In the novel, Let the Great World Spin, Jaslyn’s abandonment of her legacy by not becoming a prostitute and changing her name, portrays that the past does not dictate the present. Jaslyn’s change of name and her profession show her separate identity from the past. Jaslyn’s previous name was Jazzlyn, just like her mother’s name. Jaslyn makes it clear that she is not the same person as her mother and grandmother. Always feeling different, since she is adopted, modifying her name is an additional step that she takes to portray her independence. As her identity transforms, from being characterized by the past to being recognized for who she is as an individual, she takes a step towards renewal. Jaslyn presents her change of identity stating, “What …show more content…
can she tell him?...That she changed her name from Jazzlyn to Jaslyn?
That it wasn’t for shame, not from shame at all?”(McCann 329). Jaslyn reveals that she did not completely altercate her name. She still accepts her past, but does not regret it. The purpose of modifying her name is not because of embarrassment, but rather, it is an act of renewal. Furthermore, Jaslyn’s decision of not becoming a prostitute like her predecessors also shows Jaslyn’s transformation of her legacy. Column McCann expresses that she attended Yale University and is currently an accountant, which is a significant difference from what her mother and grandmother did as a profession. Jaslyn declares that, “...She comes from a long line of hookers, that her grandmother died in a prison cell… that she got sent to Yale”(329). Working hard and seizing the opportunities, Jaslyn was able to build her own …show more content…
future. Turning her unbelievable past around, she becomes the epitome of hope in the novel. This conveys a larger message in the novel, that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Even though Jaslyn redefines her identity, she still accepts her background.
One indication of this is that she keeps the picture of Philippe Petit walking across the wire, taken on the same day that her mother died. Jaslyn says, “The photo was taken on the same day her mother died- it was one of the reasons she was attracted to it in the first place: the sheer fact that such beauty had occurred at the same time”(325). The picture provides Jaslyn with a different outlook on that devastating day when her mother died. She always carries it around with her to remind her of the beauty and elegance of life. Additionally, just as the Petit is able to walk across the physical wire, Jaslyn walks across the wire as well. Each character has unique challenges that they must overcome; Jaslyn overcomes the obstacles that come from her legacy. Even though Jazzlyn and Tillie lived through hard times, hope is fulfilled through Janice and Jaslyn. Jaslyn always travels with this picture, as if she was present when these two very distinct, yet similar events happened. The picture is the connection to her past. Jaslyn develops from disregarding her past to making peace with it. She declares, “It used to bother her terribly that her mother and grandmother worked in the streets”(333). Her legacy is nothing to be proud of, especially since Jaslyn dramatically turns it around. She conveys her development when she says, “She wanted to know more. Being the complete opposite, “Janice wanted nothing to
do with the past”(341). Jaslyn does not cower from her past anymore, instead, she fully embraces it. She travels to Ireland to uncover the truths about her mother’s life. The author compares Jaslyn with Janice because they both grew up in Gloria’s household, but now, they are very different. Being a part of the army explains why she does not wish to meddle with her the events that are behind her.. Jaslyn explains her sister’s view that, “the past was a jet that was coming in with dead bodies from the Middle East”(341). Her outlook on life contrasts Jaslyn’s because the war affects her tremendously. Just like the dead bodies, the past is also dead for Janice. There is no hope for the bodies to live, no purpose, just like the past. The author includes this juxtaposition to show us that Jaslyn is truly embracing her background now. In the end, everything has a purpose. Jazzlyn’s death, similar to Tillie’s death, allows Jaslyn and Janice to have a better life than they would without her. The author demonstrates that the past is connected to the present in every way. Later on, McCann claims, “One small scrap of history meeting a larger one. As if the walking man were somehow anticipating what would come later...The plane passes, the tightrope walker gets to the end of the wire. Things don’t fall apart”(325). Not only is this paragraph significant in relation to Jaslyn and her life, but also for the revival of New York after the dreadful 9-11. Even though Jaslyn’s background is not very pleasant, she “didn’t fall apart”, similar to New York. It stopped in its tracks for a moment, but the city did not dwell upon the past. Judge Soderberg states, “New York kept going forward precisely because it didn’t give a good goddamn about what it had left behind”(247). The towers might have fallen, but the people did not. Jaslyn can not overlook her past, but like New York, she keeps on going no matter what. Jaslyn’s previous neglect for love changes as she embraces it with Pino. Disregarding and fearing love are products of Jaslyn’s legacy. This causes her to become careful and protective of her emotions. She does not want to be like her mother and grandmother. She displays her neglect from love claiming that,“She is often nervous around men and women her own age, their attention, their desires”(328). Then, she meets Pino at the airport, which causes her to become comfortable with the idea of love. At first, Jaslyn reveals her hesitation when she meets Pino. Jaslyn states, “she is surprised by the immediate comfort she feels”(328) and “it strikes her that she has never really known the body of another” (347). Again, she expresses her uncertainty towards loving Pino. Then, as she gets to know Pino, she finds “true love”, unlike her mother and grandmother. Jazzyln and Tillie’s intentions, as prostitutes, was to fulfill their desire for lust, not true love. Tillie shows her intentions for lust stating, “Hooking was born in me. That’s no exaggeration. I never wanted no square job.”(199). This depicts that Jaslyn is working towards her own legacy, instead of following her predecessors’. She is able to create her own, unique image of love and does not fear this emotion anymore. Column McCann chooses to end the novel with the character, Jaslyn to illustrate his ultimate message of endurance. Many characters throughout the novel encounter tragic moments in their lives, but ultimately, they rise above the circumstances.The desired outcome may not occur during the character's’ own lives, but rather, it is fulfilled through others, like Tillie and Jazzlyn. Through their deaths, Jaslyn has a better life than she would have with them. The novel ends with the sentence, “The world spins. We stumble on. It is enough”(349). The world does not stop for a moment or for a single person. People might be faced with harsh times, but life constantly moves forward. The world literally spins by using the sun’s lights, so we too must have hope to endure through life.
Before going to Alaska, Chris McCandless had failed to communicate with his family while on his journey; I believe this was Chris’s biggest mistake. Chris spent time with people in different parts of the nation while hitchhiking, most of them whom figured out that McCandless kept a part of him “hidden”. In chapter three, it was stated that Chris stayed with a man named Wayne Westerberg in South Dakota. Although Westerberg was not seen too often throughout the story, nevertheless he was an important character. Introducing himself as Alex, McCandless was in Westerberg’s company for quite some time: sometimes for a few days, other times for several weeks. Westerberg first realized the truth about Chris when he discovered his tax papers, which stated that “McCandless’s real name was Chris, not Alex.” Wayne further on claims that it was obvious that “something wasn’t right between him and his family” (Krakauer 18). Further in the book, Westerberg concluded with the fact that Chris had not spoken to his family “for all that time, treating them like dirt” (Krakauer 64). Westerberg concluded with the fact that during the time he spent with Chris, McCandless neither mentioned his
In the Lilies of the Field by William E. Barrett, Homer and Mother Maria both display straightforward, hardworking, and stubborn character traits. Firstly, Homer and Mother Maria both display a straightforward personality by being brutally honest about their opinions. For example, when Mother Maria asks Homer to build a chapel, Homer speaks his mind by telling her he does not want to build it. Mother Maria shows her straightforward behavior during Homer’s stay at the convent. One morning, when Homer sleeps in late, Mother to becomes extremely upset and is not afraid to show how she feels about him. Secondly, both Homer and Mother Maria display a hardworking spirit. Homer is a hardworking man because after finally agreeing to build the chapel,
The definition of compassion: sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others. As this definition shows compassion shows concern for other that every person would love to have. In The Chosen written by Chaim Potok, Mr. Potok really presents compassion in his book. Not only does he display compassion in one of his character but in every single one he gives them compassion that is expressed in different ways. He goes into detail example of compassion with each of his characters and really emphasizes the true meaning of compassion. Three main character that he shows compassion through in different ways are, Reuven, Mr. Malter and Reb Sanders.
In these five paragraphs I will be writing about the book “Hotel on the Corner of Sweet and Bitter” written by Jamie Ford and five quotation that important and made up the theme for me. This book gives a feel a lot of different emotions. The first quote was “‘You are Chinese aren’t you,Henry? That’s fine. Be who you are, she said, turning away, a look of disappointment in her eyes. “But I’m an American’’(p. 60). This quote is important because it shows how Keiko believes even if her parents are Japanese she feels more American then Japanese since she barely spoke Japanese.
From the hood life, ghetto neighborhood, Three African-American made a pact to become successful doctors and face the obstacles that can lead them to down fall together. The Pact, a memoir written by Dr. Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt, describes their story in the 1980s of becoming doctors and the struggle that they faced. The three Young men were each other’s motivator. They followed each other’s steps and helped themselves succeed. One of them is Sampson Davis, a kid who grew up in those bad circumstances but still made it through that path and became a doctor.
People have goals everyday, believe it or not some people think that dreams aren't worth it. I believe that it is worth it to dream because it gives a person a goal, it makes them feel good, and it makes them stronger. I know this from The Pearl, A Cubs video, the Susan Boyle video, and We Beat the streets.
The Power of an Author Authors have the ability justify the worst actions. Authors have a way of romanticizing certain situations in order to convey a specific message. A good author has power to influence the reader into believing whatever it is the author wants. When it comes to the story of Hannah Dustan, authors such as John Greenleaf Whittier have romanticized her captivity story along with the actions she took throughout her journey. Introducing a character that will be seen in the story is one of the most vital parts when creating a piece of literature.
Some people have more of these memories than others. Janie views her eventful life as “a great tree in leaf with things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom were in the branches” (8). Janie has many pleasant and horrible memories and experiences. From the horrific incidents, she learns more about herself and what she truly needs.
She realized that she married him only because of Nanny’s wishes, and she did not - and was never going to - love him. It was with this realization that her “first dream was dead, so she became a woman” (25) And although the “memory of Nanny was still powerful and strong”, (29) Janie left with Joe Starks. However her marriage to Jody was no better than her marriage to Logan. Jody was powerful and demanding, and although at first he seemed amazing, Jody forced Janie into a domestic lifestyle that was worse than the one that she escaped. Jody abused Janie both emotionally and physically, and belittled her to nothing more than a trophy wife. But Janie never left him. This time Janie stayed in the abusive marriage until he died, because Janie did not then know how to the tools capable of making her a sovereign person. She once again chose caution over nature, because caution was the safest option. And overtime she became less and less Janie, and less and less of her sovereign self, and eventually, “the years took all the fight out of Janie’s face. For a while she thought it was gone from her soul...she had learned how to talk some and leave some. She was a rut in the road. Plenty of life beneath the surface but it was kept beaten down by the wheels” (76). During her marriage to Jody, Janie never got it right. She was trapped under Jodi’s command and because of this she never
In the dystopian novel of The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil, the theme is Loss of love. Loss of love is both demonstrated inside the novel and as well it is presented in the real world life where real humans live in. Who knew that in a fiction novel it can seem so real as these situations that are happening in the novel were not made up and were real things happening to the Characters. Just like these situations happening in the novel they are actually happening in the real world today. Loss of love occurs in the novel of The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil through three influential characters; Inner Horinters, Phil, and Carol. The fictional representation of loss is similar to real life situations such as Undocumented Immigrants
In her work, “This is Our World,” Dorothy Allison shares her perspective of how she views the world as we know it. She has a very vivid past with searing memories of her childhood. She lives her life – her reality – because of the past, despite how much she wishes it never happened. She finds little restitution in her writings, but she continues with them to “provoke more questions” (Allison 158) and makes the readers “think about what [they] rarely want to think about at all” (158).
This represents the positive effects of Joe’s death because Jamie finally feels safe and secure and most importantly, free. All though, she conceals her true feelings and thoughts from the town in fear of becoming socially un-accepted. At the funeral, Janie becomes “a wall of stone and steel”, where she shows no emotions, a gray face covering up the colorful feelings going on inside. In addition, Janie tries to rid herself of the objects that remind her of the things that represent the control people have over her. The narrator says, "Before she slept that night she burnt up every one of her head rags and went about the house the next morning with her hair in one thick braid swinging well below her waist" (89)....
All in all, Jeannette’s character development through the course of the novel is immense. Her personality begins to ripen, and she starts to discover the truth about her life and family. Numerous instances occurred in the novel; firstly she discovers the truth about her parents and realizes that she misperceived their personalities. To continue, Jeannette begins to learn a bit more about the issues the Walls face. The life of adventure began to seem dangerous and unstable. Lastly Jeannette starts to develop her own personality and focus on her future. She never had these thoughts previously; she always concerned herself with the dilemmas of others. Throughout Jeannette develops tremendously, she begins to see the world through her own eyes and no longer has a barrier of youth to protect her.
For this very reason Jacobs uses the pseudonym Linda Brent to narrate her first-person experience, which I intend to use interchangeably throughout the essay, since I am referencing the same person. All throughout the narrative, Jacobs explores the struggles and sexual abuse that female slaves faced on plantations as well as their efforts to practice motherhood and protect their children from the horrors of the slave trade. Jacobs’ literary efforts are addressed to white women in the North who do not fully comprehend the evils of slavery. She makes direct appeals to their humanity to expand their knowledge and influence their thoughts about slavery as an institution, holding strong to the credo that the pen is mightier than the sword and is colorful enough to make a difference and change the the stereotypes of the black and white
While the identity discovery might not be as severe, crucial, or alone, readers will remember what it was like once they discovered it. This might be as simple as figuring out one’s favorite color, or song and picking out one’s own clothes when going shopping. Figuring out oneself is part of growing up, an idea that Hale may wish to convey to the readers. During Ani’s journey, she is growing up and no longer is the child she was in Kildenree. She discovered it was perfectly fine to create her own identity, no need to be somebody else’s copycat for the rest of her life. Ani thinks “She was little like her mother, though that was all she had ever longed to be. She lacked the gift of people-speaking, that power to convince and control that laced every word her mother uttered. She did not possess that grace and beauty that all in a room turned to watch. But had the queen ever told a nursery story to a room of captivated listeners? Or handled fifty head of geese? I've done that much. What more can I do?” That is part of what growing up