“The Other Side of the Hedge” By E.M. Forster
Life, and its meaning, is the theme of many stories, because people understand so little about it. It has been described as a path, a destination, a game, and many other things, depending on the views of the person writing the story. Along with its meaning, people have always debated over what makes a life good, or if and how one life can be considered more valuable than another. No two stories about life are the same, and each new story about life gives us an insight into how the author feels about the subject, and what makes living life worthwhile. "The Other Side of the Hedge", by E.M. Forster is a short story about life, death, and the afterlife, and how the modern world has become so caught
Upon getting his answer that paradise is a destination and not a part of the road, he looks around and sees his surroundings in a completely different way. "I noticed then that the pool into which I had fallen was really a moat which bent round to the left and to the right, and that the hedge followed in continually. The hedge was green on this side--it 's roots showed through the clear water, and fish swam about in them--and it was wreathed over with dog-roses and Traveller 's Joy. But it was a barrier, and in a moment I lost all pleasure in grass, the sky, the trees, the happy men and women, and realized that the place was but a prison, for all its beauty and
He then sees a man coming down from the hills for the evening, carrying the tools of his trade, the fruits of his daily labor, and a canned beverage. The man seized the can, and drank the beverage, and was disappointed that it was no stronger than a beer, but he says that in his state, even that overcame him. He lay down, and his guide said to him: "This is where your road ends, and through this gate humanity--all that is left of it--will come to us." His last sight before he laid down to sleep was of the man whose beer he had taken, and he realizes that the man was his brother, whom he had left on the road earlier. "The Other Side of the Hedge", by E.M. Forster is a short story about life, death, and the afterlife, and how the modern world has become so caught up in getting ahead that people have forgotten how to enjoy life. Forster paints a very dim view of life, because he believes that the modern world has become too caught up in monetary gain and power, and that people are no longer concerned with the well being of their fellow man. However, Forster does give humanity some hope in the afterlife, if people can give up the pursuit of getting ahead, and just enjoy the paradise around
In conclusion, the story describes that life changes, and nothing stays the same throughout it. It is in the hands of the people to decide that how they want their life to be. They can make it as beautiful as they want to and they can also make it worse than it has ever been
The time period this work takes place in is a very gloomy and frightening time. He wakes up in a dark place by himself and in fear, which makes things worse. A common theme we can relate this dark place to is when we fall off of the path of God. Since God represents all things good, the dark is the exact opposite. Since everything is not so clear in the wood he his describing, the path back to God is even more difficult to attain.
What do the following words or phrases have in common: “the last departure,”, “final curtain,” “the end,” “darkness,” “eternal sleep”, “sweet release,” “afterlife,” and “passing over”? All, whether grim or optimistic, are synonymous with death. Death is a shared human experience. Regardless of age, gender, race, religion, health, wealth, or nationality, it is both an idea and an experience that every individual eventually must confront in the loss of others and finally face the reality of our own. Whether you first encounter it in the loss of a pet, a friend, a family member, a neighbor, a pop culture icon, or a valued community member, it can leave you feeling numb, empty, and shattered inside. But, the world keeps turning and life continues. The late Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computers and of Pixar Animation Studios, in his 2005 speech to the graduating class at Stanford, acknowledged death’s great power by calling it “the single best invention of Life” and “Life’s great change agent.” How, in all its finality and accompanying sadness, can death be good? As a destination, what does it have to teach us about the journey?
I think Ray Bradbury sums all this up in a quote from the book: "Life
The relationship between life and death is explored in Woolf’s piece, “The Death of a Moth.” Woolf’s own epiphany is presented in her piece; she invites her reader, through her stylistic devices, to experience the way in which she realized what the meaning of life and death meant to her. Woolf’s techniques allow her audience to further their own understanding of death and encourages them consider their own existence.
The theme of this novel is to look at the good you do in life and how it carries over after your death. The moral of the book is; "People can make changes in their lives whenever they really want to, even right up to the end."
“No thank you, sir,” Anne said, twisting out of his reach and hopping from the train. “There’s knack to holding it, if you don’t mind.” She glanced over the near empty platform. “It appears I’m to wait for my ride.” The thought wasn’t oppressive. Avonlea was a variable paradise. Gone were the wastelands of the outer provinces, replaced by lush grasses, strong and tall green trees, and a bright blue sky as far as the eye could see. Bees hummed and birds chirped amongst the treetops. Instead of recycled oxygen, here the air smelled of sunshine and warm apple pie. “Train’s early,” the stationmaster said. “Do you wish to go inside to the lady’s waiting room?” Hope lodged firmly in Anne’s heart. “I do believe I’ll wait outside. Right there on that bench.” She grinned. “So much more scope for the imagination, don’t you agree?” “I suppose…” the man muttered, but his doubt was lost on Anne, who’d already plunked down on the bench and was staring up into the heavens with unrestrained joy. She had done it. She’d left pain and terror behind and stepped into the light. Nothing would take this new world from her. No thing. And no one. A tremulous smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. Avonlea had a new protector. Lord save them
In the last stanza the traveler sensed that he may be sharing his decision with someone with possible regret about how he came to a fork in the road in the woods and made a decision that affected the rest of his life. Because of his decision his life is what it has become. Unfortunately, we must live with the decisions that we make in life, and many times we are not able to change them.
Death is often displayed in literature, showing how people would react towards it. Whether it's in "The Story of An Hour" by Kate Chopin, "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe, "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, or even "The Garden Party" by Katherine Mansfield, death appears to be unavoidable. Although these are different short stories, death is applied, but the author's interpretations differentiate.
It's about sunlight. It's about the special way that dawn spreads out on a river when you know you must cross the river and march into the mountains and do things you are afraid to do. It's about love and memory. It's about sorrow. It's about sisters who never write back and people who never listen.” -pg. 85
Death is a reality that can be interpreted in many ways. Some people fear the possibility of no longer living and others welcome the opportunity for a new life in the afterlife. Many poets have been inspired by death, be it by the approaching death of loved ones or a battle for immortality. Just as each poet is inspired differently, each poem casts a different hue of light on the topic of death giving readers a unique way to look at death.
At the end of the poem, the regret hangs over the travelers’ head. He realizes that at the end of his life, “somewhere ages and ages hence” (line 17), He will have regrets about having never gone back and traveling down the road he did not take. Yet he remains proud of his decision, and he recognizes that it was this path that he chose that made him turn out the way he did. “I took the road less traveled by and that has made all the difference” (line 19-20). To this man, what really made the difference is that he did what he wanted, even if it meant taking the road less traveled.
Everybody will die, but throughout the course of their lives circumstances will determine how they live. Margaret Atwood is among the most-honored authors of fiction in recent history. (“Margaret Atwood”.) One of her many short stories I have read is “Happy Endings”. In this story she has a sort of ironic theme. She allows her readers to be aware that no matter what obstacles you face in life you will end up with the same result death. I believe this short story, as well as most of her writing, relates to her personal life. Overall throughout the story she talks about the expectations of women, their rebellious and pessimistic ways, and how she examines life through her own experiences.
"When the purpose of life is fulfilled, death seems a part of life, not a peril to it". Both the protagonists deal with death in different ways.
The narrator must choose between two 'fair'; roads, of which he cannot see the endpoints. Wandering between the two, he finally decides to take the road 'less traveled by.'; Yet, like most people, he later sighs with regret thinking of what he might have