Loss In Gwilan's Harp 'And The Last Leaf'

642 Words2 Pages

Each of these short stories "Gwilan's Harp" by Ursula K Le Guin, "The Last Leaf" by O. Henry, and "The Washwoman" by Isaac Singer have loss at some point. In all of these stories there is a person that looses their life, but each story also has other losses that the characters face. Loss can be very hard to get over, but these short story characters handle it pretty well. Each story has a different loss they have to overcome whether it was losing a gift, hope, or a relationship. Throughout the short story "Gwilan's Harp, Gwilan experiences the loss of someone she loved and something she loved. An accident caused her to hurt her hand and her harp to break into pieces. It was really hard for her to lose her ability to play the harp because it was her life, all she knew. Eventually she married Torm, who was in the accident with her, and they started a family. Torm became ill one winter and passed away. When Gwilan lost her husband she did not know what to do because she could no longer play the harp. She said "There's nothing left for me to do but sing. I never could sing but you play the instrument you have." Since she had lost both her husband and her harp playing she found an instrument she was able to use. There was a significant amount of loss in this short story. …show more content…

For example, Johnsy says "When the last one falls I must go, too. I've known that for three days." Johnsy decided when it was her time; she did not think she would get past her pneumonia. Her best friend and roommate Sue tried to keep her in a positive mood, but she had already made up her mind. Mr. Behrman, their neighbor died in the hospital after having pneumonia for only a few days. Before he died he painted an ivy leaf on Sue and Johnsy's window so that the last leaf would never fall, so she would not lose hope. Finally, loss in "The Last Leaf" was shown in a few different

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Marie Howe's What The Living Do

    523 Words  | 2 Pages

    Marie Howe’s book, “What the living Do” is a book about death, loss, grief, and life. Howe expresses these deep emotional issues using plain language, simple line breaks, and imagery that reminds the reader of an ordinary home. The poem, “Faulkner”, is an exemplary example of how effective Howe’s methods are for conveying a moody and mournful tone.

    Read More

  • Gwilan's Harp Analysis

    2201 Words  | 5 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • In Back From War But Not Really Home Essay

    455 Words  | 1 Pages

    In "In Back From War,But Not Really Home" by Caroline Alexander, and "The Odyssey by homer both experience grief in their characters . survival , hope , and pain are the themes in the literature pieces .

    Read More

  • Comparing The Enormous Radio and Those Who Walk Away from Omelas

    1237 Words  | 3 Pages

    application of real life situations. In the case of each of the two short stories, suffering has effects on those who are not directly

    Read More

  • Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many short stories in literature that share a common theme presented in different ways. A theme that always keeps readers’ attention is that of death because it is something that no one wants to face in real life, but something that can be easily faced when reading. “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson both exemplify how two authors use a common theme of death to stand as a metaphor for dystopian societies.

    Read More

  • Themes of Loss in "The Shawl" and "Bone Black"

    1618 Words  | 4 Pages

    The loss of a family member is always hard to deal with and it affects everyone differently. Some people are open about their feelings and others bottle them up. In terms of relationships within a family, usually the closest is between the parent and child. When this relationship is cut short or is nonexistent because of a loss it can be especially devastating. The loss of a family member does not always refer to an actual physical loss, but can also refer to an emotional distance put between two people. In “The Shawl” by Louise Erdrich, there is an example of a physical loss and its effects on the family, while in “Bone Black” by Bell Hooks the loss shown is of the emotional kind and it's aftermath. It is interesting to view these stories side by side, as they showcase how both types of loss effect the family.

    Read More

  • Survival Instincts in Literature: Rainsford and Baca

    515 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell is about this hunter named Rainsford which tries to survive. Rainsford fell of his boat, landed on an island, found a mansion, a guy named General Zaroff challenged Rainsford to game. This game was about General Zaroff hunting down men which in this case is Rainsford. In the end Rainsford escaped and went to General Zaroff’s bedroom and killed him. In the poem “Who Understands Me But Me” by Jimmy Santiago Baca it’s about a guy who is in jail and hasn’t been outside in a long time. He lost all hope and gave up on everything. In the end he got released and regained all hope. A survivor is someone who is brave, instinctual, and lucky.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Gwilan's Harp And The Last Leaf

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    Henry also carries the theme of loss with the story of two young impoverished artists, Sue and Johnsy. In the early 1900s pneumonia took many lives and grasped onto Johnsy’s. In solitude, Johnsy observed a dying ivy branch outside of her window, and she later convinced herself that each leaf represented a day of life and when the last leaf would fall—she would fall with it. Day by day leafs fell and Johnsy’s health lessened, but Mr. Behrman, their grouchy unsuccessful neighbor, would not permit Johnsy’s death. One windy winter night Sue prepared to die with the ivy, but the following morning a single leaf stood. “Something has made that last leaf stay there to show me how wicked I was. It is a sin to want to die” (O. Henry). That something was Mr. Behrman, and he made the ultimate sacrifice by sacrificing his life to save hers. The previous night Mr. Behrman mixed up paints, grabbed a lantern, walked out into freezing storm, and painted the last leaf on the barren ivy vine, but sadly, due to the horrible weather conditions, Mr. Behrman took Johnsy’s place in the grave and died of pneumonia. Mr. Behrman’s sacrifice evoked a feeling of sadness, which deeply affects and impacts the

    Read More

  • Loss In Gwilan's Harp And The Last Leaf

    591 Words  | 2 Pages

    Norman Cousins once said, “Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.” Although this statement has immense truth, any loss can bring grief and hurt to a person. Whether a loss of a loved one or a possession, losses are challenging to deal with. Three short stories in particular highlight the theme of loss and a moral lesson on overcoming it. In the short stories “Gwilan’s Harp” by Ursula K. LeGuin, “The Washwoman” by Isaac Singer, and “The Last Leaf” by O. Henry, the characters experience great loss.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Geraldo No Last Names By Sandra Cisneros

    1169 Words  | 3 Pages

    Whether it be a family member, friend, or stranger, the loss of a person is hard. Everybody, from all walks of life has –in some way- been affected by loss. Its profound effects on human cycology have been one of the most influential elements in literature. Three novels, Geraldo No Last Name, Typhoid Fever, and Night Calls, explore the effects of loss through the voice of the narrator, as well as the author’s personal experiences.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of I Am Not Batman

    1091 Words  | 3 Pages

    dealt with and the individual moves on. Susan Philips and Lisa Carver explored this grieving

    Read More

  • Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees: The Nature of Grief

    1715 Words  | 4 Pages

    Grief played a large role in the lives of the Boatwright sisters and Lily Owens. They each encountered death, injustice, and sadness. Grief impacted and left an imprint on each of them. Grief proved fatal for May. August knew that grief was just another aspect of life; that it had to be accepted and then left in the past. June and Lily learned to not let grief rule their lives. Life is not inherently good or bad – events not solely joyful or grievous – it is glorious in its perfect imperfection.

    Read More

  • Exploring Goodness within Loss: A Literary Perspective

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    However, it does not contain nearly as much loss as “Gwilan’s Harp”, as a result, the story has a much happier voice. The main example of loss in “The Washwoman” comes at the very end of the story when the family the washwoman works for, finds out that she dies. The narrator of the story recounts it in this way “But she never came back. The wash she had returned was her last effort on this earth.” (Singer). Just the opposite of “Gwilan’s Harp” the main theme of loss does not come till the end of the story, while joys fills the rest of the story. Although the story ends with loss, Singer leaves the reader with a great example of perseverance and good integrity. In the end, the utilization of loss in “The Washwoman” contrast sharply with its use in “Gwilan’s Harp”, but similarly, it also teaches a precious

    Read More

  • Friendship in Wordsworth's Tintern Abbey

    1052 Words  | 3 Pages

    Written on the banks of the Lye, this beautiful lyric has been said by critic Robert Chinchilla to “pose the question of friendship in a way more central, more profound, than any other poem of Wordsworth’s since ‘The Aeolian Harp’ of 1799” (245). Wordsworth is writing the poem to his sister Rebecca as a way of healing their former estrangement.

    Read More

  • Three Readers Response to The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first reader has a guided perspective of the text that one would expect from a person who has never studied the short story; however the reader makes some valid points which enhance what is thought to be a guided knowledge of the text. The author describes Mrs. Mallard as a woman who seems to be the "victim" of an overbearing but occasionally loving husband. Being told of her husband's death, "She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance." (This shows that she is not totally locked into marriage as most women in her time). Although "she had loved him--sometimes," she automatically does not want to accept, blindly, the situation of being controlled by her husband. The reader identified Mrs. Mallard as not being a "one-dimensional, clone-like woman having a predictable, adequate emotional response for every life condition." In fact the reader believed that Mrs. Mallard had the exact opposite response to the death her husband because finally, she recognizes the freedom she has desired for a long time and it overcomes her sorrow. "Free! Body and soul free! She kept whispering." We can see that the reader got this idea form this particular phrase in the story because it illuminates the idea of her sorrow tuning to happiness.

    Read More

More about Loss In Gwilan's Harp 'And The Last Leaf'

Open Document