The Heroine of Louise Shivers' Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail
Sleeping Beauty's father was a king who loved his daughter dearly. Unfortunately, however, he forgot to invite one of the oldest and most powerful of the fairies to the celebration of his daughter's christening. Because of his forgetfulness, the princess was sentenced to one hundred years of sleep and inactivity. She was saved by a prince who made his way to her bedside and awakened her with a kiss of true love. Of course, they celebrated a glorious wedding and lived happily ever after. Roxy Walston, the heroine of Louise Shivers' "Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail," like Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella or Snow White, lived a fairy tale existence. All of the supporting roles were accounted for: her father, Will Stanton (the king); her mean stepmother, Ruth; her grandmother, Georgeanna (the fairy godmother); her husband, Aaron (the shining knight)' and her lover, Jack, as Prince Charming. Even the evil witch is symbolized by the aura of death and foreboding of the funeral home--always preying, ready to devour the next unsuspecting victim. But unlike the princess in the fairy tale, Roxy's fairy tale ended when she was awakened from her "sleep" by Jack's kiss. The lovers had shared many a romantic, passionate kiss, but the kiss--the one which brought Roxy out of her trance--was the "spitty" one after Jack had confessed to murdering Aaron. At this moment Roxy awakened to her own self-awareness and freed herself from Jack's sensual, magic spell. Only then did she tap into the strength she never knew she had. It was that strength, at first as small as a tobacco seed, that enabled her to try to outlive her shame and move forward with her life as best she could.
For one to understand and appreciate Roxy's vulnerability and passivity, a discussion of her childhood will place in proper perspective her family relationships. Will Stanton was a big-boned man, a giant with a soft heart. One can imagine the sheer delight of his little girl as he surprised her with tangerines at Christmastime. She would slip her hand down into his big pocket and feel the white sack lining, "looking for a Saturday nickel" (Shivers 119). In Roxy's eyes, her Daddy was omniscient, a virtual god. That idolization of her male parent is not unusual. Caryl Rivers, author of "Beyond Sugar and Spice," tells us that "to many a young girl, there is something magical about her father" (50).
Jack Salmon, Susie’s father, is most vocal about his sorrow for losing his daughter. However, his initial reaction was much different. Upon hearing that Susie’s ski hat had been found, he immediately retreats upstairs because “he [is] too devastated to reach out to [Abigail] sitting on the carpet…he could not let [her] see him” (Sebold 32). Jack retreats initially because he did not know what to do or say to console his family and he did not want them to see him upset. This first reaction, although it is small, is the first indicator of the marital problems to come. After recovering from the initial shock, Jack decides that he must bring justice for his daughter’s sake and allows this goal to completely engulf his life. He is both an intuitive and instrumental griever, experiencing outbursts of uncontrolled emotions then channeling that emotion into capturing the killer. He focuses his efforts in such an e...
The childhood of Frances Piper consists of inadequate love, loss of innocence and lack of concern, ultimately leading to her disastrous life. As a six year old child, she encounters several traumatic events, explicitly the death of her loved ones and the loss of her innocence. Over the course of one week, there have been three deaths, two funerals and two burials in the Piper family. “Frances was crying so hard now that Mercedes got worried. ‘I want my Mumma to come ba-a-a-a-ack.’”( McDonald 174). As a young child, there is nothing more upsetting than losing a mother. A family is meant to comfort each other to fulfill the loss of a loved one; however, this is not the case in the Piper family. Mercedes, only a year older than Frances, tries to console her even though she herself is worried. The loss of motherly love and affection has a tremendous impact on her future since now her sole guardian, James, expresses no responsibility towards her. Instead, he molests Frances on the night of Kathleen’s funeral to lessen the grief of his lost daughter. As a result “These disturbing experiences plague Frances with overwhelming feelings of low self worth and guilt that haunt h...
PS’s innocence and trust in Lila becomes one of the major contributors to the clash which develops between Vanessa and Lila once Vanessa takes partial custody of PS. The nature of the relationship Vanessa demands from PS is so entirely different to that of Lila that PS finds himself torn between two women who, with their secrets, lies and constant quests for the upper hand, disrupt his own sense of personal well-being and security. This inner disquiet and uncertainty causes PS to change, and the nature of the relationships he hold with both his Aunts changes with this. These changes run parallel to PS’s emerging sense of identity, and the highlight, in the end, how important it is to be sure of who one is and what one wants in order for one’s relationship with other people to work.
In Melinda Sordino’s freshman year of high school she encounters many conflicts, one of the biggest is that she must communicate with her parents about what is taking place in her life. On Thanksgiving morning, Melinda’s mother struggles preparing her store for Black Friday and the big dinner for that night. When Melinda enters the kitchen her mother sends her to the TV to watch the parades. After a while, she decides to go back to the kitchen for soda, where her mother instead, “pours her orange juice, which [she] can’t drink because it burns [her] scabby lips” (58). Mrs. Sordino’s oblivion towards Melinda makes it harder for her to communicate with her parents.The miscommunication throughout the family is what tears it apart, separating it
The A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry takes place in the Southern-side of Chicago between the time of World War II and present. The main conflict surrounding the Younger family’s head of the house, Mr. Younger, life insurance and trying to figure out what to do with the money. The family consists of Mama Younger, her son, Walter Younger, her daughter, Beneatha Younger, Walter’s wife, Ruth Younger, and Walter’s and Ruth’s son, Travis Younger. The focus of this essay will be on two of the main characters, Ruth Younger and Beneatha Younger. Ruth Younger and Beneatha Younger are different in several social aspects by means of the patriarchal society that surrounds them as well as the social constructivism and their misogynistic family
... it is the theatre of the working class, featuring the “popular waltz” and frequented by a “vast crowd” that “had an air throughout of having just quitted labor” (28). This is hardly high society and Crane emphasizes this in his descriptions of the actress who “galloped upon the stage,” the “brazen soprano tones,” and the “half-tipsy” audience members who join in the “rollicking refrain.” Maggie’s world is so limited that even the burlesque, and rowdy time that an unrefined Pete shows her is elevated to a position of grandeur and possibilities.
Jane Yolsen produces a powerful and moving novel that deftly blends the legend of Sleeping Beauty with the historical tragedy of the Holocaust. To Rebecca, Sylvia and Shana, "Briar Rose" was simply a bed time story but in all reality the story they grew up with was an actual event in Gemma's life. Although Gemma always identified strongly with Briar Rose, the sleeping princess, no one had thought it anything but a bedtime story. But when a mysterious box of clippings and photos turns up after Gemma's death, hinting that the accepted version of Gemma's origins is untrue, Becca begins tracing the real story, which bears striking resemblance's to Gemma's fairy tale.
This story, told in third-person limited omniscient, shows a teenager who is inept, and a parent who did too little, too late. The omniscient narrator mainly focuses on Donny’s mother, her lack of confidence, and the tribulations of being impotent in her own child’s life, which have a negative impact on Donny’s welfare. When Matt and Daisy get called to meet with the principal for the second time, instead of Daisy thinking about her child, she thinks about “how they must look to Mr. Lanham: an overweight housewife in a cotton dress and a too-tall, too-thin insurance agent in a baggy, frayed suit. Failures, both of them.” After Donny’s psychologist informs Daisy that he requires “a better sense of self-worth,” she, who severely lacks a sense of self-worth, ironically
A wife and church member are two quintessential factors that share “the blame” in Emma Jean’s decision to raise her baby boy as a girl. The time period that the novel is set in is the early 1900’s, when patriarchy and gender roles were more heavily indoctrinated into society. Gus, Emma Jean’s husband, encompasses a traditional father. Despite Gus being hardworking, and instilling a highly commendable work ethic in all six of his sons, Gus neglects ‘motherly duties’ like changing diapers and being intimate and affectionate with his children. Does fatherhood extend only to physical labor and
Shirley Jackson’s stories often had a woman as the central character who was in search of a more important life other than the conventional wife and mother. These characters however were often chastised for their refusal to conform to a woman’s traditional way of life. Much like her characters, throughout Shirley Jackson’s life, she also rejected the idea of fitting into society's perception of a woman's role.
“When the little pink-and-yellow girl begins to cry, Pecola’s mother comforts her with tenderness: “Hush, baby, hush. Come here. Oh, Lord, look at your dress. Don’t cry no more. Polly will change it’” (p. 85). For her own child she has harsh and bitter words of rejection: “Pick up that wash and get out of here, so I can get this mess cleaned up” (ibid.). Through her mother’s blurred vision of the pink, white, and golden world of the Fishers, Pecola learns that she is ugly, unacceptable, and especially unloved.” (Klotman 124.)
The Analysis of the Intelligence of Individuals and Groups Much controversy surrounds the subject of intelligence. Intelligence tests were developed in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century to assess the intelligence of individuals and groups. However, criticisms quickly arose regarding tests due to results being used to justify discrimination between different groups and cultures. Theorists argued that the tests assess verbal, mathematical, and spatial capabilities, but they do not directly examine other abilities that seem to be inherent parts of intelligence: creativity, social understanding, knowledge of one’s own strengths and weaknesses and so on. This perspective led Howard Gardner to formulate his theory of Multiple Intelligence.
Toni Morrison’s Beloved depicts the complicated mother-daughter relationship between Sethe and her daughter Denver, as Sethe constantly lives in the past and Denver is ignored. Unfortunately, Denver must grow up on her own without the help from her mother who is consumed with her past and the new addition to their household, Beloved. Found on the side of the road, Beloved had won over Sethe’s attention and affection. “Sethe was flattered by Beloved’s open, quiet devotion.” But Sethe had different expectations for her daughter because “the same adoration from her daughter would have annoyed her; made her chill at the thought of having raised a ridiculously dependent child.” (Morrison, 68) Immediately it is seen that Sethe has higher expectations and aspirations for her daughter, but she does not go about conveying these aspirations and expectations in the right way. Already l...
First of all, as the story began we met Maggie, a shy girl who lived her life in the darkness of her sister Dee’s shadow. Their mother was hardworking and spent her days on the farm working to offer a better life for her daughters. Raising children alone is a backbreaking task. Although they lived a modest life her children never went without. She gave them a home and food to eat, everything from killing hogs to breaking ice was done for her children. There lies the dedication seen in a good parent.
Washington, T. "Career Counseling the Experienced Client." Journal of Career Planning and Employment 53, no. 2 (January 1993): 36-39, 67-68.