In Ann Beattie’s, Janus, the story of Andrea, a successful yet obsessed real estate agent, is found to be conflicted with her life. The symbolic bowl, depicted perfectly in her mind, becomes her main focus. The bowl manages to keep Andrea content, but the importance of it, is a reflection of the protagonist’s experiences in life. Throughout the story, the theme of deceit and emptiness is existent. Deception is the most problematic element in all her relationships. “The bowl was perfect” (Beattie 102). The significance of the bowl’s picture-perfect illusion (considering that it was introduced at that beginning of the story) implied that something else was the exact opposite of perfect. Before showing prospective buyers a home, she would display …show more content…
her bowl as a prop as it is to be seen, but simultaneously unseen as she would do with her dog Mondo. After receiving many offers on homes, she believed that the bowl brought her good fortune. The protagonist’s behavior into tricking clients indicated that she is not ashamed to lie and does not make her a genuine person. When she is not out exhibiting her bowl, it would remain in her home in a prominent space. Unknowingly, Andrea left the bowl behind after a home showing.
Realizing this, she rushed back to the residence to recover it. Andrea left her dirty secret for someone to see and is a reminder of what she is missing in her life and the dishonesty she entails when facing the world both in public and private. Evidently, she stops informing her husband about the many strategies used to remain successful in her job. She feared the cream bowl would disappear or even get damaged. She loved that bowl, and was the only one who cared for it. The fear of losing it became unbearably complicated, as if it were a love-hate relationship. The emotional feelings sustained from the bowl was responsible for her …show more content…
insecurities. Her husband at one point recognized it and called it “pretty” (103), but showed no interest. She asked him not to put his keys in it because it was “meant to be empty” (103). This statement seems as though the emptiness she sustains is a void in her marriage. She is fixated with material objects as with her husband. “They were a lot alike, really-they had agreed on that. They were both quiet people-reflective, slow to make value judgments…They both liked details…” (103) Their relationship lacked intimacy and was dull in nature. There was nothing fascinating going on in their unexciting lives other than her husband encouraging her to purchase more objects. She contemplates if she should tell her husband about the bowl; it’s a secret and she has a sense of remorse for keeping that from him. She was unable to come to terms with allowing herself to discuss the symbol of the bowl, it was just not real, rather more worrisome. All she could do was dream about the shimmering bowl, it was the main object which brought affection into her life. Leaving her with the dilemma of choosing sides, the protagonist’s lover is vividly revealed.
At a crafts fair “…visited half in secret, with her lover” (104), the bowl was presented to her. Her lover left her shortly after because “she was always too slow to know what she really loved” (104). Although her lover gifted her with other articles to remind her of their affair, it is the bowl that she continues her obsession with. The lack of care from her husband and the loss of affection from her lover, contributed to her anxieties. Instead of revealing the secrecy of the bowl, Andrea insists that she remain “two-faced” (105) and continue to live her double life admiring the bowl whose world is severed in two, deep and empty (105). Consumed with an emotional and affectionate secret, the desire to continue a double life is part of who she has become. Perfect for its real presence and its beauty, the bowl is just a reminder of her deception and continuous emotional
crises.
Literary devices are used by Sandra Cisneros throughout the vignette “The Monkey Garden”, to highlight the mood of the piece. For instance, Cisneros uses symbolism to encompass feelings of mysticality when she describes the Monkey Garden as a place the kids can go too “far from where our mothers could find us.”(95). The garden is symbolized as a haven, that can seemingly alleviate the characters problems. Cisneros also uses juxtaposition to further develop mystical emotions the in the audience. When the author compares two objects like “a dollar and a dead mouse.” (95), she is juxtaposing two inherently disconnected objects to emphasise the range of feelings in the garden. By using literary devices to establish the mood, Sandra Cisneros can
Janie, lead character of the novel, is a somewhat lonely, mixed-race woman. She has a strong desire to find love and get married, partially driven by her family’s history of unmarried woman having children. Despite her family’s dark history, Janie is somewhat naive about the world.
There is a destructive nature of man is shown in Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon through the absence of family. Sci...
Kate the Great Literary Analysis In Kate the Great by Meg Cabot, Jenny realizes that she cannot let anyone bring her down no matter what. When Kate comes around Jenny feels as if Kate is her master and she has to listen to whatever she is told to do. Jenny did not want to hurt Kate’s feeling by not letting her in, this is exactly what Kate told Jenny, “Don’t be such a baby,” (Cabot, 33).
Over the course of history there have been numerous works of literature which presented the reader with great descriptions of story characters and their overall personalities, and one of the most prevalent examples of such use of character depiction is shown in the story “A New England Nun,” written by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman. In this short story, Freeman is able to illustrate a woman who is struggling with the commitment of marriage after waiting fourteen years for her fiancé Joe Dagget to return from Australia while also maintaining a lifestyle that involves monotonous, domestic activities in her home. However, more importantly, Freeman is able to clearly establish the character Louisa as someone who is suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder by outlining her behavior as being precise, organized, and compulsive, as well as depicting her traits of perfectionism. One of these compulsive tendencies involves Louisa constantly sewing to the point of perfection, in the sense that she often rips out her sewing in order to remake it again.
Although many critics have written numerous accounts of Richard Carver’s "Cathedral" as being about revelation and overcoming prejudice, they have overlooked a very significant aspect: the unfolding of marital drama. The story tells of how a close outside friendship can threaten marriage by provoking insecurities, creating feelings of invasion of privacy, and aggravating communication barriers.
This final image of Janie “pulling in her horizon” contrasts with the opening image of men’s “ships at a distance.” These metaphorical ships suggest that regardless of their ultimate success or failure, men dream of great accomplishments, of working on and changing their external worlds. Even if the ship comes in, it still originates as something external. Janie’s pulling in her horizon shifts the field of action to the interior. Her quest requires experiences of the world, of other people and places, but it is ultimately directed inward.
Welty uses a beauty shop as an ironic backdrop for the casting of bile and venom. Leota sets herself to the task of transforming, Mrs. Fletcher into hair art, all the while speaking from a dark heart. The beautician plies her trade not thinking of the hideousness gushing from her lips. Leota begins with a lie by telling Mrs. Fletcher “one of Thelma’s girls” had revealed her impending nativity. Soon after Leota acknowledges her deceit, she faines innocent in the acquisition of the knowledge Leota’s malaise is quick to turn on even those who she claims as friends. Mrs. Pike begins this story as a new friend with whom Leota has shared a Jax Beer. The advertising slogan for Jax Beer is “The Drink of Friendship”. The beer symbolizes a bond, which has formed; yet, friendship is not safe in the shadow of the wickedness and envy. Welty presents the fickle nature of that Green Monster of envy. Despite Leota’s declaration of friendship with Mrs. Pike, Leota’s spews forth putridity. This putridity leaves a stench about this shrine of feminine (beauty).
In the short story “An Adventure in Paris” by Guy De Maupassant an unnamed woman seeks for adventure, love, and excitement. An unnamed narrator starts to explain the inner nature and curiosity of a woman. The story transitions to the point of view of an unnamed lawyer’s wife which allows us to see her deepest desire to travel to Paris and be part of the lavishing life she has seen in the magazines. To escape her regular routine she makes a plan to go to Paris; however, her family members are only middle class and cannot help her fulfill her desire to live the life of a celebrity, fame, and fashion. Just when her trip seems to be monotonous she comes across the chance to live the life of an extravagant person. This chance happens when she meets Jean Varin, a wealthy author, in a store wanting to purchase a Japanese figurine. When Varin decides that the figurine is too expensive the lawyer’s wife steps up to buy the figurine which causes Varin to notice her. She flirtatiously invites herself into Varin’s daily activities which intrigue Varin. As the day closes she invites herself to Varin’s house and has an affair with Varin; however, she doesn’t feel she is satisfied because of his many needs. She anxiously waits till morning to come so that she can leave which only confuses Varin. When Varin asks her why she is leaving after all they have been through she states that she wanted to know what depravity felt like; however, it was not what she expected. The central idea of the story is about a woman’s psychological desire for romance, adventure, and an opulent lifestyle that leads to curiosity and the immoral act of adultery.
Aristotle once claimed that, “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” Artists, such as Louise-Elizabeth Vigée Le Brun and Mary Cassatt, captured not only the way things physically appeared on the outside, but also the emotions that were transpiring on the inside. A part no always visible to the viewer. While both artists, Le Brun and Cassatt, worked within the perimeters of their artistic cultures --the 18th century in which female artists were excluded and the 19th century, in which women were artistically limited-- they were able to capture the loving relationship between mother and child, but in works such as Marie Antoinette and Her Children and Mother Nursing her Child 1898,
In Raymond Carver's 'The Bath' and rewritten version of the story entitled 'A Small, Good Thing', the author tells the same tale in different ways, and to different ends, creating variegated experiences for the reader. Both stories have the same central plot and a majority of details remain the same, but the effects that the stories have upon the reader is significantly different. The greatest character difference is found in the role of the Baker, and his interaction with the other characters. The sparse details, language and sentence structure of 'The Bath' provide a sharp contrast emotionally and artistically to 'A Small Good Thing'. In many ways, 'The Bath' proves to have a more emotional impact because of all that it doesn't say; it's sparse, minimalist storytelling gives the impression of numbed shock and muted reactions. The descriptive storytelling of 'A Small Good Thing' goes deeper into the development of the characters and although it tells more story, it ends on a note of hopefulness, instead of fear or desperation. Each story has it's own magic that weave it's a powerful. When compared to each other the true masterpiece of each story is best revealed.
Adèle Ratignolle uses art to beautify her home. Madame Ratignolle represents the ideal mother-woman (Bloom 119). Her chief concerns and interests are for her husband and children. She was society’s model of a woman’s role. Madame Ratignolle’s purpose for playing the pia...
Escaping poverty was one of the themes of “A Raisin in the Sun.” The family’s chance of escape becomes a reality when a $10,000 check arrives in the mail. Everyone is wanting to spend their money for their own dream, each with their own way of escaping poverty. Walter believes that investing all the money into the liquor store will put the family higher in the ranks while earning them more income, therefore they would no longer be poverty-stricken. He believes money is everything and wants his family to have the best. This can be seen when he tells his son, “[without even looking at his son, still staring hard at his wife] In fact, here’s another fifty cents…Buy yourself some fruit today – or take a taxicab to school or something!” (pg 1.1.59).
In a subtle way, Brush also makes the wife’s actions selfish. Even though her husband was wrong to react in the way that he did, she was also selfish in her actions. Clearly, her husband has a shy personality because “he was hotly embarrassed” (13) in front of “such few people as there were in the restaurant” (11). Using a couple of this age (“late thirties” (1)), Brush asserts that the wife should have known her husband’s preferences and been sensitive to them. The author also uses the seemingly opposite descriptions the couple: “There was nothing conspicuous about them” (5) and the “big hat” (4) of the woman. The big hat reveals the wife’s desire to be noticed.
Christina Rossetti's poem, “In An Artist’s Studio”, explores how men foster a need for control by creating unrealistic expectations for women through their fantasies. Through the use of repetition, contrast of imagery, and symbolism, Rossetti guides us through the gallery inside of an artist’s mind, portraying the fantasies that give him a sense of control over the women he creates.