stuck in time

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As time goes on, things change whether it is people or the things around them. Some can cope with the changes while others deny it and try their hardest to resist it. They refuse to acknowledge that things are no longer how they use to be and try to remain the same. They continue to stay in their own world where they can keep living in their memories. Sometimes people do this to uphold tradition and customs. Others do this because they do not want to stop reliving the past. In the stories ‘A Good Man Is Hard to Find ’, ‘A Rose for Emily and ‘Everything That Rises Must Converge’ three women continue to stay back in time despite the time moving around them. They are aware of the differences that surrounds them but continue to ignore them in favor of remaining the same. Because of this, all three women go through a struggle and in the end meet their own changing fate. In ‘Everything That Rises Must Converge’, Julian and his mother always reminisce on how their lives use to be. Their family use to own a big house on a plantation and great wealth. After slaves gained their freedom, they soon lost most of their money and their house. Julian’s mother lost her status as an important woman but still tries to uphold her dignity as if she was still rich. She still pictures herself as this important person and tries to keep up the appearance that she still has money by buying a new hat and wearing gloves to her fitness class. She also tells people that her son graduated from college. Julian and his mother has a little argument about people not caring who she was and she replies, “I care who I am” (O'Connor 410). Because she refuses to accept the changes happening around her, she is constantly in her own world. She is unaware of the reality... ... middle of paper ... ...portunity to go and look through the house. That is when they discover a dark secret of Emily. They find the decaying body of Homer lying in Emily's bed. All of her life her father has controlled her life. When he dies, she refuses to give up his body to finally have some control over him but eventually buries the body at the requests of the townspeople. When Homer comes back to her house she kills him to keep complete control and power over him. These three women were 'stuck' in time but were soon brought back to reality by an unfortunate accident. Their inner world gets destroyed and they are unable to deal with it in a good way. While upholding traditions are fine always being stuck in the past can hold people back from enjoying the world around them. It also keeps the mind closed off; making people unable to understand what is going on around them.

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