Mikey Soto
Professor Peterson
English 380
27 November 2013
Gordie Kashpaw Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich contains many symbols and motifs; one that is most apparent throughout the book is the symbol of Christ. We first see this symbol through the death of June Morrissey in the beginning of the novel. Most readers would venture to say that June best exemplifies the character of a Christ-like symbol, but I disagree. In the novel, particularly the chapters entitled “Crown of Thorns” and “Resurrection,” Gordie Kashpaw best exemplifies this Christ-like figure by becoming not only a symbol of pain and agony, but also a symbol of recovery and resurrection. The chapter entitled “Crown of Thorns” follows the pain and agony Gordie Kashpaw first experiences.
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Gordie is missing his wife so much that he is drinking himself to unconsciousness; “A month after June died, Gordie took the first drink, and then the need was on him like a hook in his jaw, tipping his wrist, sending him out with needles piercing his hairline, his aching hands” (Erdrich 208). Gordie begins to fear thoughts of June and feels ashamed about some of the past actions he took on her; “What his hands remembered now were the times they struck June” (Erdrich 209). In a drunken state, trying to forget his thoughts about hurting his wife, Gordie stumbles out into the darkness and sets off in pursuit of more alcohol. While in isolation and sadness, Gordie begins to call out for June, and it frightens him; “‘I love you, little cousin!’ he said loudly. ‘June!’ Her name burst from him. He wanted to take it back as soon as he said it. Never, never, ever call the dead by their names, Grandma said. They might answer. Gordie knew this. Now he felt very uneasy” (Erdrich 213). Gordie begins to fear his thoughts of June and gets terrified in his visions of her. His persistent pursuits for alcohol and his constant consumption of it have poisoned him to sick thoughts, depression, and isolation. This addiction to alcohol and constant yearning for it is a symbol of temptations from the devil. Gordie, once again, shows he is a Christ-like figure by battling his own type of devil, …show more content…
"Resurrection" shows Gordie's unpredictable behavior from his drunkenness, along with Marie's responsibility to do what must be done in order to protect her son. The title of the chapter “Resurrection” is fitting to Gordie, because similar to how Jesus Christ resurrected from his pain, agony, and death, Gordie has an opportunity to “resurrect” and recover from his pain and agony from alcohol abuse.
The chapter begins with Gordie stammering into his mother’s yard where he eventually passes out from being belligerently drunk; “He swayed, arms close to his sides, a doll with weighted feet. The circle of his motion grew rounder and wider until in one movement he uprooted himself and sprawled headlong, diving forward to the margin of spent grass that Marie cultivated with the leavings of her kitchen water” (Erdrich 261). Marie leaves her son to sleep there and covers him with a quilt. Upon waking up, Gordie feels the need to apologize to his mother. Marie realizes that her son’s real intentions of visiting her was to get more alcohol, but she was willing to put up a fight in order to stop him; “'Give me that shot.’ His demand was sharp, sudden, sober. He rose toward her, bigger, expanding his chest, pushing out his neck cords. Marie did not move but when his hand came near, she raised her paring knife and
writhes in pain all his days, and numbered are the years stored up for the ruthless."(NASB p569).
He begins to think how he had just killed a man and how him and his friends had tried to attempt rapping a girl. As he is walking in the lake he touches a dead body and gets freaked out even more and began to yell. Then the girl hears him and scream there they are and began to throw rocks into the lake trying to hit the narrator. He then hears the voice of Bobby who bought him relief and sorrow at the same time. He felt relief because he discovers that the Bobby is not dead and sorrow because the Bobby was alive and wanted to kill him and his friends.
until he kills his opponent, sniper on the opposite rooftop. This calmness in goryness clearly justifies the turmoil and the plight that the author shows in this short story. The author uses the course and characters of the story to chart the course of the characters in every scene of violence everywhere. The emphasis given to the bloodshed, the war, the loss of life is more. than what is given to the feelings, the people and the life and in.
To illustrate people were brutally beaten to a point where they could no longer feel pain. On page 36 it said the following "The Kapos were beating us again, I no longer felt pain." On page 57 Eliezer was whipped because he walked in on a strange situation. To which he was later whipped but the quote of the book "I no longer felt anything except the lashes of the whip... Only the first one really hurt." It's sad knowing that after being hit for so long one kinda gets used to it exactly like Eliezer did.
In the novels Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich and The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday, the reader gains views of Native American culture, both past and present, through two disparate means of delivery. Both authors provide immensely rich portrayals through varying literary devices in efforts to bring about a better understanding of problems contemporary Native Americans face, especially regarding their own self-identity.
Point of view is one of the single greatest assets an author can use. It helps to move the plot along and show what is happening from a character’s perspective. An author can make the plot more complex by introducing several characters that the reader has to view events through. The events can then be seen through different eyes and mindsets forcing the reader to view the character in a different light. From one perspective a character can seem cruel, yet, from another, the same character can seem like a hero. These vastly contrasting views can be influenced based on the point of view, a character’s background, and the emotions towards them. The novel Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich showcases some examples of events seen from different points
the chapter he goes to visit the mother of his dead friend, Kemmerich. While there he tells
Drugs is one of the themes in this story that shows the impact of both the user and their loved ones. There is no doubt that heroin destroys lives and families, but it offers a momentary escape from the characters ' oppressive environment and serves as a coping mechanism to help deal with the human suffering that is all around him. Suffering is seen as a contributing factor of his drug addiction and the suffering is linked to the narrator’s daughter loss of Grace. The story opens with the narrator feeling ice in his veins when he read about Sonny’s arrest for possession of heroin. The two brothers are able to patch things up and knowing that his younger brother has an addiction. He still buys him an alcoholic drink at the end of the story because, he has accepted his brother for who he really is.
First came the pride, an overwhelming sense of achievement, an accomplishment due to great ambition, but slowly and enduringly surged a world of guilt and confusion, the conscience which I once thought diminished, began to grow, soon defeating the title and its rewards. Slowly the unforgotten memories from that merciless night overcame me and I succumbed to the incessant and horrific images, the bloody dagger, a lifeless corpse. I wash, I scrub, I tear at the flesh on my hands, trying desperately to cleanse myself of the blood. But the filthy witness remains, stained, never to be removed.
...nouille obtains the love he never had at his moment of death, yet could not experience it as everyone devoured him into non-existence. Grenouille proved himself a monster as he was in seven years of solitude, saw himself as God, and killed himself, leaving his life in vain.
Within the memoir, The Glass Castle, the self destructing addiction of alcohol becomes an apparent theme throughout the literature. Alcoholism is a disease that can cause destruction to families and even ruin lives. This is a common occurrence that effect’s many Americans today. Alcoholism is one of the most common problems in families, it doesn’t always interfere with just the person drinking the alcohol. It also affects the people around the influenced person. Rex’s struggle with alcohol is logged through his daughter Jeannettes struggles as she is finding the balance between respecting daughter and a strong individual. It is through her accounts that the reader is able to see the truly damaging effects of this disease.
In conclusion, cruelty fulfills a vital role in Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible where it contributes immensely in reader engagement and theme awareness. From the many cruel actions imbedded in the in story line, the reader benefits tremendously in analyzing the characters in precise detail. Successfully, Kingsolver applies cruelty to her advantage as it enhances the work to strengthen the plot, theme, and reader
The story “Royal Beatings” is a beautiful representation of a young girl’s view of the world around her. Munro uses vivid details to create a story and characters that feel real. She draws the reader in and allows the reader to understand Rose through her poignant words about her life. Then, in the end, enables the reader to make the connections that Rose perhaps misses. “Royal Beatings” is not about any particular moment in Rose’s life or any certain action related to the reader. The story is, in fact, not about plot at all. It is instead about creating characters with a sense of verisimilitude and humanity while revealing “all their helplessness and rage and rancor.”
...n occurs when the Storm God’s son retrieves his father’s heart and eyes and restores them to him. With this restoration of position the Storm God is able to defeat the Serpent at the sea.
...gonist will eventually destroy himself for drug and alcohol. Also, on page 54, narrator says “…but you were my mother.” just because she poured more drink than he paid for. Protagonist’s mental destruction is so severe that even a little more drink can make a stranger his mother. “Work” is more implicit in terms of showing the fall of drug addicts compared to “Car Crash While Hitchhiking.”