Life is all about challenges and the choices made because of those challenges. The result of this impact lives either for better or worse. This idea of challenges and choices in life is shown in literature as well. “Average Waves in Unprotected Waters” by Anne Tyler and The Jungle by Upton Sinclair have similar messages; however, each story displays these messages by using different themes, characterization and symbols.
The short story, “Average Waves in Unprotected Waters” conveys a similar message of The Jungle. The message the authors portray in the stories are that life challenges create choices for the characters which ultimately affect lives. “It was arranged that they should leave the flowing spring…”(Sinclair 26) This showed that Jurgis and his family decided to move to America in hopes of a better life style, and leaving their homeland in Smolensk. Jurgis was challenged with providing a better life for his future wife Ona, and made the ultimate decision to leave their homeland. The choices made changed Jurgis and this was the initial beginning of change. Although Jurgis left his previous home to create a new one, it became much worse than his previous life and later created consequences for himself and his family. Similarly to the short story by Anne Tyler, the main character, Bet, wanted a better life for herself. “‘Yes. Say goodbye to Mommy now, Arnold.’”(Tyler 7) This displays Bet and Arnold departing ways. Bet makes the ultimate decision to leave her son, Arnold, in the care of others. The messages of each story is conveyed differently and appeal to each character differently. Jurgis plans to create a better life with his family, while Bet wants to create a better life by getting rid of her only family left.
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...splays these messages by using different themes, characterization and symbols. This similar messages that are displayed different help create different ideas and help portray the stories differently.
Works Cited
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When individuals face obstacles in life, there is often two ways to respond to those hardships: some people choose to escape from the reality and live in an illusive world. Others choose to fight against the adversities and find a solution to solve the problems. These two ways may lead the individuals to a whole new perception. Those people who decide to escape may find themselves trapped into a worse or even disastrous situation and eventually lose all of their perceptions and hops to the world, and those who choose to fight against the obstacles may find themselves a good solution to the tragic world and turn their hopelessness into hopes. Margaret Laurence in her short story Horses of the Night discusses the idea of how individual’s responses
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Overcoming obstacles in one’s life can lead someone along the path of ultimately taking pride in themselves. This is apparent in William Bell’s novel Crabbe, in the case of young Franklin Crabbe. Firstly, Crabbe’s ordeal in nature teaches him to put others before himself. At the beginning of his journey, he is self-centred whilst making decisions, whereas at the end of his journey, he is able to consider others first. Secondly, during Crabbe’s time in the wilderness, he gains self-satisfaction from hard work. Crabbe learns about how good it feels to accomplish something in his waking hours, and continues to realize this after his encounter with nature. Lastly, throughout Crabbe’s time in the wilderness, he learns to take responsibility for his own unhappiness. In his bounty of moments for reflection, Crabbe realizes his parents are not to blame for his every moment of depression. During Crabbe’s journey in the bush, he overcomes frequent obstacles which send him back to civilization as someone he can be proud of.
Whether a warning to or a reflection on society, the book stimulates thought and forces the reader to look inward at his or her own...
“Under capitalism, man exploits man. Under commission, it’s just the opposite.” - John Kenneth Galbraith. Mass conformity means a majority of act of matching attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours to group norms. Norms are specific rules, shared by a group of individuals, that guide their interactions with each other. The Nazis demanded mass conformity under Hitler. In every case or an every occasion there are people who do not or will not obey to what is demanded. Like Laurie Saunders in the Wave, Anne did not comply to the dominant institution. The Wave and The Diary of Anne Frank relate to the theme of mass conformity under one power because both of these novels explore the concept of conformity and individuality by putting average people in
During the process of growing up, we are taught to believe that life is relatively colorful and rich; however, if this view is right, how can we explain why literature illustrates the negative and painful feeling of life? Thus, sorrow is inescapable; as it increase one cannot hide it. From the moment we are born into the world, people suffer from different kinds of sorrow. Even though we believe there are so many happy things around us, these things are heartbreaking. The poems “Tips from My Father” by Carol Ann Davis, “Not Waving but Drowning” by Stevie Smith, and “The Fish” by Elizabeth Bishop convey the sorrow about growing up, about sorrowful pretending, and even about life itself.
In life, people experience different situations and live different realities. It is not illogical to say that the different journeys in life sometimes give us different ways of viewing the world. This was evident upon a closer examination and analysis of Wu Cheng’en’s “The Journey to the West”, and Mary Shelly “Frankenstein”, where the two main characters of the book, a Monkey and a creature, each have a different way of viewing life. The monkey see’s life as a journey that should be explored, while the creature has no way of exploring and sees life as something he cannot enjoy. In the end, what can be taken away from the works of literature is that no matter the journey taken, it is important to remember that one’s subjectivity, built on our experiences, determines reality.
The theme of this story is actually stated in the story if it is read carefully and Crane reinforces it innumerable times. The theme of the story is man’s role in nature and is related to the reader through the use of color imagery, cynicism, human brotherhood, and the terrible beauty and savagery of nature. The story presents the idea that every human faces a voyage throughout life and must transition from ignorance to comprehension of mankind’s place in the universe and among other humans.
This conflict, although very real, is more about man’s ability to persevere and realize that nature simply exists with no evil intent, that in the scheme of the universe, man’s significance should not be based upon supposed supremacy. The intensity of the conflict with nature is shown with each stroke of the oars, each crash of the waves, and each bucket of water that is thrown overboard as the life boat takes on water. It is in the brutal reality of this setting that Crane acknowledges the setting as the antagonist within this tale. Nature bombards the lifeboat with a constant assault; the men are driven by the need to persevere in order to stay alive. As a result, there are moments in which a sense of fatalism can be seen as the Captain remarks, “If we don’t all get ashore – if we don’t all get ashore, I suppose you fellows know where to send news of my finish?” (344). These are crucial moments depicting that no matter the dedication and will to survive this ordeal, the lives of the men are still dependent upon the aspect of Nature being accommodating. It becomes an inner conflict against fatalism and the external conflict against nature.