What is true loss? Is it losing health? Is it losing a loved one? Is it losing all sense of purpose? Each of these themes occurs throughout the stories Gwilan’s Harp, The Washwoman, and The Last Leaf. However, the most visible theme is that of losing purpose and finding it again. Each of the main character in these stories lose purpose, whether it is Gwilan after her harp shatters, the Washwoman nearly dying from disease only to recover, or Johnsy’s crisis when she falls ill with pneumonia. In Gwilan’s Harp by Ursula K. LeGuin, the main character, Gwilan, plays a beautiful harp with mastery. But one day while out on an innocent cart ride, the cart tips and the harp is lost forever. Gwilan struggles with an identity crisis over no longer being the best harper. However, at the conclusion she accepts what she has lost and finds her purpose in song. Though she knows that she will not be the best at what she does, Gwilan concludes by saying “‘I never could sing. But you play the instrument you have’” (LeGuin). …show more content…
A humble washwoman, she spent her days doing the best work she could. The Singer family kept her services, as she did excellent work for a low price. But carrying heavy bags of laundry for hours at a time took its toll on the old woman, and she fell ill. However, she refused to die until the Singer family had their laundry back. She says to the family “‘The wash would not let me die’” (Singer). However, delivering the laundry proved to be too much strain on her frail body, and she died shortly
In the non-fictional book, The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama and the fictional poem, “ The Suicide Note” by Janice Mirikitani has character(s) that lose something valuable. From both book and poem I can related to the loss that I have endured during my life. However, the loss of both are different for The Samurai’s Garden, Matsu loss her sister from leprosy and Sachi loss her best friend. In “The Suicide Note” the Asian-American student’s family loss their daughter because they think she was never good enough.
In Alistair McLeod’s collection of short stories the Lost Salt Gift of Blood; death seems to be a constant companion. Death is important and perhaps even symbolic in this collection of short stories. It is important because it has the power to affect people and relationships, invokes freedom and even predetermines ones future, through the death of animal’s people and the impending death of others.
In her article, Quindlen delivers her position to the massive mixed audience of the New York Times, drawing in readers with an emotional and humanizing lure; opening up about her family life and the deaths she endured. Later presenting the loss of her brother's wife and motherless children, Quindlen use this moment to start the engine of her position. Quindlen uses her experiences coupled with other authority figures, such as, the poet Emily Dickenson, Sherwin Nuland, doctor and professor from Yale, author Hope Edelman, and the President. These testimonies all connect to the lasting effects of death on the living, grief. She comes full circle, returning to her recently deceased sister-in-law; begging t...
People one can never really tell how person is feeling or what their situation is behind closed doors or behind the façade of the life they lead. Two masterly crafted literary works present readers with characters that have two similar but very different stories that end in the same result. In Herman Melville’s story “Bartleby the Scrivener” readers are presented with Bartleby, an interesting and minimally deep character. In comparison to Gail Godwin’s work, “A Sorrowful Woman” we are presented with a nameless woman with a similar physiological state as Bartleby whom expresses her feelings of dissatisfaction of her life. Here, a deeper examination of these characters their situations and their ultimate fate will be pursued and delved into for a deeper understanding of the choice death for these characters.
The harp had come to Gwilan from her mother, and so had her mastery of it, people said. “Ah,” they said when Gwilan played, “you can tell, that’s Diera’s touch,” just as their parents had said when Diera played, “Ah, that’s the true Penlin touch!” Gwilan’s mother had had the harp from Penlin, a musician’s dying gift to the worthiest of pupils. From a musician’s hands Penlin too had received it; never had it been sold or bartered for, nor any value put upon it that can be said in numbers. A princely and most incredible instrument it was for a poor harper to own. The shape of it was perfection, and every part was strong and fine: the wood as hard and smooth as bronze, the fittings of ivory and silver. The
Many people lose things everyday, but the truth is you never know how much you need something until it’s gone. In the books “Going Over” by Beth Kephart and “brown girl dreaming” by Jacqueline Woodson the theme; you never know how much you need something until it’s gone is perfect for both books because of the tragic loss of Jackie’s grandfather and the separation of Ada and Stefan. This theme is supported by Jacqueline’s move to New York, Ada and her deep longing for Stefan since the wall separated them, and Jacqueline losing her grandfather.
The novel “Salvage the Bones” started with the bible verse “See now that I, even I am he, and there is no god with me; I will kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal, neither is there any can deliver out of my hand.” As the novel started with this verse, readers could expect to see a lot of painful experiences that involve life, death and painful events in the characters in the novel. The theme of loss and tragedy is one of the prominent themes that is being portrayed in this novel. The two characters that are affected badly by the theme of loss are Esch and Skeetah. Esch losing the love of her life: Manny, while Skeetah losing his precious dog, China. Through the loss and tragedy event, the readers could see how the characters develop and
In Amy Hempel’s Short Story “Going,” we take part in a journey with the narrator through loss, coping, memory, experience, and the duality of life. Throughout the story we see the narrator’s struggle through coping with the loss of his mother, and how he moves from a mixture of depression, denial, and anger, to a form of acceptance and revelation. The narrator has lost his mother to a fire three states away, and goes on a reckless journey through the desert, when he crashes his car and ends up hospitalized. Only his thoughts and the occasional nurse to keep him company. He then reaches a point of discovery and realizations that lead to a higher understanding of mortality, and all of the experiences that come with being alive.
Life can come to a stop periodically when a person is troubled by burdens. For a considerable amount of people it may be too difficult to live in the present while constantly thinking about the past, and because of this, are unable to move on. These difficulties can be burdens that they have been carrying for a long time or even just recently. In the short story, “The Things They Carried,”Tim O’Brien uses symbolism, ambiguity, and a non-linear narrative structure to illustrate emotional burdens.
In this excerpt from We Were the Mulvaneys, Joyce Carol Oates explores the theme of death and the passing of time. The author characterizes Judd through the use of symbolism of a rushing brook to show Judd’s helplessness, stream-of-consciousness writing that reveals Judd’s tortured and confused thoughts, and repetition of a key thought to further emphasize Judd’s deep-thinking and tortured character.The except begins with Judd falling into a trance over a rushing brook. This brook begins his thoughtful journey, and symbolizes the years rushing past. This symbol shows us how, like the brook, the journey of life can absorb us; “it began to happen as it always does the water gets slower and slower and you’re the one who begins to move —oh boy! We-ird!” Just like life, the brook is glimmering and hard to hold on
Death is a natural process in life. When we lose a loved one in our life the result of grief can be very shock, dramatic and the despair seems insufferable. However, it takes time for humans to relieve it emotionally and physically. The story begins with a fourteen year old girl named Susie Salmon, the protagonist of the story. She was murdered by the antagonist, George Harvey. After Susie’s death, her family and friends react in different ways. Each character in the novel went through different stages of grief in order to accept the death of Susie Salmon. Losing someone important in life can be the most difficult things to go through and the novel gives the readers an authentic perspective of each character's emotion. In The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold clarifies the primary theme of the novel is grief and the unconditionally love of family.
dealt with and the individual moves on. Susan Philips and Lisa Carver explored this grieving
Losing one’s life is clearly a terrible thing, but there is something worse than that; losing faith, happiness, and optimism while still living. When tragedies come into people’s lives it tests their strength and ability to cope with pain. When this occurs, life can change in many ways for the better or for the worse. In some cases it leads to self-destruction, which accompanied by misery that can lead to consequent death. Many popular writers like William Shakespeare, Judith Guest, and Stephen Chbosky created characters who lost their happiness due to disasters that take place. In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Ordinary People by Judith Guest, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, the main characters face dilemmas that cause them to lose the will to live, and in the end these dilemmas have impactful changes on their lives.
The story "The Washwoman" was about a elderly woman that did laundry despite her challenges. Even though she was elderly, she still made sure and did her job. The story shows how strong beliefs and hard work plays out. The Washwoman worked so hard and put a lot of pride in her work.
The title of this chapbook and the first section of the poem, which I believe would be called a strophe, connects the word “missing” with the sense of loss. Yet, there is a specific theme that occurs throughout The Branches, the Axe, the Missing and that would be personal loss and the gain of mankind since the beginning of time. The poet takes on two different types of narratives throughout her book. She is looking at the main patriarchal figures in her life; her father and her ex-husband. The opening lines give direction to her feelings of loss as she refers to “the got-away” as a metaphor of how she views the lost relationship. She walks her readers through her feelings by describing her feelings “her last act as a married woman” and also