In Kiss of the Fur Queen, the story begins with forty-three year old Cree hunter Abraham Okimasis winning the "1951 Millington Cup World Championship Dog Derby." (6) The victory is seen to have a significant effect on the Cree hunter's Native identity, as he becomes the first-ever Indian to succeed in the Derby. As time goes by, Abraham becomes the father of two sons, Jeremiah and Gabriel. When the Cree brothers leave their small northern Manitoba village and enter the hostile environment of a residential school, their lives take a turn for the worse. Estranged from their Native culture, Jeremiah and Gabriel are forced to assimilate into the predominately white Canadian society. During their stay at the residential school, the brothers fall victim to sexual abuse at the hands of the all-powering Catholic priest. The abuse brought upon the brothers continue throughout their adolescent and adult years. Emotionally traumatized, the Okimasis brothers come to a point where they are unable to withstand the pain. And as a result of the abuse and social pressure for them to change, the brothers lose their identity as Native Canadians.
Born into the Okimasis clan of the Cree First Nations tribe, Jeremiah and Gabriel share a host of similarities and differences. One thing the two brothers have in common is the magnitude of sexual abuse they receive while attending residential school. Jeremiah is noticeably traumatized by the events that occur, as he locks his memories in a "chamber deep inside his mind." (80) In contrast, Gabriel seems to accept the abuse he receives, as he imagines himself falling "down on his knees," clinging to his vision of seeing "God the Father, sitting large and naked in his black leather armchair." (83) Another ...
... middle of paper ...
... future as an adult. Jeremiah recalls the incident of having "the holy man inside him...cigar breath billowing somewhere above his cold shaved head." (287) As the young Cree matures into a teenager, the abuse continues to follow him. One notable incident occurs while Jeremiah presents his history project to his classmates. When Jeremiah makes a fool of himself in front of the entire class, his peers engulf in laughter. One person even attempts go the distance by taunting the Cree hunter's son with the words, "War war warpaint!" (147) For Jeremiah, it seems that the abuse too much for him to handle. Fortunately, his talents on the piano allow him to empty his mind of all things negative and instead, focus on playing the various sheets of music. Jeremiah, who is hit out by his brother for trying too hard to "become a whiteman," (207) loses his Native identity.
These literary works portray how differences in societal circumstances, expression, and other people can change the way a person interprets the paper. The authors offer different perspectives in order to get their points across. In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” the audience of the sermon is being persuaded to follow God because He is the only one who can keep a person from spending an eternity in hell. The story “Young Goodman Brown” proves how easily people are influenced by the decision of others and also includes how witchcraft was changing the faithful of that time. In comparing the two stories the reader will come to know the influence of the time era, the differences in which the characters are being approached, and the impact the clergy has on people.
In Hawthorne’s story, “Young Goodman Brown,” Goodman Brown ventures on a journey into the forest and refuses the temptations of the devil. Unfortunately though, throughout the night, Brown finds out more than he ever wanted to know about how his fellow Puritan townsmen, including his wife, have betrayed their faith by giving into their dark desires. In utter despair, Goodman Brown returns at dawn to his Salem village “staring around him like a bewildered man.” (Hawthorne, pg.275) He doesn’t believe it is the same place as it was the night before and he no longer feels at home. Whether his experiences were real or not, his faith is gone and he feels as though he is the only pure one. He suffers tremendous guilt and discomfort and trusts no one. His excessive pride is evident when he takes a child away from a blessing given by Goody Cloyse, his former catechism teacher, as if he were taking the child “from the fiend himself.” (Hawthorne, pg.276) His distrust and resentment towards his townsmen is apparent when he sees his wife, Faith. She is overwhelmed with joy to see him arrive home yet he looked “sternly and sadly into her face and passed on without a greeting.” (Hawthorne, pg.276) All that he learned in the night was too much for him, and it changed a devoted husband with bright hopes and a wife whom he loved, to a tired, beaten, questioning and almost faithless man.
“Walk on, little Charlie Walk on through the snow. Heading down the railway line, Trying to make it home. Well, he’s made it 40 miles, Six hundred left to go”(Dunn, 1972).The inspiration for the novella Wenjack (2016) by Joseph Boyden was ‘little Charlie”, whose real name was Chanie, a young Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) boy who froze to death by the railway tracks after his desperate attempt to escape the Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School in Kenora. His tragic death in 1966 sparked an inquest into the Canadian residential school system (Adams, 1967) .What is striking about this novella is that it is written from an alternating perspective of Chanie and Anishinaabe spirits called Manitous, which followed Chanie on his lonely journey. The author
The first issue that is a major concern in the novel, is the torture and abuse towards David, and other members in the novel. Every minute in the United States, children are physically and sexually abused, murdered, maimed, and emotionally scarred. David, the narrator of the novel, has encountured this abuse more than once. David is tortured numorous times, by his father, Joseph Strorm. This brutality would continue, until Mr. Strorm received the information he demanded. It would continue on for hours, until David could not handle it anymore, until the answers Joseph Strorm wanted, were beaten out of of him. No child, anywhere in the world, should have to experience such cruelty. Over 67% of children with disabilities are induced by physical abuse. These numbers are very shocking, but what is every more unbelievalbe is the fact that these children are suffering in...
In my interpretation of the story, I will be discussing three main topics: the beginning conversation with Faith, the devilish character, and Brown’s wife’s meaning in the story. Young Goodman Brown is about to take a journey like many others before him, across the threshold separating the young unknowing boys and the elderly sages. This, however, will not be without peril, because aging is a testing process defined by trial and error, and the errors’ prices are sometimes significant.
Nathaniel Hawthorn was an American novelist and short story writer. He is also a very interesting writer to analyze due to the psychological complexity of his work. Most of his works feature moral allegories with a Puritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered part of the Romantic Movement and, more specifically, dark romanticism. His themes often center on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works often have moral messages and deep psychological complexity. More specifically, in “The Minister´s Black Veil” and “Young Goodman Brown” these qualities and characteristics of his works are quite easy to see. In contrast with many other points of view and many other conclusions from different readers they might have after reading “The Minister´s Black Veil” and “Young Goodman Brown” the finality of this essay is to relate these two pieces of work from Hawthorn. These two works are impressively related one to each other, if the reader pays close attention to the message and understands the symbols in the story he will notice the similarities in the stories right away. After analyzing both allegories we can affirm that Hawthorn was trying to transmit and communicate through symbols the same messages in both stories but with a different approach. These messages were: the sinful nature of all men, the unstable puritan’s religion as it deceases in its religious conviction and becomes somewhat hypocritical and how a man (In both histories I believe he was referring to himself) can become a lonely and unhappy person after leaving it’s faith behind.
There is a common truth found within the different communities of religion. Be it theories of creation or different social ideologies, but the one thing that doesn’t seem to change is one’s inability to understand and acknowledge one’s sins. In “The Minister’s Black Veil” and “Young Goodman Brown”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main idea presented within the two stories is the hypocritical and unstable nature of religion. In these stories, Hawthorne tests the moral ideas behind religion in the different settings presented. Along with the common theme found in both stories Hawthorne also depicts how the actions of the characters in the stories significantly impacted the course of the work.
“Young Goodman Brown” has been considered an excellent short story that has been widely criticized by many critics. However, most critics disagree that Brown lost his faith. Perhaps, their reasoning is based on the statement, “My Faith is gone!” professed by Brown when he discovers his wife’s voice and pink ribbon in the dark forest (Hawthorne 392). According to Thomas Connolly, “not only did he retain his faith, but during his horrible experience he actually discovered the full and frightening significance of his faith.” At the beginning of the story, Brown was seen as a devout Calvinist in which he truly believed he was one of the elect. The errand on which he is going is understood as a prearrangement with the devil. Because of h...
Young Goodman Brown hears quite a few abstract voices and noises that one would not normally hear in the woods at night. ‘’”Faith!” shouted Goodman Brown in a voice of agony and desperation; and the echoes of the forest mocked him, crying “Faith! Faith!” as if bewildered wretches were seeking her all through the wilderness.”’ (298). Mr. Brown cannot make out these voices simply because they are not real. “There was a scream, drowned immediately in a louder murmur of voices fading into far-off laughter. . .” (298). In Mr. Brown’s Godly mind, these voices may be some of his biggest fears as a Puritan; witches or the Devil himself accompanied by his demons. “The whole forest was peopled with frightful
Most children experience agony and hope as they face the struggles of sibling rivalry throughout their childhood. This situation has been experienced by children, of whom may or may not have siblings, for hundreds of years. Several stories represent this crisis, including the Biblical story of Abel and Cain which was written over 3000 years ago. Abel of whom was forced to be Cain’s ash-brother. Cain had developed an intense feeling of jealousy of Abel when his offering to the Lord was rejected while Abel’s was accepted. This caused him great agony, but he wasn’t the only one. The fairytale “Cinderella” encompasses the ideas of sibling rivalry as well as the agonies and hopes that correspond with it.
In the Bible, sin is described as either lawlessness (The New American Bible for Catholics, 1 John 3:4) or as rebellion against God (The New American Bible for Catholics, Deuteronomy 9:7). In both short stories, “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Minister’s Black Veil,” Nathaniel Hawthorne introduced the subject of secret sin, quiet lawlessness or rebellion. By examining the theme of secret sin in each story, then comparing and contrasting this theme, one can glimpse how secret sin affects the life of a follower and the life of a leader in the church.
One priest in particular was not happy with this afternoon’s appointment. The boy was stocky about fifteen with red hair and freckles. He was asked if he would like a massage before the “vocational counseling” and he obediently but fearfully replied, “yes.” He stood before the priest and was directed to remove his clothes. Then with only his briefs on he was directed to the bed. He followed instructions and was given his “special” massage. However, he could not keep his mind off Michael Iatesta, the boy he met last week. “He’s the one I want on the bed,” he thought to himself. “He’s the one I want to massage”. But the moment is now and the deed must be done. An hour passes and not a word was spoken. The young boy soon left in tears and the priest knelt by the bed for his afternoon prayers. “Bless me father for I have sinned….”
In “Young Goodman Brown”, by Nathaniel Hawthorne the author uses mystery and suspense to capture the attention of the reader. From the beginning until the closing, Hawthorne leads the reader into questioning, “What is symbolic about the bilateral lifestyle and witch crafting?” One must not only view “Young Goodman Brown” as a story full of mystery and suspense but also as one containing many symbolisms. John Neary argues that “just because Young Goodman Brown’s is journeying to God that does not mean it will be sweet and edifying” (Neary 250). Hawthorne reveals to us that having a solid Faith is the utmost asset that one can possess and once Faith is conceded, the effects can result in doubt in yourself and the entire world.
Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” has an underlying theme that is reflected in his imagery and figurative language. As the conversation between Brown and the traveller ends, this theme is evident in the way Brown perceives the traveller’s encouragement to continue along the path. The devil pressures Brown using words that seem to “spring up in the bosom of his auditor” instead of being his own thoughts (215). This suggests that he has given this spiel to others, and it can be inferred that the devil says these things to many of the people he converts. Brown’s description of the conversation is biased by his expectation to find paranormal evils in the forest. Later, when Brown refuses to move another step, the Devil does not plead
The narrator, an indigenous woman, embodies the impact and legacy of colonization in Canada. She declares herself to be “damaged” and says that “I make it a policy not to talk to people unless absolutely necessary,” indicating she has experienced past trauma. What caused this trauma is not specified by the narrator, however it would be safe to assume that the trauma could be related to colonization. Trauma has found to be transgenerational, particularly in indigenous communities and for those affected by residential schools and the sixties scoop. Those who survived abuses at residential schools often inadvertently passed on trauma to their children. Due to unresolved issues, survivors fell into habits of destructive behaviour, such as drug