David Leavitt Territory Summary

“Territory” by David Leavitt
Ever since Neil told his parents he was a homosexual there has been a distance between him and his mother. Though she did make attempts to be supportive towards her son’s lifestyle by attending the gay pride parade, Neil soon realizes that it is all just for show. It was during that parade where she showed her true colors. In the story, a drag queen comes from the parade to greet Neil’s mother Barbara and as Neil and he returns to the parade, Neil looks back and sees a look of disgust on his mother’s face. At this point, Neil realizes that his mother will never accept him for the way he is. This is just one instance where Neil feels he cannot be accepted in his mother’s presence. Later in the story Neil decided
to move away from home to go live in New York, where he feels he will be accepted and can be himself. After a long time being away, Neil finally decides to come home and introduce his lover Wayne to his mother. I feel this is an attempt on Neil’s part to see his mother’s point of view on the whole thing. It is at the dinner table where I feel that it finally hit Barbara of the reality of her son’s life. As she began to converse with Wayne at the dinner table, she couldn’t help but to pay close attention to Neil and Wayne’s hand-holding. I believe that it was at this moment where Barbara truly felt her opposition towards homosexuality. It was from then on that she began to push Neil away. In the garden scene with Neil and his mother, she finally admits to her opposition and states that “it is too much” and proceeds to walk away from the conversation. This is a turning point for Neil, because he realizes that he will never be accepted by his mother, and he knows it is time to move on. He realizes this and decides that it is time to break away from his mother and live his own life. Without his mother, he can now begin to accept himself for who he is.

Alice Walker, "Everyday Use"
The part of this story that I feel would be appropriate to focus on in this reflection is the consideration of the quilts.
In the story Dee asks her mother for some of the quilts which she and another family member had put together. This sudden interest in the family items was quite curious at first to Mama because these quilts were offered to Dee once before, in which at that time she showed no interest. Now all of a sudden she is interested in her mother’s most treasured of quilts- the ones that were made specifically from the old scraps of their ancestor’s clothing. These quilts had the very history of the Johnson family sewn into them, and Dee wanted them. At first it seemed at though Dee wanted them for the sentimental value which they carried, but it was soon apparent that her soul purpose was to put them on display. She wanted to hang them on her walls as to add a show of higher importance to her life for all her visitors to see. What is ironic in this is that the very thing she left home to escape is the one thing she coveted most to present in her home- the connection with her family history. It is almost as if she wanted nothing to do with her family’s heritage until it became fashionable to do so. At the end of the story, Mama saw Dee’s true intention for her quilts and gave it to who she thought worthy of them- Maggie. Maggie embraced her heritage and intended to put these quilts to everyday practical use. This ending just signifies Walker’s meaning of heritage, which is not meant to sit on the shelf, but rather reflect a part of history that remains alive in this present
day.

William Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily"
This story is a wonderful example of symbolism, specifically between Emily and her house. Right from the beginning the author gives a description of the house, which the reader will soon realize is quite comparable to Emily’s description. It states how the house is "white, decorated with cupolas and spires and scrolled balconies in the heavily lightsome style of the seventies", qualities that have one purpose, that is, to impress and draw the attention of the townspeople. In relation to this, Emily is presented as a wealthy white woman who dressed in an obvious manner as to draw attention to herself, as the house does. In Emily’s time, such a display of extravagance was just an invented way to give the impression of wealth. Later in the story as Emily ages, the author emphasizes the deterioration of both the house and Emily’s physical appearance. The house is described as "smelling of dust and disuse," and the author describes Emily’s aging as well using similar words. He describes her aged voice to be "harsh, and rusty, as if from disuse". At the end of the story, it is apparent that both the house and Emily have become empty and lifeless, in which neither are even remotely close to their former splendor. Also there is a comparison between Emily and the house involving a lack of change to the new generation. Emily showed an unwillingness to change from her now ancient behaviors, which are now looked at as unusual and odd by the townspeople. In the same way, there is a reluctance to change the traditions in relation to the house. An example of this is when representatives were sent to her home to collect her taxes, in which Emily completely rejected her responsibility. She referred back to the time when the once mayor, Colonel Sartoris remitted her taxes.