Seventeen year old Sylvia Richardson was trying to get her suitcase packed; of course, this would only happen if only she could control the trembling of her hands and the wild beating of her heart. She kept thinking, ‘How was it possible that I am so blessed?’ She had just been to the Miss Thompson’s office and had been informed that she was going to join a prestigious all-girls boarding school in London. This was due to the influence of one of the members of the school’s Board of Trustees; and who was also one of the sponsors of the Ashwood Home For Girls, the orphanage where Sylvia lived. The sponsor, Lady Elizabeth Montgomery, had taken a particular interest in Sylvia, though Miss Thompson could not say why. It was also imperative that Sylvia be ready to leave within two hours because Lady Montgomery would be coming to pick her up. She looked down at the suitcase, which was the only new thing she possessed. When she had turned to leave Miss Thompson’s office, Miss Marsha, as Miss Thompson was affectionately referred to, said, ‘You would be needing a new suitcase’ and gave her the suitcase, which Miss Marsha had just taken from a closet. The medium sized suitcase, which was made of fine leather, had Sylvia in raptures. She carefully placed all her neatly folded belongings,which mainly consisted of some hand-me-down clothes; a red ribbon that she had always had, at least from the time that she was found as an orphan outside the orphanage doorstep, if what Miss Marsha said was true; and a Bible. Four hours later, she was standing in front of the entrance of the St. Paul’s International Boarding School For Girls, tightly clutching her suitcase. Lady Montgomery placed her hands on Sylvia’s shoulders reassuringly. Sylvia though, was... ... middle of paper ... ...he room was on fire; an unattended candle had fallen down, causing the curtains to catch fire. Serena screamed, ‘Get out, Sylvia and call for help! I’ll try to do something, hurry!’ Sylvia ran out of her room and cried for help. Soon the police and the firefighters came and started putting out the fire. Everybody was herded out when suddenly Sylvia realized that Serena was not there. ‘Help! Somebody! A girl is still in there.’ The matron said, ‘Everybody is accounted for. No one is there.’ ‘No, Serena is there.’ The matron, suddenly shocked asked, ‘Whom child, Serena? We do not have anybody called Serena in this hostel; Lady Elizabeth had a daughter named Serena. She died in a conflagration sixteen years ago trying to save her sister. The baby had a red ribbon tied to her hand, unfortunately after the incident the child was lost. It was a big case during that time.’
Hattie spent much of her younger years living with different relatives because both of her parents had died when she was five. As Hattie was “tossed” from one relative’s home to another throughout her childhood, she never had a sense of belonging. To make matters worse, her relatives treated her like a hassle—as though her very existence was an annoyance. Needless to say, Hattie’s relatives were neither supportive nor encouraging of her. By age 16, Hattie’s feeling of self-worth was at an all time low. The story did not describe her appearance in depth, but it did say she was very modest and dressed humbly.
Despite the connection between the girls, Twyla still feels alienated by the others in the shelter. “Nobody else wanted to play with us because we weren’t real orphans with beautiful dead parents in the sky” (10). The status of “real” versus “non-real” orphan becomes surrogate racism in the shelter. The value of this new classification of the girls is elucidated by the lack of distinct race between Twyla and Roberta, as they become united in the condition of living parents. Their race falls second to whatever else is used to alienate
In the great story of a young girls triumph over poverty, rejection and innumerable failures as a child, she will unfortunately never truly prosper as an adult in the world in which she lives. Our protagonist, Sara Smolinsky who is the youngest of the four Smolinsky girls, has the most motivation in life to be independent, and fend for herself. However to achieve this goal she would need to break loose of the family chain and peruse a life elsewhere. It appears she has done so as she runs away from home seeking an education. Six years or so go by and she has more than fulfilled her dream of independence, however as members of her family take on life threatening sickness she once again feels the need to come home, and falls back under the spell of family obligation. As for other characters in the book, the same problem with familial duties always interferes with what one truly wants.
First, there is the setting of a strict military like boarding school where the students, all females, are craving the love and affection that they are missing from their family. One particular student, Manuela von Meinhardis, had just recently joined the school after the recent death of her mother. She is particularly vulnerable to the love and care that is provided by the only caring teacher in the school, Fraulein von Bernburg.
Most of the time there is a moment in life where one realizes they have lost all innocence and gained some compassion. “Marigolds” shows how one young girl transferred from a child to young adult through her life experiences. Throughout this story another young, but at the same time old in her prime, lady’s experiences are revealed: the author’s. In this short story, “Marigolds,” Eugenia Collier’s subconscious is unmasked through symbolism, diction, and Lizabeth’s actions.
As both Philip and Sylvia lay in separate beds, in separate rooms, both are ready to free themselves from all prior fears and denials. Philip’s last moments in his life are his best. He gains a sense of humor as he laughs about Chinese Jews and Jews in love with horses. Harry’s wife says, “We finally found a sense of humor in you,” as Philip answers, “I finally figured out the joke.” Philip was truly ready to look himself in the mirror and love his face. Tragically, Sylvia’s standing up symbolizes the start of her new life, while Philip’s change of heart is already too late. Ironically, this time, Phillip is the one asking for forgiveness.
Outwardly, Clarissa Dalloway is an ideal image of the nineteenth century English social elite, part of a constantly shrinking upper class whose affluent lifestyle was touched in ways both subtle and terrible by the war raging outside their superfluous, manicured existence. Clarissa’s world revolves around parties, trifling errands, social visits, and an endless array of petty trivialities which are fundamentally meaningless, yet serve as Clarissa’s only avenue to stave off the emotional disease and disconnect she feels with the society in which she exists. Clarissa’s experience of England’s politically humbled, economically devastated postwar state is deeply resonant in her subconscious and emotional identity, despite seeming untraceable in her highly affected publ...
As the narrator begins his description of Miss Giles, he says, “Lillian always had a knack with babies and could put even the most difficult ones down for a nap within minutes” (118). When the narrator shares that Miss Giles’ favorite child is the “ugliest, fussiest baby ever born” (119), the narrator shows the readers Miss Giles’ goodwill and kindly feelings toward the baby, Julian Cash, that everyone else rejects or scorns, and thus displays her resilience to conform to societal norms or be weathered by the judgment of others. Miss Giles, years later, agrees to care for two unknown children, even though Social Services has deemed her too old to be on their official registry of foster families. The willingness of Miss Giles to take on care for the two children, Keith and the baby, exemplifies her unwavering altruism in childcare. Upon the arrival of Keith and the baby, Miss Giles refrains from complaint or doubt, and “goes to make up a crib and a cot with clean sheets” (119). Miss Giles never asks questions or hesitates when faced with taking care of children, she simply performs the job. Miss Giles is tough, and able to overcome the problems of the difficultly of childcare in her age and her hearing problem that she faces. As the narrator continues to introduce Miss Giles to the readers, the narrator observes that, “a long time ago, Lillian was in love with Charles Verity’s great-grandson, but he went to New York and married a rich girl, and Lillian stayed put” (119). Miss Giles does not dwell on the departure of the love of her life across the United States, but instead, channels her loss of love for a spouse into love for taking care of orphaned or foster children. Finally, Miss Giles is resilient in her response to the urgent situation with which she faces when left with the infant, nearly dead body of Julian Cash. When Miss Giles
what the reader once thought of Dorothea, a woman of dignity, into a naive child.
Aubery Tanqueray, a self-made man, is a Widower at the age of Forty two with a beautiful teenage daughter, Ellean whom he seems very protective over. His deceased wife, the first Mrs. Tanqueray was "an iceberg," stiff, and assertive, alive as well as dead (13). She had ironically died of a fever "the only warmth, I believe, that ever came to that woman's body" (14). Now alone because his daughter is away at a nunnery he's found someone that can add a little life to his elite, high class existence; a little someone, we learn, that has a past that doesn't quite fit in with the rest of his friends.
Despite the gathering winter she felt relieved to see that her sixteen- year old daughter, now her only child after the early death of her son James, was acting normal again. For the past fortnight the younger Elizabeth had been carrying herself in a strange manner. While walking along normally she would sometimes cry out. Last week she had shrieked at extremely inappropriate time in Sunday dinner and that day in church she had been overcome with irreverent laughter. She was always quick to offer a reasonable excuse to spare the swift punishment usually dispensed to children at the time, but the extravagance and immodes...
The narrator, Twyla, begins by recalling the time she spent with her friend, Roberta, at the St. Bonaventure orphanage. From the beginning of the story, the only fact that is confirmed by the author is that Twyla and Roberta are of a different race, saying, “they looked like salt and pepper” (Morrison, 2254). They were eight-years old. In the beginning of the story, Twyla says, “My mother danced all night and Roberta’s was sick.” This line sets the tone of the story from the start. This quote begins to separate the two girls i...
This is juxtaposed with the various aspects of British culture imposed on Lucy’s home island. As a child, Lucy attended “Queen Victoria Girls’ School” (Page 18), a school...
Clarissa Dalloway is content with her life with Richard, is content to give her party on a beautiful June evening, but she does regret at times that she can’t “have her life over again” (10). Clarissa’s memories of Bourton, of her youth, are brought back to her vividly by just the “squeak of the hinges. . . [and] she had burst open the French windows and plunged at Bourton into the open air” (3). The very intensity of these memories are what make them so much a part of what she is– everything in life reminds her of Bourton, of Sally Seton, of Peter Walsh. Peter and Sally were her best friends as a girl, and “with the two of them. . . she s...
Growing up Emily’s father, Mr. Gierson, made her stay in the house and not socialize with others. He taught her that he was only trying to protect her from the outside world. Mr.Gierson was a rude man who felt that things should go his way; therefore, his daughter hopelessly fell for him because she did not know any oth...