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Essay on Selfishness
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People can be broken. Anse, in As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner, and Howard, from “A Wagner Matinee”, live lives with very cold hearts. Both characters are unable to portray or feel any emotions other than callousness, selfishness, apatheticness and and are men who do not seem to show any empathy or emotion towards their family members, especially their wives.
Anse is broken to the point where his own children can not even look at him because of his callous behavior that they have had to deal with their entire lives. Now their mother is dead and Anse will not let anyone grieve. It is seen in, “He touches the quilt as he saw Dewey Dell do, trying to smoothe it up to the chin, but disarranging it instead. He tries to smoothe it again, clumsily,
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Having other character flaws, the trait of being selfish for example, makes it ten times harder to deal with that family member. Both Anse and Howard were very selfish people, very selfish husbands. "Don't love it so well, Clark, or it may be taken from you. Oh, dear boy, pray that whatever your sacrifice may be, it be not that." (Cather). Georgianna had been kept from her music for 30 years, and she misses it, yet her husband who obviously does not care about what she cares about, has kept and allowed her to be without what she loves most for so long. It is only when she visits her nephew that she realizes how much she wishes she could stay; stay with the music. Anse, on the other hand, knew his wife was very ill, yet instead of getting a doctor, he just let her die. "God's will be done," he says. "Now I can get them teeth." (Faulkner). Being selfish drove Anse’s and Howard's family members away and left them lonely and outcasts.
Both characters did infact face struggles of being awful people with awful qualities that no spouse or any family member should have to deal with. The difference between the two men is purely that Howard did in infact love Georgianna whereas Anse and his wife, Annie, had no love whatsoever anymore. Howard probably did not realize what he was doing hurting the ones he cared about much more subtly. In rough situations, Anse
“God’s will be done, now I can get teeth,” Anse says after Addie’s death. To some people, it may seem weird that someone wants new teeth, and to others, it might make them wonder if he’s sad about his wife’s death. Anse Bundren, a middle-aged man, has a reputation of being a lazy and selfish person. But how does that play a role in As I Lay Dying? How has Anse’s relationship with his family, his wife, and himself affect the outcome of the story? Another thing about Anse is his view of Addie’s death. How has Anse Bundren become dead in the story, but is really still alive?
...d few such as Anna, Stella, and Alice who broke free of the poison, lived their lives as Sam Toms’ did who rooted the family. They as he did lied, cheated, manipuled, and kept secrets to try to live a happy life which in actuality their lives were anything but.
Although this story is told in the third person, the reader’s eyes are strictly controlled by the meddling, ever-involved grandmother. She is never given a name; she is just a generic grandmother; she could belong to anyone. O’Connor portrays her as simply annoying, a thorn in her son’s side. As the little girl June Star rudely puts it, “She has to go everywhere we go. She wouldn’t stay at home to be queen for a day” (117-118). As June Star demonstrates, the family treats the grandmother with great reproach. Even as she is driving them all crazy with her constant comments and old-fashioned attitude, the reader is made to feel sorry for her. It is this constant stream of confliction that keeps the story boiling, and eventually overflows into the shocking conclusion. Of course the grandmother meant no harm, but who can help but to blame her? O’Connor puts her readers into a fit of rage as “the horrible thought” comes to the grandmother, “that the house she had remembered so vividly was not in Georgia but in Tennessee” (125).
Though the novel is not told from Frado’s perspective, her story becomes more sympathizing and sentimental from a third person narrative. Wilson uses her supporting characters to express Frado’s emotions and to show her development. Through her style, the reader becomes more aware of the Belmont family and society’s prejudices through how they react to Frado’s suffering. For instance Aunt Abby, one of the more sympathizing characters, says “we found a seat under a shady tree, and there I took the opportunity to combat the notions she seemed to entertain respecting the loneliness of her condition and want of sympathizing friends” (54). While Aunt Abby makes an effort to console Frado, there is no real sympathy in her words. They are mechanical and rehearsed. Aunt Abby does not genuinely care for Frado but she does pity her situation.
“As I Lay Dying, read as the dramatic confrontation of words and actions, presents Faulkner’s allegory of the limits of talent” (Jacobi). William Faulkner uses many different themes that make this novel a great book. Faulkner shows his talent by uses different scenarios, which makes the book not only comedic but informational on the human mind. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner is a great book that illustrates great themes and examples. Faulkner illustrates different character and theme dynamics throughout the entire novel, which makes the book a humorous yet emotional roller coaster. Faulkner illustrates the sense of identity, alienation, and the results of physical and mental death to show what he thinks of the human mind.
Human beings are commonly accepted as social creatures. They are considered evolved due to the fact that they were the first animals to develop a written language to help with communication. In the book, As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner compares the characters to less evolved species. The resemblance between the characters and their inanimate counterparts in nature is used in the book to show how inhuman they are in personality. Many birds are carnivorous, that is, they prey upon other animals for food. In this book, Faulkner uses the character of Anse Bundren to personify a vulture. Anse is compared to predatory birds in order to expose the similarities of the nature and behavior, of the human and the animal species.
...ess her husband just so happens to die. Her husband has spent most of his nights with the couple’s personal servant, Sarah, who has conceived the children of this man. Ms. Gaudet also dislikes the children solely for the fact that they remind her much of her husband. Manon is soon granted her freedom when her husband is murdered by African- American rebels.
Near the beginning of the movie her brother dies from falling out of a third story window and she is forced to buy a coffin for him because her parents are unable to communicate this is largely because of the lack of accommodations that were available during the time. As the movie progresses and she faces more of lives hardships she starts to realize that she is the connection between the hearing and non-hearing worlds for her parents. For her graduation her father makes a kind jester of purchasing a hearing aid, which was one of the early models. Unfortunately her misunderstanding led to he feeling embarrassed of her parents although, it is unfair that she hid away her parents from her social life in the first place. One of the main characters that really kept her grounded was Mr. Petrakis. A kind elderly man who runs a pawnshop down the street. He also tends to be her way of venting because she doesn’t know how to tell her parents how upset she is. After her graduation she starts as a secretary where she meets her eventual husband William Anglin who repeatedly asks her out, but is unable to up until he is leaving for basic training for WWII. After they date are dating for a while ...
To start off, Nick Carraway is responsible for the death of Gatsby. During the harmonious relationship with Jordan Baker, Nick displays tolerance of Jordan Baker’s dishonest behavior and considers her dishonesty as incurable. Nick expresses his thought to Jordan by saying, “It made no difference to me. Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply ” (58). However, Nick’s forbearance of woman’s dishonesty develops, and his tolerance of dishonesty reaches an apex. Nick soon covers and hides the origin truth of Myrtle Wilson’s death, and he lets Gatsby assume the responsibility of Myrtle’s death. The next day, Nick sees the abandoned corpse of Jay Gatsby at his pool. After the death of Jay, Nick hides the secret of Myrtle’s death from Tom, but displays his disappointment toward Tom. If Nick had told anyone that Daisy was driving the car, George would not have shot Gatsby. Nick Carraway’s wrong decision that was not to tell anyone Daisy ran over Myrtle has led the Gatsby’s death. Moreover, Carraway’s wide tolerance has not prevented the death, but caused it. He is respo...
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner depicts the story of one tragic family and their dismal journey across Missouri. While the Bundren’s originally set out in the wake of their mother’s death, their journey is soon fueled by jealousy, selfishness and utter hatred as they are forced to depend on each other. In assessing the true severity of their dysfunction, it’s critical to critique each family member individually for their personal motives and feelings throughout the journey. Anse Bundren can obviously be seen as the most selfish and self-centered members of the family. Furthered by some ridiculous belief that “.
The grandmother uses many excuses for the family to go to Tennessee instead of Florida on vacation. The first of her many excuses is “The Misfit”, a serial killer that has escaped from prison and is headed toward Florida, claiming that she would never take her children anywhere near a man like that. This didn’t have the desired effect on Bailey so she explains to him and his wife how the children need more variety and they should take the children to see different parts of the world, East Tennessee for example. Once again her plea to Bailey and his wife had no effect. Even after they had left home she continued to try and divert them from their coarse. Finally succeeding when she convinced the children they would like to visit an old plantation home she had visited during her own childhood.
In both Ann Petry’s “Like a Winding Sheet” and Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby” the protagonist is also the antagonist. In the story, Like a Winding Sheet its Mae’s husband, Johnson, and in the story Desiree’s Baby it’s Desiree’s husband, Armand. In the beginning of both stories their husband seem to be loving, caring husbands who would never hurt their family. Then, the stories turn in a twist when the husband became insolent and angry toward their wives, but they were feeling furious towards themselves. Johnson was repeatedly getting abused from the outside world and in his mind and he starts to espouse a dismissive image that turned to anger against his wife and eventually he kills her. Armand was angry at his wife because his son turned out
In the novel “As I Lay Dying” William Faulkner depicts the importance of family and how we can overcome any struggle we may face. Faulkner uses themes of family and love to show how individuals can overcome differences as long as they stick together and love each other. Faulkner also shows us how the Bundren family and friends are close, loyal, and respect each other no matter any grudge or difference they have. The novel uses many different angles of portrayal and many different narrators. These narrators are constantly switching back and forth to each other to give the audience an insight on what is happening and every character's inner thoughts and feelings. Without the use of switchng narrators this novel would not be considered one of the greatest novels written during its time.
Richard Gary writes the literary analysis for Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying. In his writing Gray claims that the Bundrens are ultimately the carnival or “a comical operation of dismemberment.” Faulkner’s characters are outcasts among the other Southern folks in their county talked about in stories and legends. However we as the readers will never know exactly who the Bundrens’ are, because Gary believes, “Just when we think we have a clear picture of who someone like Dewey Dell, and can place her as an attractive, emotionally generous but rather simple minded country girl, our assumptions are suddenly undermined.” Therefore just like the carnival we forget who they are and in an instant they will be gone and moving on.
In the fictional play “Her Heart”. The author conducts an emotional play that tells a story of a woman with a broken heart. The depict transpired a plodding sequence brimful of emotional sensory detail. Throughout the story the author persuades the reader into thinking that the “woman” physically kills her husband. But, in reality she doesn’t. She mentally kills him by breaking his heart. Which led him into getting ran over by a moving vehicle. I personally am in awe about how the author structured this play. He/She compared this play and situation to real life incidents dealing with love/heartbreaks.