'The Outcast' By Jolina Petersheim

837 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Literary analysis of little women by louisa may alcott

The Outcast Though I have not read The Scarlet Letter, I would read it because of how much I loved this modern retelling of it called The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim. I do not know how well this book follows The Scarlet letter, but The Outcast is one of the best books I have read. It is about a young Mennonite woman who moved down to help her bedridden sister and soon after gets pregnant while out of wedlock. Whispers start as Rachel's stomach starts to grow with the child inside. She won’t tell anyone who the father is, both to protect him and herself from all the consequences that will happen after that secret gets out. Tobias is the bishop of the community and has committed this sin with her but hides and let her take all the blame and ridicule by herself. He is constantly rude and aggressive towards her because he blames her for luring him into her room, even though she had gone to bed and he walked into her room. She deals with many hardships throughout the story, making it a very interesting and emotional story. I believe Jolina wrote this novel to entertain the audience and teach them that their actions affect more than just themselves. She shows that our actions have a snowball effect by how Rachel getting …show more content…

Leah’s husband, Tobias, is the father of Eli, his and Rachel’s son. Rachel had moved down to help with Leah and her son, but soon after gets impregnated by the bishop, Tobias. Leah doesn’t know that this had happened under her roof, and begs Tobias to allow Rachel to stay in their house though the community had shunned Rachel. She soon figures out the sin her husband and sister committed and could not understand why they would hurt her like they did. Leah is very caring and even though it hurt, still loves Rachel and tries to forgive her. Because of Rachel’s and Tobias’s actions, Leah had to learn how to cope with that information, and also learn how to forgive them

Show More
Related

  • The Chosen By Chaim Potok Character Analysis

    619 Words  | 2 Pages

    The definition of compassion: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. As this definition shows compassion shows concern for other that every person would love to have. In The Chosen written by Chaim Potok, Mr. Potok really presents compassion in his book. Not only does he display compassion in one of his character but in every single one he gives them compassion that is expressed in different ways. He goes into detail example of compassion with each of his characters and really emphasizes the true meaning of compassion. Three main character that he shows compassion through in different ways are, Reuven, Mr. Malter and Reb Sanders.

    Read More

  • The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth by Alexandra Robbins

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth is a book by Alexandra Robbins which summarizes the story of seven different teenagers that have many different problems, which many of todays teenagers also have. I found myself having many similarities to the teenagers in the story, for example, when with her group Whitney, the popular bitch, thinks “You didn't day that when we were alone, but now that you're in front of a group you do” (Robbins 21). I can relate to this because I feel as though many people are pressured to say or do things they normally wouldn't whenever they are with their group or ‘clique’. Robbins has this idea that the freaks and geeks, or “cafeteria fringe” will someday grow up and use what they are criticized for to become more successful than the other peopler people. She calls this the ‘Quirk Theory’ (Robbins page 11). This helped me to learn that right now, in high school, not being ‘popular’ may seem like the end of the world, but the reality of it is that after these four years, it wont even matter, but what will be important is how you learned to grow as a person and the true friendships that were made. This makes me want to focus more on my education and learning to grow as a person instead of focusing on how many friends I have or who I sit with at lunch, because truthfully it wont matter once high school is over.

    Read More

  • St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, by Karen Russel

    938 Words  | 2 Pages

    Whether one would like to admit it or not, change is a difficult and not to mention uncomfortable experience which we all must endure at one point in our lives. A concept that everyone must understand is that change does not occur immediately, for it happens overtime. It is necessary for time to pass in order for a change to occur, be it days, weeks, months, or even years. The main character, who is also the narrator of “St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves”, realizing that “things felt less foreign in the dark” (Russell 225), knows that she will be subject to change very soon. The author makes it evident to readers that the narrator is in a brand new environment as the story begins. This strange short story about girls raised by wolves being trained by nuns to be more human in character is a symbol for immigration, as the girls are forced to make major changes in their lives in order to fit in with their new environment and adapt to a new culture.

    Read More

  • Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate

    706 Words  | 2 Pages

    Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate is the story of an African boy, Kek, who loses his father and a brother and flees, leaving his mother to secure his safety. Kek, now in Minnesota, is faced with difficulties of adapting to a new life and of finding his lost mother. He believes that his mother still lives and would soon join him in the new found family. Kek is taken from the airport by a caregiver who takes him to live with his aunt. It is here that Kek meets all that amazed him compared to his home in Sudan, Africa. Home of the brave shows conflicts that Kek faces. He is caught between two worlds, Africa and America. He feels guilty leaving behind his people to live in a distant land especially his mother, who he left in the midst of an attack.

    Read More

  • The Beat-Up Generation By Abby Ellin

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    The 21st century has brought great change and advancement in all aspect of life for mankind across the world. From the creation of high-tech gadgets to innovative ways of basic living, millennials have had a huge engagement in the works of creating such things. They have brought change and advancement through ways in which mankind has never seen before. On the contrary, past generations believe that Millennials are bringing negativity and corruption into the world. The article "The Beat-Up Generation" by Abby Ellin says that " Millennials are, arguably, the most reviled generation in recent history, and armies of consultants are hustling to decipher them. Called the "Trophy Generation," notorious for receiving prizes simply for showing up,

    Read More

  • Sins of Hester Prynne, Reverend Dimmesdale, and Roger Chillingworth in The Scarlet Letter

    2123 Words  | 5 Pages

    Sewall, Richard B. "The Scarlet Letter: Criticism." Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2001. 319-27.

    Read More

  • The Displaced Person by Flannery O'Connor

    1197 Words  | 3 Pages

    Flannery O'Conner has again provided her audience a carefully woven tale with fascinating and intricate characters. "The Displaced Person" introduces the reader to some interesting characters who experience major life changes in front of the reader's eyes. The reader ventures into the minds of two of the more complex characters in "The Displaced Person," Mrs. McIntyre and Mrs. Shortley, and discovers an unwillingness to adapt to change. Furthermore, the intricate details of their characters are revealed throughout the story. Through these details, the reader can see that both Mrs. McIntyre and Mrs. Shortley suffer from a lack of spiritual dimension that hinders them as they face some of life's harsher realities. Mrs. McIntyre struggles throughout the story, most notably during the tragic conclusion. Her lack of spiritual dimension is revealed slowly until we ultimately see how her life is devastated because of it. Mrs. Shortley, on the other hand, seems to have it all figured out spiritually -- or at least she believes that she does. It is only in the last few minutes of her life that she realizes all she has convinced herself of is wrong.

    Read More

  • The Scarlet Letter

    583 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne has introduced a character that has been judged harshly. Because, she has been misinformed of her husband’s death; therefore, she was greave and had sought comfort resulting in a baby from the lover whom gave her comfort. When her secret had been discovered she was isolated for committing a treacherous crime of adultery, as one of her punishments she was forced to wear an A on her chest. The novel presents a structure of a society, using symbolism and diction to give underline meaning to the themes, portraying religious tendencies ruled by the philosophy of good and evil.

    Read More

  • Echoes of War: Celia Garth's Resilience and Memory

    817 Words  | 2 Pages

    Have you ever had something of great value be taken from you and then feeling emotionally empty? In Celia Garth, Gwen Bristow desires to share the important message of Celia Garth’s past to the characters and readers. Memories prove that Celia got through the war and the bells provided a stress free period. Her memories were resembled through the bells of St.Michaels Church. The past demonstrated in Celia’s eyes about the war and what the bells reminded her of.

    Read More

  • Growing Up Empty by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel

    668 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many policy issues that affect families in today’s society. Hunger is a hidden epidemic and one major issue that American’s still face. It is hard to believe that in this vast, ever growing country, families are still starving. As stated in the book Growing Up Empty, hunger is running wild through urban, rural, and even suburban communities. This paper will explore the differing perspectives of the concerned camp, sanguine camp, and impatient camp. In addition, each camps view, policy agenda, and values that underlie their argument on hunger will be discussed.

    Read More

  • An Acquaintance with Darkness by Ann Rinaldi

    1482 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ann Rinaldi has written many books for young teenagers, she is an Award winning author who writes stories of American history and makes them become real to the readers. She has written many other books such as… A Break with Charity, A Ride into Morning, and Cast two Shadows, etc. She was born in New York City on August 27, 1934. In 1979, at the age of 45, she finished her first book.

    Read More

  • Outliers-The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell

    1888 Words  | 4 Pages

    Outliers-The Story of Success is a sociological, and psychological non-fiction book, which discusses success, and the driving reasons behind why some people are significantly more successful than others. Malcolm Gladwell explains this by dividing the book into two parts, opportunity and legacy. Opportunity discusses how select people are fortunate enough to be born between the months of January through March, and also includes the idea that those who are already successful will have more opportunities to improve and become even more successful. The 10,000-hour rule proves the idea that in order to become successful in a certain skill, one must have practiced that skill for at least 10,000 hours. In addition to the 10,000-hour rule, timing is also a major component that implies being in the right place at the right time, which brings the author to discuss Bill Gates who was born during the time where programming and computer technology was emerging, therefore sparking his interest in computers, later bringing him to create Microsoft. Another point Gladwell brings forth is the notion of one’s upbringing, race, and ethnicity can be a factor behind their success. And lastly, pursuing meaningful work will cause one to continue working with their skill and not give up. Legacy is a collection of examples that support the idea: values are passed down from generation to generation, which may cause a certain group of people to be more persistent in a skill, or occupation.

    Read More

  • July’s People by Nadine Gordimer

    2201 Words  | 5 Pages

    In July’s People, Nadine Gordimer gives a very detailed and knowledgeable explanation of the political turmoil within South Africa. By expressing the emotions of a family involved in the deteriorating situation and the misunderstandings between blacks and whites, she adds a very personal and emotional touch, which allows the reader to understand the true horror and terror these people experienced. Gordimer writes of how the Smales family reacts, survives, and adjusts to this life altering experience. She makes obvious throughout the book that prejudice plays a major role in uncovering the reactions of Bamford and Maureen Smales.

    Read More

  • Sophie's World, by Jostein Gaarder

    811 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder teaches philosophy and it explains basic philosophical ideas better than any other reading book or textbook that I have ever read. The many philosophical lessons of the diversified thinkers of their own time were dexterously understood. The author has a wonderful knack for finding the heart of a concept and placing it on display. For example, he metamorphoses Democritus' atoms into Lego bricks and in a stroke makes the classical conception of the atom dexterously attainable. He relates all the abstract concepts about the world and what is real with straightforward everyday things that everyone can relate to which makes this whole philosophy course manageable. ''The best way of approaching philosophy is to ask a few philosophical questions: How was the world created? Is there any will or meaning behind what happens? Is there a life after death? How can we answer these questions? And most important, how ought we to live?'' (Gaarder, Jostein 15).

    Read More

  • Analyzing The Movie 'The Notebook'

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    The dishonesty that Allie 's mother conducted when hiding the letters that Noah had mailed to Allie, displayed what Hutchison (2015), describes as conflict perspective. Allie’s mother felt she was doing the right thing with hiding the letters, she felt her daughter deserved more than a common life and that Noah could only supply that lifestyle. She felt if she did not hide the letters her daughter would make the wrong choices and could possibly affect her life forever.

    Read More

More about 'The Outcast' By Jolina Petersheim

Open Document