Analysis Of Jenna Blum's Those Who Save Us

1123 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Role of parents in shaping our future

Robert Frost once wrote, “The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep...” Despite both the world and the mind being depths of endless beauty, many fears and unpleasant experiences are still impossible to avoid and can be detrimental. Although many tend to give up due to the extent of damage the unpleasant experiences often present, it is not that simple for a parent to do, as they often have an abundance of love for their child, along with an amplitude of responsibilities to fulfil for their them. In Jenna Blum’s Those Who Save Us, the main character Anna, is seen sacrificing a lot for her daughter Trudie, as well as never giving up for her daughter’s sake. Due to the love a parent has for …show more content…

Throughout this novel, the main character Anna, constantly gives up the things that make her happy in order to make her daughter Trudie happy. While thinking about the reasons why she continues to obey the Obersturmführer, Anna contemplates a suicide mission for a split second, but quickly reminds herself that “...everything [she] does, including yielding to the Obersturmführer ’s demands, is for Trudie” (89). Despite hating the Obersturmführer to the point where she begins to consider suicide in order to escape him, Anna constantly reminds herself that she is not making sacrifices solely for herself, but also for her daughter Trudie, which acts as a driving force for her to continue, despite having to neglect her own happiness in the process. Moreover, following the death of her dear friend Mathilde, Anna takes up her weekly task of delivering bread to the quarry, however, after evaluating all of the potential outcomes, Anna decides that “...she will no longer make deliveries to the quarry. It is too dangerous to even contemplate. She has

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of 'Our Secret' By Laura Griffin

    667 Words  | 2 Pages

    The essay begins with Griffin across the room from a woman called Laura. Griffin recalls the lady taking on an identity from long ago: “As she speaks the space between us grows larger. She has entered her past. She is speaking of her childhood.” (Griffin 233) Griffin then begins to document memories told from the lady about her family, and specifically her father. Her father was a German soldier from around the same time as Himmler. Griffin carefully weaves the story of Laura with her own comments and metaphors from her unique writing style.

    Read More

  • Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry

    1284 Words  | 3 Pages

    Character analysis Annemarie is a normal young girl, ten years old, she has normal difficulties and duties like any other girl. but these difficulties aren’t normal ones, she’s faced with the difficulties of war. This war has made Annemarie into a very smart girl, she spends most of her time thinking about how to be safe at all times “Annemarie admitted to herself,snuggling there in the quiet dark, that she was glad to be an ordinary person who would never be called upon for courage.” (4.60) even though shes going through a lot she still controls it very well.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Anita Shreve's Rescue

    1205 Words  | 3 Pages

    Anita Shreve’s “Rescue” is about the emotional and physical trauma between parents and children. A delicate and interesting novel explores the life of the Webster and Sheila, as they are trying to realize their past and begin again. Anita Shreve is a best-selling author who has followed a simple style in the novel “Rescue” that is straightforward and concise that has no confusing points of view or complex flashbacks (Bukowsky, 1). She has portrayed her characters in a way that are insightful that has never failed to take the readers into it, especially the character of Peter Webster. “Rescue” is a touching story of a down-to-earth small-town hero, Webster, who brings misfortune to his life through a drunk driver, Sheila, but he never fails to take responsibility. Webster is portrayed as a dedicated father and hard working breadwinner. He meets his fate in the name of Sheila whom he rescued from an accident and attracted toward her physical beauty. He falls in a situation where he has to grow his daughter, Rowan, alone when his wife leaves him for years. Even though he always regrets for marrying Sheila as a wrong choice, he never regrets of his daughter’s birth. He proves himself as a father who cares about his daughter alone and loves her most. However, it does not mean he hates his wife; he loves her too, but he cannot stop her from her alcoholism that keeps her away from him and Rowan. Through his character and life, Shreve has offered an insight that proves love should be accompanied by communication, true concern, and respect.

    Read More

  • The Bean Trees

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    Taylor Greer had been running away from premature pregnancy her entire life. Afraid that she would wind up just another hick in Pittman County, she left town and searched for a new life out West. On her way getting there, she acquires Turtle, an abandoned three-year-old Native American girl. Taylor knows that keeping Turtle is a major responsibility, being that she was abandoned and abused. Yet, Taylor knows that she is the best option that Turtle has, as far as parental figures go. "Then you are not the parent or guardian?’…. ‘Look,’ I said. ‘I’m not her real mother, but I’m taking care of her now. She’s not with her original family anymore." (Kingsolver 162) As the story progresses, Taylor accepts Turtle as part of life. This sacrifice later turns into a blessing.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Macbeth And Oedipus The King

    720 Words  | 2 Pages

    ... sins, but she can’t take back what she did so she will forever have blood on her hands. This guilt and all of the lies she has told is giving her true trepidation and in the end she decided to end her terror by taking her life.

    Read More

  • Analytical essay

    620 Words  | 2 Pages

    “I wish you would manage the time to come in and talk with me about your daughter. I’m sure you can help and whom I’m deeply interested in helping.” “Who needs help.”… Even if I came, what good would it do? You think because I am her mother I have a key, or that in some way you could use me as a key? She has lived for nineteen years. There is all that life that has happened outside of me, beyond me. (Olsen, 1953-54, p. 814)

    Read More

  • Divergent

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    Veronica Roth’s book demonstrates, in a few key ways, how great literature must include life lessons. The story teaches readers to never give up and to push on even in hard and rough times of struggle. Beatrice prior (Tris), the protagonist in the book, leaves her home to live with the danger seeking “Dauntless”. During the evil plot set by the antagonist, Beatrice’s mother gets fatally wounded by a gun shot. Tris watches this horrible moment unfold right next to her as her mother lifelessly crumbles to the ground. Beatrice loves her mother very much and doesn’t want to leave her body there, but knows she has to uncover the strength to move onwards. Not only was Beatrice brave after witnessing the death of her mother but her mother was also brave. Beatrice’s mother was also brave, having to die like that for her people, sacrificing herself for her daughter and family. Beatrice shows how she feels about her mother’s braver when she says,” My mother’s death was brave. I remember how calm she was, how determined. It isn’t just that she died for me; it is brave that she did it without announcing it, wi...

    Read More

  • The Pain Tree Analysis

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    Looking back on the death of Larissa’s son, Zebedee Breeze, Lorraine examines Larissa’s response to the passing of her child. Lorraine says, “I never saw her cry that day or any other. She never mentioned her sons.” (Senior 311). This statement from Lorraine shows how even though Larissa was devastated by the news of her son’s passing, she had to keep going. Women in Larissa’s position did not have the luxury of stopping everything to grieve. While someone in Lorraine’s position could take time to grieve and recover from the loss of a loved one, Larissa was expected to keep working despite the grief she felt. One of the saddest things about Zebedee’s passing, was that Larissa had to leave him and was not able to stay with her family because she had to take care of other families. Not only did Larissa have the strength to move on and keep working after her son’s passing, Larissa and other women like her also had no choice but to leave their families in order to find a way to support them. As a child, Lorraine did not understand the strength Larissa must have had to leave her family to take care of someone else’s

    Read More

  • How Does Henry Lawson Use Distinctively Visual Techniques

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    The love one has for their family causes one to do anything to keep them out of harm, including taking the role of mother/father. Henry Lawson creates an image in his readers’ mind of the protagonist and all that she does for her

    Read More

  • Parent-Child Relationship in Teenage Wasteland by Anne Tyler

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    Parent/Child relationships are very hard to establish among individuals. This particular relationship is very important for the child from birth because it helps the child to be able to understand moral and values of life that should be taught by the parent(s). In the short story “Teenage Wasteland”, Daisy (mother) fails to provide the proper love and care that should be given to her children. Daisy is an unfit parent that allows herself to manipulated by lacking self confidence, communication, and patience.

    Read More

  • Precious Movie Sociology

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    As previously stated, her father, Carl, sexually assaulted and raped her a copious amount of times and impregnated her not only once, but twice. The abuse began when she was only three years old and continued until she was fifteen; Precious was pregnant at twelve years old. Child rape occurs every two minutes in the United States and sadly one in three girls will be sexually molested before the age seventeen. Sexual abuse is an atrocious, disgusting and horrendous issue that happens every single day to an immense number of children. “Precious” acknowledges this topic and again, shows the negative effects it has on an individual. Although Precious was a victim of sexual abuse and incest; she wanted more for her and her children’s lives. A child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops low self-esteem, a feeling of worthlessness, an abnormal or distorted view of sex and has a higher risk of committing suicide. On the other hand, Precious did not let her destructive sexual abuse define who she is. “I cried the other day and I felt stupid, but f*ck that day. That’s why god made new days,” she says. Despite her rough past, she is strong enough to continue her life. The director and writer incorporated this issue to increase resilience in children subject to dysfunctional families and to sexual and physical abuse. In children who do not have to contend with those problems, the movie

    Read More

  • Motherhood In Tillie Olsen's I Stand Here Ironing

    764 Words  | 2 Pages

    Social pressure to raise pleasant, good mannered children who become grounded and productive adults has been a driving influence for many generations. If our children do not fit into this mold then we’re considered failures are parents. Emily’s mother is tormented by the phone call which sets off a wave of maternal guilt. Emily’s mother was young and abandoned by her husband while Emily was still an infant so she had to rely on only herself and the advice of others while she raised her daughter. After Emily was born her mother, “with all the fierce rigidity of first motherhood, (I) did like the books said. Though her cries battered me to trembling and my breasts ached with swollenness, I waited till the clock decreed.” (Olsen 174). Then when Emily was two she went against her own instincts about sending Emily to a nursery school while she worked which she considered merely “parking places for children.” (Olsen 174). Emily’s mother was also persuaded against her motherly instincts to send her off to a hospital when she did not get well from the measles and her mother had a new baby to tend to. Her mother even felt guilt for her second child, Susan, being everything society deemed worthy of attention. Emily was “thin and dark and foreign-looking at a time when every little girl was supposed to look or thought she should look a chubby blond replica of Shirley Temple.” (Olsen, 177) she was also neither “glib or quick in a world where glibness and quickness were easily confused with ability to learn.” (Olsen 177), which her sister Susan had in

    Read More

  • Anna Vs Ammaniti

    1202 Words  | 3 Pages

    Likewise, by dropping hints about the background of the story, Ammaniti creates a hint of mystery which appeals to readers and begins to deposit the groundwork for the plot. In the story Anna, this only serves to heighten the sense of chaos as the author depicts a world of disorder. In order to include these mysteries, the author provides small flashbacks into the main character’s childhood, such as Anna’s mother taking her out for gelato, or her school coach calling her a kangaroo, both of which help Anna overcome difficult situations. These flashbacks also help the reader feel familiar with the protagonist (par 51). Furthermore, after the flashback about gelato, Anna states that you could “still…find other sweet things,” before “the fire came…” This mention of a “fire” leads the reader down an imaginative rabbit trail of questions about the world Anna lives and struggles for life in (par 58). In addition, the development of Anna’s character in the story provides a clear example of humanity’s psychological and physical battle against chaos, a successful scenario for an exciting plot. An example of this appears when Anna imagines a single enemy canine as, “thousands of them surrounding the car…” (par 50). Anna feels so overwhelmed by all the chaos that the single dog plaguing her seems like thousands. She becomes enveloped in this fear which forces her to call upon childhood memories of family and sweets to supply her with enough strength to overcome the situation. The climax of the plot unearths an idea which readers may find disheartening: chaos cannot always be overcome. An example of this manifests when Anna thinks she found safety in a rundown car, but the dog somehow finds her again (par 35-48). In this continuation of the cycle of chaos, Anna climbs out of her shelter only to see a shape far

    Read More

  • Jacqueline Kennedy

    2818 Words  | 6 Pages

    “The children have been a wonderful gift to me, and I’m thankful to have once again seen our world through their eyes. They restore my faith in the family’s future” (Anderson, 176). Her children were her world; everything she did was for them. She tried her best to be the perfect mother.

    Read More

  • Motherhood in The Summer Before the Dark by Kate Brown and The Fifth child by Harriet Lovatt

    5038 Words  | 11 Pages

    Motherhood is a traditional role for women. From the time they are young, girls are taught to grow up, marry and become mothers. Of course they can do other things with their lives like play sports, have careers, and travel, but an overwhelming amount of women want to be mothers no matter what else they accomplish with their lives. It is common knowledge that being a good mother is one of the hardest jobs in the world. It is to forever have a special link with another person or people and have a tremendous influence, maybe the most tremendous influence over their lives. Motherhood is a roller coaster ride for women, full of ups and downs, fears and accomplishments. But what happens when motherhood defines who a woman is? All children grow up, and while a woman is always a mother, children need their mothers less and less until eventually their dependence is very minimal. What happens to the woman whose singular role and purpose is no longer needed? In The Summer Before The Dark, and The Fifth Child, the maternal roles of Kate Brown, and Harriet Lovatt are analyzed and traditional motherhood behavior is deconstructed due to these characters’ experiences and relationships with their children.

    Read More

More about Analysis Of Jenna Blum's Those Who Save Us

Open Document