The Trophy Shelf
Trophies are items of honour and pride. They emphasize an individual 's highest achievement and are a reminder of personal success and a boost to one’s ego. Pride should be felt for a major achievement and the object it represents. Occasionally, however, that object can turn. When pride grows to an extreme it is no longer merely the satisfying feeling of a job well done and the memory associated with it; it becomes destructive. In the novel Fifth Business by Robertson Davies, Dunny and Boy deal with the issue of pride. These men both treat the women they are romantically involved with as trophies, or something to show off. The egos of Dunny and Boy inflate, making them feel more important. Neither of them are in love with any of the women with whom they are involved. Instead, they love the women
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He realizes that he is not in love with any of them. This could have been easy to do when he loved Diana. He does not know what it is like to be in love with someone, and so it would not be hard for him to be under the impression that his love for Diana was the same as being in love with her. However, he eventually acknowledges that this is not the case. While in a relationship with Diana and thinking about marrying her, Dunny comments, “but, to be frank, I liked having her in love with me; it fed my spirit, which was at a low ebb. I liked going to bed with her, and as she liked it too I thought this was a fair exchange. But a life with Diana was simply not for me” (Davies 86). He is very realistic with himself. He is never under the impression that he has untrue love for someone. This leads him to choose to never marry anybody unless he truly loves them. This went against what was socially acceptable at the time, and made him different from everyone else. He did not marry anyone he did not truly love. This shows that Dunny is true to himself and is very self
Dunny's character begins when Dunny falls in love with Faustina. It is Liesl that allows
Robertson Davies’ novel “Fifth Business” outlines and describes the development of a lost and emotionally bare and void man, Dunstable (Dunstan) Ramsay. This is a man who carries the weight of Paul Dempster’s premature birth on his shoulders his entire life. It portrays his quest for self-knowledge, happiness, and ultimately fulfilling his role as ‘Fifth Business.’ This would not have been accomplished without a number of women he encounters throughout the novel. There are a number of women who play a significant role in influencing both Dunstan Ramsay's decisions and general life throughout the novel Fifth Business. They are also essential and fundamental to the character development and spiritual meaning that Dunstable seeks throughout the novel. Dunstan Ramsay is constantly looking for guidance in situation from the women who are most prominent in the book; Liesl Vitzliputzli, and Mary Dempster.
In individual searches to find themselves, Frank and April Wheeler take on the roles of the people they want to be, but their acting grows out of control when they lose sense of who they are behind the curtains. Their separate quests for identity converge in their wish for a thriving marriage. Initially, they both play roles in their marriage to please the other, so that when their true identities emerge, their marriage crumbles, lacking communication and sentimentality. Modelled after golden people or manly figures, the roles Frank and April take on create friction with who they actually are. Ultimately, to “do something absolutely honest” and “true,” it must be “a thing … done alone” (Yates 327). One need only look inside his or her self to discover his or her genuine identity.
The novel “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte, and the novella “The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James, both display the treatment of pride for upper and lower class similarly. Furthermore, the treatment of pride will be compared and contrasted in this essay to examine and understand how pride is treated. In novel and novella both the lower class characters believe their pride makes them superior beings. Although the pride of lower and upper-class characters led them to their corruption. Moreover, the upper-class characters in each narrative maintain their respectability by their pride. However, in “Jane Eyre” all casts must have their emotions controlled by their pride, or this will lead to inappropriate behavior. Nevertheless, in “The Turn of
Having slandered Alice Walker like that, this writer cannot overlook the fact that Amy Tan’s novel The Joy Luck Club does not convey a flattering view on men. While all of her male characters are minors ones at best, each one conveys a different distinct shortcoming. Harold, Lena’s husband, is completely oblivious to his wife’s feelings making him self-centered. After viewing the list of expenses on the refrigerator Lena’s mother and her had a discus...
A husband is thought to be a money maker, a powerhouse, and a leader while a wife is thought to be a cook, a cleaner, and a follower in Gilded Six Bits. The reader recognizes Hurston's representation of gender stereotypes through the typical southern dialect between Missy and Joe, and joe's reaction to Missy after she is caught cheating. Hurston demands the reader to question power inequality in marriages during the 1900s. The Gilded six bits illuminates the haunting idea that female stereotypes to this day may not have completely
People are often told that self respect is important for different reasons. “Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that's real power” (Clint Eastwood). Dignity, integrity, and confidence are crucial because they allow people to accept themselves. Self respect in Kristin Cashore’s “Graceling” provides Bitterblue, Po, and Katsa with the strength they require to overcome obstacles.
“Boys” by Rick Moody summarizes the life journey of two stereotypical boys and how they gain power from the experiences they face. The boys face both positive experiences and tragedies that impacts their amount of power. In the short story, the author is conveying the idea that as the boys mature they obtain more power. He shows this through the literary devices conflict, tone, and repetition.
During the Victorian Era, society had idealized expectations that all members of their culture were supposedly striving to accomplish. These conditions were partially a result of the development of middle class practices during the “industrial revolution… [which moved] men outside the home… [into] the harsh business and industrial world, [while] women were left in the relatively unvarying and sheltered environments of their homes” (Brannon 161). This division of genders created the ‘Doctrine of Two Spheres’ where men were active in the public Sphere of Influence, and women were limited to the domestic private Sphere of Influence. Both genders endured considerable pressure to conform to the idealized status of becoming either a masculine ‘English Gentleman’ or a feminine ‘True Woman’. The characteristics required women to be “passive, dependent, pure, refined, and delicate; [while] men were active, independent, coarse …strong [and intelligent]” (Brannon 162). Many children's novels utilized these gendere...
These may be materialistic items that are filling a gap in one’s life, or it could be emotional, spiritual feelings that someone is seeking. Materialistic and emotional desires are explored within these two short stories. Motivation is what compels both Mrs. Sommers and Ann to follow through with their plans. Without this drive and passion, individuals are unable to fully commit to their course of action. A Pair of Silk Stockings, represents how motivations can be used in many different ways. First, Mrs. Sommers motivation was to support her family. This shows how she was cautious for her actions and how they could positively affect other people. This made Mrs. Sommers “restless and wakeful with anticipation.” Once her motives changed into a personal desire, is when Mrs. Sommers lost sight in plan. The moment she “not move in the direction of the bargain counter,” was when her motivation began to work against her. Being able to own items that were of higher quality drove Mrs.Sommers to “hastily” spend her money. Although individuals will always face different initiatives when placed in alternative situations. In Ann’s perspective, her desire was not to obtain materialistic items, but more to have a spiritual connection. Ann was searching for something deeper with a greater meaning. When she didn’t find it within her husband, she looked for it in Steven. One of Ann’s motives was
Marriage is a powerful union between two people who vow under oath to love each other for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. This sacred bond is a complicated union; one that can culminate in absolute joy or in utter disarray. One factor that can differentiate between a journey of harmony or calamity is one’s motives. Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a novel of manners, where Elizabeth Bennet and her aristocratic suitor Mr. Darcy’s love unfolds as her prejudice and his pride abate. Anton Chekhov’s “Anna on the Neck” explores class distinction, as an impecunious young woman marries a wealthy man. Both Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Anton Chekhov’s “Anna on the Neck” utilize
In this example, Henry explores the driving force between the nature of old and young men, and how they relate to the opposite sex. He uses irony to demonstrate his knowledge of how males relate t...
A comparison between the Elizabethan era view of women through a ramble in St. James's Park with the more contemporary writing of The Prize-Giving to show how the patriarchal view of women hasn't changed as they continue to be seen as inferior and objects of sexual desire thus promoting men as superior.
It is said that “everything that shines isn't gold.” A difficult situation can result a vast illusion that is not what one thought it would be, which leads to disappointment and despair. Just like Guy De Maupassant stories, “The Necklace” and “The Jewel.” In the first story, the protagonist, Mathilde Loisel’s need for materialistic fulfillment causes her hard labor which ends her natural beauty. In the second story, the husband Monsieur Latin ends up living a dreadful life due to the passing of his wife and her admiration for jewels. “The Necklace” and “The Jewel” both share many similarities such as the unconditional love each husband haves toward their wife, the necessity each wife haves towards materialistic greed, the beautiful allurement
As multi-faced characters, Kitty and Levin present an interesting case: as unwed individuals looking for “compatible” spouses, they both find it necessary to present a carefully maintained facade in order to attract members of the aristocracy who look to maintain the status quo. However, even after these characters project outward an aura to please their peers, their personalities can be interpreted in different ways, which must be disappointing to Kitty and Levin as they seek to change people’s opinion and not just influence it.