Preview

A Wagner Matinee By Willa Cather: A Journey Through Life

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2538 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
A Wagner Matinee By Willa Cather: A Journey Through Life
English 1011
3 December 2009 “A Journey through Life”

Life is all about choices. Even the simplest choice could turn a situation around and further affect the future of an individual forever. I found Willa Cather’s short story “A Wagner Matinee” very interesting. It deals with different levels of choices, some which might affect the character’s life slightly, while other choices may affect their entire lifetime. The way the story is written makes the reader think a lot about the events that occur along the way. It leaves the reader wondering how the situation the characters are to encounter is widely affected by the choice of decision that is made. Many psychologists
…show more content…

In the letter there is a notice stating that his aunt, Georgiana, is coming to Boston for the settling of her relative’s estate. However, when he reads the letter he notices that Uncle Howard postponed sending the letter until the last moment possible, because the date that is noted for his aunt’s arrival to town is the very next day. Clark describes the letter as “worn and rubbed, looking as If it had been carried for some days in a coat pocket that was non too clean” (Cather 201). It shows how his uncle’s poor decision could have turned out if he had delayed sending the letter for one extra day or if Clark was not at home that day to receive it. When Clark expresses his feelings toward his aunt he states how important and affective she was on his childhood. She was the one who taught him about music, Shakespeare, mythology, and Latin. If not for her, he would have been just an ordinary farmer boy who knows nothing about education. Thus, it is clear how upset he would have gotten with himself and his uncle if he would have received the letter late and missed his aunt’s arrival. Decision avoidance is a tendency of avoiding making a choice by postponing it or by seeking an easy way out that involves neither action nor change. It usually results from reason and emotion. As mentioned in the “Psychological Bulletin” by Christopher J.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In Kathleen M. Higgins work The Music of Our Lives she discusses her theory on how music positively benefits us, not only as a culture, but an individuals. She opens her writing by elaborating two very profound quotes on the importance of music, one by Plato and the other Confucius. Both quotes, alone with Higgins words, come to the conclusion that music is a central tool in promoting harmony in the soul and connecting our cross cultural society. Kathleen M. Higgins than goes on to compare the views of Allan Bloom. Despite devoting a chapter in his book Closing of the American Mind to maliciously attacking rock music, he keeps in mind that music still serves a ethical function. Bloom expresses how deeply music sears deep into the souls of…

    • 380 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Many literary classics explore the way in which fate is inevitable. August Strindberg’s infamously controversial play Miss Julie, written in 1888, pertains to that specific group of literary classics. His play tells the story of Julie, the daughter of a count and a commoner, who is driven by a desire to be apart of the lower social class. Overcome by her physical sexual needs but also the temptation of lowering herself socially, she goes to bed with her servant, Jean. This series of events leads to her suicide at the closing of the play. Through the characterization of Julie, Strindberg shows that humans can make choices, however these choices will only prolong their inevitable fate. This unavoidable fate of the protagonist creates strong sympathy in the audience. The playwright effectively foreshadows this unavoidable fate for Miss Julie through her mother’s psychological instabilities, her mother’s relationship with her lover and her father’s weak character.…

    • 1640 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel The Other Wes Moore One Name Two Fates written by Wes Moore, each Wes led similar lives but due to seemingly minor decisions in their lives their outcomes drastically differ. There are choices that will come up in life and as seemingly irrelevant or innocent those choices seem can come back and affect the outcome of one's life. The level of commitment that one puts into their work or studies no matter if they want to do it or not, will matter down the road. As trivial as it may seem the support that family and friends offer play a major outcome in an individual's success. The way one's life pans out is not solely dictated in the large moments and in the obvious factors, but the little moments and the seemingly irrelevant factors…

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Mosquitoland by David Arnold develops the theme that when making decisions, one must think about future consequences. For instance, when making a decision one must think about the consequences for oneself. After Kathy shows up at Mim’s old house she tells Mim that she does not “...need to be [her] mother to care about [her]” (Arnold 291). Kathy is hoping to patch up her relationship with Mim. She hopes that Mim see’s that she cares for her and in result Mim will respect her and love her like she always wanted her to.…

    • 205 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Richard Wagner was a German composer, theatre director, and conductor who is primarily known for his operas. His music can be heard in many movies and some are very popular. Among his popular music, you can include “Ride of the Valkyries” that is featured in the film “What’s Opera Doc?” Many of Wagner’s pieces of music tended to be more on the dramatic side, which influenced me to choose this classical music as one of my favorites.…

    • 379 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Things are brought into one’s life for a reason, whether it is for a lifetime or temporary. Both short stories “Night” and “Bigger Than It Looks” have a realization that there’s a death of a small child. The impact on any one’s life can cause depression, but in both of these short stories depression is caused by the death of a child. The short stories “Night” by Bret Lott and, “Bigger Than It Looks” by Samuel J. Baldwin both express similarities in character’s actions, feelings, and situations.…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Any practical drama involves choices, free will which results in the question- is it fate or free will? Which is it responsible for the suffering in one’s life? One’s suffering, nonetheless, is not unjustified because “through great suffering thou hero is enlightened.” This is the point at which the heroes learn about themselves and their place in the universe, their pride becomes humble.…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth

    • 527 Words
    • 2 Pages

    What ideas are presented in the play regarding the role fear and foresight plays in an individual making important decisions?…

    • 527 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mrs. Loise Mallard husband, Brently Mallard, has died in a train accident, according to a report received at a newspaper office.…

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The composer wrote this piece about a hero for his last opera comique. The song is very pretty that gives me a moment of calmness just by listening to it.…

    • 462 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Analyzing Theories

    • 1790 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Heidegger’s idea that each choice represents the loss of an alternative. The past becomes important in terms of lost opportunity. Freedom to choose, but balance with responsibility…

    • 1790 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In addition, you will start to see that everything that happens to you is a result of a choice or action you made, and that will help you make better choices and take more thought-out action.…

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The film “How to Make Better Decisions” was quite interesting. The beginning of the film highlighted how based on science, it shows that the decisions we make are bad. We assume that we have a strong awareness of our choices and the reason why we do certain things. I agree with that because every time I make a decision, I always think that I know what the outcome would be, but really I am only making a decision based on my emotions and I am only assuming to think the outcome will be great. When I was in high school, there was a pair of sneakers that I really wanted. These sneakers were about $100 and my mother thought I was crazy for wanting them. At that time in my life, I convinced myself that I should buy these sneakers because they were cute and I really wanted them. Looking back now, that was a very bad decision. I could have saved that money and used it for something else. The only reason why I wanted those shoes was simply because everyone in school wanted them, but only certain students could afford them. It was like I had to prove something by buying those shoes, and I did not make a logical decision when purchasing them, I acted out on emotions. At that time in my life, my “grip on reality” was not as tight as I thought.…

    • 1215 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Samuel Beckett’s play, “Happy Days,” portrays a woman, Winnie, buried in the ground, first up to her waist, then up to her neck, determined to live out her meaningful life. Although her situation is hopeless because she has no idea how she got there, Winnie trusts that her life is meaningful and truly believes that there is nothing she can do to change it. Consequently, Winnie focuses on trivial details to pass each day. Beckett definitely succeeds in making this character’s life dramatic by consuming her life with habits and rituals. Winnie’s life is focused around certain details that help her cope with her anxiety of existence. Beckett shows that internally Winnie is afraid of what cannot be predicted or controlled and therefore has her resort to trifles. Winnie’s dramatic story is centered on a famous quote from Beckett’s first published play, “Waiting for Godot,” in “Habit is the great deadener.”…

    • 1217 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    As a child, decisions like finishing homework during free time or choosing to procrastinate for the last minute often arise, and the adolescent would usually chose the latter. This situation is one of the common, least life changing ones dealt by many people, while other predicaments can be on a more serious not, like choosing between what is moral and immoral. These accounts show that throughout life, situations arise and one has to think about how they should deal with it to approach a resolution. It might be easier to do what “we want to do” rather than doing what we “ought to do,” and take “the one less traveled by” as Robert Frost might say. These decisions must be made, no matter the size of the problem or the amount of effort. Through history, the arrival of choices between right and wrong make a large impact on how lives plan out.…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays