Anne Rice's novel "Blackwood Farm" delves into the complex themes of identity and immortality, weaving a tale of supernatural intrigue and personal discovery. Set within the rich backdrop of Louisiana, the story follows the journey of Quinn Blackwood as he grapples with his dual nature, confronts his family's dark legacy, and seeks to understand the nature of immortality itself. Through its vivid characters, atmospheric setting, and thought-provoking narrative, "Blackwood Farm" offers readers a compelling exploration of what it means to be human in a world touched by the supernatural. At its core, "Blackwood Farm" is a story about identity and the search for belonging. Quinn Blackwood, the novel's protagonist, is a young man struggling to come to terms with his unique heritage. Born into a wealthy Southern family with a long history of secrets and scandals, Quinn finds himself haunted by the specters of his ancestors and the weight of their legacy. Throughout the novel, he grapples with questions of identity: Who am I? Where do I come from? And what does it mean to be a Blackwood? …show more content…
Early in the novel, he is attacked by a vampire named Goblin, who leaves him with the "Dark Gift" of immortality. As Quinn wrestles with his newfound powers and the consequences of eternal life, he embarks on a quest to uncover the truth about his family's connection to the supernatural world. In doing so, he confronts his own fears and insecurities, ultimately embracing his identity as a Blackwood and a creature of the
The Bullfrog Valley gang was a notorious counterfeiting ring that operated in the wilderness of Pope County during the depression of the 1890’s.The gang’s origin and and methods were mysterious, but the New York Times reported ist demise on June 28, 1897.The remote valley, which follows Big Piney Creek from Long Pool to Booger Hollow, was named for Chief Bullfrog, a Cherokee Who, according to legend, settled there after his tribe’s forced removal from Georgia (the Trail of Tears by the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The Bullfrog Valley, an unincorporated community not typically recognized on current Arkansas state maps, is located along the Big Piney Creek near the community of Silex. According to Dumas, historically the
Firstly, with Hickory Hollow is the disappearing crayfish in Ribbon Cave. This problem, it seems, is the result of heavy metals found in the water. The heavy metals were found at the site of Ribbon Cave, as well as the northern portion of Aram Creek. We tested for heavy metals at well sites G, I, L, M, and S for heavy metals, with the only positives being well sites I and L. Nevertheless, this still confirmed our theory. The heavy metals found in the water have most likely resulted from Compara Corp’s hazardous waste spills, a problem that has occurred multiple times. The heavy metals found in the water being lead, tin, copper, and ammonia would then be highly probable. To fix this problem the answer is simple, “The answer, according to the agency and an outside expert, is twofold: treatment and dilution” (Pappas, 1). Treating the water is simple: the water needs the acidity to be reduced. After that is done, you must dilute the water (add water to the creek). However, the problems will never fully go away, but they will be greatly decreased. In conclusion, in order to save the lives of the crayfish, Hickory Hollow must treat Aram Creek in order to strip the heavy metals.
In Ron Rash’s short story “Blackberries in June”, Rash explores the strained relationship of Jamie and her high school sweet heart, Matt, to her family. Through the characters interactions with each other Rash paints a picture of how major hardships can sever an already fragile bond between family members. Jamie and Matt, much to Jamie’s family opposition, have been saving up to own their dream home on the lake. After a freak accident on the job, Jamie’s brother, Charlton, loses his leg. In order to help sustain her brother and his family’s life during this time Jamie is face with an impossible ultimatum to sell her dream home or become an estrange member of her family. The choices throughout the story and the characters reactions to them depict
Woop woop! Is the common sound heard in Beecher Terrace (housing apartments). There are 2.3 million people locked up in the United States. Kentucky spends about fifteen billion dollars per year incarcerating individuals from Beecher Terrace. Since the 1970’s the number of people locked up in the United States has grown from 300,000 to 2.3 million. Kentucky has been the center of this prison expansion. Charles McDuffie, Christel, Demetria, and Keith Huff all have something in common. Each of these individuals are repeat offenders, grew up or lived in Beech Terrace, and have some type of mental issue.
The central ideas of: Racial tensions, racial identity, and systemic oppression, all assist in revealing the author’s purpose. As Malcolm changes throughout the story, his wordhoard and usage of various terms changes as well as the structure of sentences. From half-sentences to long blocks of text, Malcolm’s status also affected the style and structure of his writing; If Malcolm was in a party, the structure would consist of small half sentences as opposed to if Malcolm was telling scenery of a bar in which he would use long descriptive sentences of the setting. Throughout all the chapters, the author was capable of placing vivid images and allowing the reader to experience all the problems and threats Malcolm had to deal
Another topic that in interesting to discuss is why this white boy was forced to live in such poor conditions. Dalton Conley stated in the book that despite his mother and fathers economic standings, his family was able to maintain a livable lifestyle where many neighbors and friends at that time could not of enjoyed. His family could have moved to a more up scale, refined community, but simply couldn't afford it.
The author, William Faulkner, has a collection of books, short stories, and poems under his name. Through his vast collection of works, Faulkner attempts to discuss and bring awareness to numerous aspects of life. More often than not, his works were created to reflect aspects of life found within the south. Family dynamics, race, gender, social class, war, incest, racism, suicide, necrophilia, and mental illness are just some of the aspects that Faulkner explored. In “A Rose for Emily” the aspects of necrophilia and mental illness along with the societal biases that were observed in a small-town setting are seen to be a part of this captivating story. These aspects ultimately intertwine with the idea of insanity that characterizes “A Rose for Emily.
Edith Wharton’s brief, yet tragic novella, Ethan Frome, presents a crippled and lonely man – Ethan Frome – who is trapped in a loveless marriage with a hypochondriacal wife, Zenobia “Zeena” Frome. Set during a harsh, “sluggish” winter in Starkfield, Massachusetts, Ethan and his sickly wife live in a dilapidated and “unusually forlorn and stunted” New-England farmhouse (Wharton 18). Due to Zeena’s numerous complications, they employ her cousin to help around the house, a vivacious young girl – Mattie Silver. With Mattie’s presence, Starkfield seems to emerge from its desolateness, and Ethan’s vacant world seems to be awoken from his discontented life and empty marriage. And so begins Ethan’s love adventure – a desperate desire to have Mattie as his own; however, his morals along with his duty to Zeena and his natural streak of honesty hinder him in his ability to realize his own dreams. Throughout this suspenseful and disastrous novella, Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton effectively employs situational irony enabling readers to experience a sudden shock and an unexpected twist of events that ultimately lead to a final tragedy in a living nightmare.
The turning point of “Sea Oak” is Aunt Bernie’s resurrection in which the seemly contemporary story has turned into a horror fantasy. Rising from death, Aunt Bernie has not only gained her energy but also her dissatisfaction about her previous living condition. She angrily yells to her family members, ‘“Because I am getting me so many lovers. Maybe you kids don’t know this but I died at freaking virgin. No babies, no lovers. Nothing went in, nothing came out. Ha ha!”’ (9). Using the repetition of “No” and “Nothing”, Saunders depicts Bernie’s life with an absolute emptiness. The change of Bernie’s character from a generous, optimistic lady to a selfish, scary authoritative figure has placed a situational irony for readers. In Jennifer L. Hochschild’s book Facing Up to the American Dream: Race, Class, and the Soul of the Nation,” she argues that “Americans are exhorted to ‘go for it’” (Hochschild 21). Carrying the burden of a big family with more than half lazy hands, Bernie never follows this slogan to fight for her own rights, and her ambition to chase her dreams only rises after her death. Though she has worked hard her whole life, she doesn’t die in peace, The good-hearted Bernie who sacrifices her life to support her family but still dies regretfully. This ironic path of Bernie’s life is Saunders’ mockery to awaken diligent working class people as well as his
It is with this organization that he is able to discern the ulterior motives of the white authority who have been stringing him along like a puppet. One such reflection occurred after he was presented to a Brotherhood associate named Emma. She asks, “‘But don’t you think he should be a little blacker?’... Maybe she wants me to sweat coal tar, ink, shoe polish, graphite. What was I, a man or a natural resource?” (303). Her comment reveals the Brotherhood’s intention of using the narrator as a means to achieve their goals, and the connections he makes between his own life and that of a “natural resource” emphasizes the utilitarian purpose he serves. Similarly, after a meeting with Hambro, the culmination of the narrator’s past experiences result in a moment of profound disillusionment. The narrator exclaims, “[Jack, Norton, and Emerson] were all very much the same, each attempting to force his picture of reality on upon me and neither giving a hoot in hell for how things looked to me. I was simply a material, a natural resource to be used” (508). This passage neatly summarizes the narrator’s struggle with identity. He finally sees that racial prejudices limit the complexity of his life to the rigid social structures erected by society. Over the course of his time with the Brotherhood, the narrator discovers that the prejudice of others creates a veil that only allows them to see what they want to
In the story, “The Wife of His Youth,” Chestnutt describes the racial discrimination in America. The author utilizes the primary characters as a gateway to reveal hypocrisy in declaring social equity and identity. Mr. Ryder runs away from his black heritage to become a part in a white society, while his wife from slavery uses her past to assert her faithfulness to her husband. The writer uses Mr. Ryder to reveal hypocrisy in social equity. Sam Taylor was a light skinned slave before the civil war. While his wife was at home cooking, he was always at the field working. During the civil war, he managed to escaped and moved up to north. After being free in north he decided to change his name to Mr. Ryder and joined the group called Blue Veins. Blue
As a school teacher and with limited income from teaching and a family to take care, the narrator is still stuck with housing project in Harlem, he cannot make a bail or hire the best lawyer to defend his brother. The distress from losing his baby daughter; the feeling of guilt, desperation and failure to care and protect his younger brother from the deadly touch of drugs weight down the narrator’s life. Damaged while getting out of Harlem’s trap, and like his descended father, the narrator sees the darkness in every corner of
Deck, Alice A. "Beloved: Overview." Reference Guide to American Literature. Ed. Jim Kamp. 3rd ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resource Center. Web. 5 May 2014
Upon leaving Boston, the young man’s status and attitude change drastically. He becomes a captive of Crow Indians who treat him badly. He becomes property of a “...scrawny, shrieking, eternally busy old woman with ragged graying hair..” He must gain her trust to earn more freedom around the camp and such. During this time he was “...finding out what loneliness could be.”
One aspect in the novel Beloved is the presence of a supernatural theme. The novel is haunted. The characters are haunted by the past, the choices made, by tree branches growing on backs, by infanticide, by slavery. Sethe, Denver and Paul D are haunted by the past that stretches and grasps them in 124 in its extended digits. A haunt, Beloved, encompasses another supernatural realm, that of a vampire. She sucks the soul, heart and mind of her mother while draining the relationships that exists between Denver and Sethe and Sethe and Paul D.