Impact of Selfishness on Personal Life
Impact of Selfishness on Personal Life
Every day, people make several decisions that more or less influence their live. However, it is necessary to consider other people and results before the decisions were made, since selfish decisions can cause lots of problems. The selfish choices that selected by the main characters in both “On the Rainy River” and “A Pair of Silk Stocking” cause regret and raise conflict between the main characters and themselves .
Regret can be caused by selfish decisions. On the one hand, O’Brien, the narrator of the “On the Rainy River” felt guilty and worried about his families during the way to Canada because he fled away from the war: “I would go to the war--I would kill and maybe die –because I was embarrassed not to. That was the sad thing” (O’Brien 12). Clearly, O’Brien explained why he decided to go to Canada and continued his life without contradicting his own beliefs. Here he lost his chance at having personal happiness and would have to live with regret from then on. Even though, O’Brien went back and join the army in the end, he still could not get away from the guilt that rose by his decisions: “I survived, but it's not a happy ending. I was a coward. I went to the war” (O’Brien 14). Unlike most people, O’Brien did not regarded surviving form the war as a fortunate thing for him, instead, O’Brien considered himself as a coward and did not forgive himself for making the inappropriate decision from now on. On the other hand, Mrs. Sommer, the major character of “A Pair of Silk Stockings” also felt guilty about her family, for the mother used up all the fifteen pounds to purchase accessories and entertained herself instead of buying “so and so many yards of percales for new shirt waists for the boys and Janie and Mag”(Chopin 1). The fifteen pounds were supposed to spend on the clothing of their children according to Mrs. Sommers’s plan at beginning, but she spent all for herself. By the end of day, she did
Every day, people make several decisions that more or less influence their live. However, it is necessary to consider other people and results before the decisions were made, since selfish decisions can cause lots of problems. The selfish choices that selected by the main characters in both “On the Rainy River” and “A Pair of Silk Stocking” cause regret and raise conflict between the main characters and themselves .
Regret can be caused by selfish decisions. On the one hand, O’Brien, the narrator of the “On the Rainy River” felt guilty and worried about his families during the way to Canada because he fled away from the war: “I would go to the war--I would kill and maybe die –because I was embarrassed not to. That was the sad thing” (O’Brien 12). Clearly, O’Brien explained why he decided to go to Canada and continued his life without contradicting his own beliefs. Here he lost his chance at having personal happiness and would have to live with regret from then on. Even though, O’Brien went back and join the army in the end, he still could not get away from the guilt that rose by his decisions: “I survived, but it's not a happy ending. I was a coward. I went to the war” (O’Brien 14). Unlike most people, O’Brien did not regarded surviving form the war as a fortunate thing for him, instead, O’Brien considered himself as a coward and did not forgive himself for making the inappropriate decision from now on. On the other hand, Mrs. Sommer, the major character of “A Pair of Silk Stockings” also felt guilty about her family, for the mother used up all the fifteen pounds to purchase accessories and entertained herself instead of buying “so and so many yards of percales for new shirt waists for the boys and Janie and Mag”(Chopin 1). The fifteen pounds were supposed to spend on the clothing of their children according to Mrs. Sommers’s plan at beginning, but she spent all for herself. By the end of day, she did