It is almost impossible to survive in the world with naivety, seeing everything as perfect and safe. At least once in their life, a human being must undertake a transformation that changes the way they see themselves and the setting around them out of necessity. For example, in The Blue Bouquet, the protagonist suddenly matures when his previous perception of the world around him was abruptly contorted when it placed him in a dangerous situation. The author, Octavio Paz, made it very clear through symbolism, character, and diction that it is crucial for an individual to transform from innocence to experience, otherwise the former can cause humans to act foolishly. One of the main elements Paz utilized to depict the theme was symbolism. The …show more content…
The protagonist's emotional character was described through his own words. He is shown as careful and gentle when he says “I went out to the little window and inhaled the country air… [I] dried myself a little, and making sure that no bugs were hidden in the folds of my clothes, got dressed” (163). He decided to leave the hotel and wander the streets at night, and the reader can assume that this was a foolish decision, as most people know not to roam unknown streets in the dark. He even was warned by the hotel owner, who told him that “everything’s closed. And no streetlights around here. You’d better stay put” (163), however, he thoughtlessly ignored his advice and continued on into uncertainty. His naivety was also revealed when he “thought that the universe was a vast system of signs, a conversation between giant beings. My actions… were nothing but pauses and syllables, scattered phrases from that dialogue” (164), basically describing the world as equal to a sentence. His lack of maturity reveals that he is unable to see how complicated the universe really is. His transition is developed through his character when he thinks quickly, and reacts with maturity to his attacker, even while “his machete grazed my eyelids” (165) trying to convince the man his eyes were not blue. Octavio Paz’s short story presents how crucial it is for humans to transition from innocence to experience in order to make decisions with intelligence. Paz demonstrates this idea through a man who transitions during a dangerous situation and learns from his previous mistakes afterward. While most people begin to establish maturity in their teen years, it is important not to be oblivious to the world around
His perceptions change from seeking for opportunities to unrealistically believing that he can acquire wealth by becoming a traveling salesman, and later in the book, he is defeated by the Great Depression and goes back to home; his perception of the reality becomes increasingly difficult to dealt with since he tries to escape from the reality and never really solves the problems, and although he later tries again to become successful during the war, he becomes insane and loses all of his perceptions.
The story is concerned with the conflict between his conception of himself and the reality.
Forthright emotions are not necessary in this piece for the reader to connect, understand, or empathize with the plot. Johnson created a character who clearly has emotions, but chooses to safeguard them for a realistic feeling and the ability to concentrate on the more important purpose of the novel: to expose the difficulties a man with dual identity may face in a time period determined on separating and segregating who he is. Detached and emotionless, in this well-crafted and well-thought-out scenario, expresses more emotion and creates a more realistic novel than a complex examination of his inner feelings may have
The narrator's life is filled with constant eruptions of mental traumas. The biggest psychological burden he has is his identity, or rather his misidentity. He feels "wearing on the nerves" (Ellison 3) for people to see him as what they like to believe he is and not see him as what he really is. Throughout his life, he takes on several different identities and none, he thinks, adequately represents his true self, until his final one, as an invisible man.
Loss of Innocence is a classic theme in literature. Protagonists are forced into situations where they must sacrifice their goodness/what they believe. It is a theme that runs through both “ Young Goodman Brown” and “ The Most Dangerous Game”, though each of them happen in a different way.
story, first impressions, what he thinks of himself, what others think of him, and what
In The House on Mango Street, the theme of maturation through loss of innocence is based on Esperanza Cordero’s
A transformation took place during the story and it is evident through the narrator?s character. In the beginning he was lacking in compassion, he was narrow minded, he was detached, he was jealous, and he was bitter. Carver used carefully chosen words to illustrate the narrator?s character and the change. Throughout the story his character undergoes a transformation into a more emotionally aware human being.
For instance the description that the brain was, “pop-pop-popping “portrays the sensation that the brain is plastic; hence, it can be expanded through knowledge and perseverance. Also, the author cleverly uses the phrase, “I never knew a poet person” to emphasize lack of knowledge leads to false perceptions of reality. Jack uses the absolute word “Never” to describe his feeling. If one never thinks about the endless possibilities of success, then they will become their own culprit. The articulate, yet simple language of the author adds rich content to the story making it more relatable to all age groups. The novel instills the value of hope in readers. It encourages readers not to fear the unknown. Indeed with a growth mindset, one can beat the odds and live a meaningful
Initially, Rios illustrates a young boy perplexed by a new-found maturity. As the maturation from childhood to adolescence begins, he is facing unfamiliar feelings about the opposite sex. An example of this is apparent as Rios explains that the boy cannot talk to girls anymore; at least “not the same way we used to” (Rios 453). Since his emotions have new depth and maturity, the young boy realizes the nature of his friendships has changed. Innocence is further lost as the girls who are former friends, “weren’t the same girls we used to know” (453). The boy has matured from his casual, youthful interactions, and is now seeing the girls in a new light. Another example of his maturity manifests sexually as he reflects about the girls, “and all the things we wanted to do with them” (454). Although he is unsure how to act upon his thoughts, the innocence is none the less tainted by his desires for mature relations with the young girls. The maturity and sexual maturity bring forth a storm of emotions that prove to be both exhilarating and confusing for the young boy.
People’s lives change in many ways, but everyone experiences at least one time where their life is redefined. This is known as loss of innocence. In Marigolds, Eugenia W. Collier uses internal conflict to illustrate how knowledge is gained through the loss of innocence. Lizabeth gains knowledge that changes her perspective of the world as a result of internal conflict, and experiences loss of innocence.
The loss of innocence is an occurrence that happens in every life, and it is so easily taken. A traumatic moment is often the thief of innocence, leaving the victim scarred from the experience. Events like these are often the process of paving the road into adulthood, and aid in the metamorphosis of a child to an adult. In “My Father’s Noose” by Grace Talusan, “Dothead” by Amit Majmudar, and The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, each of the characters do not understand the concept of negligent personages. Once the protagonist knows that society is not composed of perfect people, their character and personality changes, as it forces them to take a look at their own morals. This prepares the protagonist for the lives
Throughout history the concept of innocence in literature has been a topic in which author’s have held an obsession with. According to Harold Bloom, the loss of innocence has played a large role in western literature since the Enlightenment when man was said to be initially good and then corrupted only by his institutions. (Bloom 6) The institution in which Bloom speaks of is nothing more then society. Society is what is believed to be the cause for the loss of innocence in children. Bloom has stated that a return to the childhood mindset would eliminate the social problems in which people suffer. This is unerringly why the cause of many physiological problems can be traced back to a problem or unsettlement in one’s childhood. (Bloom 7) The history of innocence continues further back in history as it is said that the first encounter of loss of innocence or “original sin” was from Adam and Eve when they ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. (Bloom 7) These historical events and ideas are what influence the works of authors from the 19th century to modern day.
Innocence is something always expected to be lost sooner or later in life, an inevitable event that comes of growing up and realizing the world for what it truly is. Alice Walker’s “The Flowers” portrays an event in which a ten year old girl’s loss of innocence after unveiling a relatively shocking towards the end of the story. Set in post-Civil War America, the literary piece holds very particular fragments of imagery and symbolism that describe the ultimate maturing of Myop, the young female protagonist of the story. In “The Flowers” by Alice Walker, the literary elements of imagery, symbolism, and setting “The Flowers” help to set up a reasonably surprising unveiling of the gruesome ending, as well as to convey the theme of how innocence disappears as a result of facing the harsh reality of this world.
Several parallels are drawn between the central character and Mustafa Sa'eed. Both speak English and had studied in London. Even though the central character had grown up in the village, his education and time abroad had made him as much an outsider as Sa'eed. Upon seeing his own reflection in the darkness, he believes it to be Mustafa, who he had grown to despise. As he moves closer to the object of his hatred, he discovers that he is "standing face to face with" himself. Mustafa represents to him all that he despises in himself.