The two short stories "Saturday Climbing by W.D. Valgardson and "Mirror image” by Lena Coakley explore the emotional everyday problems of the characters who struggle to get along with their families. Both stories are comparative with the theme of family issues, character development and pride. They differ in context to the situation they all are in. Regardless, the author shows that throughout of the process of their struggle all the characters gain pride, grow as individuals, and closer together as family members. People by nature do not like to look weak or unable in front of people due to pride, but this sense can also create problems as people will push themselves beyond their means to avoid humiliation. In “Saturday Climbing” when Barry, father of Moira is petrified of continuing climbing the cliff he had signed them up for although he does not want his daughter to know, “Unable to go back because of his pride.”(author,Page#) Once he finally reaches a point where he feels comfortable Moira asks him, ““Are you alright?” his daughter called. “Yeah,” he lied. “Just resting.” (Author,Page) Barry is so prideful he’s actually happy Moira couldn’t see him struggling, “He was glad she could not see his momentary weakness.”(Author,Page). Correspondingly in “Mirror Image” when Alice, who happens to be the first surviving recipient of a brain transplant meets Mr. Jarred, the father of the girl whose body was donated for the transplant for the first time. Prior to this encounter Alice suffered from identity issues while getting used her new body as she didn’t feel like the “old” Alice, and people told her likewise. Mr. Jarred tells her "[she] looks so different” (Coakley, 18). Alice feels proud of the fact that she is the same Alice ... ... middle of paper ... ...your body before the accident. That makes a lot of sense.” In “Sunday Climbling” Barry, the father, arranges the rock-climbing trip after noticing an advertisement for rock climbing. However the media does not affect any characters in this story directly. The media has been given a lot of importance in these stories and it has an impact on characters and their lives. The two short stories show the main themes of pride, family values and media power and their effect on characters. The characters go through different kind of experiences in their contextual situations and through the process they mature and grow. In the end each author tries to convey that the different situations we all go through in life whether good or bad helps us to grow and mature as individuals and as family members. Therefore one must learn to deal with and accept the changes in one’s life. 2
Both works demonstrates how individual conflict with the Society expectation of a happy life. In the end, The individual must find freedom and personal happiness above the expectation of society. The individual person must do what is best for them and not what society expects them to
The stories “I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Olsen and “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, are different in many ways, but are also similar. “I Stand Here Ironing” and “Everyday Use” both focus on the relationships of the mother and daughter, and on the sibling’s relationships with each other. Emily from “I Stand Here Ironing” and Maggie from “Everyday Use” have different relationships with their mothers, but have similar relationships with their sisters. Although the stories are similar in that Emily and Maggie are both distant from their sisters, they differ in that the mother is distant from Emily in “I Stand Here Ironing,” while the mother is close to Maggie in “Everyday Use.”
All in all, courage and bravery is an important aspect in life that every human needs to get through hardships. In order to support my theme, “courage and bravery must be gained in order to grow”; I used three literary elements, imagery, tone and motif to prove that courage and bravery must be gained no matter how young or old you are. In our world today, people must have these aspects in order to go further in life, such as taking on new opportunities, especially as high school students. No matter how hard things get in life we must continue to grow and learn by building courage and
works of literature have tremendous amounts of similarity especially in the characters. Each character is usually unique and symbolizes the quality of a person in the real world. But in both stories, each character was alike, they represented honor, loyalty, chivalry, strength and wisdom. Each character is faced with a difficult decision as well as a journey in which they have to determine how to save their own lives. Both these pieces of literatures are exquisite and extremely interesting in their own ways.
The setting of these two stories emphasize, on visually showing us how the main characters are based around trying to find freedom despite the physical, mental and emotional effects of living in confinement. While on the other hand, dealing with Psychology’s ugly present day behavior showing dystopia of societies views of women during the time period they lived.
Even though pride can be a good thing at times, it is hurtful, it is an emotion that can make or break someone.
“A Wall of Fire Rising”, short story written by Edwidge Danticat, presents one man’s desire for the freedom and also, the gap between reality and fantasy which is created by the desire. Two different perspectives of evaluating the life bring the conflict between the Guy and Lili who are parents to the little guy. Throughout the story, the Guy implies that he wants to do something that people will remind of him, but Lili who is opposing to the Guy, tries to settle the Guy down and keep up with the normal life that they are belong to. The Guy is aggressive, adventurous and reckless while Lili is realistic and responsible. The wall of fire is the metaphorical expression of the boundary where divides two different types of people. One is for the people who accept their position and try to do the best out of it, and the other for the people who are not satisfied with the circumstances and desires to turn the table. Through this essay, I am going to reveal how the contradiction in an unwise idealist’s attitude and his speech, and also how it drove the whole family into a horrible tragedy as well.
In a modern society where good deeds and integrity are taken for granted, it is necessary for people to stand up for what is right. The short story “A & P”, written by John Updike, tells the story of Sammy and how he takes a stand for what he believes is right, only he is not given the gratitude he deserved. “Everyday Use”, written by Alice Walker, is another short story that shows how substantial it is to stand firm for one’s convictions and beliefs, especially in familial matters. Mama, the protagonist in “Everyday Use”, must make the decision of protecting her self-conscious daughter Maggie, or giving in to Dee, her other egocentric daughter who has forgotten the traditional values of their family. These two short stories indicate the importance of protecting people from the harshness of reality because not everyone is secure or aware enough to be able to stand up for themselves.
The author uses imagery, contrasting diction, tones, and symbols in the poem to show two very different sides of the parent-child relationship. The poem’s theme is that even though parents and teenagers may have their disagreements, there is still an underlying love that binds the family together and helps them bridge their gap that is between them.
The family's personal encounters with the destructive nature of the traditional family have forced them to think in modern ways so they will not follow the same destructive path that they've seen so many before them get lost on. In this new age struggle for happiness within the Kao family a cultural barrier is constructed between the modern youth and the traditional adults with Chueh-hsin teeter tottering on the edge, lost between them both. While the traditional family seems to be cracking and falling apart much like an iceberg in warm ocean waters, the bond between Chueh-min, Chueh-hui, Chin and their friends becomes as strong as the ocean itself.
“At one time looking at her was like looking at a mirror” (pg.2) This simile shows how insecure Alice is with herself and finds comfort looking at her sister remembering that they used to look identical. She finds Jenny’s body more familiar than her own. The mirror symbolizes the way she interacts with everyone throughout the course of the story for the way she views herself. She can 't come to a conclusion of who she is on her own so she looks to others to tell her, until she finds Mr. Jarred. He reassures her self doubts and she evolves with satisfaction and
In conclusion, co-dependency and rivalry is very common in the world today. Though it is not a big issue out in the open, it is an emotional attachment that only one can define. In this short story the two main aspects of having siblings is the theme which revolves around codependency and rivalry. Having siblings is a part of everyday life and problems do occur which sometimes makes a person, or changes a person in ways. In this situation, Pete and Donald are completely different people but they are in fact very dependent upon one another.
In the essay, “Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self,” Alice Walker writes about how she lost her eyesight in one eye due to a childhood accident. Alice communicates to the reader how, when losing an eye, she cared much less about the loss of her eyesight and more about how she appeared to others. In the story, Alice recalls different points where the accident affected her life. To her, the loss of her eye was not just a physical impediment, but a mental one as well. Once she had a surgery to remove the “glob of whitish scar tissue,” she felt like a new person, even though she still could not see. Alice says, “Now that I’ve raised my head,” and can stop holding herself back from being the greatest she can be. Just as Alice is affected by
...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.
The struggles both characters face demonstrate character development and contribute to the themes of the stories. Both short stories prove to be literally effective in that they disclose the main themes at the outset of each story. Although the themes may alter over the course of the stories, they are clearly defined in their respective introductions.