'I Prided Myself Upon Keeping My Pride Intact Like Some Maidenhead'

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The bourgeoisie who do not be bound by superstructure and not only sees themselves but also sees others can gain more true happiness. Throughout Hagar’s marriage with her cowboy husband, she immediately falls from the upper class into the bottom of the society; even so, she still maintaining her seemly precious self-esteem and ignoring the reality, “I prided myself upon keeping my pride intact, like some maidenhead” (Laurence, 81). Hagar’s pride is strong. Even though she is no different compared with the proletariat at present, she still cannot forget her rich and noble birth. In this quotation, Hagar uses simile and explains to the reader that her pride is as important and pure as women's maidenhead, which is never possible for her to give up. Moreover, this also means that in Hagar's mind, pride is the …show more content…

Okay. Tell me this. Tell me this. What did I spend my life doing? Was it so wrong what I did?” (Sherman, 58). Before Reuben loses everything, he is also overly self-centered and has strong pride. The pride comes from his distinguished status in upper-class society; however, he now realizes that his pride cannot bring any benefits for himself and the community. Meanwhile, he also figures out that the incorrect shared ideology in this society is the main reason that causes him to own the strong pride. It is unfair to judge one’s personality based on their economic conditions. As a result, he jumps out of his superstructure and talks to the one who is in a lower class for some useful advice. At this point, Reuben is asking for the answer, but he is actually aware that his strong pride is the wrongest thing which controls the first half of his life, which makes him living arrogant and lonely. Fortunately, he opens heart freely to others and asks for suggestions, which becomes his first step to approach true

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