows not only his patience but also his fury. He makes up his mind to redress what happened in the past. He then spots weaknesses in the character of Fortunato, picks up his habits, and exploits them to the point where he falls in his lap like a ripe apple. He knows when to choose the right moment, where to trap his victim, and how to take him to the depths of his catacombs. With precise and measured steps, he arranges for his death. Therefore, there is one point that needs debate. It is how he exacts his revenge that is quite clear, but the most important thing is the evil machinations he uses. This is a psychological aspect of his character that he uses all his machinations besides exploiting the weaknesses in the character of Fortunato,  then chooses the right time of the year and of that night, and manipulates him through deception.

Exploitation of Human Nature in “The Cask of Amontillado”

Most of the acts of Montresor, the murderer, are based on the exploitation of the weaknesses in human character. As McGrath has further stated about him that “fictional narrative and psychotic illness are mutually exclusive entity” (McGrath) where such characters could possibly be either one of these or both. After swearing to exact revenge on his friend, he starts looking for his weaknesses to exploit them. His major idea is not to put his own life at risk. Like every other person, Fortunato certainly has a weakness and one of them is his expertise in wine, while the other is flattery. It becomes a secondary weakness that Montresor just finds out when mentioning his rival Luchresi, with the idea that he would feel jealous, and it exactly happens. Commenting on his plot, Gargano states that “His reasoned, “cool” intelligence weaves an intricate plot” that destroys his very humanity (Gargano 179). In other words, it makes him different from that the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart.” He is better in that he succeeds in concealing his murder for more than fifty years, but the narrator of the other tale could not keep it a secret even for fifty minutes and speaks out in the same house where he commits the crime. However, Montresor, not only conceals it but also keeps it in his memory. His exploitation includes flattery at the very start when he praises him for his connoisseurship of wine, and then arouses his jealousy with the mention of his rival. In order to further enhance his thirst and curiosity, he mentions the name of Luchreshi repeatedly saying only he is at the top. He also mentions his disease, and the effects of the seasons on his mind so that he should know that he takes care of him. But his real objective is to strengthen his plot and not to leave him. And up to the point of that hidden corner, he was really successful that he brought him of his own volition.

Psychological Issue in “The Cask of Amontillado”

Had Montresor been a psycho-case, it must have been different on the occasion of the great carnival, but again he displayed his extreme sagacity by choosing the right time to bring him down to his catacombs. He selects the occasion of the carnival not on some premeditated thoughts but just by coincidence. It shows that he is capable of thinking at the moment and weaving his plot accordingly. This just props up in his mind that he could make further excuses to convince Fortunato that he needs “I have received a piple of what passess for Amontillado” (3). It is his shot, and it did not miss his target. The target is with him on his way to his death chamber. The joining of his passion with his taste is really a good idea, but the excellent plot is to weave it at the right moment and then exploit it further. Gabbard states that he “lures his victim” through his tricks” (Gabbard 18-19) and one of them is the trick of using the time to his own advantage. Moreover, when he states that “It was midnight” (Poe 5) which shows that the selection of midnight or to trap and kill at night was not merely a coincidence. He has thought long and hard to conclude that he could kill him and live for another day, only after he executes this task at night. However, it is further supplemented with the use of flattery, jealousy, and extra caution in asking about his health repeatedly. But the real choice is the choice of time that seems to show Montresor working at his best.

Manipulation of Habit in “The Cask of Amontillado”

Habits are die-hard and never leave a person. A person is often caught or trapped through his/her habits and if you catch a person by exploiting his habits, you are a great dissembler that you do not let the victim knows what, when, or how you pose. Montresor is exactly that sort of person. One thing is perhaps due to the word “mask” in the very title of the story. As Gargano states that Montresor actually has a “black silk” mask and Fortunato is “in the motley of a fool” (Gargano). This is the mask of amontillado that is black and under this mask, he uses his deceptiveness. The mask he wears is complete and perfect in that he never lets his victim knows at any stage what is happening inside his mind. Montresor is hellbent on hiding his ”good will” (Poe 1). This goodwill is to show him that he is the well-wisher of Fortunato. On the one hand, he exploits his habits as stated earlier, and on the other hand, he does not demonstrate any transformation in his own habit “to smile in his face” (2). This is a devilish way of trapping any enemy – a supreme method to exhibit that he has nothing bad against him. But his deception is due to the factor that although Fortunato is a well-respected man in his community, he is also “feared” (2). This is the basis of his deception. This means that had Fortunato known at any moment his evil intentions, Montresor’s own life would have been in danger. Not only does he escort him with glee but also demonstrates the same warmth in return for his “excessive warmth” (2) until he blurts out that “you are luckily met” (3). The extreme moment comes in the catacomb when he brings him to the corner and still hides his evil intentions in his broad smile that Fortunato only thinks it a “very good joke indeed” (7). This is despite the fact that he is almost sure that he has been trapped. This is the point where he hurries to complete his task of trapping him to ensure his slow death. And his deception is executed flawlessly.

Conclusion of Analysis of “The Cask of Amontillado”

In nutshell, Montresor is a great dissembler. Leaving aside all psychological theories applied to his mind or character, his selection of the season, time and moment are so perfect that he deserves the praise of a detective. Even there is nothing to detect, as he has ensnared Fortunato where nothing comes out for the next fifty years until he himself reveals his secret. His all machinations of exploiting his nature to his own advantage make him a fearful and terrifying killer among all the other killers of Edgar Allen Poe. Although other characters such as the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” is also as merciless as Montresor, the difference is in the use of machinations and deception, and above all keeping them a secret for long. His machinations and deceptions are so perfect that fifty years pass but nothing is known of this respectable, noble and yet feared person, until he reaches the point where he thinks it harmless to reveal in his story. However, the narrator of “The Tell-Tale Heart” could not hide in the face of confrontation and just passes fifty or so minutes when he exposes everything. However, Montresor is of a different mettle. He has worn a mask that he could not remove until he feels quite safe. Although from the very start, Montresor also thinks that it could be difficult as he is “feared,” he starts using deception not only in his manners but also in his actions. His love, his happiness after seeing Fortunato, his praise, his smile – in short satisfaction and calmness ooze out of every organ of his body. He never lets him suspect that a grave danger is lurking behind his smile. Behind this entire plot and his excellent machinations lie his passion for revenge for the insult that he bears at his hands, though thousands of injuries could not prompt him to this action. Therefore, it is correct to say that his whole body and mind are working in tandem to execute his plan, which is the product of his passion for revenge.

Work Cited about “The Cask of Amontillado”

1. Gabbard, Alexandra Lauren Corrêa. “The Figure of the Trickster in Poe’s “Hop Frog” and the Cask of Amontillado.” UMFGO (2009): 18-22.
2. Gargano, James W. “The Masquerade Vision in Poe’s Short Stories”. Edgar Allen Poe. 15 Oct. 2010. Web. Accessed 04 Aug. 2020.
3. —. “The Question of Poe’s Narrators.” College English 25.3 (2011): 177-181.
4. McGrath, Patrick. “Method to the Madness”. The New York Times. 28 June 2013. Newspaper Source. Web. Accessed 04 Aug. 2020.
5. Poe, Edgar Allen. “The Cask Of Amontillado”. 1846. Web. Accessed 27 Nov. 2020.

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