Romanticism in Katherine Anne Porter’s Old Mortality
Katherine Anne Porter’s characters in “Old Mortality” make contradicting statements throughout the story with their personalities as much as their words. Eva, the “Old Maid,” symbolizes aging, and the hardships and pain that can be associated with it. Amy can be thought of as her foil, because she seems to represent the antithesis of Eva in every way.
Frozen in time with her premature death, Amy remains for the older members of the family the strongest link to the values and ways of life they were so comfortable with during the Victorian Era. Eva, as she pushes votes for women, is representing, in addition to propelling, the movement to gain a woman’s right to vote-- something that even older women in the family look down upon: ‘“In our part of the country, in my time, we were so provincial—a woman didn’t dare to think or act for herself. The whole world was a little that way,” she said, but we were the worst, I believe. I suppose you must know how I fought for votes for women when it almost made a pariah out of me…”’ From the beginning, we are made to see that Amy is beautiful and loved, while Eva is simply ridiculed for what she cannot change, and not respected for her beliefs and lifestyle.
Eva is not favored because she is an unpleasant reminder of reality, and reality is something they seem to all be trying to forget. “Eva was a blot, no doubt about it, but the little girls felt she belonged to their everyday world of dull lessons to be learned, stiff shoes to be limbered up, scratchy flannels to be endured in cold weather, measles and disappointed expectations. Their Aunt Amy belonged to the world of poetry.” Thus, everyday living is dull and tedious but Amy, in addi...
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...an see the hazards that are associated with too much vanity and not enough reality: ‘“How is your father? I always liked him. He was one of the finest-looking young men I ever saw. Vain, too, like all his family.”’
Katherine Anne Porter’s use of irony in “Old Mortality” serves to weave an image through the reader’s mind—an image that reveals the danger of romanticizing the past. In hindsight things always appear better, such as Harry’s recollection that all his female relatives are thin “thank god,” when there are several extreme examples of when this was not the case. In life, nobody can be as perfect as someone else is in death, even though things might not have been so at the time. It is a great difficulty to live up to people from the past, especially people who conformed so well, and never got the chance to lose what is loved most about them—their beauty.
This statement also emphasises much of Blanche’s own views on sorrow and explains how it has affected her life since she has made the comment from personal experience. To conclude, Tennessee Williams’ dramatic use of death and dying is an overarching theme in ‘A Streetcar Named Desire,’ from which everything about Blanche’s character has formed from. Without the death of Allan, Blanche would not have resorted to prostitution and the brief affairs with strangers, also the deaths of her family have driven Blanche to Stella’s where she is “not wanted” and “ashamed to be”. Therefore these dramatic deaths have lead to the past which comes back to haunt
Lily is her own barrier in her life that is keeping her from accomplishing great things that she is capable of. Lily shows that she never really loves herself or gives herself enough credit by stating, “Standing there, I loved myself and I hated myself” (71). Lily does not love herself at all. She is not happy on what she has accomplished and hates that fact that she might have killed her mother. Lily does not understand how to cope with difficulties in her life. She wants to be involved with everyone to keep her mind busy and not think of situations that need to be discussed. Lily hates how she is not able to live her life to her full potential. But yet, Lily enjoys being mysterious and making her own life a story that only she knows what is real and what is a lie. Throughout the novel, Lily builds up barriers that she has not broken out to tell people. She finally cracks and shows her real self to August. She tells her whole life story all in one setting. This is overwhelming for August, but she is happy that Lily tells her when August knows the whole time. Lily come full circle with herself. She finds love in the house of women and finally is able to feel wanted and acceptance.
Unlike the other women of Victorian society, Edna is unwilling to suppress her personal identity and desires for the benefit of her family. She begins “to realize her position in the universe as a human being and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her” (35). Edna’s recognition of herself as an individual as opposed to a submissive housewife is controversial because it’s unorthodox. When she commits suicide it’s because she cannot satisfy her desire to be an individual while society scorns her for not following the traditional expectations of women. Edna commits suicide because she has no other option. She wouldn’t be fulfilled by continuing to be a wife and a mother and returning to the lifestyle that she...
The number of doctors that present in the United States of America directly affects the communities that these doctors serve and plays a large role in how the country and its citizens approach health care. The United States experienced a physician surplus in the 1980s, and was affected in several ways after this. However, many experts today have said that there is currently a shortage of physicians in the United States, or, at the very least, that there will be a shortage in the near future. The nation-wide statuses of a physician surplus or shortage have many implications, some of which are quite detrimental to society. However, there are certain remedies that can be implemented in order to attempt to rectify the problems, or alleviate some of their symptoms.
At a glance, the poem seems simplistic – a detailed observance of nature followed by an invitation to wash a “dear friend’s” hair. Yet this short poem highlights Bishop’s best poetic qualities, including her deliberate choice in diction, and her emotional restraint. Bishop progresses along with the reader to unfold the feelings of both sadness and joy involved in loving a person that will eventually age and pass away. The poem focuses on the intersection of love and death, an intersection that goes beyond gender and sexuality to make a far-reaching statement about the nature of being
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At a glance, the poem seems simplistic – a detailed observance of nature followed by an invitation to wash a “dear friend’s” hair. Yet this short poem highlights Bishop’s best poetic qualities, including her deliberate choice in diction, and her emotional restraint. Bishop progresses along with the reader to unfold the feelings of both sadness and joy involved in loving a person that will eventually age and pass away. The poem focuses on the intersection of love and death, an intersection that goes beyond gender and sexuality to make a far-reaching statement about the nature of being
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