In the present, many people focus on success in life while adjusting to modern society and its expectations, by using their contacts and friendships for personal benefit. In the past, friendship had a significant value in people’s lives; people met for dinner or social events, which consisted of spending more time with families and friends. Today, people favor spending their time alone, but avoid family events due to their lack of interest and insecurities about their social status. In the book The Gum Thief, insecurities are portrayed as a significant trait that causes the characters to lose their motivation towards success in life. The novel highlights that every individual has insecurities, which allows in experiencing the obstacles of life. According to The Toronto Star, “A terrific book….Coupland’s ear for dialogue is as sharp as his eye for social observation.” In the book The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland, Coupland depicts three different scenarios in which his characters – Roger, Bethany, and Steve and Gloria from a novel in the book called “Glove Pond” – lack the ability to transition their lives from dreams to reality. Their lack of success makes them experiment with lifestyle choices while dealing with the significant effects of their difficult past, their motivation to explore the world, and the subsequent changes in their lives.
The first main character of the book The Gum Thief, Roger, is a middle-aged man who finished high school, has a son with his ex-wife Joan, and works at Staples, not pursuing his dreams of becoming an author. During his high school days, Roger did not put effort into studying, but spent his time partying and drinking. After he got married to Joan, they had a son who passed away a few years l...
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...to teach themselves to create their dreams into reality. The Daily Mail articulates that, “A tender and hopeful story that shows how, with friendship and the occasional little act of rebellion, there can still be laughter after tragedy.” This emphasizes the author’s observation on people’s belief of giving up because of their past experiences. Coupland incorporates his characters – Roger, Bethany, Steve and Gloria – within his book to illustrate that giving up in life has its consequences; ultimately, their lack of success makes them experience different opportunities while coping with their difficult past that impacts their future. As a result, their motivation to explore the world from a different view increases, causing ensuing changes towards their surrounding lifestyle.
Works Cited
Coupland, Douglas. The Gum Thief. Toronto: Random House Canada, 2007. Print.
The Changeable nature of life affects us all somehow. Whether it be moving to a new city, having children, or losing people that we love, it can affect people in many different ways. For example, in the novel, the main character Taylor Greer changes her name from Marietta and moves...
“Frank Sinatra’s Gum”, a memoir by Kelly Simon, tells the story of searching for herself against the peer pressure at the junior high age. Self-identification and individuality is dramatized prior, during, and after Simon meets the famous Frank Sinatra. As society is trying to shape her life, she is fighting back by keeping her mind open to gain her locus of identity.
Dugard, Jaycee. A Stolen Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2011. ix - 268. Print.
The theme of this novel is to look at the good you do in life and how it carries over after your death. The moral of the book is; "People can make changes in their lives whenever they really want to, even right up to the end."
The lives we lead and the type of character we possess are said to be individual decisions. Yet from early stages in our life, our character is shaped by the values, customs and mindsets of those who surround us. The characteristics of this environment affect the way we think and behave ultimately shaping us into a product of the environment we are raised in. Lily Bart, the protagonist in Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth, is an exceedingly beautiful bachelorette who grows up accustomed to living a life of luxury amongst New York City’s upper-class in the 20th century. When her family goes bankrupt, Lily is left searching for security and stability, both of which, she is taught can be only be attained through a wealthy marriage. Although, Lily is ashamed of her society’s tendencies, she is afraid that the values taught in her upbringing shaped her into “an organism so helpless outside of its narrow range” (Wharton 423). For Lily, it comes down to a choice between two antagonistic forces: the life she desires with a happiness, freedom and love and the life she was cut out to live with wealth, prestige and power. Although, Lily’s upbringing conditioned her to desire wealth and prestige, Lily’s more significant desires happiness, freedom and love ultimately allow her to break free.
Love, one of the biggest aspects of human nature, affects everyone in different ways. In the novel by Stephen Chbosky, “the Perks of Being a Wallflower,” the main character Charlie, negatively affected by his loving relationship with his aunt Helen, develops many social issues. The novel, a coming of age story about overcoming many obstacles as a teenager, follows the main character, Charlie, and the challenges he faces. Throughout the story, Charlie struggles with the loss of his beloved aunt. When he begins High school, he has a harder time than the typical teenager for many reasons. His close relationship with his beloved aunt is the source of his companionship issues, depression, and insecurities.
“‘A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is… I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick,” (Steinbeck 73). In this statement, Crooks, a character in John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, divulges what effect loneliness can have on a human being. In the novel, the two main characters escape to a ranch where they must face the conflict that seems to follow them. Set in the 1930s during the Great Depression, Steinbeck brilliantly portrays the loneliness and suspicion that was common during the time. Much like in everyday life, we can see the way in which loneliness drives people to become isolated, crave companionship, and refuse to express emotion.
This book teaches the importance of self-expression and independence. If we did not have these necessities, then life would be like those in this novel. Empty, redundant, and fearful of what is going on. The quotes above show how different life can be without our basic freedoms. This novel was very interesting and it shows, no matter how dismal a situation is, there is always a way out if you never give up, even if you have to do it alone.
These are not the only objects of importance the narrator stores in his beloved briefcase, but they are the most encompassing of his story. In the novel’s final chapter, when the narrator is trapped in the dark sewer and must burn the papers from his briefcase to see his way, everything goes. First his high school diploma, then the Sambo doll, followed by a threatening anonymous note. Everything he burns from the briefcase—the “important papers” the superintendent spoke of in Chapter one—is a symbol of the narrator’s plight as the forces pulling his strings run him around.
Hope has the incredible ability to make or break someone. People are always told to make large goals in school and employment, and try to reach those ambitions no matter how far they are. Hope is the motivation behind accomplishing dreams, but it also has the ability to break people who have hoped for something so desperately, yet never came to fruition. Only determination and personal situations can persuade hope to fly or fall. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly highlights this ambiguous hope we depend on through the use of symbolism, characterization, and inner conflict.
Theme: Situations and surroundings can shatter the innocence of friendship, but more the identity of the individuals.
Miriam Toews’ A Complicated Kindness and J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye are two novels in which characters reflect on their attitudes and experiences as a source of emotional growth and maturity. Salinger and Toews show the importance of this reflection through the evolution of their characters’ – Holden Caulfield and Nomi Nickel – similar attitudes towards their schools, communities, and lives. Though Nomi and Holden both do poorly in school for various reasons, Nomi overcomes her obstacles by working to identify the source of them. Both characters also resent their communities because of the hypocrisy found within them. However, Nomi manages to find good within the East Village through self-reflection, while Holden completely severs his ties to his community. Nomi and Holden also possess similar outlooks on life. The evolution of these attitudes and the hope present for both characters at the end of their novels prove that true growth can be achieved only through rumination. Nomi changes her outlooks and learns from her experiences in A Complicated Kindness because she reflects upon them. Holden on the other hand, tries to escape his problems throughout the course of The Catcher in the Rye and as a result loses the valuable opportunities they present for personal growth. Through the evolution of Nomi and Holden over the course of A Complicated Kindness and The Catcher in the Rye, both Salinger and Toews demonstrate that it is only through introspection that people are able to mature and experience emotional growth.
Hinton’s novel “The Outsiders”, demonstrates how having both internal and external expectations impact the way you live and how you act on a day-to-day basis. In the text, the Socs and Greasers are put into roles with specific limitations, which impacted their lives accordingly. These standards for each group come from ideas relating to maintaining reputations. This could range from being the poor kids with turbulent, misfortunate lives to the wealthy kids who got to live a life of opportunity. In summation, the Greasers and the Socs dealt with conflicts that were related to living up to the expectations placed on them by the society they lived in and what they anticipated from
When you are born people are there to take care of you, love you, and guide you through life. As you grow up and life changes, you must take charge of your own life and not become so dependent on others. Throughout the course of life a person will encounter many changes, whether good or bad. In 'A&P';, 'The Secret Lion';, and 'A Rose for Emily';, the main characters in the stories are Sammy, the boys, and Miss Emily who face changes during their lives. All of these characters are in need of change. Because of their need for change, their lives will become much better. They are filled with wonder and awe about the world around them. No matter what type of person, everyone will encounter changes. It is part of the natural process. A person is encouraged to make these changes for the good. Sammy, the boys, and Miss Emily all encounter changes in their lives that fulfill their need to become something different.
Relationships are a vital component in one's everyday life. Moreover, in Bay Leaves and Cinnamon Sticks by Thelma B. Thomas, Millie, the main character in the book, has faced multiple obstacles dealing with relationships. Thelma uses a unique method of combining relationships with three different appeal schemes, Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. In fact, there are three major types of connections recycled throughout the book; which include, Romantic relationships, friendships, and family relationships. Furthermore, her relationships have steered her life in different directions since she was nine years old, and without them she definitely would not be the hardworking, determined, selfless woman she is today.