In both novels “ The Guest ” by Uma Krishnaswami and “ Walk two Moons ” by Sharon Creech, there is a common theme of Don’t judge a man because things aren’t always what they seem. In “ Walk two Moons, ” Sharon Creech develops the theme through the characters thoughts. “ … all I could think about was Mrs.Cadaver. I could see her in her white uniform, working in the emergency room. I could see the ambulance pulling up.” This makes Sal realize that she shouldn’t judge someone if you really don’t know them well. Was Mrs. Cadaver a murderer Sal thought. This proves to show that Sal’s character is changing and now she is acting like Phoebe because she thinks that Mrs.Cadaver murdered Phoebe’s mom. In “ The guest,” Uma Krishnaswami develops
The hardships of the need of acceptance from others makes peoples lives complicated and confusing. These hardships affect people differently and each person deals with hardships in different ways. The decisions people make due to hardships can change who they are as a person. Jean Howarth examines the idea of responses to hardship in her short story, “The Novitiate”. She writes about a girl who must go through the hardship of choosing between her brother and her morals. The author utilizes character development to suggest that the need of acceptance can cause people to make difficult decisions in hardships, which can lead to a person breaking their own morals for the satisfaction of others.
Throughout the story “Walk Two Moons” written by Sharon Creech, Mrs.Winterbottom is faced with internal and external conflicts that lead her to change.
Many typical adventures in classic novels follow a pattern of events using the archetype, the Hero, which defines the nature of the protagonist’s journey. However, some stories don’t fit the layout of a Hero’s journey. The nature of this story structure often limits itself to the interpretation of a male’s heroic quest involving accomplishments in order to prove one’s masculinity. The alternate story pattern, a heroine’s journey, was created to satisfy the type of journey a female would experience. The heroine's journey defies the general perspective of heroism, instead highlighting the bravery in defying expectations of one’s character and refusing to be held back by the expectations of others. Walk Two Moons is a book written by Sharon Creech which tells the story of Salamanca Hiddle, a teenage girl who retraces the journey of her mother who left her. On her journey, Sal is able to relive her own story through her friend, Phoebe, whose mother also left. The book Walk Two Moons is representative of a heroine’s journey rather than a hero’s journey because Sal must leave her home to escape
“So many people prefer to live in drama because it [is] comfortable. It [is] like someone staying in a bad marriage or relationship – it [is] actually easier to stay because they know what to expect every day, versus leaving and not knowing what to expect” (Ellen DeGeneres). Commonly, people stay in unhealthy relationships because they do not wish to conclude that there are issues with their significant other; due to strong emotional connections. In Gail Helgason’s “Bluffing” and Cathy Jewison’s “The Prospector’s Trail” the protagonists both remain in their relationships despite being mistreated, and are ignorant that there is a problem. Helgason introduces Gabriella whose partner, Liam, is in the hospital due to a bear attack a couple months ago. Sitting in the hospital, she reflects back on their time spent together realizing that Liam never truly loved her and to move on she must eliminate that aspect of her life. In “The Prospector’s Trial” a couple go on a journey to figure out how to go about their
Encountering struggles in life defines one’s character and speaks volumes about their strength, ambition, and flexibility. Through struggles, sacrifice, and tragedy, Junior in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie, adapts to survive difficult situations and faces his problems head-on. As he makes life changing decisions, adapts to an unfamiliar culture, and finds himself amongst misery and heartbreak, Junior demonstrates resilience to overcome adversity and struggles.
Evans, R. (1997, January). A good man is hard to find. Short Fiction: A Critical Companion, Retrieved November 23, 2008, from Literary Reference Center database.
Topic/ Thesis Statement: Don’t judge a book by its cover, some people are not who they claim to be, or looks can be deceiving.
Flannery O’Connor's perception of human nature is imprinted throughout her various works. This view is especially evident in the short stories, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” and “Revelation.” She conveys a timeless message through the scope of two ignorant, southern, upper class women. In “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” O’Connor presents readers to a family who is going on a road trip with their selfish grandmother. She is a religious woman who does not follow the set standards that she preaches. Similar characteristics are exposed in “Revelation.” As the self centered Mrs. Turpin sits in the waiting room, she contemplates on her own status with God. Nevertheless, she still commits the sin of judging others. In both of O’Connor’s short stories, these controversial protagonists initially put up a facade in order to alienate themselves from their prospective societies. Although the grandmother and Mrs. Turpin both believe in God, O’Connor utilizes theme to expose that they also convince themselves that they can take on His role by placing judgement on people who, at the most fundamental level, are in the same category as them.
O'Connor, Flannery, "A Good Man is Hard to Find", The Norton Introduction to Literature. Portable Tenth Edition, Booth, Alison, and Mays, Kelly J., New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc, 2011.
O’Connor, Flannery. “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” McMahan, Elizabeth, et al. Literature and
In her well-known short story, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’Connor skillfully describes the difficulty of finding a morally upright human being, whether it is a man or a woman. No one is perfect, everyone has inadequacies and shortcomings, and she presents this cleverly in her story. She is able to support this view of mankind through her characters. They are self-centered, egotistical human beings who can be judged by their words and actions. This is especially true of the protagonist (the grandmother) and the antagonist (the Misfit). The grandmother tries to portray herself as a virtuous woman, but in the end O’Connor shows that her actions are always self-serving and that morally, she is not that different from the Misfit.
Each of the characters in, “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor, have their own set of morals, and they each have a series of anomalous complications. John Wesley, June Star, Bailey, grandmother, and the Misfit all have contrasting psychological issues that repel the reader from esteeming them.
Sacks, O. (1998). The Man Who Mistook his Wife for a Hat and other tales (2nd ed.). Touchstone.
...l conciliation and transcendent faith if India were to arise from bloody, mutually destructive, strife and take her rightful place in the society of nations. Today, Collins's The Moonstone may be viewed not as a response to a national insurgency and/or European determination to keep the native in his place, but rather as a love story between two people who only come to see each other for what they are after misjudgements, misunderstandings, accidental and intended deceptions, and considerable self-sacrifice.
Singer, Peter. “Visible Man: Ethics in a World without Secrets,” Emerging for Contemporary Writers, Ed. Barclay Barrios. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2013. 462-468. Print.