What is the point of writing a story? For most authors, writing a story is their way to convey a certain message to their readers. In the story, Surfacing by Margaret Atwood the author express a multitude of different messages. She uses her story as a way to share her thoughts on things such as the subjugation of women, destruction of nature, and the expansion of America. One of her main focuses, however, is to reveal the truth behind marriage. With the help of symbolism, the author displays the theme of deception in marriage. The use of symbolism is applied through a wedding ring, a barometer, and wearing make-up which allows the author is to achieve her goal of displaying the stories overall message of showing how much control men had over women in society.
In the novel, Surfacing, a barometer, which features a wooden man and women inside, is used to represent matrimony. The narrator’s thoughts on the barometer change throughout the story, reflecting her views on marriage. In the beginning of the story, the narrator compares the weather indicator to an elderly couple that lives in her hometown. The narrator explains how marriage is like “two people linked together and balancing each other, like the wooden man and woman in the barometer at Paul’s house.”(Atwood page 45). The comparison between the barometer and the elderly couple displays how the narrator initially views marriage to be very simple and slightly unfulfilling. Later on, the narrator links the relationship between her two friends, David and Anna, to the barometer. She believes that a false sense of happiness and contentment can be seen through David and Anna’s marriage and the wooden couple in the barometer. The narrator describes how David and Anna...
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... This proves that they are unhappy with their marriage. The couple serves the purpose of representing the average married duo. With this symbolism, the author is able to display that marriage is not all it is glorified to be.
Most people link marriage with happiness. Seeing all the gleeful couples gives society hope that marriage is great. However, the novel Surfacing by Margaret Atwood contradicts this common belief. Through the theme of marriage displayed throughout the story the reader is revealed to the darker side of marriage, the side in which marriage is manipulative and deceiving. Through the symbolism of the barometer, the ring, and David and Anna’s relationship, the author is able to express the overall message of the story.
Works Cited
Atwood, Margaret. Surfacing. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1972. EBook.
EBook. December 20, 2011.
In “The Yellow Wall-paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, the unnamed female protagonist is going through a rough time in her life. (For now on, this paper will refer to this unnamed character as the “the narrator in ‘Wall-paper,’” short for “The Yellow Wall-paper. The narrator is confined to room to a room with strange wall-paper. This odd wall-paper seems to symbolize the complexity and confusion in her life. In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard must also deal with conflict as she must deal with the death of her spouse. At first there is grief, but then there is the recognition that she will be free. The institute of marriage ties the two heroines of these two short stories together. Like typical young women of the late 19th century, they were married, and during the course of their lives, they were expected to stay married. Unlike today where divorce is commonplace, marriage was a very holy bond and divorce was taboo. This tight bond of marriage caused tension in these two characters.
As the story begins, the narrator's compliance with her role as a submissive woman is easily seen. She states, "John laughs at me, but one expects that in marriage" (Gilman 577). These words clearly illustrate the male's position of power in a marriage t...
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Pollard, Percival. "The Unlikely Awakening of a Married Woman." Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1994. 179-181.
Marriage can be seen as a subtle form of oppression, like many things which are dictated by social expectations. In Kate Chopin’s The Story of An Hour, Louise Mallard finds herself in distress due to the event of her husband’s death that makes her question who she is as a person. The author cleverly uses this event to create the right atmosphere for Mrs. Mallard to fight against her own mind. As the short story progresses, we see that Mrs. Mallard moves forward with her new life and finds peace in her decision to live for herself. This shows that marriage too is another chain that holds oneself back. Not wanting to admit this to herself, Louise
Their marriage seems a product of convenience and societal standards, not love and passion. This type of relationship tends to lead to the objectifying of either the man or the woman, if not both, within a marriage. In this instance, Mr. Pontellier views his wife as his possession. On page 44, Mr. Pontellier tells his wife t...
First of all, in the essay, “I Want a Wife”, Judy Syfers exposes the meaning of “wife” presently in our society. Her argument is based on the premise that all wives are completely devoted to their husbands and are willing to tend to all their needs and satisfy them completely while working, being a good mother, and remaining gorgeous. Syfers reveals her definition of a wife in a very sarcastic and frustrated manner. Also, the style of the whole paper is very ironic. Almost as if she is screaming, she concludes her essay with, “My God, who wouldn’t want a wife?”(pg.648, 11). The cultural values portrayed in this essay are the value of control and the value of wanting to be loved. The value of control is portrayed in our society by the husband having the control and power over his wife. Because of that control, t...
Marriage was instituted in the Garden of Eden thousands of years ago. It is an institution and people have different perspective on what is marriage and dating. In this essay, I will attempt to define the concept of 'marriage and dating' from my perspective. Furthermore, similarities and differences of the two concepts will be examined and how it relates to the film on 'arranged marriage' will be explored.
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...ed with the institution of marriage. The speaker of "Marks" is fed up with her everyday life and cannot continue to live with constant criticism; however, she doesn't believe that marriage is unnatural and oppressive. She is ready to make a change, no matter how small that change may be. Although all three poems share a common topic the themes couldn't be less similar. The experience and attitudes of each speaker influences their opinions and shape their ideas on marriage. There can be no reconciling of the three viewpoints as each is determined by personal experience and lifestyle. Each person experiences love in different ways. Some end up in loveless marriages with no way out while others feel trapped in the duties of housewife and mother. Whatever the case, no opinion can change another person's marriage or opinions of marriage as each are unique unions.
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Stefanie Markovits explores marital themes through her piece, Jane Austen and the Happy Fall. Markovits argues that the recurring theme in Austen’s literary work is the search for happiness by way of marriage. She explains, “[in] Austen's novels, we can see that … happiness and goodness can appear to be quantities that we must balance in order to achieve a successful life” (Markovits 3). Accurately, Markovits writes that Persuasion explores the pressures that young women in nineteenth century England would face to achieve a high societal ranking through marriage. These women were taught foremost to strive for marriage, and that their future should be dependent on their joy being fulfilled in a partner. This can be seen particularly in Persuasion, as Mary is viewed with indulgence for being married, while her older sisters Elizabeth and Anne are seen as