In the article “The Name Is Mine” by Anna Quindlen, she explains her story about her name, why she chose to keep it, and why it has such meaning to her. As a result of keeping her maiden name, there were many positive and negative aspects that went along with it. Along with keeping her name, she believed there were quite a lot of positives to her decision. She felt that she was able to keep her identity and self-pride, and she began to love her “ugly dog” of a name that she had grown up with. It had become to have much more meaning to her than just a simple noun. It felt so special to her, because it belonged to her; and only her. In her perspective, changing her name made it feel like she was adopted by her husband, not married to him. Changing her last name to fit her husbands also made her feel as if she was going to be “hidden beneath the umbrella of his identity” Along with losing her independence as a person all together. She states in her article: “My name meant something quite special to me, had seemed form-fitting as my skin, …show more content…
She did not mind that people in general would question the fact that she didn’t take her husbands name, but the fact that her children began asking for explanations of why her last name differed from theirs and their fathers bothered her. For this reason, it made her feel quite uneasy about not thinking her decision through. She felt like her son was trying to make sure that she was one of them, which she was, but yet she was not at the same time. She states “ When I made this decision, I was part of a couple. Now, there are two me’s, the me who is the individual and the me who is part of a family of four, a family member of four in which, in a small way, I am left out.” She also mentions that it never occurred to her that when she decided not to stand underneath her husbands umbrella, that she would be the only one left
Mariah Snow wrote, “We lose our names as we lose our youth, our beauty and our lives” (163). This quote from Lee Smiths novel On Agate Hill says a lot about Mariah and her own life. She had always been treated like a ‘second citizen’, as most women were in that time period, being that men held the power of most relationships, as well as in society in general, Mariah felt as though she had been pushed around a lot but could not even speak up. When women get married, they give up their last name, almost symbolizing that their individuality is completely gone. In Mariah’s case, once she got married to Dr. Snow, she lost her name; once she had babies she lost her youth; and she did not feel beautiful anymore because life’s stresses were taking toll, and she really did not love herself much at all.
There are many reasons why people may feel self-conscious; in which, others may or may not, be able to relate to. “My Name’’ is the fourth chapter in The House on Mango Street and in this chapter, Esperanza and I share some similarities. Being named after a relative, born in the Chinese year of the horse, and a dislike in our own name are similarities we share in this chapter. [Esperanza] “In English my name means hope. In Spanish it means to many letters’’(10). Esperanza expresses a dislike in her name due to the length stating, that her name it is too long. When I was younger, I felt the same as my parents placed upon me three middle names at birth. I to felt my name was too long. I would feel embarrassed when my family would address me by my full name although, they would only do so if I was
...Having this shred of freedom in choosing who would be the father of her children was important to Linda Brent and she risked shaming her family to do it., and she had found some individual freedom in doing so.
Therefore, the idea of a woman changing her last name is truly up to her. Each women has a personal belief when it comes to last names. Some may change theirs and some may not be so willing. Filipovic may have been rather biased on the issue but she was able to provide reasonable understanding of why a change in a woman's last name can be so significant for some women in this era. There are many reasons to keep or change a last name but in the end it all boils down to a woman's belief on what she considers to be the factors of her
Armand Aubigny took pride in his family name to the point where it influenced his viewpoint towards his slaves. In the story it says “What did it matter about a name when he could give her one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana” (Chopin 1)? Typically in the South, the aristocratic family name meant everything in terms of identity, wealth, and power. Back in the antebellum period, segregation and slavery was accepted as it was deeply engraved in the Southern culture. To be a slave meant to be of the lowest in the social ladder as they were considered property, while the big plantation and slave owner...
From the first paragraph we are already given insight into the situation - Sally is living together with a man called Edward, who most certainly is her husband, and Sally is also taking care of his kids, whom they did not have together. From there on readers can guess that this probably is not Ed's first marriage and it is logical to think that Sally is aware of this fact. The reason of Ed's previous divorces remains unknown, even to Ed himself (or so we are told), Sally is bound not to let it happen again, she shall be his perfect wife and “the one” in his life. Internally, this frustrates Sally, who worries that Ed would one day realize she is not the “true bride”. “What if he wakes up one day and decides that she isn't the true bride after all, but the false one? Then she will be put into a barrel stuck full of nails and rolled downhill, endlessly, while he is sitting in yet another bridal bed, drinking champagne”(773). This passage not only fully reveals the frustration and worries of Sally but also her insecurity. Bounded by the thought of getting a divorce w...
Previously, the narrator has intimated, “She had all her life long been accustomed to harbor thoughts and emotions which never voiced themselves. They had never taken the form of struggles. They belonged to her and were her own.” Her thoughts and emotions engulf her, but she does not “struggle” with them. They “belonged to her and were her own.” She does not have to share them with anyone; conversely, she must share her life and her money with her husband and children and with the many social organizations and functions her role demands.
Looking back on the death of Larissa’s son, Zebedee Breeze, Lorraine examines Larissa’s response to the passing of her child. Lorraine says, “I never saw her cry that day or any other. She never mentioned her sons.” (Senior 311). This statement from Lorraine shows how even though Larissa was devastated by the news of her son’s passing, she had to keep going. Women in Larissa’s position did not have the luxury of stopping everything to grieve. While someone in Lorraine’s position could take time to grieve and recover from the loss of a loved one, Larissa was expected to keep working despite the grief she felt. One of the saddest things about Zebedee’s passing, was that Larissa had to leave him and was not able to stay with her family because she had to take care of other families. Not only did Larissa have the strength to move on and keep working after her son’s passing, Larissa and other women like her also had no choice but to leave their families in order to find a way to support them. As a child, Lorraine did not understand the strength Larissa must have had to leave her family to take care of someone else’s
June did not get married, but her mother was not upset at the fact, but it did cross her mind that she was because most of the other daughters were married and she was not. After her mother died it took a toll on her, for example, one scene when all the mothers and daughters were taking a photo June didn’t want to be a part of it but was asked to. But on the other hand, Waverly got married twice, the first marriage was to a Chinese man with whom she had a daughter with. Waverly stated that she wasn’t happy and the only reason she did it was to please her mother and she felt like she still wasn’t pleased. Waverly second marriage was to a white man named Rich, Waverly felt her mother would be disappointed with her, so it took her some time to break the news about them getting married. One day in the hair salon Suyuan finally admits to Waverly that she didn’t have a problem with Rich. June and Waverly both just wanted to please their mothers the best way they
“Choosing My Name” by Puanani Burgress is a poem that reflects Burgess idea of her identity and how it is related with her different names. Despite having three different names Chirstabella , Yoshie and Puanani, she particularly likes identifying herself as Puanani although it is not her “official name”. Strange as it sounds, I aslo have three different names: Basanta, Kancho, Xxxxxx. My third name Xxxxxx is my cultural name that I cannot disclose thus I have decided to write it Xxxxxx as it is made up of six letters. Xxxxxx is my favorite and preferred name because it connects me to my family, my culture and my land.
A name changing the identity of one is exactly what happened to Firoozeh “Julie” Dumas. Before her name change, Dumas was regarded as being one of those immigrants with a name no one wanted to learn. But after changing her ...
The narrator’s name is unknown through out the story, yet at the beginning the reader is given her husbands’ name (John), and the narrator’s identity through the novella is as John’s wife, who is dominated by John in their relationship. This effect created by Gillman masterfully establishes the lack of a female determined identity. He diagnoses her, and with the exception of her being tired and wanting to write, John continues to establish that her health is unwell. John is the dominant personality in the marriage he does not see her as an equal in their relationship. This is a wonderful tone and mood used to reflect the cultural norm at the time of Gillman's writing. She is not viewed as an equal, she is treated like and often referred to as being a child. When she decides that she likes a downstairs bedroom next to the nursery, John insists on her having the bedroom upstairs with the yellow wallpaper. The narrator/wife hates the color of the room and describes the color as “repellent, almost revolting” (432) When she asks for her husband to change the color, he decides to not give in to her wants, and the reader is informed that John, who knows best, does this for her benefit. It is reflective of a parent not wanting to give into their child's whims for fear the child will become spoiled and will expect to get everything they ask for. Though her husband belittles her, she still praises everything he does and sees everything he is doing for...
Her family life is depicted with contradictions of order and chaos, love and animosity, conventionality and avant-garde. Although the underlying story of her father’s dark secret was troubling, it lends itself to a better understanding of the family dynamics and what was normal for her family. The author doesn’t seem to suggest that her father’s behavior was acceptable or even tolerable. However, the ending of this excerpt leaves the reader with an undeniable sense that the author felt a connection to her father even if it wasn’t one that was desirable. This is best understood with her reaction to his suicide when she states, “But his absence resonated retroactively, echoing back through all the time I knew him. Maybe it was the converse of the way amputees feel pain in a missing limb.” (pg. 399)
... only suspicious about their relation as a husband and wife, but also the double-meaning of this wife’s name is the reason for losing his faith.
...ense of freedom. The grief of her husband’s death is gone. At this point, she is done and wants to press on to this new strong view of life after marriage.