The Handmaid's Tale Comparison
Two Paths, One Journey
Reality can be an extremely tough and terrifying pill to swallow. There are many truths people do not want to accept and the path to accepting those truths is different for each person. In Leaving Gilead, Pat Carr depicts the story of Geneva Birdsong and her daughter, Saranell, as they come to terms with the real world during the Civil War era. Even though Saranell and Geneva have two different paths, they are both on the same journey to accepting reality. Even if there are two different journeys, there is always a similar starting point. "' A Confederate officer wouldn't have cheated like that...Confederate officers are gentlemen'" (Carr 125). Saranell, an 8 year old girl, lives with a false idea of her Southern compatriots …show more content…
"Then the mask said, 'I wasn't fair to your father. I shouldn't have married him...Such a ridiculous-waste of years...For us all'" (Carr 142). After constantly avoiding her real feelings, Geneva finally admits the truth of who she loved. She finally lifted a burden that had been haunting and weighing her down for years. Although she had a completely different experience, Saranell endured the exact same feeling. "She gazed up at it, and the aloneness of the dark hills merging with the dark sky began to crush her. Tears ran from the corners of her eyes. The stars swam and dissolved. And in a moment she was sobbing. For her mother. For herself. For the awkward balm-of-Gilead trees...and for the smell of books in her father's library" (Carr 155). All of the experiences and the pain of what she has gone through finally caught up with Saranell. She finally embraced what had happened in her life and accepted what was real. It doesn't matter how long takes, the truth of reality will always shine through. In life, many people want to avoid what is real. They put up this wall of fantasy to try and prevent the truth from coming out. Geneva and Saranell both tried to do this. They continually denied what was real and believed what was fake until the time came when they finally had to come to terms what was going on in the world. Once they accepted the truth, a weight was lifted off both of their shoulders and they could finally enjoy peace. Despite the rough and very different journeys, both women ended up at the same destination: a true sense of
Reality can be an extremely tough and terrifying pill to swallow. There are many truths people do not want to accept and the path to accepting those truths is different for each person. In Leaving Gilead, Pat Carr depicts the story of Geneva Birdsong and her daughter, Saranell, as they come to terms with the real world during the Civil War era. Even though Saranell and Geneva have two different paths, they are both on the same journey to accepting reality. Even if there are two different journeys, there is always a similar starting point. "' A Confederate officer wouldn't have cheated like that...Confederate officers are gentlemen'" (Carr 125). Saranell, an 8 year old girl, lives with a false idea of her Southern compatriots …show more content…
"Then the mask said, 'I wasn't fair to your father. I shouldn't have married him...Such a ridiculous-waste of years...For us all'" (Carr 142). After constantly avoiding her real feelings, Geneva finally admits the truth of who she loved. She finally lifted a burden that had been haunting and weighing her down for years. Although she had a completely different experience, Saranell endured the exact same feeling. "She gazed up at it, and the aloneness of the dark hills merging with the dark sky began to crush her. Tears ran from the corners of her eyes. The stars swam and dissolved. And in a moment she was sobbing. For her mother. For herself. For the awkward balm-of-Gilead trees...and for the smell of books in her father's library" (Carr 155). All of the experiences and the pain of what she has gone through finally caught up with Saranell. She finally embraced what had happened in her life and accepted what was real. It doesn't matter how long takes, the truth of reality will always shine through. In life, many people want to avoid what is real. They put up this wall of fantasy to try and prevent the truth from coming out. Geneva and Saranell both tried to do this. They continually denied what was real and believed what was fake until the time came when they finally had to come to terms what was going on in the world. Once they accepted the truth, a weight was lifted off both of their shoulders and they could finally enjoy peace. Despite the rough and very different journeys, both women ended up at the same destination: a true sense of