The Comparison of Paternalism In "The Bean Trees" and Animal Dreams

1326 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The idea of paternalism

Imagine one is in a situation of being mentally ill, completely dependent on people to take care of them and making decisions on behalf of them. This is a very common situation in our world to keep people safe. This practice is called paternalism. Merriam- Webster defines Paternalism as “the policy or practice on the part of people in positions of authority of restricting the freedom and responsibilities of those subordinate to them in the subordinates' supposed best interest”. Many individuals simply define it as the lack of control one has. An example would be a doctor treating a patient in a father/son way to tell them how they will be treated and ignore their wishes and ability to decide for themselves. In some cases it has to be done for individuals that are older or mentally ill who can’t make proper decisions for themselves. Nowadays, it’s not a very popular way to treat people because of many wanting a second opinion and people being more knowledgeable on illnesses from the internet, health journals, etc. In Kingsolver’s novels The Bean Trees and Animal Dreams, there are characters that show characteristics of paternalism because of everyone’s inability to be civil individuals. Arrogance is shown towards an individual’s community, neglect is shown from The United States government towards indigenous people, and abuse is prevalent in a family setting.
An arrogant character in Kingsolver’s Animal Dreams is Doc Homer, who lives in Grace, Arizona. After marrying his second cousin, Athena, he is sent to fight in World War II. Doc also decides to go to medical school while stationed in Illinois. While trying to erase his past as a white trash individual, Doc decides to publish a study in the American Journal of Genetics on ...

... middle of paper ...

...ic features; it would be interesting to see where these negative emotions stem from. Her bibliography states no history of ever being betrayed by her own small town community in Kentucky, she was never discriminated by the American government, nor has someone abused her. The following quote could lead one to believe Kingsolver could have many dark secrets and writing is her outlet to share them or to heal. “Write about what you know and care deeply about. When one puts one’s self on paper — that is what is called good writing.”- Joel Chandler Harris

Works Cited

Kingsolver, Barbara. The Bean Trees: Novel. New York: Harper & Row, 1988. Print
Kingsolver, Barbara. Animal Dreams: Novel. New York: Harper & Row, 1990. Print
Merriam-Webster. "Paternalism." Merriam-Webster. Britannica Company, 2014. Web. 29 May 2014. .

Show More
Related

  • An Analysis Of Bebe Moore Campbell's 72 Hour

    1905 Words  | 4 Pages

    An example of a real life situation that constitutes this idea is one mother’s recount of her son’s illness, “Her son would no longer come out of his trailer home to get food to make a meal. So, she became a delivery service. She brought food to the trailer, left it outside and hoped her son would open the door and take the food”(“Impact of Mental Illness on Families”). In this example, a mother describes when the situation with her son became so severe that he would no longer leave his house even for necessities. To the point of his mother becoming his so called “slave” and delivering groceries to his house. Even though he would not acknowledge her due to the amount of fear his illness created. Through this instance in which a mother becomes a delivery service to her son’s illness shows this slave like impression on

    Read More

  • Terrence Ackerman Autonomy

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    (Ackerman 17)” However, this framework does have its limitations. The legal model does not recognize “the impact of illness upon autonomous behavior, it impair the ability of patients to engage in contractual therapeutic relationships.(Ackerman 17)”

    Read More

  • Comparing the Messages of Animal Dreams and The Bean Trees

    2329 Words  | 5 Pages

    Perhaps The Poisonwood Bible is Barbara Kingsolver's best work. It was while reading this book (which centers around The Congo and what the western world has done to this country) that I began to make the connection that all of Kingsolver's books contain a political and social message. She uses her stance as an author to illuminate her readers to situations and issues that she feels are important. Kingsolver's voice can be heard in Animal Dreams when the main character, Codi talks about what happened to her sister, Hallie in Nicaragua, and how unaware Americans were to what was happening in that country. "It made the news in Tucson, at least for a day. You just forgot. That's the great American disease, we forget. We watch the disasters parade by on TV, and every time we say: 'Forget it. This is someone else's problem" (Animal Dreams 316).

    Read More

  • One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    “ Please understand: We do not impose certain rules and restrictions on you with out a great deal of thought about their therapeutic value. A good many of you are in here because you could not adjust to the rules of society in the Outside World, because you refused to face up to them, because you tried to circumvent them and avoid them. At some time – perhaps in your childhood – you may have been allowed to get away with flouting the rules of society. When you broke a rule you knew it. You wanted to be dealt with, needed it, but the punishment did not come. That foolish lenience on the part of your parents may have been the germ that grew in to your present illness. I tell you this hoping you will understand that it is entirely for your own good that we enforce discipline and order.” (Kesey 188).

    Read More

  • The Treatment and Lives of the Mentally Handicapped During the Great Depression

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The Great Depression was a worldwide economic slump of the 1930’s” (Fetzer; p.338). The Great Depression caused a catastrophic amount of grief and distress for the citizens of the United States. Some of these citizens, however, faced more problems which caused grief and distress than others. Among those citizens were the mentally ill. During the era of the Great Depression, the mentally handicapped were treated unfairly in almost every aspect of their lives; this included how society treated them, how they were treated medically, and even how their personal lives were affected.

    Read More

  • Summarizing Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama, the author is troubled by a band of mixed emotions. Confusion and desperateness lead the author to go in search of the future that will help him find his place in life.

    Read More

  • Guns and Mental Illnesses Don't Mix

    1110 Words  | 3 Pages

    Parker, Laura. "The Right to Be Mentally Ill: Families Lobby to Force Care." USA TODAY. Feb. 12 2001: 1A+. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 11 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • Psychiatric Advance Directives versus Recipient Rights

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    When a patient enters the hospital, he or she expects the health care professionals to treat him or her with respect and fairness. The hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare settings should deserve and be reputed with a strong set of ethical principles and respect in the face of the law. To John, a 35 year old schizophrenic who is experiencing a crisis situation, his mental health depends greatly on his health care team. He wrote an advance directive that states which medications he would prefer to receive and that he wants his parents to be involved in his care, but he currently exhibits paranoia against his parents. John’s health care team must decide on what course of action to take. The purpose of this paper is to examine the legal and ethical aspects of John’s advance directive and his recipient rights.

    Read More

  • Exploring the Intricacies of Theatre: A Discourse Community

    1877 Words  | 4 Pages

    They summarize the term as “the action of one person interfering with another person's actions or thoughts to help him”. They describe the one doing the interfering as the “Paternalist” and whom break the moral rules of independency because they restrict the other person’s-who may be the reader, bystander or audience-freedom without their consent. Geisler and Penrose state that this act is called Paternalism because the one who is doing the restricting does it in a “fatherly, benevolent way, that assumes that the person being restrained will appreciate the action later”. Paternalism can be effective not only in reading and writing, but I think a great part of acting and theatre is Paternalism. Theatre can influence the way someone sees and perceives something. In literature, the writer is almost always a form of a paternalist. Whether they are consciously aware of it, there is a reason and motivation behind whatever is being written. It may or may not intentionally be a persuasive piece, but there is a point that the writer is trying to convey and they are trying to influence the thoughts of the reader. This can effortlessly be translated into theatre, with direct intentions and

    Read More

  • Social Values In The Bridgewater State Hospital

    853 Words  | 2 Pages

    As time goes on, the law has put more emphasis on facility just like Bridgewater State Hospital in which many of the actions of the facility workers can face legal consequences such as facing prison time, fines, lawsuits, and etc. Society has a better understanding of why certain people act the way that they do and being more knowledgeable about psychology and mental diseases allows us to have a different approach when dealing with these topics or these individuals. In today’s era, there are many normal individuals who are willing to stand up for those who do not have a voice of their own. I believe that this change in one’s ability to stand up for another individual or group of individuals is what brought about change to the medical environment of those who are mentally

    Read More

  • Dehumanization of the Mentally Ill

    1558 Words  | 4 Pages

    Social justice has influence change in policies for the mentally ill. Opening the doors for political reform. Throughout history, the treatment of the mentally ill has taken many shapes. Influence by the time periods core values and ideas of social justice. Before the colonization, society did not see the mentally ill as human beings. This ideology was Influence by religion that considered them to be evil or demons. Especially during the Black Death when people were only looking for escape goats. Day, & Schiele, (2013) This would only make things worse for mentally disabled. Rendering them defenseless and at the will of society. Their disabling conditions would prevent them from self-advocacy. They would have to depend on family members to advocate; and demand social justice for them. The overwhelming societal norms influence by religion and fueled by fear punishment appeared to be the only solution.

    Read More

  • Rake’s Progress: Bedlam in Bethlam

    960 Words  | 2 Pages

    The human brain is a vast, unexplainable, and unpredictable organ. This is the way that many modern physicians view the mind. Imagine what physicians three hundred years ago understood about the way their patients thought. The treatment of the mentally ill in the eighteenth century was appalling. The understanding of mental illness was very small, but the animalistic treatment of patients was disgusting. William Hogarth depicts Bethlam, the largest mental illness hospital in Britain, in his 1733 painting The Madhouse1. The public’s view of mental illness was very poor and many people underestimated how mentally ill some patients were. The public and the doctors’ view on insanity was changing constantly, making it difficult to treat those who were hospitalized2. “Madhouses” became a dumping ground for people in society that could not be handled by the criminal justice system. People who refused to work, single mothers, and children who refused to follow orders were being sent to mental illness hospitals3. A lack of understanding was the main reason for the ineptness of the health system to deal with the mentally ill, but the treatment of the patients was cruel and inhumane. The British’s handling of mentally ill patients was in disarray.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Dementia

    1172 Words  | 3 Pages

    In most facilities an initiative lifestyle has been organized to give people with dementia a voice in how and where they are cared for (White). This is how things should be everywhere in the world when it comes to people with dementia. People affected by this disease don’t need people to tell them what to do or make decisions for them, they need the freedom to do it themselves so they don’t give up. Although incapacity is common, many persons with dementia are capable of making their own medical and research decisions (Kim, Karlawish, and Caine). At the early stages of dementia, a will needs to be made so medical wishes can be granted. When people are given the freedom of choice, they are much happier, they live longer, and they have a better attitude about the disease they are suffering from. Individuals that get dementia did not get it by choice, but they live through it day by day with strength and the ability to live

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Alan Goldman's The Refutation Of Medical Paternalism

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    Paternalism, Goldman says, is never to obstruct an individual’s deeper long-range preference. He starts off with a scenario in which an individual who wants to go to New York is about to accidentally get on board a train going to Boston. A good Samaritan, who we may assume is aware of the individual’s intentions of going to New York, pushes that individual off the train, displaying a form of paternalism. In Goldman’s terms, this scenario depicts justified paternalism because it only sacrificed the individual’s immediate autonomy in order to preserve his deeper long-range preference. In this situation the individual only acted the way he did (board the train to Boston) due to ignorance. His intentions were always the same as his long-term preference, of going to New York. But Controversy arises when an individual’s immediate preferences don’t match up with his or her long-term preferences. In one circumstance, the individ...

    Read More

  • Free Essays: The Setting of Animal Farm

    473 Words  | 1 Pages

    Animal Farm, a novel by George Orwell, was a story of courage and corrupt government.  It was set on a farm in England.  This setting is very important to the story itself and the characters in it.  It made the plot a lot more interesting and influenced all the characters.

    Read More

More about The Comparison of Paternalism In "The Bean Trees" and Animal Dreams

Open Document