Response to The Graven Image
Similarities Between "Graven Image"and "The Law"
Part I: The story, "The Graven Image" by John O'Hara is based on an unnamed man with the title of Under Secretary, who is refered to as "little man" various times throughout the story. The story begins with the doorman opening up the rear door for the Under Secretary. As the Under Secretary steps off the car and walks into the hotel, the doorman says to himself, "it was a long time coming. It took him longer than most, but sooner or later all of them-", and then he proceeds to open the next car door. It is not until you finish reading the story that you get an understanding of what the doorman was referring to when he said that. The Under Secretary's main purpose of going into the hotel was to meet a former Harvard classmate, Mr. Browning. The Under Secretary and Mr.Browning have history together, they were former class mates back when they attended Harvard. It is clearly shown that there was rivalry between the two back then. Browning was a part of an elite group of Harvard, the Procellian Club. It seems as if the under secretary was never considered because he was a little man with not a good enough economic status to be a part of the group. The doorman is referring to this, even though we was considered a lower class, every Harvard student ends up succeeding at one point.
Part II: In both stories, "The Law" by Robert M. Coates and "The Graven Image" by John O'Hara you can see how the law and government makes a great impact on people's life. Where as in what their actions are, or who they choose to relate to. The governtment seems to have control over a persons life. In "The Law" the government takes control of what the people do everyday and influece to have a "schedule". Meanwhile in the "Graven Image" people are influenced by politics. They chose who they relate to both proffesionally and as everyday life. Government Influences People's Lives.
Part I: The story, "The Graven Image" by John O'Hara is based on an unnamed man with the title of Under Secretary, who is refered to as "little man" various times throughout the story. The story begins with the doorman opening up the rear door for the Under Secretary. As the Under Secretary steps off the car and walks into the hotel, the doorman says to himself, "it was a long time coming. It took him longer than most, but sooner or later all of them-", and then he proceeds to open the next car door. It is not until you finish reading the story that you get an understanding of what the doorman was referring to when he said that. The Under Secretary's main purpose of going into the hotel was to meet a former Harvard classmate, Mr. Browning. The Under Secretary and Mr.Browning have history together, they were former class mates back when they attended Harvard. It is clearly shown that there was rivalry between the two back then. Browning was a part of an elite group of Harvard, the Procellian Club. It seems as if the under secretary was never considered because he was a little man with not a good enough economic status to be a part of the group. The doorman is referring to this, even though we was considered a lower class, every Harvard student ends up succeeding at one point.
Part II: In both stories, "The Law" by Robert M. Coates and "The Graven Image" by John O'Hara you can see how the law and government makes a great impact on people's life. Where as in what their actions are, or who they choose to relate to. The governtment seems to have control over a persons life. In "The Law" the government takes control of what the people do everyday and influece to have a "schedule". Meanwhile in the "Graven Image" people are influenced by politics. They chose who they relate to both proffesionally and as everyday life. Government Influences People's Lives.