Struggle of Acceptance In Flannery O'Connor's collection of short stories A Good Man is Hard to Find, Ruby’s physical journey reveals her inner struggle to accept her gift of pregnancy from God. Burdened by her physical and emotional load Ruby feels daunted by impending motherhood. In A Stroke of Good Fortune, Ruby undergoes a state of denial through rejection of her pregnancy, exemplifying her desire for total control over her own life. As she climbs the stairs the minor characters assist Ruby during this period of denial, propelling her to accept pregnancy and motherhood. Despite efforts shown by minor characters, Ruby fails to reach the summit of her journey demonstrating how acceptance is an individual journey. Ruby’s physical and emotional …show more content…
Ruby’s inner struggle to accept her pregnancy leaves her trapped in a state of denial depicting her desire for total control. TS.1 The yearning for total control over her own life makes evident her lack of belief in a higher power, and all knowing God; and this disbelief forms a foundation for her denial. The root of her denial starts with her marriage, “She had married Bill Hill, a Florida man who sold Miracle Pills” (O’Connor, 68). Ruby’s desire to maintain complete control of her own destiny contributes to her disbelief in a higher power. Remaining confident that her husband can take care of her aiding her in control of her destiny. She feels as if she bestows full control over her body, fully capable to take care of herself, “I don’t need to go to no doctor” (78). Rejecting the care of a doctor in her time of “sickness” develops her fear of pregnancy believing that she can fully take care of herself. Furthermore, through her ignorance, Ruby progresses into a state of discontent and believes that she may hold the gift of new life. TS.2 Through constant repetition Ruby rejects the idea and makes evident her …show more content…
TS.1 The lethargic climb up to her apartment reinforces the symbolic meaning, a slow climb to acknowledgment, and the progression of pregnancy. “By the time she had climbed five steps her breath was gone,” her inability to walk directly to her door, confirms that the journey she embarks on is not an individual journey, but rather she needs the help and guidance of those around her to support and pave the path to acceptance (76). The significance of three encounters with three characters correlates to the three trimesters women experiences, three trimesters to work towards acceptance of this gift and understanding the role of motherhood. The ignorance of Ruby left her unaware, drowning in denial leaving it to the minor characters to make evident this change she cannot avoid any longer. TS.2 While on her physical journey, minor characters slowly progress in age depicting the beauty of life and the beauty a child holds. Serving as a juxtaposition to Ruby, Mr Jerger, welcomes the gift of children and views children positively, “The fountain of youth… I have drank it” (75). Living in the fear that with child comes death, Mr. Jerger suggests the opposite, through this gift and journey Ruby will find herself rejuvenated. A child will open the eyes of Ruby restoring the
...inds love along the way. She makes rash decisions in bad situations, faces the truth that she has been avoiding, and finds her place in the world. While her journey takes some unexpected twists, Lily learns to make the best of what she has, and go for what she wants. She learns to move on from the past, and make a brighter future. But most importantly, Lily learns to accept that life is unpredictable and that by doing her best Lily is living life the way she wants to.
Ruby Turpin is not an entirely lovable character. In fact, her attitude seems quite sour at times. Throughout Flannery O’Connor’s Revelation, she is portrayed as harsh and judgmental. And until the end, she seems to be under the impression that she is a saint. Nevertheless, while her attitude in reality is far from what she perceives, I believe there is a place for her in the communion of saints.
Lily’s idea of home is having loving parent/mother figures who can help guide her in life. Because of this desire, she leaves T. Ray and begins to search for her true identity. This quest for acceptance leads her to meet the Calendar Sisters. This “home” that she finds brightly displays the ideas of identity and feminine society. Though Lily could not find these attributes with T. Ray at the peach house, she eventually learns the truth behind her identity at the pink house, where she discovers the locus of identity that resides within herself and among the feminine community there. Just like in any coming-of-age story, Lily uncovers the true meaning of womanhood and her true self, allowing her to blossom among the feminine influence that surrounds her at the pink house. Lily finds acceptance among the Daughters of Mary, highlighting the larger meaning of acceptance and identity in the novel.
These lines demonstrate the stage of adulthood and the daily challenges that a person is faced with. The allusions in the poem enrich the meaning of the poem and force the reader to become more familiar with all of the meaning hidden behind the words. For example, she uses words such as innocence, imprisonment and captive to capture the feelings experienced in each of the stages. The form of the poem is open because there are no specific instances where the lines are similar. The words in each stanza are divided into each of the three growth stages or personal experiences.
Baby narrates her story through her naïve, innocent child voice. She serves as a filter for all the events happening in her life, what the narrator does not know or does not comprehend cannot be explained to the readers. However, readers have reason not to trust what she is telling them because of her unreliability. Throughout the beginning of the novel we see Baby’s harsh exposure to drugs and hurt. Jules raised her in an unstable environment because of his constant drug abuse. However, the narrator uses flowery language to downplay the cruel reality of her Montreal street life. “… for a kid, I knew a lot of things about what it felt like to use heroin” (10). We immediately see as we continue reading that Baby thinks the way she has been living her life is completely normal, however, we as readers understand that her life is in fact worse then she narrates. Baby knows about the impermanent nature of her domestic security, however, she repeatedly attempts to create a sense of home each time her and Jules move to another apartm...
...ve interest was free born and wished to marry her. However, after Harriet?s attempts to pursued her master to sell her to the young neighbor failed she was left worse off than before. Dr. Norcom was so cruel he forbade Harriet anymore contact with the young man. Harriet?s next love came when she gave birth to her first child. Her son Benny was conceived as a way to get around Dr. Norcom?s reign of terror. However, this is a subject that was very painful for her. She conveys to the reader that she has great regret for the length she went to stop her Master. Along with her own guilt she carries the memories of her Grandmother?s reaction to the news of her pregnancy. Clearly this was a very traumatic time in Harriet?s life. In light of these difficult events Harriet once again found love and hope in her new born son. ?When I was most sorely oppressed I found solace in his smiles. I loved to watch his infant slumber: but always there was a dark cloud over my enjoyment. I could never forget that he was a slave.? (Jacobs p. 62)
Discovering her own desires is the awakening implied by the fourth thematic condition of childbirth, or “the awakening to find a little new life”
Self-acceptance is clearly determined through one’s mind set and the steps that one has or is taking in order to achieve this goal. However, this journey can be slowed by various negative forces that life consists of that one was to fight through in order to achieve the final destination of self-acknowledgement. In the novel, Birdie by Tracey Lindberg, the main character, Bernice undergoes physical, spiritual, and emotional changes that are expressed through her slow development into the person Bernice strives to be. The ultimate destination for Bernice is acceptance of her three identities; Bernice, BirdieBernice and Birdie. Bernice is a defeated and depressed women, BirdieBernice being a motivated version
She desperately wanted a voice and independence. Edna’s realization of her situation occurred progressively. It was a journey in which she slowly discovered what she was lacking emotionally. Edna’s first major disappointment in the novel was after her husband, Leonce Pontellier, lashed out at her and criticized her as a mother after she insisted her child was not sick. This sparked a realization in Edna that made here realize she was unhappy with her marriage. This was a triggering event in her self discovery. This event sparked a change in her behavior. She began disobeying her husband and she began interacting inappropriately with for a married woman. Edna increasingly flirted with Robert LeBrun and almost instantly became attracted to him. These feelings only grew with each interaction. Moreover, when it was revealed to Edna that Robert would be leaving for Mexico she was deeply hurt not only because he didn’t tell her, but she was also losing his company. Although Edna’s and Robert’s relationship may have only appeared as friendship to others, they both secretly desired a romantic relationship. Edna was not sure why she was feeling the way she was “She could only realize that she herself-her present self-was in some way different from the other self. That she was seeing with different eyes and making the acquaintance of new conditions in herself that colored
A breathtaking saga of a young girl’s tragic memories of her childhood. As with Ellen, Gibbons’ parents both died before she was twelve-years-old, forming the family. basis of the plot and themes of this novel. The fond memories she possessed of her mother and the harsh ones of her father are reflected in the thoughts and actions of Ellen. The simplistic and humble attitude that both Gibbons and Ellen epitomizes in the novel is portrayed through diction and dialogue.
Throughout the story, the different roles and expectations placed on men and women are given the spotlight, and the coming-of-age of two children is depicted in a way that can be related to by many women looking back on their own childhood. The narrator leaves behind her title of “child” and begins to take on a new role as a young, adolescent woman.
She gains a sense of independence through her work with Ruby an her teaches in school taught her to be
Over the course of several months, August guides, teaches, and helps Lily to accept and forgive herself. August once knew Deborah, and she knows that Lily is her daughter, but she does not confront Lily about the issue. Instead, she waits until Lily puts the puzzle pieces together and discovers for herself the relationship between her mother and August. August knows she is not ready to learn the truth about her mother when she and Lily first meet, so she waits for Lily to come to her. When Lily finally realizes the truth, she comes to August and they have a long discussion about Deborah. During this discussion, Lily learns the truth about her mother; that her mother only married T. Ray because she was pregnant with Lily, then after several years she had enough of living and dealing with T. Ray, so she left. Lily is disgusted by the fact that her mother would've done something like this, she did not want to let go of the romantic image of her mother she had painted in her mind (“‘The Secret Life of Bees’ Themes and Symbols of The Secret Life of Bees). Lily struggles to stomach the fact the her mother truly did leave her and she spends some time feeling hurt and angry, but one day, August shows her a picture of Lily and her mother. As Lily looks at the picture she is comforted and thinks, “May must’ve made it to heaven and explained to my mother about the sign I wanted. The one that would let me know I was loved” (Kidd 276). Seeing
When Robert came into her life, she began to feel that she was being 'awakened.'; She was beginning to experience life in a new light and the hunger for change began to emerge.
Aubery Tanqueray, a self-made man, is a Widower at the age of Forty two with a beautiful teenage daughter, Ellean whom he seems very protective over. His deceased wife, the first Mrs. Tanqueray was "an iceberg," stiff, and assertive, alive as well as dead (13). She had ironically died of a fever "the only warmth, I believe, that ever came to that woman's body" (14). Now alone because his daughter is away at a nunnery he's found someone that can add a little life to his elite, high class existence; a little someone, we learn, that has a past that doesn't quite fit in with the rest of his friends.