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Summary of the swimmer by john cheever point of view
Narrative writing on domestic violence
Summary of the swimmer by john cheever point of view
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Illusions Versus Reality “You must not tell anyone,” my mother said, “what I am about to tell you” (Kingston, 1507). Within the stories “The Swimmer” by John Cheever, “Woman Hollering Creek” by Sandra Cisneros, and “No Name Woman” by Maxine Hong Kingston all revolve are the stifling of voices and lose of identity. In “The Swimmer” the main character Neddy loses his identity while he swims across “Lucinda’s River.” Cleofilas in “Woman Hollering Creek” has her voice stifled by her abusive husband. While the protagonist in “No Name Woman” has her voice stifled by her mother about certain subjects. Within these stories both men and women struggle because of who they surround themselves with that stifle their voices and lose identity. Above …show more content…
“Domestic abuse affects immigrant and American-born women alike but immigrant women suffer from particular vulnerabilities- particularly, abusive partners who use the woman’s immigration status to keep them from leaving an abusive marriage” (). “The first time she had been so surprised she didn’t cry out or try to defend herself. She had always said she would strike back if a man, any man, were to strike her” (Cisneros 1590). Cleofilas keeps quite when her husband hits her, but she knows that things need to change. This is when she starts to overcome her obstacle of her husband by believing the nurses can help her. This is how she escapes her husband and goes back to her family. In this story, she starts out when surrounding herself which bad people such as her husband. The nurses are a good friendship for her since they bring her to safety. This empowers the theme that love trumps power. Cleofilas chooses the love for her unborn child over the power her husband holds over …show more content…
This instantly tells the readers that she is being emotionally suffocated by her mother. She is being suffocated since she is no longer able to speak about the story of her aunt. The bad company the protagonist hold is believing everything her mother is telling her. If she would have asked the questions to her mother then maybe she will have closure to the story. “My aunt- haunts me- her ghost drawn to me because now, after fifty years of neglect, I alone devote pages of paper to her, though not origamied into houses and clothes” (Kingston 1515). This quote shows she is not able to overcome this obstacle because her aunt still haunts her. This is important to the theme of silence and voice, because the story shows the readers how only so much can be
Cleofilas, must endure the hard labor of her husband’s temper and if she doesn’t take on both gender roles for example: housework, caring for her children, and the outside duties of the home, she suffers the consequences of her husband and the beatings. Juan Pedro, Cleofilas husband is just like society in this situation, he doesn’t think twice about laying a hand on his wife. Whereas, in Cleofilas situation, society doesn’t want to get involved and will place the incident “under the rug” they don’t want to be asked questions, by the husband or the
“The inclination to bear witness seems aligned with the missing self” (Muske 4). Women create the ‘missing’ self by telling their stories, not the stories that have been told to them by a male dominated society, but those stories that define that missing self. In so doing, Muske reiterates the statement James Olney makes when he says, “... even as the autobiographer fixes limits in the past, a new experiment in living, a new experience in consciousness ... and a new projection or metaphor of a new self is under way” (Olney).
The theme that has been attached to this story is directly relevant to it as depicted by the anonymous letters which the main character is busy writing secretly based on gossip and distributing them to the different houses. Considering that people have an impression of her being a good woman who is quiet and peaceful, it becomes completely unbecoming that she instead engages in very abnormal behavior. What makes it even more terrible is the fact that she uses gossip as the premise for her to propagate her hate messages not only in a single household but across the many different households in the estate where she stays.
Demetria Martínez’s Mother Tongue is divided into five sections and an epilogue. The first three parts of the text present Mary/ María’s, the narrator, recollection of the time when she was nineteen and met José Luis, a refuge from El Salvador, for the first time. The forth and fifth parts, chronologically, go back to her tragic experience when she was seven years old and then her trip to El Salvador with her son, the fruit of her romance with José Luis, twenty years after she met José Luis. And finally the epilogue consists a letter from José Luis to Mary/ María after her trip to El Salvador. The essay traces the development of Mother Tongue’s principal protagonists, María/ Mary. With a close reading of the text, I argue how the forth chapter, namely the domestic abuse scene, functions as a pivotal point in the Mother Tongue as it helps her to define herself.
The novel, The Color of Water follows the author and narrator James McBride and his mother Ruth’s life, through their childhood—when they were both embarrassed about their mother—through the part of their lives where they began to accept themself for who they are and became proud of it. Moreover, this memoir is quite distinctive as McBride cleverly parallels his story to his mother, Ruth’s story by using dual narration which further helps to contribute to the theme of self-identity. Throughout the novel, McBride searches for identity and a sense of self that derives from his multiracial family and through the use of two different narrations, McBride slowly establishes his identity. Plus by integrating both narratives at the end, McBride also shows that although both narrators at the beginning had different upbringing, in the end they come together and understand each other’s perspective.
Cleofilas grew up in a male dominant household of six brother and father, and without a mother, she no woman figure to guide her, give advice on life, or how to love a man. Cleofilas turned to telenovelas for a woman’s guidance on love and appearance, and she began to imagine her ideal life through the television series. Once Cleofilas was married she moved away into a home with her husband, were she pictured everything to be like the couples on the telenovelas, but she soon starts to realize life isn 't exactly like how they view it in the telenovelas. In the story Sandra make the statement ‘From what see can tell, from the times during her first year when still a newlywed she is invited and accompanies her husband, sits mute besides their conversations, waits and sips a beer until it grows warm, twists a paper napkin into a knot, then another into a fan, one into a rose, nods her head, smiles, yawns, politely grins, laughs at the appropriate moments, leans against her husband’s sleeve, tugs at his elbow, and finally becomes good at predicting where the talk will lead, from this Cleofilas
Tragic events can leave scars but they should not be allowed to define how someone lives their life. After being assaulted, Melinda decides not to talk about it and bottles up her pain, hoping to forget it. “It is easier not to say, shut your trap, button your lip, can it” (Anderson 9). In this quote, Melinda is forthright about her belief in silence. This statement defines Melinda’s behavior for most of the novel.The quote shows that Melinda does have voice she just does not want to use it outside of her own head. While Melinda recognizes that her isolation is harmful, she takes steps to reconnect to others and get help. Speaking up can get you somewhere in life.”Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, or being hated, don’t give way to hating, and yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise” (Kipling lines 6-8). This quote means things will happen to you, people talk, and you are going to lose friends, however, you cannot let this affect you. For the theme of finding one’s voice, the texts might be showing how speaking up and pushing through the awful names people call you can help you be more confident and competent. Finally, characterization is another tool Anderson and Kipling use to develop the theme of finding one’s voice and identity.
"What is Called Heaven": Identity in Sandra Cisneros's "Woman Hollering Creek". Studies in Short Fiction, 31:3 (1994:Summer), p.415.
In the story, the narrator is forced to tell her story through a secret correspondence with the reader since her husband forbids her to write and would “meet [her] with heavy opposition” should he find her doing so (390). The woman’s secret correspondence with the reader is yet another example of the limited viewpoint, for no one else is ever around to comment or give their thoughts on what is occurring. The limited perspective the reader sees through her narration plays an essential role in helping the reader understand the theme by showing the woman’s place in the world. At ...
Intertwined in allusions to women of Mexican history and folklore, making it clear that women across the centuries have suffered the same alienation and victimization, Cisneros presents a woman who struggles to prevail over romantic notions of domestic bliss by leaving her husband. In the story Woman Hollering Creek, Sandra Cisneros discusses the issues of living life as a married woman through a character named Cleófilas; a character who is married to a man who abuses her physically and mentally. Cisneros reveals the way the culture puts a difference between a male and a female, men above women. In Woman Hollering Creek, we see a young Mexican woman, who suddenly moves across the border and gets married. The protagonist, Cleófilas’ character is based on a family of a six brothers and a dad and without a mom, and the story reveals around her inner feelings and secrets.
In “The Truth about Stories”, Thomas King, demonstrate connection between the Native storytelling and the authentic world. He examines various themes in the stories such as; oppression, racism, identity and discrimination. He uses the creational stories and implies in to the world today and points out the racism and identity issues the Native people went through and are going through. The surroundings shape individuals’ life and a story plays vital roles. How one tells a story has huge impact on the listeners and readers. King uses sarcastic tone as he tells the current stories of Native people and his experiences. He points out to the events and incidents such as the government apologizing for the colonialism, however, words remains as they are and are not exchanged for actions. King continuously alerts the reader about taking actions towards change as people tend to be ignorant of what is going around them. At the end people give a simple reason that they were not aware of it. Thus, the author constantly reminds the readers that now they are aware of the issue so they do not have any reason to be ignorant.
Kingston, Maxine Hong. "No Name Woman." 50 Essays: A Portable Anthology. 4th Edition. Ed. Samuel Cohen. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 227-39. Print.
The Narrator’s family treats her like a monster by resenting and neglecting her, faking her death, and locking her in her room all day. The Narrator’s family resents her, proof of this is found when the Narrator states “[My mother] came and went as quickly as she could.
Her character is portrayed as being anxious through the author’s choice of dialogue in the form of diction, which is “waves of her [the mother] anxiety sink down into my belly”. The effect of this is to allow the readers to establish the emotions of the narrator, as well as establish an the uneasy tone of the passage, and how stressful and important the event of selling tobacco bales for her family is. Additionally, the narrator is seen to be uncomfortable in the setting she is present in. This is seen through the many dashes and pauses within her thoughts because she has no dialogue within this passage, “wishing- we- weren’t- here”, the dashes show her discomfort because the thought is extended, and thus more intense and heavy, wishing they could be somewhere else. The effect of the narrator’s comfort establishes her role within the family, the reason she and her sister does not have dialogue symbolizes that she has no voice within the family, as well as establishing hierarchy. The authors use dictation and writing conventions to develop the character of the narrator herself, as well as the mother. The narrator’s focus on each of her parents is additionally highlighted through
“The Patient Griselda”, by Giovanni Boccaccio, has hidden meanings to it. Domestic violence from Gualtieri to his chosen wife, Griselda is apparent. Gualtieri feels as though his is condoned to such abuse of his wife because of her low-born social class status, her non-nobility. He further oppresses his power over her by disallowing her to have control over the upbringing of their children.