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The impact of emotions on decision-making
Symbolism in a view from the bridge
Jealousy as an interpersonal process
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Everyday, one has to make thousands of choices about their actions. These actions have consequences. Throughout The Other Side Of The Bridge, by Mary Lawson, characters are constantly dealing with the consequences of their actions. This novel demonstrates that despite the impending consequences, emotions strongly dictate one’s actions. Emotions such as hatred between two individuals, significantly impacts one’s choices and causes one to not consider the repercussions. In addition to hatred, obsessing over another, causes one to make choices in spite of the consequences. Finally, jealousy, like hatred and obsession, causes one to make choices without considering the consequences. Many times during The Other Side Of The Bridge, characters …show more content…
An example of when characters let emotions dictate their actions without considering the consequences, was when one character felt hatred toward another. This was evident after Jake fell off the bridge when Arthur said, “Had he known that this time Jake wasn’t crying wolf? …. Maybe just for a moment, at the very heart of him, he had wanted Jake dead” (123). Arthur and Jake did not get along. At the best of times, they hated each other. Moments before Jake fell off the bridge, Arthur could have saved him. However, he did not save him. Arthur did not think of the consequences and let the hatred he felt towards Jake dictate his actions. Since Arthur did not think of the consequences, he has to live with a guilty conscience as he could have helped Jake. He is responsible for the limp Jake walks with. He is responsible for the hefty medical bills. He is responsible for all the pain and suffering. Despite the consequences, Arthur let the emotion of hate control his actions. Another example of when hate dictated one’s actions was when Arthur was in a fight with Jake …show more content…
This was demonstrated when, Ian saw Jake and Laura kissing, “He went directly back ... He did not debate … the possible consequences” (339), as Ian went to tell Arthur what happened. Ian was obsessed with Laura and this obsession caused him to make a decision without considering the consequences. Arthur and Jake hate each other and after hearing about Jake and Laura this sent Arthur over the edge. The death of Carter was a result of Ian’s obsession with Laura because he did not want anyone else to be with her. Ian did not consider the consequences of his choice because of his obsession with Laura. Furthermore, the power of obsession was exhibited when Arthur said, “Right then …. He saw the whole thing, right then” (263), when Jake found out that Arthur liked Laura and Jake decided to go after her too. Jake had an obsession with proving that he was better than his brother. Jake’s obsession caused him to get Laura pregnant and then he ran away. This obsession with proving he was better caused the brothers relationship to significantly deteriorate over time. If only Jake had thought about the consequences of his actions, but instead he let obession control his actions. In both Ian and Jake’s situations they let obsession dictate their choices without considering the
There are many unpredictable and ungovernable accidents, coincidences, and chances that drive the universe and can ultimately affect the events of a person’s life. One of the main concepts surrounding David Guterson’s novel, Snow Falling on Cedars, is the power of free will vs. fate. The last sentence of the novel: “accident ruled every corner of the universe except the chambers of the human heart” explains the lack of control that humans have on the forces surrounding them compared to the control they have over their actions or decisions and the impact that it has. Snow Falling on Cedars looks closely at the effect free will and fate has through the murder trial that occurs post World War II in the story where a Japanese American, Kabuo Miyamoto, is charged with the murder of an American, Carl Heine. As the trial takes place, the story interconnects the characters one of who is Ishmael Chambers, a journalist who may be Kabuo’s only hope but struggles with the decision to do what’s right as he was left burned by Kabuo’s wife and his childhood love, Hatsue. The notion of chance and free will can be seen especially in the character of Ishmael who struggles against the effects of the war and Hatsue leaving him. And as a Japanese American during the war, Hatsue herself displays the power of free will in her self-acceptance and in creating a balance in her life. Apart from the portrayal of free will vs. chance in the development of the characters, certain events in the novel such as the case of Carl Heine’s death and the war itself exhibits similar themes. However, unlike Carl’s death, the war shows that there are instances where circumstance may be the result of human actions. In David Guterson’s Snow Falling on Cedars, the events tha...
The hardships of the need of acceptance from others makes peoples lives complicated and confusing. These hardships affect people differently and each person deals with hardships in different ways. The decisions people make due to hardships can change who they are as a person. Jean Howarth examines the idea of responses to hardship in her short story, “The Novitiate”. She writes about a girl who must go through the hardship of choosing between her brother and her morals. The author utilizes character development to suggest that the need of acceptance can cause people to make difficult decisions in hardships, which can lead to a person breaking their own morals for the satisfaction of others.
In Harry Mulisch’s novel The Assault, the author not only informs society of the variance in perception of good and evil, but also provides evidence on how important it is for an innocent person experiencing guilt to come to terms with their personal past. First, Mulisch uses the characters Takes, Coster, and Ploeg to express the differences in perspective on the night of the assault. Then he uses Anton to express how one cannot hide from the past because of their guilt. Both of these lessons are important to Mulisch and worth sharing with his readers.
“So many people prefer to live in drama because it [is] comfortable. It [is] like someone staying in a bad marriage or relationship – it [is] actually easier to stay because they know what to expect every day, versus leaving and not knowing what to expect” (Ellen DeGeneres). Commonly, people stay in unhealthy relationships because they do not wish to conclude that there are issues with their significant other; due to strong emotional connections. In Gail Helgason’s “Bluffing” and Cathy Jewison’s “The Prospector’s Trail” the protagonists both remain in their relationships despite being mistreated, and are ignorant that there is a problem. Helgason introduces Gabriella whose partner, Liam, is in the hospital due to a bear attack a couple months ago. Sitting in the hospital, she reflects back on their time spent together realizing that Liam never truly loved her and to move on she must eliminate that aspect of her life. In “The Prospector’s Trial” a couple go on a journey to figure out how to go about their
However, the easily overlooked similarity is the concept of love. This emotion is merely overlooked. Through this similarity, it becomes evident that love not only is something yearned for by humanity, but also a temptation so strong it can blind us to reality. This blindness can cause the pain of death. Love can cause people to do crazy things, and if you are Lieutenant Cross, even make you treat a pebble as if it were a tongue. Frank’s love for Mary Ann, as innocent as it may seem, exists as a love for a married woman. Love and lust are dangerous beasts, ones that we as readers must be weary of, for if we are not, we may find ourselves sharing the same fate as Frank, death by
In many short stories, characters face binding situations in their lives that make them realize more about themselves when they finally overcome such factors. These lively binding factors can result based on the instructions imposed by culture, custom, or society. They are able to over come these situations be realizing a greater potential for themselves outside of the normality of their lives. Characters find such realizations through certain hardships such as tragedy and insanity.
Everyday we observe people’s contrasting opinions. Whether it be in politics, school, or in one’s personal life, emotions are often a major factor when it comes to expressing one’s ideas. In writing, an audience must be aware this, and decide for themselves if an author is being bias or equally representing all sides to a situation. In both Into the Wild and In Cold Blood, the authors form distinct opinions about their main characters and believe family structure heavily influenced their future.
Suffering from the death of a close friend, the boy tries to ignore his feelings and jokes on his sister. His friend was a mental patient who threw himself off a building. Being really young and unable to cope with this tragedy, the boy jokes to his sister about the bridge collapsing. "The mention of the suicide and of the bridge collapsing set a depressing tone for the rest of the story" (Baker 170). Arguments about Raisinettes force the father to settle it by saying, "you will both spoil your lunch." As their day continues, their arguments become more serious and present concern for the father who is trying to understand his children better. In complete agreement with Justin Oeltzes’ paper, "A Sad Story," I also feel that this dark foreshadowing of time to come is an indication of the author’s direct intention to write a sad story.
No person can go through life without facing the consequences of their actions. In fact, it is generally believed that every action must have a reaction. This belief is exhibited in Shakespeare's Macbeth. In the play, Lady Macbeth was the push that led her husband, Macbeth, to kill their king. This murder causes a series of consequences for both characters, which ultimately lead to their downfall. These character’s actions led to negative repercussions, but the audience will have a hard time pitying them, as their tragedy appears to be self inflicted. This idea of a self wrought tragedy is apparent in Lady Macbeth, as she is initially seen as a brutal woman because she convinced Macbeth to kill king Duncan, and aided in the murder. However, her guilt eventually lead to her own demise.
Everyone has expectations to uphold and often it can feel overwhelming to comply with them all. When one chooses not to comply to the expectations set by oneself or from others, it can be seen as an act of rebellion, foolish-thinking, or a failure to see what the future holds. Similarly, expectations that are too elevated towards others can result in a harsh confrontation with reality. In the novel, The Other Side of the Bridge, by Mary Lawson, the author develops the idea that one bearing too many expectations of others and of oneself can lead to developing distress and feelings of betrayal if the expectations are not met. The theme of expectations is developed using the character Ian, through the social expectations he encounters, familial
One particular human emotion can cripple humans mentally and physically. It can cause people to do things they do not want to do. It can lead them to twist the truth and lie not only to themselves, but people around them as well. It is something that they cannot hide. It is more like a disease, however, it is better known as guilt. Along with guilt, comes dishonesty, shamefulness, peculiar behavior, and even suicidal thoughts. Guilt is a recurring theme in both Robertson Davies’ Fifth Business and William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Every individual will experience guilt sometime in their life, but it is how they cope and handle it that defines who they are. Humans must face the feeling of guilt, accept
Two wrongs don’t make a right. One can assume that this is universal knowledge, but in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, we learn of the consequences from ignoring this moral law.The novel tells the story of a boy named Amir throughout his journey of life. Amir commits the ultimate betrayal when he witnesses his best friend, Hassan, getting raped and does nothing. Amir makes it even worse when he frames Hassan for stealing, forcing Hassan and Hassan’s father, Ali, to leave their home. These actions create a very traumatic past for Amir, that haunts him in a life of guilt and redemption. Amir’s choices and thoughts throughout each stage of his life reveals a pattern of themes.These themes are betrayal,
...he theme of guilt that builds within Briony character and writing. The structure of limitations provided by McEwan’s highlights the emotions of Briony herself. As the critic Finney addresses the narrative form, McEwan presents the corruption of the negative appearance displayed in the writing of the narrator her self. Briony uses the novel to atone for her sins, in a way to make up for the foolish acts she as committed, giving the readers sympathy to forgiver for her actions. The inability to achieve atonement is demonstrated within the novel continuously highlights the element of guilt. The attempt at atonement helped Briony, which alludes the over all theme that the ability to achieve atonement is in the hands of the beholder. Untimely, the consequences amplified the writing style that conveyed the understanding of the selfish actions that tore apart two lovers.
Several different elements are necessary to create a story. Of all the elements, the conflict is most essential. The conflict connects all pieces of the plot, defines the characters, and drives the story forward. Once a story reaches its climax, the reader should have an emotional connection to the both story and its characters. Not only should emotions be evoked, but a reader should genuinely care about what happens next and the about the end result for the characters. Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace” is the perfect example of how a story’s conflict evolved the disposition of its characters.
In the play he takes on the role of a character as well as taking on