Tambudzai, the main character of Nervous Conditions, is looked upon as the “hero” or “possessor” of the story. How is this accomplished besides presenting a first person experience? How else than making the character better by comparison? Nyasha becomes Tambu’s support, boosting Tambu, but not herself. Tambu admits that “Nyasha would not be good for” her (103). Nyasha is represented as negative, even to Tambu, an attempt at further impressing the image of the hero/anti-hero relationship. The following, to put their relationship into some context, will analyze Nyasha, with respect to Tambu, and how they relate through their culture, class, and education. One reason that Nyasha and Tambu differ is that they were raised in different cultures and family environment. While Tambu lived her early years in traditional Shona culture, women doing the housekeeping, men making all the major decisions, and treading along a delicate social hierarchy inside the family structure, Nyasha was raised in England, knowing only the immediate family, and knowing nothing of a family order, and very little of basic Shona manners. It was said that Nyasha is “too anglicized” (100), and she was “silent and watchful, observing” them all (72). She knows little of Shona culture, being as an Anglo-Saxon child, and forced to look at it as an outsider, one who knows little of what she is observing. Tambu, however, knows much of the culture; she was raised in it, after all. Family life, a large part of one’s culture, was very different between these two also. Nyasha had only her brother Chido, her parents, and the occasional guest. Tambu, on the other hand, had several siblings, her parents, and family that lived close enough that they had to be considered when ... ... middle of paper ... ...th received high marks, but they took a different outlook on their grades. While Tambu was excited and happy that her hard work had payed off, Nyasha continues to put forth minimal effort, and has taken up an attitude of knowing more than others. This explains her conflict with Tambu about school work, it isn't important to her because it does nothing for her. While Tambu and Nyasha are at a similar junction at this particular moment in the story, they had completely different paths leading up to this point. Their circumstances may be similar, but their outlooks are distinct. Nyasha has been risen to her situation in a manner that causes her to be the opposite of Tambu, or at least as opposite as you can be to arrive in the same situation. Tambu and Nyasha are agreeing counterparts, battling for the title of hero, but Tambu wins, for she is the first person view.
Zhang’s first person narrative, uncensored and informal diction makes her story and experience relatable and one that touches the reader in ways not many other works are able to. This could be because of the fact that Zhang addresses harder to talk about subjects, but for me it was mainly her ability to deliver her truth in all its raw, real and ugly that is uncommon to find. Zhang’s unique style of writing is bold yet does not alienate readers allowing her to be able to share her story, experiences, and thoughts of depression. Zhang believes that “everyone wants to make something touchable, but most of us don’t out of fear of being laughable (Zhang),” and through “How It Feels”, she has created something that is just that,
Deborah’s original fears sprouted from her largest secret, the secret of her personal safe haven. To Deborah, opening up about the Kingdom of Yr, sparked her fear that the haven in which she finds safety, has potential to be destroyed in the hands of another individual. During the earlier stages of the novel, Deborah’s fear for the destruction of Yr ran deep, as without the Kingdom she would no longer have an outlet to run towards during her period of hurt. The fears in which Deborah experiences, also linger towards the emotional pot brewing inside of her, as she is terrified that the anger building up will spill out like an erupting volcano, causing a great deal of damage to an individual, “The clamor of from the Collect built higher until it was an overwhelming roar and the gray vision went red” (Greenberg, Chapter 19, page 26). Once the anger which accumulated over her life finally erupts, it becomes clear that the fear of not being able to control her anger, instigated Deborah to cling onto the rage for so long, eventually forcing her to maintain control of her fear. The protagonist’s final fear is sparked by her belief that the world is a place of betrayal, and love and kindness are foreign objects in the physical world. Due to the taunts she received from bully’s as a child and the lies she was prone to from
Our world, and lives, are full of trials and tribulations. Its our choices, actions, or lack thereof when facing these difficulties that influence the direction of our lives. Rene Denfeld explores this wonderfully in her novel The Enchanted. Her characters all face trials, of varying degrees of intensity, that not only shape them but also the direction of their lives. She delves into this process thoroughly through her character of the white-haired boy. He transforms from an optimistic boy, to a hollow victim of abuse and a corrupt penal system, and finally into a man who did what was necessary to survive.
Both Gissing and Allen, through the deaths of their respective protagonists represent the universal suffering, which is the suffering of a martyr. Whether naturally or through transition, Herminia, Rhoda and Monica, thus prove to be the martyrs for humanity through their suffering and sacrifice, and through their dedication to their cause, leading to the emancipation of womankind.
In the novel; This Earth of Mankind by Pramoedya Anata Toer, Toer introduces a character who is a Nyai. The novel is set in Indonesia in the 1900s during the Dutch colonialism. He presents the negative ideas that many characters have towards her and defines the meaning of how a Nyai is represented throughout the novel. Many other writers also tackle the representation of a Nyai and their role in society. In the novel Nyai Ontosoroh breaks away from the stereotypes by resisting what a Nyai is suppose to be by controlling her own freedom and resisting the power that the Dutch want to have over her.
One of the most useful in advancing this story is the typical, powerful character. Whether it be supernatural or cunning this character always comes out on top in the situation and holds the most control over others and their actions. The “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” , “Leda and the Swan”, and “Harrison Bergeron” all utilize an archetypical powerful character to create tension from how each character uses their power.
When this story is viewed through Sigmund Freud’s “psychoanalytic lens” the novel reveals itself as much more than just another gory war novel. According to Sigmund Freud psychology there are three parts of the mind that control a person’s actions which are the id, ego, and superego. Psychoanalysis states that there are three parts of the human mind, both conscious and subconscious, that control a person’s actions. The Id, ego, and
...ch as white culture, and that some things are bad, such as African culture. However it can work both ways. Nyasha had to face being told that her culture was bad while in England so she conformed to the English culture; however Nyasha’s father is now telling her that all her English ways are bad, both parties sought to educate Nyasha, and she did not bother to ask why. Finally I believe that Tambu would want people to know that one’s will to succeed can cause them to be able to triumph over circumstance.
...l to her brother’s, in spite of herself, she begins, at least on a base level, to see her education as a means to an end; a means to achieve and acquire an advancement in social-economic class and rank. Subsequently, she not only is in pursuit of education, but now begins a quest to regain her sense of self. Tambu sees this education as a way of juxtaposing the self she was, as identified and realized through the class of the lifestyle from whence she came, as well as the identification of the whatever class it is that she finds herself in upon acquiring her education. While she will perhaps be able, as a result of her education, to overcome the economic insistence of her previous lifestyle, her gender remains the same, and this will present the greater obstacle to her desired transformation, an obstacle that will require far more than merely an education to upend.
Deborah Blau, who is very bright and artistically talented, creates an imaginary world she calls the Kingdom of Yr, to use as a defense against the confusing and frightening truths of the real world. When Deborah is five, she has an operation to remove a tumor that causes her to be incontinent. This is a very traumatic experience because a great deal of physical pain and shame comes along with the problems c...
When trying to understand these particular characters’ experiences, it is very important to consider their worldviews, which promote “[th...
The unfeeling boy maintained control of my heart, and this he was aware of. As long as he had my heart, he had me. Using this knowledge, he toyed with me. This antagonist would speak of getting
Several different elements are necessary to create a story. Of all the elements, the conflict is most essential. The conflict connects all pieces of the plot, defines the characters, and drives the story forward. Once a story reaches its climax, the reader should have an emotional connection to the both story and its characters. Not only should emotions be evoked, but a reader should genuinely care about what happens next and the about the end result for the characters. Guy de Maupassant’s “The Necklace” is the perfect example of how a story’s conflict evolved the disposition of its characters.
Yukiko tells her experience to ‘I’, who then tells the story to the audience through a third person point of view. Even though the ultimate narrator of the metadiegetic story is ‘I’, it is precisely Yukiko who recollects the past as an active agent and thus has an enormous impact on the way how the characters are described. As a primary narrator of the metadiegetic story, Yukiko is able to interact with the story and her current thoughts are often manifested between lines where she describes particular scenes or feelings of the past. For example, at the point of time when she was just gazing at the quarrel between the brothers, she describes that “her heart was uneasy and disturbed” and thought that “she would not be able to look at them anymore” (83). However, in the very next line, she says “when she [Yukiko] recollected the past, she came to realize that she might have regarded them primarily with jealousy. Yukiko felt attracted by the sweet, sentimental desire that emanated from the abyss of their violent passion for each other” (83). The young Yukiko at the time of the event thought she was disturbed by what she saw from the two brothers. Notice that during this time, she was not only at the bottom of the power structure but was on the verge of losing her female subjectivity. Thus, the homosexual implication of the brothers’ relationship only reassured the fact that there is no place for her heterosexuality to stand up. However, as soon as the old Yukiko intervenes the story, her confession acts to emphasize the transformation of her role from a powerless being, desperate to secure her existence, to an observer who is fully aware of her emotion and the corresponding meaning of
Tsotsi begins as a thug, suffering no remorse. But he changes and his last deed is committing a great act of love; sacrificing himself for a baby. He regains memories of his childhood and discovers why he is the way he is. The novel sets the parameters of being “human” as feeling empathy, having a mother, having morals, having an identity, having a spirituality and feeling love. Tsotsi learns these and is redeemed. It is a very moving story about the beauty of human nature and hope for redemption no matter what.