A Two-Class Society Exposed in The Stolen Party
In a perfect world we would all live together in peace. But we don’t live in such a world. In Liliana Heker’s story "The Stolen Party" we are reminded of the real world and the thin line that separates the lower class from the upper class. In an instant we see all the discrimination and inhumane treatment some people feel they have a right to inflict on those whom they consider "not one of them."
The story is about Rosaura, the nine-year-old daughter of a woman who does housecleaning for a wealthy family. Rosaura often accompanies her mother to work and does her homework with Luciana, the daughter of the house. As a result, or so she thinks, Rosaura is Luciana’s friend and has been invited to her birthday party. Rosaura’s mother states that she does not want her daughter to go to the party, because "it’s a rich people’s party" (1133). She tries to explain to her daughter that the people will look at her as "the maid’s daughter" and not as another person (1134). But Rosaura is only nine and "the smartest in her class" (1134), and she feels that Luciana is her friend and would not hurt her in any way.
Rosaura chooses not to listen to her mother’s advice because she feels that she knows what is best for her. Here we see that Rosaura’s mother is trying to make her daughter aware of the difference between Luciana’s family and her own family. We can presume that her mother has had an incident like this before in her life and wants to prepare her daughter for disappointment.
Brandon Spontak states that "Rosaura’s mother is not very educated . . . but has an instinct which only comes from years of experience that she uses to detect problems in life" (89). As Rosaura’s mo...
... middle of paper ...
... delicate balance" (1137), she realizes that there is a thin line between classes of people and that she made it even worse by offering Rosaura money. In a perfect world this would never happen. Innocence would not be stolen, dreams would come true and people would look at each other with acceptance, not ignorance in their hearts. The truth is it’s not a perfect world, and the line never disappears. It is just that some people make it more noticeable than others do.
Works Cited
Elliot, Kevin. "The Stolen Future." Ode to Friendship & Other Essays. VWC. Virginia Beach: Connie Bellamy, 1996. 61-63.
Hatcher, Nathan. "The Deception of Senora Ines." Ode to Friendship & Other Essays. VWC. Virginia Beach: Connie Bellamy, 1996. 59-60.
Heker, Liliana. "The Stolen Party." Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. 1133-1137.
She knows that they picked cotton in North Carolina before coming north a short time before she was born in Washington but she doesn 't know much else. As the firstborn girl Rosa Lee’s role was set by the Southern traditions. For the older daughter, her mother is so dependent on her account in the household that the younger ones will have opportunities that Rosa Lee never had. Most of Rosetta’s other children don’t share the same views of their mother as Rosa Lee. They remember her as a woman working hard to keep her family together under difficult conditions. While Rosa Lee was still in the early years at Giddings Elementary school, her smoldering resentment caused her to silently reject her mother 's vision of her future she was determined that domestic work was not going to be the way she survived. Rosetta gave birth to twenty-two children some of them died before reaching adulthood. Rosa Lee became accustomed to bedrooms crammed with too many people and living rooms with no room for private conversation (Dash,
Because of the life that Christine leads, the role of mother and daughter are switched and Rayona often finds herself watching out for her mom. When Ray comes home from school, she would often learn that her mother had gone out to party. Times like this meant that Rayona had to care for herself. It is not uncommon for one to stay out late; but when it is the parent who is doing so, one must question the responsibility of the person. When Christine leaves the hospital, Rayona shows up and helps prevent a potential disaster. She realizes what her mother plans to do, and that her mom will not crash the car with her on board. While Christine is not very reliable, she has no wish to hurt Rayona either; Ray's prediction was correct. As a child, Rayona must fulfill more obligations than a normal teen. Over the time that leads to her abandonment, Rayona begins to feel displaced from her mother. Christine's increasing self concern causes Rayona to feel her mom is ignoring her, when that is not true at all.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2189.
The two films Psycho and The Birds, both directed by Alfred Hitchcock, share similar themes and elements. These recurring themes and elements are often prevalent in many of Hitchcock’s works. In Psycho and The Birds, Hitchcock uses thematic elements like the ideal blonde woman, “the motherly figure”, birds, and unusual factors that often leave the viewer thinking. Hitchcock’s works consist of melodramatic films, while also using pure cinema to help convey messages throughout the film.
Kempe, Margery. "From The Book of Margery Kempe." The Norton Anthology of Literature By Women. 2nd ed. Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1996. 18-24.
Psychoanalysis is the method of psychological therapy originated by Sigmund Freud in which free association, dream interpretation, and analysis of resistance and transference are used to explore repressed or unconscious impulses, anxieties, and internal conflicts (“Psychoanalysis”). This transfers to analyzing writing in order to obtain a meaning behind the text. There are two types of people who read stories and articles. The first type attempts to understand the plot or topic while the second type reads to understand the meaning behind the text. Baldick is the second type who analyzes everything. Since his article, “Allure, Authority and Psychoanalysis” discusses the meaning behind everything that happens in Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” we can also examine “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” in the same manner.
In the story The Stolen Party, Liliana Heker shows symbolism, figurative language, and irony. Rosaura could not understand the differences between the rich and the poor. She was accepted by the rich family and was friends with their daughter, Luciana. Even though her mom told her that they only accepted her as a maid and nothing else. Nevertheless, she was eager to go to the party and decided to go with excitement. Symbolism, figurative language, and irony are expressed in the story and play an important role because it tells us the difference between the upper class and the lower class.
Inspired by the life of the demented, cannibalistic Wisconsin killer Ed Gein (whose heinous acts would also inspire THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, 1974 and DERANGED, 1974), PSYCHO is probably Hitchcock's most gruesome and dark film. Its importance to its genre cannot be overestimated. PSYCHO's enduring influence comes not only from the Norman Bates character (who has since been reincarnated in a staggering variety of forms), but also from the psychological themes Hitchcock develops.
Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. 8th ed. Vol A. New York: W.
Evans, Robert C., Anne C. Little, and Barbara Wiedemann. Short Fiction: A Critical Companion. West Cornwall, CT: Locust Hill, 1997. 265-270.
Mack, Maynard. "The World of Hamlet." Yale Review. vol. 41 (1952) p. 502-23. Rpt. in Readings on The Tragedies. Ed. Clarice Swisher. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1996.
Psycho (1960) is filled with grisly shocks and disconcerting moments throughout this picture. A filmmaker’s film must give the ability to appeal to mass emotions and be an entertainer at the same time. Thus, famous director Alfred Hitchcock was the right individual for the direction of Psycho. Hitchcock is a veteran of adding disturbing images and frightening audiences by creating unique plot, characters, and tricking the camera. Hitchcock does this by establishing identification with characters like heroine Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) and a sensitive yet perplexing antagonist Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). The cinematography in Psycho manipulates audiences across the globe by building the suspense slowly and inexorably towards the films conclusion. Hitchcock delivers the cynical picture to life by using these cinematic techniques: elements of lighting, framing, and creating tension. Hitchcock knows how to portray the perfect yet spine-chilling moments.
Freud viewed the entire human psyche from a sexual perspective. He defined the unconscious as a collection of repressed personal material. He believed that behaviors are controlled by the unconscious mind, which could be understood through dreams and free association. (Lothane, 2006, p.295-296). He theorized that the human mind had three basic components: the id, the ego, and the superego, and these individual parts often conflict, shaping personality and if not treated, causing neurosis (Schultz & Schultz, 2012, p. 321-323). He stated that therapy could repair narcissism that stemmed from low self-esteem, through transference as patients begin to get the things they missed. Freudians believe there are two basic conflicting drives in a person: the life drive and the death drive. The life drive supports survival by avoiding uncomfortable and life-threatening situations while the death drive desired extreme pleasures that to death (Reppen, 2006, p. 215-216).
It took ten years for Mathilde and her husband to pay off the debt of buying a new necklace. Those ten years were not spent with the luxuries she experienced so many years ago at the party, nor were they filled with the simple things she once owned and despised. She came to know “the horrible existence of the needy. She bore her part, however, with sudden heroism.” When passing her rich friend again in the street, she was barely recognizable. Who she was the day she ran into her friend was not who she was the night she wore that necklace.