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Essays on identity in literature
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The Effects of Kate's Birthmark in Jill McCorkle's Ferris Beach
"'It's a birthmark', my mother said over and over. 'Lots of people have birthmarks'"(p.44). In Jill McCorkle's Ferris Beach, Kate Burns has a birthmark. The presence of her birthmark causes Kate to be shy and self-conscious. It is her weak spot, affecting how she perceives both herself and others. Because of the focus Kate's birthmark draws to her face, she places great importance on appearance. Kate's stress on the way things look affects her relationships with everyone around her and especially the women in her life. Through most of the novel, Kate's relationship with her mother is clouded by her relationships with Mo Rhodes and Angela. It is not until Kate is able to look past mere appearances and see these women clearly for what they are, that her relationship with her own mother can begin to grow and develop.
Kate hates her birthmark. Even more, she hates her mother's attitude about her birthmark. Kate desperately wants someone to blame for her birthmark and someone to have pity for her. She "always wanted to say that if it was a birthmark it must be her [Cleva's] fault"(p.44). Her mother, however, is unsympathetic and explains, "I just want her to see that she can't let this ruin her life; there are things we just have to accept"(p.48). Kate's mother tries to constantly remind her that things could be worse and she shouldn't whine. But during her early childhood years, Kate's birthmark does affect her and it is hard for her to accept. Kate feels that her birthmark is an open invitation for others to hurt her. She becomes extremely self-conscious as she puts up with teasing by Merle Hucks and R.W. Quincy. Covering her face with her hand becomes an automatic reaction. Kate's attitude about her birthmark and her attitude towards her mother become a source of tension in their relationship. She hates that her mom simply will not apologize for the birthmark.. Kate begins to hate her mother for her lack of compassion and so she seeks other women with which to form bonds. Mo Rhodes and Angela become substitutes to compensate for the close relationship that Kate lacks with her own mother.
Mo Rhodes is the epitome of a "cool" mom. When the Rhodes' move in across the street, Kate is intrigued by Mo and overwhelmed by the chance to get to know Misty, a friend her own age.
When everything seemed to be going well for the Wescott family, the author describes one of Katherine’s fit by saying, “Katherine was crying and moaning, her hands clutching her chest, and she was panting as though the Devil himself had chased her home” (GodBeer, 14) Although Abigail did not always believe she was telling the truth, and did not really trust her. Her and her husband, Daniel, wanted to get to the bottom of what was really wrong with Katherine. It was believed to be Daniel and Abigail’s moral obligation to take care of Katherine according to the church. Throughout the first chapter many of Kates fits happened, and there were countless witnesses, such as Ebenezer Bishop and other neighbors. Surprisingly as more attacks happened, Kate started calling out certain community members name and had stranger fits. These neighbors witness Kate scream, “Goody Clawson, turn head over heels…Now they’re going to kill me! They’re pinching me on my neck!” (GodBeer, 28) With many more attacks, and neighbors witnessing it firsthand the question of who was tormenting her became the
No matter what actions or words a mother chooses, to a child his or her mother is on the highest pedestal. A mother is very important to a child because of the nourishing and love the child receives from his or her mother but not every child experiences the mother’s love or even having a mother. Bragg’s mother was something out of the ordinary because of all that she did for her children growing up, but no one is perfect in this world. Bragg’s mother’s flaw was always taking back her drunken husband and thinking that he could have changed since the last time he...
B. Walmart is often thought of as a greedy, selfish, big-shot corporation with the desire to make money for themselves. This corporation is often criticized for costing jobs, giving out wages that aren’t exactly up to par with other competing companies, having no health insurance, destroying local businesses, and hurting the environment. It is my job to explain to you why most of those claims are not true.
The birthmark is a compelling story of one man’s obsession with his scientific ability to produce perfection. Aylmer, a scientist, is married to a Georgiana who is a very beautiful woman. Not long after getting married Georgiana’s birthmark, which is in the shape of a tiny handprint on her check, really begins to bother Aylmer. He sees it as a flaw in an other wise perfect woman. Georgiana knows that her birthmark disgusts him and, having grown up not bother at all by it, begins to hate it herself. He asks if she has ever considered having it removed. This is not something she has considered since other people in her life, especially men, have always seen it as a “charm”. Aylmer being an amazing scientist almost sees himself as god and feels that he has the power to remove this imperfection. Georgiana, bothered by her husband’s reaction to her birthmark, agrees to let him try to rid her of it. She is taken to his laboratory and he immediately begins to experiment. After she finds Aylmer’s book of experiments, which all end in failure, she for the first time, has some doubt about how this will work and confronts him. He reassures her and begins to try a multitude of methods, with the help of his assistant Aminadab, which do not work. At one point, there are several experiments going on and he even refers to himself as a “sorcerer” (Hawthorne 232). Finally, he produces a potion, which she drinks, and the birthmark begins to disappear! Slowly though, even as the experiment is working, Georgiana is fading away. He finds that ultimately, the birthmark was connected to her very soul and in his trying to act god like he actually kills her. Really this short story just proves that science has its limits and no man should try to act like G...
The story’s tone is one of romantic controversy, a dilemma at a high level of existence. The scientist’s love for his craft competes very intensively with his newfound love for his wife. It is also very psychological, strictly dealing with the raw mind of its subjects as if the ominous narrator told the story from inside their mind, rather than observe it from the outside. He describes the processes that one may take to reach a certain degree of knowledge and to find the elixir of life, which is described in this story as the ultimate goal of the scientific community. Also, the narrator is very opinionated about events in the story.
society has failed, but that it evidently has caused an extermination of the very civilization in which it
The two sets of parents differed in parenting styles, The Block’s family demonstrate the difficult side of adolescents. Massie’s parents are resistant (neglectful) to their parenting and lack in awareness of their daughter’s development and growth. Their care free life style often leaves Massie feeling misunderstood. Claire’s parents the Lyon’s are quite the opposite, they are very aware of their daughter’s development of adolescents. They are consistently working on their relationship with Claire in trying to stay in tune to her emotions and experiences. The Lyon’s strive to be an encouragement for their daughter, instead of placing hard judgement to what they see. The parents of Claire work to have an open relationship with Claire, which results to Claire reaching out to her own parents when her challenges become too much for her to
There are numerous instances of ambiguity in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Birthmark”; this essay hopes to explore critics’ comments on that problem within the tale, as well as to analyze it from this reader’s standpoint.
...he Birthmark” Georgiana’s shift is much more abrupt and takes place in a very short amount of time. However, we can see that both women develop throughout the story and transition from low power to controlling of the situation.
1. Our society tends to be obsessed with the idea of physical perfection. How does our society manifest that obsession? How is the 'Birthmark'; an early version of our modern obsession with physical perfection?
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1843 short story entitled “The Birth-Mark” is, at face value, a traditionally formatted Hawthorne story; it is a textbook example of his recurrent theme of the unpardonable sin as committed by the primary character, Aylmer, the repercussions of which result in the untimely death of his wife, Georgiana. However, there seems to be an underlying theme to the story that adds a layer to Hawthorne’s common theme of the unpardonable sin; when Aylmer attempts to reconcile his intellectual prowess with his love for his wife, his efforts turn into an obsession with perfecting his wife’s single physical flaw and her consequent death. This tragedy occurs within the confines of traditional gender
... in what you can do. The things you learn from being by yourself and taking care of yourself amazing. You learn how to hunt for your food, learn how to pick from plants to eat, and also know where to find clean what to bathe and drink from. Knowledge you gain from this journey you can take is endless and growing. Biggest advantage over people who spent their whole life in a house and having things handed to them
Camus' philosophy of absurdism is important to his fiction; his essay "The Myth of Sisyphus" details the specifics. Understanding “MoS” helps put into context “The Stranger”. Camus starts from a perspective of nihilism: the universe is without any intrinsic meaning, and in return all of our actions are equally without intrinsic value. For Meursault, this means that things happen, his mother dies, he accepts marriage, he kills someone, nothing fazes Meursault, and he just is. Here's where Camus' Absurdist philosophy comes in: the universe may be meaningless, but it is foolish to leave it at that. Meursault's story takes us through the necessary steps for accepting the absurd; he shows us that in order to properly embrace the meaninglessness of the universe, you must first recognize that meaninglessness. We crave meaning, but Camus knows there is none to be found; meaning must be made. What this means for the novel is that Meursault is to be pitied, but not indefinitely, as his imprisonment forces him, and us, to re-address views.
...comparison of themes between Lord of the Flies and Animal Farm, William Golding displays examples that power has a way to cause one to become selfish and evil. The examples are man’s abuse of authority, where power tends to take control of one’s soul, and man’s destruction of nature, where the beauty of nature differs with the social and moral breakdown of the boys. Burkin states, that the loss of innocence is the acquisition of the knowledge of evil, which corrupts and darkens his heart (44). Evil corrupt the hearts of Jack and Napoleon. Both authors view human nature and behavior as negative and pessimistic. The novels are used to demonstrate that humans are closer to savagery and the inner evil is in everyone. Presented in Golding and Orwell’s novel characters,
Nathaniel Hawthorne did not do much explaining when it came to the characters involved in "The Birthmark". He did not portray the main characters: Aylmer, Georgiana, and Ambidab as human beings, but rather as symbols. While analyzing the story "The Birthmark", I have achieved some great insight of the author 's articulate writing style; especially, his style of making characters have symbolic meaning. In this story, Hawthorne uses his characters to symbolize specific things. In this ambiguous, short story, the three characters each symbolize Science, Beauty, and Nature. Each character represents an unusual force that has equally worked against each other.