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Evolution of the Modern Woman in Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse
Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse examines the role of women or more specifically, the evolution of the modern woman. The two main female characters in the novel, Mrs Ramsay and Lily Briscoe, both represent different views on life and follow different paths on their search for meaning. Lily Briscoe transcends the traditional female gender roles embodied by Mrs Ramsay; by coming into her own as an independent and modern woman, she symbolises the advent of modernism and rejection of traditional Victorian values.
The traditional female gender roles of passivity and submission are first reinforced by Mrs Ramsay's attitude and behaviour towards her husband and the guests at her house. Mrs Ramsay is not a helpless woman but she is not independent in the way that Lily Briscoe is. While she is perfectly capable of being the boss of trivial and "womanly" things such as dinner, the higher level decisions are always made by her husband. For example, in the beginning of the novel, Mrs Ramsay tells her son, James, that, weather permitting, they would go to the lighthouse the next day. Mr Ramsay insists that, "it won't be fine" (9). They do not go to the lighthouse. Mrs Ramsay submits to her husband's decision.
Mrs Ramsay has the ability to "arrange people", both literally at the dinner table, and figuratively, as she plays match maker with her guests. However, her actions are either domestic and/or maternal.
But what have I done with my life? thought Mrs Ramsay, taking her place at the head of the table . . . 'William, sit by me,' she said. 'Lily,' she said, wearily, 'over there.' . . . she [had] only this - an infinitely long table and plates and knives. At ...
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...it is irrelevant because she is dead. By Lily's completion of her painting of Mrs Ramsay and the arrival at the lighthouse, Mrs Ramsay can also be "ended", in a sense. James, having forgiven his father, no longer has to Freudianly prefer his mother. Lily, having finished her painting, can now reject Mrs Ramsay as a model, both for the portrait and for her life.
Lily is the embodiment of art in the novel; she strives for meaning in art. Mrs Ramsay, however, finds meaning in less abstract terms, she is fulfilled by her children and hopes to see them married. Lily finishes her painting but Mrs Ramsay does not live to see her children married. This is a statement on the validity of art and abstraction, as embodied by Lily Briscoe, and a negation of realist thought.
Works Cited
Woolf, Virginia. To the Lighthouse. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1989.
Throughout history, a woman's role is to be an obedient and respectful wife. Her main obligation is to support, serve, and live for her husband and children. In Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House and Susan Glaspell's Trifles, two different women make a decision to take matters into their own hands by doing what they want to do, no matter what the outcome may be and in spite of what society thinks. These two women come from different homes and lead very different lives yet, these two women share similar situations--both are victims, both are seeking individuality, and initially, both women end up alone. There are many ways that Nora and Mrs. Wright differ. First of all, both come from completely different households. Nora's home is "tastefully [. . .] furnished" and always "pleasant"(917). She lives in a lavish home eating macaroons, drinking champagne, and hosting banquets. Nora often has guests at the house and there are even maids to watch her children. Her husband, Torvald, is often home and has guests over. On the other hand, Mrs. Wright's home is unpleasant, in an "abandoned farmhouse"(977) in a secluded area. Mrs. Wright seldom has company, nor does she have any children. She does not leave the house very often and her husband, Mr. Wright, wants no outside interference. Mr. Wright refuses to get a "party telephone"(978) because he enjoys his "peace and quiet"(978). It is obvious that these two women lead different lives with different types of people, yet they share similar situations that are not so obvious.
Nora and Mrs. Wright’s social standing when compared to the men in each play is inferior. Both works expose their respective male characters’ sexist view of women diminishing the women’s social standing. Each work features egotistical men who have a severely inflated view of their self-worth when compared to their female counterparts. The men’s actions and words indicate they believe women are not capable of thinking intelligently. This is demonstrated in “Trifles” when Mr. Hale makes the statement about women only worrying about mere trifles. It is also apparent in “A Dollhouse” when Torvalds thinks his wife is not capable of thinking with any complexity (Mazur 17). Another common attribute is of the women’s social standing is displayed as both women finally get tired of feeling like second class citizens and stand up to the repressive people in the women’s lives (Mulry 294). Although both women share much in common in their social standing there subtle differences. Torvald’s sexist view of Nora is more on a personal level in “A Dollhouse” while the male characters’ sexist views in “Trifles” seem to be more of a social view that women are not very smart and their opinions are of little value. This attitude is apparent in “Trifles” as Mr. Hale and Mr. Henderson’s comments about Mrs. Wright’s housekeeping (Mulry 293). As the women in both works reach their emotional
In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, a young naive boy, Bruno, tells from his perspective how the occurrences in the Holocaust took place. In 1943, the beginning of the story, Bruno’s father, a commandant in Hitler’s army, is promoted and moves to Oswiecim with his family. Oswiecim is home to the hideous Auschwitz Concentration Camp. While Bruno is out playing near a fence at the edge of Auschwitz Concentration Camp, against his father’s orders, he becomes friends with a young Jewis...
Lily’s life has been greatly influenced by her mother’s death. In Lily’s perspective, living with someone else’s death can be more painful that dying. This passage made me realize that your past isn’t that far behind you. It will always be there no matter how hard you try to forget about it or push it away. Lily has proven this several times throughout the book. But the results would be waking up from nightmares and not able to trust in her worth.
During the WWII the Germans conducted Holocaust of the Jewish race. The Germans invaded several different cities and countries and took the Jews to concentration labour camps and eventually killed them. The Germans killed approximately six million Jews all because of racial superiority. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is set in this era. The movie is also centered around the Holocaust where Ralph, Bruno’s father is a SS Commandant in the Russian army. He gets promoted and thus, the family has to relocate Auschwitz. Ralph is the commandant incharge of the Auschwitz concentration camp. His son Bruno, whose point of view we see the movie through, befriends a Jewish boy from the other side of the camp, which proves to have some starting and unexpected consequences. Meanwhile through the documentary we get to see the other side; the artifacts, blueprints and designs of the incinerators and interviews with various engineers to know the reality of how the Nazi were able to kill so many Jews.
Friendship is not something that has adapted overtime. The desire to seek out and surround us with other human beings, our friends, is in our nature. Philosophers such as Aristotle infer that friendship is a kind of virtue, or implies virtue, and is necessary for living. Nobody would ever choose to live without friends even if we had all the other good things. The relationship between two very different young boys, Bruno and Shmuel’s in the film The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is an example of the everlasting bond of a perfect friendship based upon the goodness of each other. This film portrays one of humanity’s greatest modern tragedies, through heartache and transgression, reflecting various themes through out the movie. Beyond the minor themes some seem to argue as more important in the film, the theme of friendship and love is widely signified and found to be fundamental in understanding the true meaning behind The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
Imagine waking up on a normal day, in your normal house, in your normal room. Imagine if you knew that that day, you would be taken away from your normal life, and forced to a life of death, sickness, and violence. Imagine seeing your parents taken away from you. Imagine watching your family walk into their certain death. Imagine being a survivor. Just think of the nightmares that linger in your mind. You are stuck with emotional pain gnawing at your sanity. These scenerios are just some of the horrific things that went on between 1933-1945, the time of the Holocaust. This tragic and terrifying event has been written about many times. However, this is about one particularly fascinating story called The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne.
In Virginia Woolf’s “To the Lighthouse”, the struggle to secure and proclaim female freedom is constantly challenged by social normalcy. This clash between what the traditional female ideologies should be and those who challenge them, can be seen best in the character of Lily Brisco. She represents the rosy picture of a woman that ends up challenging social norms throughout the novel to effectively achieve a sense of freedom and individuality by the end. Woolf through out the novel shows Lily’s break from conventional female in multiply ways, from a comparison between her and Mrs.Ramsey, Lily’s own stream of consciousness, as well as her own painting.
The novel, “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” takes place mainly in Berlin and Auschwitz, Germany. While unpacking, Bruno happens to look out the window, he sees boys in pajamas, Nazi soldiers, and most importantly a fence that stretches for miles. This setting is where Bruno finally starts to question the world he lives in. The other side of the fence also known as the Auschwitz concentration camp is home to Jews mostly from Poland.The concentration camp is home to both Shmuel and Pevel. The other side of the fence is where the most cruel and horrendous things would happen. The fence of the Out-With camp is also where the ever-lasting friendship of Bruno and Shmuel is born and
John Boyne’s book, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, shouldn’t be used as a teaching tool for the Holocaust. It is far too inappropriate and disgraceful for such a grave topic. The Holocaust was full of atrocities. If you are teaching younger audiences about the Holocaust, in my opinion, you should adhere to basic age appropriate facts of what truly happened without minimizing or detracting from the cruelties that the victims
"The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" explores the beauty of a child's innocence in a time of war:
Bruno is little eight year old boy who’s learning new thing at school and at home with his parents. Besides that he thinks life is
Emily Brontë’s novel, Wuthering Heights, demonstrates a social criticism on women’s power to control their own fate and the ideal women in the nineteenth century. Specifically in Lyn Pykett’s, Changing the Names: The Two Catherines, a strong feminist perspective is explored. In her criticism she goes through many different analyses of Catherine Earnshaw-Linton and her daughter Cathy and what they represent in regard to a women’s power and social expectations in the nineteenth century. Pykett says that the two Catherines represent women’s true nature according to Brontë. Catherine Earnshaw-Linton is faced with the choice between two men but chooses based on what is accepted in her society, the man that can provide her economically, not the man whom she loves. This marriage to Edgar instead of Heathcliff is the source of Catherine’s problems and ultimately her demise. It causes one to question whether it is right to marry for the social aspect or for true love. Young Cathy seems to face the problem her mother has as well but she finds a way to be true to her nature and fight the tyrann...
Mrs. Ramsay embodies the traditional, ideal woman. She is a wife and mother. She sees her role as being a supporter to her husband, her children, and to the people around her. Mrs. Ramsay is occupied with matronly duties, such as knitting socks and running errands. She is devoted to her children. She sympathizes with James, understanding his disappointment at not being able to go to the lighthouse. She looks through a catalog for pictures for him to cut out. She also reads fairy tales to James. Mrs. Ramsay is a kind and devoted mother.
Where the man works and provides for the family, setting off the image of being strong and independent. Thereby making the woman look like an accessory to man. That was the typical representation of husband and wife in their society. Torvald was working and being promoted as the bank clerk, a successful man. While Nora was home to care for the husband and at times their children. Since they had a nanny to take care of their children, Nora did not nurse their children much. This was all acceptable and seen as the