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Critically analyse Margaret Atwood as a novelist
Two kinds of literary analysis
Two kinds of literary analysis
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Margaret Atwood's “Bluebeard's Egg” is a story centred upon a woman called Sally, describing her relationship with her husband, Ed, and her best friend, Marylynn. The story is told in a third person perspective, a “God-like” figure that takes us through the whole narration, but only revealing the thoughts of one character, Sally. In the story “Bluebeard's Egg”, the main conflict is within the protagonist, Sally; that is, her external self versus her internal self. Sally's external self does not act according to her internal self. In other words, Sally does not express her emotions and thoughts due to the many concerns that she has, both psychological and environmental.
From the first paragraph we are already given insight into the situation - Sally is living together with a man called Edward, who most certainly is her husband, and Sally is also taking care of his kids, whom they did not have together. From there on readers can guess that this probably is not Ed's first marriage and it is logical to think that Sally is aware of this fact. The reason of Ed's previous divorces remains unknown, even to Ed himself (or so we are told), Sally is bound not to let it happen again, she shall be his perfect wife and “the one” in his life. Internally, this frustrates Sally, who worries that Ed would one day realize she is not the “true bride”. “What if he wakes up one day and decides that she isn't the true bride after all, but the false one? Then she will be put into a barrel stuck full of nails and rolled downhill, endlessly, while he is sitting in yet another bridal bed, drinking champagne”(773). This passage not only fully reveals the frustration and worries of Sally but also her insecurity. Bounded by the thought of getting a divorce w...
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...ned with Ed and Marylynn, and it is very logical that one would do so. However, readers may find reading this story more beneficial if they can learn from it. The lesson behind this story is that one should not be suppressing one's feelings and emotions too extensively and should let out these feelings by seeking forms of release or by simply expressing one's feelings. One might argue that Sally's esteem is what ultimately led to her downfall, nonetheless we have to keep in mind that confidence and self-approval, not to be confused with arrogance, are also what individuals need in order to live a fun and fulfilling life. It might be an overstatement to say that our protagonist is living a lie, but it is easy to say that she is not living her life as her true self, her internal self, and can very well never be happy in this lifetime if she continues to live this way.
Kingsolver develops the story of a strong young woman, named Taylor Greer, who is determined to establish her own individuality. The character learns that she must balance this individualism with a commitment to her community of friends, and in doing this, her life is immeasurably enriched. Many books speak of family, community, and individuality. I believe, however, that the idea that Barbara Kingsolver establishes in her book, The Bean Trees, of a strong sense of individualism, consciously balanced with a keen understanding of community as extended family, is a relatively new idea to the genre of the American novel.
Evelyn is fascinated with the many stories Ninny has to tell about the people she used to know. She quickly learns the power of friendship as she hears the story of Idgie and Ruth and how their friendship shaped the rest of their lives. Evelyn also learns about courage and independence through these stories. She soon realizes she can feel good about herself and not rely on her husband for everything. Evelyn still takes care of her husband and wants to be his wife, but she realizes that her needs as an individual are just as
This reaction from the blue poetry book shines a light on the power of literature- what occurred after she had read the first lines altered her state of mind,.
He had Made her put her hair up, hid it from one’s eyes, told her what she can or can’t say and had gotten violent with her , she was not in a healthy relationship whatsoever . In “The Awakening” Edna’s husband reminds her of her duties as a women like taking care of the kids, cleaning and cooking. These were the basic principles, the fundamentals of a women back in the day and they would constantly be reminded of this conception. Coincidentally Janie and Edna both had 3 male figures in their life that opened doors to the understanding of the world and one self. Men will always create a whirlpool of love and suffering. With Edna her husband, Mr. Pontiellier was for security , Robert was love however he was just playing with her head which caused suffering for her and Leonce was lust but it was nothing more than that, She experienced a lot of memorable moments with these other guys behind her husband’s back contrary to Janie she would stick to one man and wouldn’t go behind their back. She genuinely wanted to know how it felt to love someone. With Logan it was forced so from the beginning it was bad news, with Jodie she had hope with him but his ego took ahold of him that which inevitably crashed everything and Tea Cakes was where she got her wish.
In Anne Bradstreet's poem "The Author to Her Book," the controlling metaphor is the image of a baby being born and cared for. This birth imagery expresses the complex attitude of the speaker by demonstrating that the speaker's low regard for her own work and her actions are contradictory.
As the story begins, the narrator's compliance with her role as a submissive woman is easily seen. She states, "John laughs at me, but one expects that in marriage" (Gilman 577). These words clearly illustrate the male's position of power in a marriage t...
Center stage in Kaye Gibbons’ inspiring bildungsroman, Ellen Foster, is the spunky heroine Ellen Foster. At the start of the novel, Ellen is a fiery nine-year old girl. Her whole life, especially the three years depicted in Ellen Foster, Ellen is exposed to death, neglect, hunger and emotional and physical abuse. Despite the atrocities surrounding her, Ellen asks for nothing more than to find a “new mama” to love her. She avoids facing the harsh reality of strangers and her own family’s cruelty towards her by using different forms of escapism. Thrice Ellen is exposed to death (Gibbons 27). Each time, Ellen has a conversation with a magician to cope with the trauma (Gibbons 22-145). Many times Ellen’s actions and words cause it to be difficult to tell that she is still a child. However, in order to distract herself, Ellen will play meaningful games (Gibbons 26). These games become a fulcrum for Ellen’s inner child to express itself. Frequently, Ellen will lapse into a daydream (Gibbons 67). Usually, these daydreams are meant to protect herself from the harsh reality around her. Ellen Foster’s unique use of escapism resounds as the theme of Kaye Gibbon’s Ellen Foster.
In Black and Blue, Fran Benedetto tells a spellbinding story: how at nineteen she fell in love with Bobby Benedetto, how their passionate marriage became a nightmare, why she stayed, and what happened on the night she finally decided to run away with her ten-year-old son and start a new life under a new name. Living in fear in Florida--yet with increasing confidence, freedom, and hope--Fran unravels the complex threads of family, identity, and desire that shape a woman's life, even as she begins to create a new one. As Fran starts to heal from the pain of the past, she almost believes she has escaped it--that Bobby Benedetto will not find her and again provoke the complex combustion between them of attraction and destruction, lust and love. Black and Blue is a beautifully written, heart-stopping story in which Anna Quindlen writes with power, wisdom, and humor about the real lives of men and women, the varieties of people and love, the bonds between mother and child, the solace of family and friendship, the inexplicable feelings between people who are passionately connected in ways they don't understand. It is a remarkable work of fiction by the writer whom Alice Hoffman has called "a national treasure." With this stunning novel about a woman and a marriage that begins in passion and becomes violent, Anna Quindlen moves to a new dimension as a writer of superb fiction. Black and Blue is a beautifully written, heart-stopping story in which Anna Quindlen writes with power, wisdom, and humor about the real lives of men and women, the varieties of people and love, the bonds between mother and child, the solace of family and friendship, the inexplicable feelings between people who are passionately connected in ways they don't understa...
A major conflict is focusing on after Alice’s brain operation, she perceives to everyone and herself she’s the same girl she used to be. Unfortunately, her friends and family don’t agree that she is the same person. “You’re always saying that you are still you because you have the same brain, but who is to say that your whole personality is in your head?” (pg.5) Jenny argues that Alice is a completely different person than who she used to be. Their mother stands up for Alice but secretly does not agree with her, she does not see Alice as the daughter she used to have. “Sometimes I think my sister is dead.” (pg.5) This similar quote is showing how powerful Jenny feels about the new Alice and her failure to see how Alice is truly seeking self reflection. “Alice stared at her mother, but again her mother avoided her eyes.” (pg.5) This final quote impacts the reader 's empathetically and Alice immeasurably knowing that her own mother doesn’t accept her for who she is now. These quotes show the frustration from Alice and her family, skillfully building apprehensive conflict in the rising
The narrator’s name is unknown through out the story, yet at the beginning the reader is given her husbands’ name (John), and the narrator’s identity through the novella is as John’s wife, who is dominated by John in their relationship. This effect created by Gillman masterfully establishes the lack of a female determined identity. He diagnoses her, and with the exception of her being tired and wanting to write, John continues to establish that her health is unwell. John is the dominant personality in the marriage he does not see her as an equal in their relationship. This is a wonderful tone and mood used to reflect the cultural norm at the time of Gillman's writing. She is not viewed as an equal, she is treated like and often referred to as being a child. When she decides that she likes a downstairs bedroom next to the nursery, John insists on her having the bedroom upstairs with the yellow wallpaper. The narrator/wife hates the color of the room and describes the color as “repellent, almost revolting” (432) When she asks for her husband to change the color, he decides to not give in to her wants, and the reader is informed that John, who knows best, does this for her benefit. It is reflective of a parent not wanting to give into their child's whims for fear the child will become spoiled and will expect to get everything they ask for. Though her husband belittles her, she still praises everything he does and sees everything he is doing for...
Amanda, somehow, finds a way to be both selfish and selfless when it comes to Laura. Amanda wants Laura to be happy and successful, but does not understand that Laura is too shy and unmotivated to be either. When Amanda discovers that Laura has stopped going to typing class she is beyond disappointing. When discovered Amanda yells at her daughter saying, “Fifty dollars’ tuition, all our plans- my hopes and ambitions for you- just gone up the spout, just gone up the spout like that.” Laura quit something as simple as learning how to type; this realization struck Amanda because if she cannot do that there is no way Laura could provide for herself without a husband. Mrs. Wingfield’s worst nightmare is is for her children to become dependent on relatives and not being able to take care of themselves. After Laura drops out of typing school Amanda says, “What is there left but dependency all our lives? I know so well what becomes of unmarried women who aren’t prepared to occupy a position. I’ve seen such pitiful cases in the South—barely tolerated spinsters living upon the grudging patronage of sister’s husband or brother’s wife!—stuck away in some little mousetrap of a room—encouraged by one in-law to visit another—little birdlike women without any nest—eating the crust of humility all their life!. Amanda had always wanted for Laura to find a nice husband, but then the situation became desperate when the younger women
Now that we have a little background on the author, we can take a closer look at the actual work and its characters. The two main characters of the story a narrator and her husband, John, and the story takes place in the 19th century. Life for the two is like most other marriages in this time frame, only the narrator is not like most other wives. She has this inner desire to be free from the societal roles that confine her and to focus on her writing, while John in content with his life and thinks that his wife overreacts to everything. Traditionally, in this era, the man was responsible for taking care of the woman both financially and emotionally, while the woman was solely responsible for remaining at home. This w...
In the past two centuries, western mainstream cultures have subscribed to the belief that crying is commonly associated with femininity, regardless of one’s gender (Warhol 182). A considerable amount of literature, including Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, has been considered by critics as effectively using “narrative techniques” to make readers cry (Warhol 183). Emphasizing on these matters, Robyn R. Warhol, the author of “Narration Produces Gender: Femininity as Affect and Effect in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple”, analyzes the usefulness of the novel’s narration approaches, focusing on the meaning of Nettie’s letters to Celie and especially the fairy-tale unity in Celie’s last letter. Using The Color Purple as illustrated example, refusing to consider the accounts of gender and sexuality, the author suggests that the applications of culture’s “feminine mythologies” in the novel give readers chances to experience the physical (openly weeping) and emotional (identify self with the character) effects of femininity (Warhol 186). Although Warhol’s interpretations have successfully carried out the novel’s sentimentality within the context of culture and other novels, there is still a general lack of comprehensive examples that illustrated after each of her arguments. In order to corroborate and extend on Warhol’s central argument, the surprising factors of the novel’s ending combines with the elements of foreshadowing in Celie’s first confrontation with Albert about Nettie’s letters, Celie’s relationship with Shug, and the ugly truths about racism and sexism showing through Nettie’s and Celie’s letters should be considered as significant in creating the novel’s sentimentality.
To give some suggestion of a background to this piece, The Bluest Eye is told from the perspectives of two reflective women, Claudia and Frieda MacTeer, as they reminisce about their childhood, and the images of their friend, Pecola Breedlove as they all grew up through the years at hand in this book. Is this a coming of age story? Quite literally, but it is a dissonant one, apart from so many others-- and serves to further the message as stated above. If only to compliment it, then, puberty and growing into sexual prowess are developed by the same things that make up one’s moral sophistication– parents, one’s school environment, and their social environment. Pecola’s parents, her home life; none of it is the least bit welcoming, the least bit inviting. She cannot express herself as she grows into her body because she will be beaten for it. Her mother thinks her a liar, and her father is too plagued by his own mental images to care much for anyone apart from himself. He takes out his stresses on Pecola, as the reader will see in the last leg of the book; Spring respectively. This environment that Pecola grows up in is indefinitely “not the right way.” She is denied too much of herself, and this is why she goes insane, partially.
The Bildungsroman genre entails a character’s formative years and his or her development from childhood. The characters from this type of novel recall, in detail, past relationships and experiences that impacted the characters growth, maturity, and exemplar for their relationships with other characters. An important component to Bildungsroman novels is the concentration on the characters childhood (Gottfried & Miles, 122). In Jane Eyre and David Copperfield, both characters childhoods were despondent. Both characters experience the loss of a parent: Jane is a literal orphan; David’s loss is metaphorical, then literal. When Jane Eyre begins, Jane has already lost both parents and is under the guardianship of her aunt, Sarah Reed. Reed and her children, Jane’s cousins, are abusive to Jane and never accept Jane as family. Jane has lost both parents and with the death of her uncle, Sarah’s husband and an advocate for Jane, Jane is without any caring relationship. In addition to being without affection, Jane must endure torment. It is this lack of adoration that leads Jane to seek acceptance throughout her life, while attempting t...