Sara Garcia Mr. Rosenast AP Literature 15 December 2014 Is it? Or is it not? When The Odyssey was first written by Homer in ancient Greece, it opened up a new form of storytelling that has been constantly imitated throughout time. Its format consists of a journey in which a hero meets many obstacles and hardships that must be overcome in order to achieve their overall goal. From the story of Hercules to the 1930’s As I Lay Dying the format has survived and undergone changes. William Faulkner’s novel consists of a dysfunctional family on a journey motivated largely by self-interest, where in the end their familial ties are all but disintegrated. Establishing As I Lay Dying as the archetypal form of an odyssey, Little Miss Sunshine is not a modern …show more content…
day interpretation of William Faulkner’s novel because even though they hold many similarities there are more fundamental differences in the motives and outcome of the odyssey itself. As I Lay Dying is the story of a dysfunctional family on a journey to bury their recently deceased mother. The Bundren family consists of Addie, Anse, Darl, Jewel, Cash, Vardaman, and Dewey Dell. The characters in the novel seem very simple and in a way ignorant, however, they are very complex. Addie is the mother; she never loved her husband and only became his wife out of convenience. She never loved her children and only prefers Jewel, her son that she had from an affair with another man. The only thing that she ever says of love is that “it didn’t matter,” she saw it as a useless thing and it can clearly be seen in her character (Faulkner). Anse is the father; he is in reality a useless man and father. Darl is their son; he is a very peculiar boy that holds the gift of being clairvoyant. He seems to know everybody’s secrets and in the end of the novel he is declared insane. Jewel is Addie’s son; he has a different father. Addie prefers him the most out of all of her children. When he is first introduced he is depicted as a very angry character, but by the end of the novel he has sacrificed more than the others to have his mother buried. Cash is another son; he is a carpenter and actually built the coffin that his mother is going to be buried in. The youngest brother is Vardaman; he is young and naïve and he tries to keep his mother alive in whatever he can find and rationalize in his own mind. Dewey Dell is the only daughter in the Bundren family; she is pregnant and wants to have an abortion but by the end of the novel she is unable to do so. Little Miss Sunshine tells the story of a dysfunctional family on a journey across the country, in hopes of reaching a beauty pageant. Their family consists of Sheryl Hoover, their mother who leads a very busy life; Richard Hoover, their father who is an entrepreneur who lives in hope of spreading his nine steps to success. Dwayne Hoover, the son that has sworn himself to silence until he can achieve his goal of being accepted into the US Airforce Academy so that he can fly jets. Olive Hoover, their young daughter who has been entered into the beauty pageant in California. Edwin Hoover, the grandpa who is a heroin addict. He trains Olive for the pageant, his favorite word is “fuck”, and in the end he meets his demise on the journey to California (Arndt). Frank Ginsburg, the uncle and brother of Sheryl Hoover. He is a gay scholar who is temporarily living with the family after a failed suicide attempt. This is the family that is presented in the odyssey of Little Miss Sunshine. There are very obvious similarities between some of the characters for both stories that may make Little Miss Sunshine seem as if it is the modern interpretation of As I Lay Dying. Grandpa Edwin Hoover from the film, as compared to Addie Bundren from the novel are very similar to each other. Both for specific durations of both stories, are dead. Addie is dead for almost the entire novel, except for the very beginning, and one flashback, and throughout the entire novel she is being carried by her family in a wagon to Jefferson, where she wanted to be buried. Grandpa Edwin Hoover on the other hand is alive for a large portion of the film. When he dies the family determined to continue on their journey steal his body from the hospital and place it in the back of their van wrapped in sheets. The family wants him to be there when Olive performs at the pageant because it would have been what he wanted. Both characters are carried by their families once they are dead. Both characters, however, are very different when it comes to their personalities and their feelings. Addie never loved her husband or her children, I would even say that she hated Anse, and even though she preferred Jewel, she did not love him. Edwin Hoover on the other hand is very much a live and is spiteful. He may use the word “fuck” is if it’s needed every other word, but he loves his family (Arndt). The film is not the modern day interpretation of the film. The characters play a fundamental role in both stories and even though their outer shells may seem connected, the foundation of each character is built on different ideals and experiences, severing all ties connecting the two at that point. While one thrives on hatred, the other thrives on heroin. As I Lay Dying contains a large amount of self-interest in part of the characters once they embark on their journey. Most of the Bundren family has some sort of ulterior motive when traveling to Jefferson. Anse has an ulterior motive; he wants to buy some fake teeth, and (we find out in the very end) he is looking for a new Mrs. Bundren. Vardaman also has an ulterior motive; he wants the train that he saw in the window of the shop. However, the most obvious ulterior motive of them all, belongs to Dewey Dell who is looking to have an abortion in Jefferson. Not all of the family members have ulterior motives, but it is apparent that some in the family do. In a way Little Miss Sunshine may seem to follow even the same storyline of As I Lay Dying because it also carries this aspect, but only up until a certain point and then they begin to deviate considerably. There are also some ulterior motives that can be found in the film of Little Miss Sunshine, not as many as in the novel but enough to make a connection. The obvious ulterior motive in Little Miss Sunshine comes with the character of Dwayne Hoover. He only agrees to travel with the family to California when his mother tells him that she will sign his form so that he can go to the US Airforce Academy. He has the most obvious ulterior motive out of both of the stories, and the outcome that the story has for him and his dreams is something that also creates another connection between the two storylines. However, this connection that is created between both stories is also why the stories are so different and why Little Miss Sunshine is not a modern day interpretation of As I Lay Dying. One of the pivotal distinctions between the journeys comes into play when looking into the ulterior motives.
The archetypal format follows the family on a journey, driven somewhat by self-interest, where they encounter obstacles that they must overcome. And in the end of As I Lay Dying the overall goal of burying Addie is resolved, but out of all of the ulterior motives, only one character is allowed satisfaction. Anse in the end gets his teeth, at the expense of Dewey Dell and he finds a new wife and mother for his family, the new Mrs. Bundren. In the end of As I Lay Dying after they have buried Addie, after Anse has finally gotten what he wanted; the family is simply left with confusion. Darl has been committed to an insane asylum, Cash is in a troubling situation with his leg, Jewel has lost his horse, Dewey Dell does not have her abortion, and Vardaman has still not found his mother. The family has been pulled apart throughout the story; their confusion and separation can clearly be seen in the end. Darl has been separated from his family, showing how the family is disintegrating; this journey did not bring them together, it pulled them apart. The confusion is evident in the character of Vardaman. Throughout the whole novel, he has been trying to find his mother. “My mother is a fish,” was his first conclusion. “Jewels mother is a horse,” therefore his mother is a horse, was his second conclusion (Faulkner). He is trying to transfer his mother’s soul so that he can find her and then again in the end Anse presents him with a new host. Who is Vardaman’s mother in the end? The dead corpse, a fish, a horse, or a stranger? His confusion is just the peak of the iceberg, the rest of the family being infested by the same feeling. The truth is never revealed to them, not by anybody else, and definitely not by each other. In the end all they are left thinking is, what just
happened? At this point the deviation between the film and the novel becomes much more deep and evident. In Little Miss Sunshine none of the characters have a satiated ulterior motive. The most prominent of these motives being, Dwayne’s intention of getting into flight school, how it is quickly crushed when he finds out that he is color blind. At this point in the film there is also a large pivotal event and piece of information that is relayed to the characters of the story. Dwayne tells them the truth in his anger. “Divorce! Bankrupt! Suicide! You’re losers! You’re fucking losers!” He yells at them in anger, but he reveals the truth, and not just about what he thinks but of what they all really are. It’s a piece of truth and honesty that the Bundren family never had, and it presents a difference between the two stories that leads to outcomes that are in no way similar. Unlike William Faulkner’s novel, where Anse got everything he wanted, in Little Miss Sunshine no one achieves any of their ulterior motives. The family does achieve the overall point of their journey, in getting Olive Hoover to the beauty pageant in California. Though she did not win, the events of the beauty pageant, including the entire Hoover family rushing up on stage and dancing with Olive after she has started her scandalous routine that her grandfather had choreographed, brought the entire family together. In the end of the film the family has, instead of falling apart, become more united. They are not confused because they clearly know that they cannot return to a California pageant and yet they do not argue or discuss the matter, it is clear in their minds. They are united each person carrying the other, and when they leave the pageant, they leave as a support system for each other. They are very much unlike the Bundren family that is presented in As I Lay Dying. Little Miss Sunshine is not a contemporary interpretation of the archetypal journey established in William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying. The two stories on the surface could have very easily been made more similar with little tiny changes that could have been made, but they are not. In the end, these two pieces of fiction follow a very distinct path. They began on the same dirt road, and they progressed side by side. But then there came a fork in the rode and one made a right turn, while the other made a left. And while one stayed on a dirt road, the other turned into stone. They journey’s deviated and in the end the destinations could be said to be opposites of each other. Work Cited Arndt Michael. “Little Miss Sunshine” Fox Searchlight , 2006. Web. 10 December 2014. Faulkner, William. New York: Random House US, 1957. Print
Le Morte d’Arthur and many other stories have many wonderful archetypes in them. The definition of an archetype is a typical character action or situation that seems to represent universal patterns of human nature. This means that things represent things that naturally happen and will still happen. Archetypes play into Le Morte d'Arthur by showing how the character act and react with other characters and objects. In Thomas Malory´s Le Morte d´Arthur he illustrates the three types of archetypes they include character, situational, and symbolic.
Archetypes are a common theme in many ancient mythologies across the world, and have become a common characteristic in modern day pop culture. A popular archetype is the Trickster, which has a strong influence in the popular T.V. show Supernatural. The trickster archetype in Supernatural is similar to the tricksters Loki in the Prose Edda and Prometheus in Roman culture because they share similar powers, they experiences a battle of wits with the gods, and the outcomes of the trickster’s deeds lead to their punishment. The trickster in Supernatural is also very similar to the god trickster Loki in the Prose Edda because of their relationship between the other gods.
Horrendous pain and suffering worthy of masochists is something that any sane person would shy away from. Yet, authors from all eras of time find those experiences pleasing to put down on paper. The Odyssey of Homer, as translated by Allen Mandelbaum, alongside William Golding’s Lord of the Flies are two such works of literature where the author writes about the agonies of their main characters, Odysseus and Ralph, respectively. Odysseus of The Odyssey of Homer and Ralph of Lord of the Flies are two characters who endured the backlash of divine powers and the pain of betrayal, yet they persevered onwards in their journeys towards success, teaching readers it is possible to push on past all of life’s challenges.
“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?
In both Homer’s The Odyssey and the film O Brother, Where Art Thou? the audience is given an opportunity to experience a spectacular adventure, filled with not only the sense of journey, but also the senses of peril and excitement. A tale about a Greek hero being compared to a film set in Middle America starring three jail-escapees seems rather far-fetched. However, upon closer inspection, both actually share a lot in common. The Odyssey stars Odysseus, a man famous for his heroics in the Trojan War. O Brother, Where Art Thou? shows a bit of a contrast by starring Ulysses, a former convict who escaped and began looking for “A Treasure”. So by default, one would assume that that these two stories would be completely different. However, it ends up being quite the opposite. The two stories are so remarkably alike that it is almost staggering. However, it may not just be simple similarities that make the two so alike. The main reasons why the two characters are so alike are not so much the actions that they take, as oppose to the overall human emotional aspect of the two pieces of work. For example, we see that both Odysseus and Ulysses are invested in their lives with their families, and as such, they never have a moment where they stop thinking about the lives they used to live. Both characters are extremely alike in terms of thoughts, skills, and experiences. They are both profound tacticians, as well as being rather strong and good looking men. So in the end, both of these men have plenty in common on the emotional and psychological levels.
Stories like The Odyssey remind readers that even the toughest people have weak spots. It is easy to be blinded by the strength and valor these heroes display and forget that everyone has pitfalls. It can prove refreshing to be reminded that even the most thick-skinned people are just humans too. Seeing a hero make questionable decisions or act on their emotions can be reassuring, especially to be reminded that hero is not a synonym for perfect. This effect is why these stories have been popular for
In As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner comments on how death affects individuals differently and how sanity is not defined by a mental state but rather by a community of people. Varying viewpoints in narratives, allow the reader to gain insight into the character's thoughts. However, he uses perspectives outside of the Bundren family in order for the reader to create some sort of truth.
“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.
In his 1984 novel Jitterbug Perfume, Tom Robbins presents a narrative that rivals the often fantastical tales told in myth. Using classical mythology as a foundation, and, in particular, providing a loose adaptation of The Odyssey by Homer, Robbins updates and modifies characters and concepts in an effort to reinforce the importance of the journey of life and the discovery of self. Like the ancient myth-makers, Robbins commands the reader’s attention with outrageous situations and events while at the same time providing characters that the reader can relate to and learn from.
The Ancient Greeks sought to define how humans should view their lives and how to create an existence dedicated to the basis of the “ideal” nature. This existence would be lived so as to create an “honorable” death upon their life’s end. Within their plays, both dramas and comedies, they sought to show the most extreme characteristics of human nature, those of the wise and worthy of Greek kleos along with the weak and greedy of mind, and how they were each entitled to a death but of varying significance. The Odyssey, their greatest surviving drama, stands as the epitome of defining both the flawed and ideal human and how each individual should approach death and its rewards and cautions through their journeys. Death is shown to be the consequence
Lawall, Sarah N. “The Odyssey.” The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. 8th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 206-495. Print.
The Odyssey is filled with emotion and adventure. Homer’s ability to show and give the reader a visual of each and every scene gives the story its unbelievable significance. To all the people who read his work there is something to be captured within every sentence, each one different in its own, unique way. Through tales of courage and defeat, friendship and love this book tells of all the values within the life of a single, solitary man, and his journey to attain what is true and dear to him. And this journey is known to all of us as The Odyssey. The Odyssey is a test of human devotion and trust through the gods, the mortals, and the obstacles through which they venture. No matter where they go or what they do, humans are tested for certain characteristics everyday of their lives, whether they realize it or not; and The Odyssey is just one of those many miraculous tests.
During the course of history, the world has seen many fine works of literature like Homer’s epic, Odyssey. This book is a standard against which to compare all literary novels. The symbolism permeates the pages drawing the reader into the intriguing plot that includes twists within the central theme. Also, the author intelligently uses imagery and diction painting dramatic images in the reader's mind - building upon major the themes.
The theme we created for Death and the Miser is “It’s important to do the right thing even if others think it is wrong.” Our theme relates to our story because the Miser steals money from the church which is bad, but gives it back to the poor which is good. My two genre connections were “Pocahontas” the movie by Disney DreamWorks and “The Leap” the story by Louise Erdrich.
In conclusion, the “Odyssey” is one of the greatest literary works ever known and this literary analysis should help the reader to understand the important components of the novel such as theme, characters, relationships, symbols, motifs, literary devices, and tone.