Harper Lee’s novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” and Peter Carstair’s motion picture “September” are two compelling works that explore the poignant theme of coming-of-age. While over thirty years separate the two pieces, both texts capture the raw emotions and difficulties of innocent children growing into mature adults in an ever-changing society. These changes are portrayed in many different way, but are most prominent through the racism in their surroundings, the character’s deep personal development and their loss of innocence.…
How does it make him feel? That the prevailing color of life in America is a dull, dark green called olive drab – always respectable and always important. (Chapter 3, page 33.)…
Caucasia takes place in nineteen seventy-five and Boston was a racial battle ground especially for one family the Lees. Birdie Lee ,a half white half black eight year old girl, tells her story of fleeing the racial war and hiding her identity . For over seven years she was on the run and forced into a new identity. At an early age Birdie was confused about her identity since a mixed race child was a social taboo. Forced by her family to live on the road with a new name and background confused Birdie even more. This paper will analyze how the surroundings of Boston, Aurora and New Hampshire and how they each molded the main character into a constant…
John Green’s Paper Towns follows the protagonist, Quentin, as he chases the object of his desire, Margo who disappears, leaving mysterious clues as to her whereabouts. Green takes care in this story to allow Margo to not fall into the trope of being an object who exists solely for the growth of the male protagonist. This is a feminist story about the discovery of a woman for who she really is.…
The beginning of the novel displays an intimate sincerity in the way the main characters interact with each other, which later turns into a slight apprehension of the potential danger people in authority could be. Steinbeck’s description of the main characters, George and Lennie, reveals their differences; George is “small” and “quick”, with “restless eyes” and “defined” features. Lennie, his companion, is the complete “opposite” of George; he is a “huge man”, with a “shapeless face” and “loosely hanging” arms (2). The fact that these two men are even together in the first place adds a bit of mystery, as well as meaning, to the relationship. The reader here is inclined to find out what exactly the motivation is for each of these characters. The tone becomes one of curious expectancy, for the author has managed to hook the reader into his world. Later, while sitting down by the river and their fire, Steinbeck…
Young Goodman Brown ask a false question of faith, false in the assertion that the question can have only two answers. Faith is singularly defined as good thus all else, especially doubt, is evil. Therefore, Goodman Brown’s revelation - not all people of faith have pure faith- is profoundly troubling. In effect the rigid construct of his world is shattered. Furthermore Brown, due to his position in society, epitomizes respectability and is naturally married to Faith. His status is essentially his birthright, for his father and grandfather before him were reputable men. To an extent Brown functions as the common American man who cherishes the history of a country and family name bestowed onto him while lamenting obligation. Goodman encounters the conflict of masculinity explicitly, not only does he carry a highly regarded family name, but he also is not privy to innocence and blind faith like his wife. Faith is pink, childlike, and unknowing of darkness or doubt. Faith represents the impossibility of unadulterated belief, for it is remarkably unlikely for a mature adult to be so ignorant of life’s tribulations. However, in Young Goodman Brown unadulterated faith is presented as the only pious option even though doubt is inevitable and pervasive. Doubt and the darkness lingering in the forest have, in fact, reached nearly the whole town. There in the woods “the good shrank not from the wicked”(85). In reality, there is no clear divide between good and evil, thus there is no clear divide between faith and doubt. Such a statement, a refusal of dichotomy,…
The point of view focuses on the grandmother. The story begins by talking about her background. It is arranged in chronological order. First, the narrator¡¦s granddaughter is introduced and then her family background. The narrator describes herself as ¡§fierce¡¨. Everyone is afraid of her. Her daughter is somewhat like her mom at least she is also ¡§fierce¡¨ because she is a bank vice president, but her granddaughter is wild, not like her daughter or herself. In the grandmother¡¦s opinion, if her granddaughter Sophie does not act like other Chinese girls, she is wild. In other words, the narrator seems to think people coming from a different culture are weird. After that, the narrator talked about her son-in-law. She thought she did not understand him because he could neither find a job nor look after Sophie. Grandmother said,¡¨Plain boiled food, plain boiled thinking. Even his name is plain boiled: John¡¨ (206). At this point, she somewhat despised her son-in-law, John. He is a white person who can speak English. There is no way he can not find a job. Besides, the grandmother always felt the culture gap. ¡§In China, we talk about whether we have difficulty or no difficulty. We talk about whether life is bitter or not bitter. In America, all day long, people talk about creative¡¨ (208). She did not understand why the ex-babysitter let Sophie get naked and run around. Creativity did not mean anything to her. There was no such a word in Chinese. In addition, she told her daughter ¡§We do…
In “Four Directions,” Tan illustrates the conflict between man vs. man. Man vs. man is expressed in Waverly’s attempts at seeking her mother’s approval. Throughout the story Waverly tries to tell her mother about her engagement but is afraid. In fear of her mother’s harsh judgements, Waverly feels that it is difficult to communicate with her mother. She fears that her mother’s piercing words will ruin her love for her fiancé, just as her words had ruined her love for her ex-husband, Marvin. She expresses her fear when she thinks “I worried for Rich. Because I knew my feelings for him were vulnerable to being felled by my mother’s suspicions, passing remarks, and innuendos” (175). Due to her mother’s past remarks she becomes fearful of the future to come and starts to doubt her new…
-The peaceful, natural setting Steinbeck opens with is unsettled by “the sound of footsteps on crisp sycamore leaves” followed by a shift in focus as “two men emerged from the path and came into the opening by the green pool.” The idea of companionship is introduced through Steinbeck’s simple opening description.…
The novel is set during the Great Depression, which was a result of the Wall Street Crash in the world's stock markets- a disaster that shook all but a few of the world's countries wealth and prospects. This novel centres in on the lives of two contrasting men, working their way around ranches in the American South-West, in search of the eventual fulfillment of the American Dream- the idealistic fantasy of individual freedom, independence and self-reliance. One is a simple, immensely strong yet gentle man named Lennie, who has the mental age of a child; the other is George, a quick witted clever man with a lot of bitterness and anger. In fact, in the opening chapters of the book they are described with animal traits- Lennie is reminiscent of a huge, loveable yet unintelligent dog, who will usually only do what is commanded of him. At one point a direct simile is used, describing him as being "like a terrier who doesn't want to bring his ball back to his master". George is likened to a slight sharp creature like the fox- with all the fox's cunning.…
Firstly in the Great Depression many experienced Loneliness and Prejudice, seen through the characters of Candy an ‘old swamper’ and Crooks a ‘black stable buck’. Steinbeck uses the conflict both internal and external found as the effect of racism and ageism on these characters. The reader is disgusted at the amount and degree of discrimination, while others may dismiss it as the past. From catching the grunt of the prejudice this forces both Candy and Crooks into a life of loneliness and isolation, lacking in a hope or future. These characters are overlooked as inferior, unimportant despite what they have to offer past their age and skin colour. Steinbeck reveals that Crooks can read, shouldn’t that be worth something, no, ‘cause I’m black’, Crooks feels unwanted confirmed by Curley’s wife’s threats found in dialogue aimed at Crooks, dismissing the fact that he was born there, just like them. Candy gets pressured into putting down his dog that he has had since a pup. “Maybe tomorra, Le’s wait till tomorra” Candy is trying to avoid losing his dog and sadly realises that his future isn’t much better, when he is no longer useful will they get rid of him to? “Nobody’d listen to us.” Why would they listen to a nigger and ol’sheep? Candy and Crooks experience this abuse every day, making the reader feel empathy, anger and is encouraged by this insight of mistreatment.…
While in the forest Brown faces metaphorical monsters that challenge his principles and beliefs. The main figure that Goodman Brown confronts…
First, the book itself is written in an inimitable style. In the very beginning of this work with the usage of real names, dates and places the author makes the reader believe the veracity of the tale. It also describes the everyday life of American Colonists, making the part of the book being a resource of historical information. But the events taking place there are doubtful and generally cannot pretend to be true at all.The story istelf is full of irony and sarcasm, and it also reveals a bunch of flows that are common to the society regardless to the time period. For example, the main character of the book, Rip Van Winkle, has a drawback - "insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labour"(page 457). He would rather put an effort in doing something useless than put the same effort in doing things helpful for himself; he doesn't mind doing hard labor for someone else, but he doesn't care about his own farm. Moreover, he is sure that there is no use to work there. Another topic that the author touches is the power of woman over the man in the family. Dame Van Winkle is a shrew and terrifies the life of Rip, who, on the contrary,has a very flexible character. Irving defines him as a "simple good natured man, ... a kind neighbour, and an obidient, henpecked husband".…
Flannery O’Connor is well known for her Southern Gothic literature, and this story is no exception, as it uses many aspects of the genre. The elements of literature in the story are well balanced. There are two main figures: Julian and his Mother, both developing characters. The narrator is substantially involved, often getting into the characters’ thoughts and feelings through dialogue and action. As Julian’s mother refuses to “...ride the buses by herself at night since [colored people] had been integrated,” it can be inferred that this story takes place in the South (O’Connor 495). The conflict between the recent college graduate, prideful of his cultural sophistication and racial deregulation, and his bigot mother tells of a dysfunctioning, parasitic mother-son connection and the consequences that it brings; a reasoning that shows why the themes of “Everything Rises Must Converge” is the concept of relationship and suffering.…
However, the source of this pride differs between the two of them; Mrs. Chestny’s pride is rooted in the past by her lineage and her primary flaw is racism that is borne from a romanticized view of slavery and segregation; because Julian’s grand-grandfather was a “former governor” of the state and her grandfather, owned a “plantation and had two hundred slaves,” she sees herself and her son as part of Southern aristocracy, despite their modest apartment in a once fashionable neighbourhood. As such, she strengthens her connection to the past by practicing class-conscious mannerisms in a world where the “bottom rail is on the top.” The hat initially represents her resistance to change; she wears the hat “like a banner of her imaginary dignity.” The reason she bought the hat is because she prides herself on looking distinctive; she “won’t meet [herself] coming and going.” O’Connor uses clothing as a symbol of class distinction; Mrs. Chestny is “one of the few members of the Y…who [arrives] in hat and gloves” and she is embarrassed when Julian removes his tie in public. The purchase of the hat becomes ironic because Carver’s mother enters the bus wearing the same hat; the hat, initially symbolizing Mrs. Chestny’s distinction, is now a symbol of the changing cultural and political landscape of the South, which sees both Mrs. Chestny…