The Contrast between Reality and Appearance in Between Shades of Gray

607 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay between shades of gray character essays

Dialogue and characterization are effectively employed by Ruta Sepetys to create a forced atmosphere where choices are limited. Told from the perspective of an adolescent girl, Lina, the excerpt portrays a character who combats between appearance and her own ‘reality’ through her artistic expression. Her drawings are “very realistic” because she draws them based on her view of the world (Sepetys). In the ‘real world’, however, they appear to be rather unflattering and therefore, although she “longs to draw” it as she sees, she is forced to conform (Sepetys). In Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys, through the utilization of dialogue, imagery and characterization, conveys the contrast between reality and appearance in the protagonists’ artistic interpretations in order to convey the contextual setting of the novel. Through the dialogue, the contextual setting of the novel is revealed through the forceful nature of the situation. The protagonist, Lina, would rather “break [her] hands” then have to draw an image of a man who in her imagination did not appear extremely flattering (Sepet...

Show More
Related

  • Essay Comparing The Kneeling Woman And Two Women

    500 Words  | 1 Pages

    Spending time looking at art is a way of trying to get into an artists’ mind and understand what he is trying to tell you through his work. The feeling is rewarding in two distinctive ways; one notices the differences in the style of painting and the common features that dominate the art world. When comparing the two paintings, The Kneeling Woman by Fernand Leger and Two Women on a Wharf by Willem de Kooning, one can see the similarities and differences in the subjects of the paintings, the use of colors, and the layout

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette's 'The Hand'

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    Through the use of symbolism, and characterization that involves an instance of imagery, the author advocates this notion through the newlywed’s decision of neglecting her personal feminine taste to make her husband’s preferences her own, and embracing her title of submissive partner by kissing the hand. Also, the choice of words to describe each partner differs tremendously, as the author seems to give more importance to the man by making him appear handsome, and particularly strong. On the contrary, the young woman appears to be weak and minor, which supports this idea of submissive women in a couple through the perception of the woman being way behind her husband. This story demonstrates a great symbolic significance when it comes to the hand, which can lead to other important ideas surrounding the message the author is trying to

    Read More

  • Domestic Violence Essay: Fear Itself By Katie Coyle

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    The author tells the reader story of the teenage girl, who’s suffering from difficulties in the relationship with surrounding her people, such as her friends and wax copy of the president Roosevelt, – “the only man who has ever called her pretty” (Coyle 366). Through all the story the reader can be a witness of the violence against the girl, for example, when Franklyn D. Roosevelt makes her cry for no reason (“She’s kneeling in a wax museum on her first date, crying…”), communicates in not appropriate way (“Send me a pic of ur boobs, says the third [message]”) (Coyle 366,368). In this case we can see not only typical violator’s behavior, but also the reaction, which majority of the women have: belief that “no one will ever love [her]” (Coyle

    Read More

  • Fear In The Yellow Wallpaper

    472 Words  | 1 Pages

    “Hope and fear are inseparable. There is no hope without fear, nor any fear without hope” (François de la Rochefoucauld). One of the many defining qualities of human existence is the ability to experience emotions. Among them, hope and fear may be two of the most commanding. The balance of the two and the influence they have on a person, as well as each other, is imperative to one’s personality, behavior, resolutions. Authors use the contrast of hope and fear to create a character out of thin air. By applying these to emotions to a flat character, he or she is sculpted into a complexly depicted person. Both Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Sandra Cisneros use this technique to create their main characters. The narrator in The Yellow Wallpaper and

    Read More

  • Happy Symbolism

    524 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the short story “The Story of an Hour,” written by Kate Chopin, there are many symbols that point to one main emotion. Like every symbol in a well written story, a symbol can be very easy to miss during the first reading. This is why the story must be read many times to truly understand and comprehend the symbolism involved in the plot. Symbolism is a key element in great works. Like Mrs. Mallard’s hidden emotions and feelings, it is often entwined in the reading through objects, people, and places. In this story, there are three important symbols that, if recognized, will allow a reader to enjoy the plot to the fullest extent. These three symbols are the open window, the nature outside, and the features of Mrs. Mallard herself.

    Read More

  • Americanized: Poem Analysis

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ed by the ancient symbol of fear, conveys the child's panic. The mother's approach is a source of terror for the child, written as if it is a horror movie, suspense created with the footsteps, the physical embodiment of fear, the doorknob turns. His terror as 'he tries to run' but 'her large hands hold him fast' is indicative of his powerless plight. The phrase, 'She loves him...' reiterates that this act signifies entrapment as there is no reciprocation of the ‘love’. It is ironic that her love is deemed 'the frightening fact'. Clearly this form of love will destroy his innocence, his freedom to think for himself, his ability to achieve emotional fulfilment. We sense the overpowering, suffocating nature of this form of love, but also the nature of American cultural imperialism, which is similarly stifling to the development of national identity and fulfilment.

    Read More

  • The Woman of an Hour

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    Louise Mallard is a woman who enjoys freedom and independence. She feels soaring relief and fiery triumph upon realizing that, yes, she is finally free. She is free of the weighted ropes of marriage. She fantasizes of her days ahead, living for herself and only herself. “A kind intention or cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief moment of illumination” (Chopin 234). She views the imposing of one’s will on another person as a crime, no matter the intention behind it. She has a taste of freedom after Mr. Mallard’s death and can finally see days without stress ahead of her. Prior to her husband’s death, young Mrs. Mallard feels tied down and even oppressed. “She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength” (Chopin 233). Despite the typical oppression of women throughout the centuries prior to the 1920s, Mrs. Mallard possesses a free spirit.

    Read More

  • Under The Feet Of Jesus Character Analysis

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the audience is first introduced to Estrella, she is portrayed as an angry and confused girl who is failed by the school system. From the use of the words such as “foreign” and “jumbled” the author creates the underlining tone of confusion. In the next scene Estrella remembers her teacher asking her why her mother has never given her a bath (33). Estrella realizes that in her teachers eyes she is dirty and not worth an education, and Estrella understands that “words could be as excruciating as rusted nails piercing the heels of her bare feet”

    Read More

  • The Goldfinch Analysis

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    Theo and the young Narrator similarly discover the revelatory capacity of art through a single pivotal painting and author respectively, both which become significant motifs in either text. Tartt utilizes an existent painting ‘The Goldfinch’ as a fixed point of reference, which, for both Theo and the reader provides a sense of reality and constancy ‘rais[ing him] above the surface’ of an otherwise tumultuous childhood. Whereas Proust uses a fictional author, ‘Bergotte’, to communicate the universality of art, and invite the reader, through the vivid immediacy with which the Narrator’s early reading experiences are described, to participate in his epiphanic discovery that art can translate ‘imperceptible truths which would never have [otherwise] been revealed to us’ (97). Artistic imagery becomes a motif in Proust’s descriptions of scenes of domesticity and nature. In a scene recounting Francoise ‘masterful’ preparation of a family meal the Narrator describes asparagus in the technical language of painting as ‘finely stippled’ provoking an association between his observations of asparagus and the creation of a painting. By forming this improbable link he elevates unremarkable asparagus to the ‘precious’ status of art in the eyes of the reader. Proust’s presentation of his Narrator’s ‘fascination’ and pleasure at their ‘rainbow-loveliness’, forces the reader to consider asparagus with unfamiliar and attentive appreciation, conveying the idea that art can uncover the overlooked beauty of the mundane. Though Theo reveals a far more cynical view of ordinary life as a ‘sinkhole of hospital beds, coffins and broken hearts’ Tartt conveys the similar belief in art’s capacity to create a ‘rainbow-edge’ of beauty between our perceptions and the harshness of reality. In the most

    Read More

  • The Blue Estuaries Personification

    718 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Julia Alvarez’s poem “On Not Shoplifting Louise Bogan’s The Blue Estuaries”, Alvarez skillfully employs poetic devices such as imagery and personification to let the reader view the power of literature through the eyes of a young, poverty stricken, estranged woman, inspiring her love for poetry. Alvarez’s use of imagery paints a vivid picture of the setting and the narrator’s actions for the reader throughout her significant experience; all through the eyes of an alienated female. The use of personification and author’s tone brings “The Blue Estuaries” to life for the reader-just as it had appeared to the narrator.

    Read More

  • Life as a Prostitute in The Painted Cohorts

    2390 Words  | 5 Pages

    It was a dark, menacing night as she stood there in the shadows. Waiting for the finale of the show that was playing, she glanced toward the exit through which people would soon be leaving. The rich, as patrons of the theatre house, promised her a salary at least for today. Her tattered clothes revealed the effects of personal destitution; the emaciated frame, that presently existed, harked back upon a body she must have once possessed. Driven by poverty to the realms of "painted cohorts," she makes up her face daily, distinguishing her life from the respected (264). She is an outcast, a leper, a member of the marginalized in society; she envelops the most degraded of positions and sins against her body in order to survive. As she looks up, her eyes reflect a different kind of light, a glimmer of beauty that has not yet faded despite her present conditions. She was, at one time, a "virtuous" woman, most likely scorned by a dishonest love. Finding no comfort or pity for her prior mistakes, she must turn to the streets and embrace the inevitable - the dishonor and shame from her previous engagement will follow her unto death. Shunned from society she becomes the woman who sells herself for money and sadly finds no love. She is the abandoned, the betrayed, and the lost, embarrassed girl; she is "of the painted cohorts," the female prostitute of the streets (264).

    Read More

  • The Yellow Wallpaper from the Point of View of a Doctor's Wife

    992 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story, the narrator is forced to tell her story through a secret correspondence with the reader since her husband forbids her to write and would “meet [her] with heavy opposition” should he find her doing so (390). The woman’s secret correspondence with the reader is yet another example of the limited viewpoint, for no one else is ever around to comment or give their thoughts on what is occurring. The limited perspective the reader sees through her narration plays an essential role in helping the reader understand the theme by showing the woman’s place in the world. At ...

    Read More

  • Formal Analysis of Woman and Bicycle by Willem de Kooning

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    The gestural and heavy working of the paint and the contrasting colors make the painting appear active yet are arduous to follow. The defining element of Woman and Bicycle is the presence of the black lines that do most of the work in terms of identifying the figure. Through the wild nature of the brushwork, color, and composition of the painting, it can be implied that the artist is making an implication towards the wild nature of even the most proper of women.

    Read More

  • The Story Of The Blue Beard Story By Charles Perrault

    944 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...the story he is inviting the reader to condemn the mistreatment of women and lack of freedom in the family particularly under the institution of marriage. The attitude of the author gives the story a condemning tone. The tone is appropriate for the theme which is a strained relations in the family and specifically in marriage relations.

    Read More

  • The Story of an Hour

    1193 Words  | 3 Pages

    I read a story, after I finished reading it my mind was still reeling over what I had just read. Stories like this are quite impressive magnificent; they draw the reader into the story and leave them with a strong impact. How we interpret a text is in itself impressive, as every person is different, every interpretation is too. As I read “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, I could not help but notice that Kate Chopin uses the window to symbolize the future that Mrs. Mallard has been pinning for all her life. Chopin also uses Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition as a symbol of Mrs. Mallard’s marriage. The short story is consequentially the story of an oppressed woman who had to confine herself to the social norms of marriage. Through Formalism Criticism, we will explore the various symbols that Chopin uses to describe how Mrs. Mallard yearns for freedom, and through the Feminist Criticism, we will explore how the institution of marriage oppresses our heroin.

    Read More

More about The Contrast between Reality and Appearance in Between Shades of Gray

Open Document