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The bourgeoisie who do not be bound by superstructure and not only sees themselves but also sees others can gain more true happiness. Throughout Hagar’s marriage with her cowboy husband, she immediately falls from the upper class into the bottom of the society; even so, she still maintaining her seemly precious self-esteem and ignoring the reality, “I prided myself upon keeping my pride intact, like some maidenhead” (Laurence, 81). Hagar’s pride is strong. Even though she is no different compared with the proletariat at present, she still cannot forget her rich and noble birth. In this quotation, Hagar uses simile and explains to the reader that her pride is as important and pure as women's maidenhead, which is never possible for her to give up. Moreover, this also means that in Hagar's mind, pride is the …show more content…
boundary between different classes, the representation of the identity of the bourgeoisie and the power to control the proletariat. Hagar's thinkings result in she looking down to the proletariat and cannot jump out of her superstructure. Unfortunately, her proud at this moment becomes her tragic flaw, which leads her marriage exists in name only as well as no friendship and family affection. While at the same time, Reuben is trying to put down his dignity and asks one man who he looks down before for pieces of advice, “That’s incorrect.
Okay. Tell me this. Tell me this. What did I spend my life doing? Was it so wrong what I did?” (Sherman, 58). Before Reuben loses everything, he is also overly self-centered and has strong pride. The pride comes from his distinguished status in upper-class society; however, he now realizes that his pride cannot bring any benefits for himself and the community. Meanwhile, he also figures out that the incorrect shared ideology in this society is the main reason that causes him to own the strong pride. It is unfair to judge one’s personality based on their economic conditions. As a result, he jumps out of his superstructure and talks to the one who is in a lower class for some useful advice. At this point, Reuben is asking for the answer, but he is actually aware that his strong pride is the wrongest thing which controls the first half of his life, which makes him living arrogant and lonely. Fortunately, he opens heart freely to others and asks for suggestions, which becomes his first step to approach true
happiness. To draw a conclusion, in order for the bourgeoisie to have a better life, it is important for them to give up their pride and to stop discrimination against the underlying society. At the meantime, having a clearer understanding, trying to correct as well as to improve oneself can also bring more enjoyable.
Everyone at some point is bound to experience situations where they question who they really are. This conflict usually arises as a result of either another’s actions or one’s own actions. In the short story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding”, Andy struggles with his self-identity. Furthermore, the barber in “Just Lather, That’s All”, battles with his abilities and image of himself. Therefore, both the barber and Andy face an inner conflict as a result of their struggle of determining who they genuinely are, which conclusively results in how their future will unfold.
First, Rudy’s family didn’t believe in him. Rudy’s background was a struggle, because his family, especially his father, didn’t expect much from him, coming from a common family in a small town. His father expected for him to get a job at a local factory after his high school graduation and follow in his footsteps. He doesn’t believe Rudy will achieve his dreams. When Rudy returns home to see his family, they mock him for ...
Ever since she was a young girl. Jeannette had set high goals for herself. Since she was so advanced in school and genuinely enjoyed learning, it made sense that she would want to do big things with her life. Whether it was being a veterinarian or a geologist, her dreams extended far beyond her homes in little desert towns or Welch, West Virginia. However, because of her poverty-stricken home life, many people believed it didn’t seem likely that she would be so successful. One day, while living in Welch, Jeannette goes to the bar to drag her drunk father back home. A neighborhood man offers them a ride back to their house, and on the ride up he and Jeannette start a conversation about school. When Jeannette tells the man that she works so hard in school because of her dream careers, the man laughs saying, “for the daughter of the town drunk, you sure got big plans” (Walls 183). Immediately, Jeannette tells the man to stop the car and gets out, taking her father with her. This seems to be a defining moment in which Jeannette is first exposed to the idea that she is inferior to others. Although this man said what he did not mean to offend her, Jeannette is clearly very hurt by his comment. To the reader, it seems as if she had never thought that her family’s situation made her subordinate to those
The story begins with the narrator’s brother, Sonny, being arrested for using heroin. When the narrator discovers what has happened to his brother, he slowly starts to relive his past. Up to this point, the narrator had completely cut his brother and his childhood from his life. He disapproves of the past and does everything in his power to get rid of it. The narrator had become an algebra teacher and had a family who he moved to get away from the bad influences on the street. As a result, it is shown in the story that he has worked hard to maintain a good “clean” life for his family and himself. Readers can see that he has lived a good life, but at the toll of denying where he came from and even his own brother. For years, his constant aim for success had been successful. However, as the story progressed everything he knew started to fall apart.
He had been scared about being at the bottom of the food chain again. He pulled through well, but had a couple of social issues as this stage in his life progressed. For example, he had some experiences with peer pressure by his fellow classmates. It was important for him to go through this, because he needed to learn about standing up for what he believes in.
"They have had their shameful rights, these nobles in the modesty and virtues of our sisters, ...We were so robbed by that man who stands there, as all we common dogs are by those superior beings--obliged to work for him without pay, and forbidden for our lives to keep a single tame bird of our own."
Pride and Prejudice written by Jane Austen is centred on characters that either gain self awareness and knowledge or possess none at all. Happiness is found even when one has no understanding of selfhood but the most happy and satisfied people in the novel are those who have self knowledge. People that possess self knowledge understand their strengths and weaknesses and characters that gain self knowledge are able to decipher these characteristics and act upon them. As marriage was seen as a great achievement for women in their society, happiness in Pride and Prejudice relates to whether one is happy or unhappy in their marriage.
Everyone has character flaws. Some are harmful, others are a nuisance. In a way character flaws will always come back to make your life miserable unless you will learn to control them. William Shakespeare a phenomenal dramatist from the 1600’s incorporates this moral into abundance of plays, and in Macbeth he a does prodigious job. Macbeth is the most horrific of Shakespeare’s tragedies because the protagonist commits such bloodthirsty acts. There are heaps of powerful themes, morals and symbolism introduced by Shakespeare to the reader. One of the more meaningful ones was the deterioration of Macbeth, a strong valiant hero with so much promise that ultimately fails and degenerates into a corrupt, merciless tyrant who choices to embraces evil. In general, despite Macbeth’s actions at the beginning of the play; where he quells a military coup against Scotland, his flaws determine his fate. Indeed it can be shown that Macbeth’s pride vulnerability, vaulting ambition, and over confidence brought him to kingship and change the tragic hero into a sinister tyrant, bringing him closer to his death.
In the past English regency society, class, etiquette, and wealth proved to be important factors for being a successful person. Some received a great fortune while others could earn one of highest nobility by becoming a gentleman soldier. In Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, quite a few soldiers in the militias during the winter and summer were looked upon as suitable husbands for Mrs. Bennet’s daughters, but none were chosen because of their cavalier lifestyle.
Parents are often right, but when they are not, a child’s ability to make the right decision is put to the test. Whether they make the right or wrong choice is up to them. In the story “The Nest” by Robert Zacks, despite the expectations and demands of his parents, Jimmy overcomes these obstacles to find his true identity. Jimmy develops maturity through exploring options and taking chances, helping him discover his potential, gain independence and obtain a sense of pride.
“In the social jungle of human existence, there is no feeling of being alive without a sense of identity” (Erikson 38). There are notable depictions of searching for one’s identity in literary works, specifically ones taking place in a patriarchal society, such as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. In this novel about courtship, love, economic pressures, and independence, many of the central characters, specifically the more intelligent ones, undergo a process of reflection and learning, often times from an event that makes them have an epiphany, and transform themselves as a result. First and foremost, the most notorious example of this development is the novel’s heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, who is the “prejudice” in the title Pride and Prejudice, and she is the most vulnerable to the learning curve due to her possession of intelligence. Another major character that undergoes this process is Fitzwilliam Darcy, also known as the “pride” in the title, who corresponds with Elizabeth, and he ultimately changes for her. In addition to this, Mr. Bennet goes through a shift as he comes to the understanding that he is a bad father to his
Through reading this story, many readers’ eyes are caught by Darcy’s pride and arrogance, as the title indicates. Gradually, they may be also impressed by Darcy’s change and finally happy life with Elizabeth. However, we cannot say that Darcy’s pride just falls on him for no reason.
Over the centuries, women’s duties or roles in the home and in the work force have arguably changed for the better. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen teaches the reader about reputation and loves in the nineteenth and twenty-first centuries by showing how Elizabeth shows up in a muddy dress, declines a marriage proposal and how women have changed over time. Anything a woman does is reflected on her future and how other people look at her. When Elizabeth shows up to the Bingley’s in a muddy dress they categorize her as being low class and unfashionable. Charles Bingley, a rich attractive man, and his sister had a reputation to protect by not letting their brother marry a ‘low class girl’. Reputation even today and back in the nineteenth century is still very important aspect in culture. In the twenty-first century, women have attempted to make their lives easier by wanting to be more equal with the men in their society. Women are wanting to be the apart of the ‘bread winnings’ efforts within a family. Since evolving from the culture of the nineteenth century, women have lost a lot of family and home making traditions but women have gained equality with more rights such as voting, working, and overall equal rights. In the twenty-first century world, most women are seen for losing their morals for and manners for others. As for example in the novel when Mr. Darcy is talking badly about Elizabeth she over hears what he and his friend, Mr. Bingley, are saying about her but she does not stand up for herself.
William Faulkner, famous author, once said, “always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Don’t bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” Throughout one of his novel’s, The Reivers, Faulkner endorses this ideology. Almost every character in the book, regardless of race, age, or gender, realizes that it is important to make the most of themself. Everyday we overcome obstacles, make mistakes, and try new things. However, it is what we take away from all these acts that matters. We must learn and grow as individuals, bettering who we are not just for others, but also for ourselves. We have to realize that we are the ones in charge of our fait and molding ourselves into the people
Jane Austen has depicted pride in her minor (functional) characters as a means of demonstrating its importance as a theme of this novel. Lady Catherine is one of the main offenders, her airs, arrogance and pride are fuelled by other characters like Mr. Collins who is put there to satire proud people and their followers. Another important character to note is Mr. Darcy. He is an extremely important character in this novel, a major character, and I think that the fact that he was perceived to have been 'proud' at the beginning of the novel by the reader, Elizabeth, and the community of the shire, and our perception, along with Elizabeth, of his character, has changed throughout the novel points to Jane Austen's criticism of pride and snobbery (insinuating that once pride is done away with (and along with it, prejudice) a character becomes much more favourable. (Note that Lady Catherine does not sway from her proud arrogant position, from beginning to end of the novel, this partly to provide a contrast between the supposed arrogance of Mr. Darcy at the beginning of the novel, and his behaviour by the end.)