Preview

“No One's a Mystery”

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1214 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
“No One's a Mystery”
Jessica Ulrich
Essay 2
Intro to Literature The story I am completing and analyzing is “No One 's a Mystery" by Elizabeth Tallent. “No One 's a Mystery” is a brief, sharply detailed distillation of a doomed relationship between two people of contrasting personalities. The question I ask is who the characters are, and what parts of the story lead me to deem and back up my feelings about that certain character. To start off I feel that Jack is a hard one to analyze while reading it in a critical way. This is what I picked up on him Jack being a very cynical man who drinks heavily, doesn 't clean his truck, and has no obvious respect for women (Mexomorph). Jack and his young lover not only come to terms with their relationship but also illuminate aspects of their own characters of which they themselves are not fully aware. The story is more of a character sketch than a traditional tale containing a beginning, middle, and an end. The sequence of events is less important than the specific detail and the dialogue between the couple. (Esch, 2009) He is currently cheating on his wife with a barely-legal girl he has been having an affair with since she was sixteen. I think he is a man who doesn’t know what he wants. In the story when she is talking about marrying him and having his children down the road, he doesn’t seem to be much for it at least not as much as her. I think he really feels bad for what he is doing but he is caught up in the moment of the relationship and how easy it is, but doesn’t think through the consequences. I think he drinks so much to forget about what he is doing to his wife and he knows it is wrong, so drinking helps him cope with the last 2 years of having an affair, and soon to be a divorce that he states at the end of the story. He also seems to very demeaning towards women and it seems as if again he is not happy with his life he has lead on. Another thing is when he talks about his wife feeling safer when the lights are on when



Cited: Esch, J. (2009, Dec 4). Notearama. Retrieved from Notearama: http://notearama.blogspot.com/2009/12/on-no-ones-mystery-by-elizabeth-tallent.html Mexomorph. (n.d.). Write Work. Retrieved from Write Work: http://www.writework.com/essay/no-one-s-mystery-elizabeth-tallent-english-1302-literature

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    In “The Story Of Tom Brennan” written by J.C Burke in a story about destruction, guilt and shame through the story there are allot of up and downs after the crash the family is not the same and tom knows that it will never be the same the story uses destructive power to add some problems to the story to keep it going the crash causes a couple of problems to everyone not just the family the whole community is effected guilt tom and kylie both feel guilty like they were the cause for the crash shame the family lie in shame they feel like there family is bad and the community don’t help that is why they mover because the whole family is looked down upon by the town of Mumbili. The family is affected by destruction in every way the family has changed after the event it has cause the whole community to change fin who was in the crash and her family are affected As well after fin became paraplegic her mum has to change the way she raises her son and fins dreams are crushed after one night so much has happened to the families and friends of the victims in the crash. Tom’s life has changed him and his mum grows further away slowly not talking to each other. Kylies life has changed to she has lost all her friends because they had to move schools. And fin has nothing left and her mother has trouble looking after her it is hard on every one. When the crash happens tom feels like he is the one who has cause the crash he feels guilty in every way he feels like he could have stopped what happened and kylie feels the same way she has the same feeling as tom and they are in the same place both feeling guilty of what happened that night both hiding it and keeping it bottled up inside them that is why they always fight it is because they both feel like they could have done something about it stopped the whole incident from happening fin sought of has the same feeling that if she didn’t get in the car that night nothing would have happened and it would all be the…

    • 591 Words
    • 17 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Summary of The Auditor

    • 1601 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The story begins with Jack’s promotion to partner and how it was bittersweet for him. Jack is excited for the promotion, but is also nervous about the extra responsibility partners have and the stress it can bring on family life. He is also upset because his friend Don was considered for the promotion too, but was turned down. In these chapters, Loebbecke shows the good and the bad that comes with partnership. There are financial rewards and prestige, but also potential strain on friendships and family. For the rest of the book, the author unfolds the events that take Jack closer to his partnership with The Firm.…

    • 1601 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Questions social values and principles- is it okay to kill Ms. Dietrichson since she has tricked Mr. Neff into killing her late husband?…

    • 962 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    McCandless had a huge angry towards his father mainly because of his previous marriage. Walt McCandless was not a horrible father; he worked hard for his family and provided for them. McCandless mother worked with her husband as well, as a couple they worked together even though they had their ups and downs they put so much time into their financial needs to keep their family well stabled. Christopher McCandless had his own issues; it is hard for one to believe that just because of the mistake his father made can impact him tremendously. McCandless want on with his journey for two years without contacting his family. It proves that he had psychological problems developed against his family mainly and to the people he was close to but no the strangers he met on the road. The dangerous adventure he faced that ended his life involves the lack of good relationship with his family. As the authors G. L. Forward, Alison Sansom-Livolsi, and Jordanna McGovern have discussed…

    • 2415 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How does the author use the interactions between the central character and two other characters to explore ideas in the text?…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In two of Flannery O?Connor?s short stories, ?Revelation? and ?A Good Man is Hard to find? we find a lot of similarities in the author?s portrayal of the characters as well as themes. ?O?Connor?s stories are challenging because her characters, who initially seem radically different from people we know, turn out to be, by the end of each story, somehow familiar- somehow connected to us.? (424) However, each story also depicts it?s own unique tell of spirituality and understanding. O?Connor?s ?Revelation? is a tale of a middle class women, Ruby Turpin, who is certain about her place in society, as well as the rest of the town?s social standing. She judges people instantly and reflects on what kind of person she would be if given a choice between two equally undignified options. ?A Good Man is Hard to Find? tells the story of a family that prepares to go on vacation but before they reach their destination they take a detour prompted by the grandmother and after a car accident come in counter with a serial killer who has recently been released from jail. Both stories take place in the south and take the reader on a journey to a deeper emotional awareness, as well as beg empathy of the reader for both the protagonist as well as the…

    • 220 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As this story unravels, the reader is able to observe the changing of a relationship, tradition, and young man. While reading, each character appears equally content, yet neither is truly pleased. The root of the unhappiness in each character is due to the change that has occurred in Joe and in their tradition. While his father accepts his change of mind, he is quite obviously offended and most likely feels hurt by Joe’s decision. On the other hand, Joe expresses sorrowfulness. This leaves the reader’s mind focused on the past, when the relationship was ideal and each character was happy; reminiscing in the…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Janie and Tea Cake were given many setbacks and were constantly being gossiped about in Eatonville. Many believed it was wrong for Janie to be with a man twelve years younger than her and accused Tea Cake of wrongfully wanting Janie. Although Janie enjoyed Tea Cake’s company and initially believed his intentions were true, the rumors the townspeople created made her doubt his authenticity. She questioned him and thought how “he didn’t look like he had too much. Maybe he was hanging around to get in with her and strip her of all that she had” (Hurston 121). These thoughts delayed Janie’s eventual fulfillment of her dreams, but once Tea Cake reassured Janie that his intentions were honest Janie became aware of the townspeople’s false allegations. Janie began to see how the citizens of Eatonville were simply jealous of Janie and Tea Cake’s relationship. After Janie came to this realization, she was able to ignore the townspeople’s thoughts and open up her heart to Tea Cake who filled it with his love. As a result of Janie overlooking rumors, she was able to fulfill her dream of marriage regardless of the differences in her and Tea Cake’s status and age.…

    • 635 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mrs. Mallard and Miss Emily both had a time in their lives when they have lost their husbands and are now a widow. Miss Emily when her lover dies, and Mrs. Mallard when new reached her ear of her husband’s death. Mrs. Mallard had a strict husband, which when she heard that he had died she finally had time to open her eyes and see that she was free, but when he walks in the door… joy is not the first think that over takes her. To where Miss Emily had a strict father who never…

    • 325 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Child Called It

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Part one: Character Identification: Describe who the characters are and what relationship they share with the main character.…

    • 657 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Lost Thing Quotes

    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Social interaction is an essential part of any relationship; it is the determining factor for one’s perceptions of the society around them and their own identity. Relationships are initially built upon mutual interests and acceptance and this is closely linked with one’s innate desire to be able to affiliate with a group or another individual. Both these ideas are explored in the ‘Namesake’ by Jhumpa Lahiri and the picture book: ‘The Lost Thing’ by Shaun Tan. Lahiri explores the importance of shared values and experiences in a relationship for it to prosper rather than the need for social interaction. This notion is shown through the relationship Ashoke and Ashima forge throughout their life. Despite having an arranged marriage, without having…

    • 1061 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The conflict of man vs. society is quickly revealed from the beginning of the novel. Through a recalled account of past life events, the reader is allowed to grasp an understanding of the life of Janie Crawford. Her life’s trials and tribulations have compelled her into the woman she is, a woman of self-determination who has abandoned the idea of the need for a male presence, as a result of three unsuccessful marriages. Coming into her own, Janie battles with society’s ignorant definition of gender roles and relations versus her personal views of self progression and independence. From her financially driven first marriage to the death of her last husband, she has taken on the flaws of others, specifically a man, to help her search for personal happiness, which has only hindered her progression. Janie once took on the same views as society but due to her personal experiences that allowed herself growth, she broke free of the biased, realizing that the development of an individual identity amounts way more than simply compromising for the like of others.…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Do you ever think about how a story can be really long and boring, well have you read “Contents of The Dead Man’s Pocket?” It may be long, but it is not boring. Jack Finny the author of the book “Contents of The Dead Man’s Pocket” is the kind of story you would not really be interested in but read anyways. The idea of this article is really that Tom may be a person who cares about a job and wife Clare, but tends to prioritize the two against each other in the wrong order just like in the story “you work too hard though, and too long” page 16.…

    • 727 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Poor Fish Moravia

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The young man in the story is constantly looking for reassurance. He asks his girlfriend quite frequently for compliments, and encouraging words to help boost his diminutive ego. The author shows the struggle taking place in the characters thoughts by his need for such words, making it obvious on how the character feels about himself. The author shows how the character is at a war with himself through not only the characters thoughts, but also with his words. However, the character is gifted enough to have such a loyal companion who sticks by him even when times are…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The enthralling novel, Tender Is The Night by Francis Scott Fitzgerald, engulfs his reader in the tragic story of Dick and Nicole Diver through their toxic marriage, numerous affairs and mental illness; all the while contemplating one's ultimate mortality and loss of youth and hope through a series of unfortunate events. Fitzgerald, a 20th century novelist, conveys a message of Dick’s irrevocable broken life; through symbolism, parallelism, and metaphors. I NEED HELP I SUCK ASS A THESIS STATEMENTS I KNOW I KNOW UGH ASDKBWKFHIAO…

    • 1970 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays