The Comparison of Sefton & Ben “Sefton, sitting on the stairs, felt useless and out of place.” (Evenson 2). This quote is referring to one of the main characters, Sefton, in the short story by Brian Evenson, “Anskan House”. Even though we don’t know much about Sefton and his character, we are still able to feel the emotions of Sefton and understand a little bit more about his personally. On a more direct note, as the story unfolds Sefton 's character becomes even more clear to the reader and the audience. This first quote indicates to us that Sefton seems to be an outcast, but what we can’t see are the main components to his life and his story. Ben, from the short story by Julia Elliott, “The Wilds”, is a very interested character and plays …show more content…
He was always making nasty remarks to his friends.” (Elliot 149). To me this is not a shocker at all! Since I had already introduced Cyclops and the everything that he had quoted from and about Ben, it only makes sense to infer that Ben acts this way everywhere that he goes. Therefore, it is definitely plausible to say that Ben’s personality isn’t the kindest. Sefton on the other hand showed a more caring personality by visiting his dad: “He and his father had spoken during his daily visits, his father in good spirits despite everything, but whatever they had said to one another had dropped out of Sefton’s head immediately.” (Evenson 1). By visiting his dad only a daily basis it shows his love that he has for his dad, whether or not he intimately listens or not. I believe it is the act that counts, and if Ben had the choice to visit his dad I am about seventy-five percent sure that Ben wouldn’t based on his persona. This allows us as readers to notice the differences in personality. While Sefton shows a more sympathetic and kind personality, Ben shows a more nasty and mean personality. However, this is only one of the few differences in character in the two very divergent short …show more content…
This characteristic shows that Ben might fill the need to be someone that is in control or that aspires to dominate culture. In “Anskan House”, Sefton thought about going home but he was brave enough to step upon the porch of the Anskan House. Fear didn’t take over Sefton; “He thought about leaving, about turning around and going home. But instead he stepped onto the porch. The porch’s floor was springy, the nails working loose in spots, their rusty heads up and exposed.” (Evenson 3). Even though these are not very similar types of bravery, I believe it is safe to say both Sefton and Ben desire to be fearless because of their differences in courageous
“Winter lies too long in country towns; hangs on until it is stale and shabby, old and sullen” (“Brainy Quotes” 1). In Edith Wharton’s framed novel, Ethan Frome, the main protagonist encounters “lost opportunity, failed romance, and disappointed dreams” with a regretful ending (Lilburn 1). Ethan Frome lives in the isolated fictional town of Starkfield, Massachusetts with his irritable spouse, Zenobia Frome. Ever since marriage, Zenobia, also referred to as Zeena, revolves around her illness. Furthermore, she is prone to silence, rage, and querulously shouting.
She then moves on to describe each of the characters, and in doing so, their surroundings and how they fit in: "He was cold and wet, and the best part of the day had been used up anyway. He wiped his hands on the grass and let the pinto horse take him toward home. There was little enough comfort there. The house crouched dumb and blind on the high bench in the rain. Jack's horse stood droop-necked and dismal inside the strand of rope fence, but there wasn't any smoke coming from the damned stove (28)."
Many people oppose society due to the surroundings that they face and the obstacles that they encounter. Set in the bleak winter landscape of New England, Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is the story of a poor, lonely man, his wife Zeena, and her cousin Mattie Silver. Ethan the protagonist in this novel, faces many challenges and fights to be with the one he really loves. Frome was trapped from the beginning ever since Mattie Silver came to live with him and his wife. He soon came to fall in love with her, and out of love with his own wife. He was basically trapped in the instances of his life, society’s affect on the relationship, love, poverty, illness, disability, and life.
A pattern emerges in the four stories, where society’s wariness of the outsider, whether warranted or unwarranted, triggers the rise and fall of the newcomer. The differences that each outsider possesses due to his or her own culture and upbringing, though varying from character to character, mark the source of the clash between the outsider and the community which he or she tries to enter. In “The Blue Hotel,” the Swede separates himself from the group both physically and verbally. His aloofness forces the other characters, who have already familiarized themselves with the small hotel in Nebraska, to suspect that he is dangerous. Their suspicions are indeed warranted, as demonstrated during the first card game of High-Five between Johnnie and the farmer. “The cowboy and the Easterner [watch] the game with interest, while the Swede remain[s] near the window, aloof” (39), displaying immediately that he has no intention of conforming to this society’s rules. After physically withdrawing from the others, the Swede does so verbally shortly after, stating that “th...
A person’s home is a good representation of himself or herself. The way one takes care of their home can tell a story about the owner of the home and its residence. The members of the home may also affect the situations that take place, creating good or bad circumstances. In a story, a character's home does just that. The more or less elaborate it is explained, the more detail is presented about how the character is or will be. In “The House of Usher” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”, the elaborate descriptions of the characters and their homes set the story and can predict the outcome. A writer’s home and view of life may have a profound impact on their idea of home and therefore their writing that is produced.
Oftentimes, in the public, people have to be “normal” to be successful and accepted. Author William Saroyan believes that society steers people to be conform and fit in, but he disagrees. In the short story “Gaston,” Saroyan shows that carving a unique path can turn out to be erroneous. Through symbolism and contrast, Saroyan conveys the theme that society does not always accept people’s differences.
characters felt the need to settle down in life and both saw the image of
Ben, the main character of the novel Taronga, is a representation of a hero which reinforces my attitudes regarding this group, yet challenges the stereotypical or society's attitudes. Ben is constructed as being quiet and submissive, such as the fact that he stayed for a long time and put up with Greg using him for his telepathic gift, before finally coming into his own and running away. This is another example of Ben's submissiveness - he chose to sneak away from Greg quietly in the dead of the night, instead of a fight or a loud confrontation. He is also a humanitarian, as he cares for other animals, even when killing them. This reinforces my attitudes and views on heroes, as I believe that most true heroes are quiet, usually introverted, and do things to make the community better - often without receiving the recognition they deserve. The extroverted heroes, such as Superman, is what society expects, and because of this they often overlook the real heroes. On the other hand, Ben is not a passive character. He takes control of situations, such as when he arranges a meeting with Chas and tells him his plan (which was all untrue) which was the only way that he, Ellie and the animals would be able to escape from Taronga Zoo. I believe that that is how a true hero would react - he would think over the situation carefully, come up with the best solution, and act on it. Society is always hoping for the more exciting hero, the one who would go out and beat up the villains and rescue the helpless girl. To look at Ben's appearance, he is around 14, small, wears old, ragged clothes and has bare feet.
Just as nobody wants to be criticized and underestimated, so does Quoyle. While his family considers him as a root of failures and doesn’t give enough love to him, Quoyle also thinks about himself that he is not part of his family and wants to leave for somewhere. He is always despondent and not confident about his family, his appearance, and his life. However, through the picture, he finds out that he has something in common with his father. The author uses various dictions, imagery, and figurative language in order to vividly illustrate how Quoyle feels about himself and his family.
All in all, through the use of the characters in Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck is able to highlight how isolation that is forced on individuals by society ultimately leads to one’s suffering. The overall message of the novel is that no single individual should be mistreated because of a mental issue, his or her race, his or her gender, or the fact that one may have a physical injury. It is everyone’s human right to be treated equally and respectfully. No one should ever feel alienated from his or her surroundings. Loneliness is something that no one can avoid. As the story comes to an end, the story brings to light different causes of isolation, particularly discrimination and preconceptions.
In Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men he discusses Dreams, loneliness, and strength. Steinbeck’s main characters George, who is classified as a mister know it all so to speak and Lennie, a mentally ill man with the mind of a five year old, have a dream of owning land of their own some day. Curley’s wife, a sly indecisive she devil, had a dream of becoming a movie star and came close, but the talent scout who claimed to be her ticket to Hollywood never called her back. Crooks , the only black character in the whole book, in a sense is lonely. In this book Crooks is left out and separated from everyone. He is not allowed in the white stable-hand cabin. In the beginning of the book George describes that the life of a stable-hand is a lonely life. Then he also describes that he and Lennie is an exception because they have each other. Curley, who is the bosses son, is used as the tough guy that bosses everyone around. It is either his way or no way. He uses this power to manipulate some of the other characters in this book of irregular events.
Ben is one of the main characters in the movie. It all started with the class going to a
Two of the main characters, Jack and Algernon, strive to be "Ernest" and "Earnest" in the play, yet they both deceive others to escape lives which they grow tired of. They both hope to marry the girls that they love, yet they are starting the relationship based on false pretence and lies. It is ironic that they both call themselves "Ernest," a name that suggests honesty and sincerity, yet they both create stories to escape something or the other. Jack creates a brother called "Ernest" in the city that he uses as a scape goat' to leave his prim and proper, respectable country life, whereas Algernon creates a friend by the name of "Bunbury" to escape his aunt's high class society parties. He shows his lack of interest in such social events when he tells Jack.
Literary elements are demonstrated throughout the story and further improve our understanding of the central idea. The setting is important to the central idea because it shows the reader the type of society being described in the story. The language is also important to the central idea because it contains metaphors which further prove that the people are afraid of going against tradition because they are scared of being the target of violence. The conflict contributes to the central idea as well, because there are many examples of the society going against character, Mrs. Hutchinson, for not respecting the traditions put in place. The central idea is important to our understanding of the story because it sums up the main objective and furthers our
that this old man didn’t stand well in society due to the characterization. The comprehension of