The Old Maid - My Delia Dilemma
In my first reading of The Old Maid, I found it hard to dissect the character of Delia. Edith Wharton made me work hard to figure Delia out by not spelling her out directly, but bringing her on gradually. After subsequent readings however, I saw this story as a sort of coming of age story about Delia Lovell and not about an old maid. Although the title is surely meant to reflect our feelings for the character of Charlotte, whom it seemed was destined to become an old maid in the eyes of Delia, Wharton uses the character of Charlotte as does Delia, to tell a story of a woman who gets a second chance and does everything in her power not to mess it up.
In the old New York of the 'fifties a few families ruled, in simplicity and affluence. Of these were the Ralstons.
In these two simple sentences Wharton, in such a subtle manner, starts to weave the story of Delia. Wharton introduces us first to the ruling families of New York and namely the Ralstons, and their crusty conservative lifestyle. As she does this she draws us in unconsciously to their world so that, by the time we meet Delia we accept the ideals of the "Race" just as much as she does. Without much notice she plants the seeds for a plot that is very devious in nature by way of the tremor of a muted keyboard.
Delia is at first introduced as a woman that has it all; a beautiful, rich, well established mother of two. She goes about her life accepting her place in the society of old New York. To me she was just another housewife that missed out on love. Because of this in my first reading I was drawn into the story of Charlotte Lovell. Charlotte Lovell's is a sad story. Wharton could not ...
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...elia into the adoption of Tina. While speaking with Dr. Lanskell Delia learns that Jim knew all about Tina's birth and her eyes are filled with painful tears, realizing that she killed him and he knew. And after this realization Delia leaves Tina with the instructions to give the last kiss to Aunt Charlotte, perhaps realizing the wrong she has put on her cousin.
This was not my original topic to write on, but I could not help but entertain these ideas after going over my original paper I decided to go with this idea. It seems that every page in the book I could read into this but will end here. Although I may have read way to deep into this plot I believe that Delia, in this way is a wonderfully crafted character. Wharton, in my opinion is very much overlooked and I am glad to have been introduced to her here and hope to pass her writings on in the future.
The objectification and submission of Delia by Uncle Nathan is demonstrated when Uncle Nathan’s misconceptions lead him to wonder why Delia isn’t married when she introduces herself as “Delia Sykes” (6). He later continues to say that he “wonder[s] why she [didn’t] [introduce] herself as Mrs. Sykes” while in that time the “girls didn’t do that” (6). This example of objectification and submission highlights how women are seen as property in which they must allow
Throughout “Ethan Frome,” Edith Wharton renders the idea that freedom is just out of reach from the protagonist, Ethan Frome. The presence of a doomed love affair and an unforgiving love triangle forces Ethan to choose between his duty and his personal desire. Wharton’s use of archetypes in the novella emphasizes how Ethan will make choices that will ultimately lead to his downfall. In Edith Wharton’s, “Ethan Frome.” Ethan is wedged between his duty as a husband and his desire for happiness; however, rather than choosing one or the other, Ethan’s indecisiveness makes not only himself, but Mattie and Zeena miserable.
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (Hallström et al, 1993) is an emotional movie about a family who lives in a small town. Gilbert takes care of his younger brother, Arnie, who is mentally challenged. Gilbert’s mother, Bonnie, is obese; so his older sister, Amy, has taken over caring for the house and his younger sister, Ellen. Gilbert has a few friends in town, but things start to change when a new girl named Becky arrives.
...e relationship with men, as nothing but tools she can sharpen and destroy, lives through lust and an uncanny ability to blend into any social class makes her unique. Her character is proven as an unreliable narrator as she exaggerates parts of the story and tries to explain that she is in fact not guilty of being a mistress, but a person caught in a crossfire between two others.
The setting of a novel aids in the portrayal of the central theme of the work. Without a specific place and social environment, the characters are just there, with no reason behind any of their actions. The Age of Influence centers around the Old New York society during the 1870’s. Most of the characters are wealthy upper class citizens with a strict code to follow. The protagonist, Newland Archer, lives in a constant state of fear of being excluded from society for his actions. Archer’s character is affected by standard New York conventions as well as the pressure to uphold his place in society, both of which add to Wharton’s theme of dissatisfaction.
Part of the development of a human being involves acquiring the ability to classify good and evil as well as distinguishing right from wrong. It has become an inherent trait that is invariably used in our everyday lives. In John Gardner’s novel, Grendel, the main character, Grendel, seeks to find the meaning of life. Through his journey, a depiction of the forces of good and evil is revealed. Aside from being a novel about the search for the meaning of life, Grendel also suggest society’s good and evil have a meaningful and imbalanced relationship where good prevails evil yet facing evil is still critical.
Eliza Wharton has sinned. She has also seduced, deceived, loved, and been had. With The Coquette Hannah Webster Foster uses Eliza as an allegory, the archetype of a woman gone wrong. To a twentieth century reader Eliza's fate seems over-dramatized, pathetic, perhaps even silly. She loved a man but circumstance dissuaded their marriage and forced them to establish a guilt-laden, whirlwind of a tryst that destroyed both of their lives. A twentieth century reader may have championed Sanford's divorce, she may have championed the affair, she may have championed Eliza's acceptance of Boyer's proposal. She may have thrown the book angrily at the floor, disgraced by the picture of ineffectual, trapped, female characters.
...eristics of feminism but did not fully grasp them. They act as a perfect representation of women in the Middle Ages to Scholasticism period that went through social suppression by enlightening readers of the men’s misconduct against them. These two women started a movement that changed the course of history for humankind, even for being fictional and nonfictional pieces.
Edith Wharton was the author of The Age of Innocence, a novel published in 1920. In the book, many topics were considered, such as divorce, the empowerment of women, and the lifestyle of the wealthy. The inspiration for these motifs occurred throughout her life. Although Edith Wharton’s work was not well-received, the topics included in her writings held many truths about upper-class society in the late 1800s; therefore, Edith Wharton was influenced by her past and societal experiences.
...g around the world on a daily basis. In 1960 interracial marriage was illegal in many states and made up less than one percent of marriages. In 2010 more than eight percent of all marriages were interracial. Another example of a changing society is the integration of schools and the workplace of America, for more than forty years it has been illegal to segregate schools and have an all-white workforce, thanks to acts like Affirmative Action.
Like Alice, who divorced was twice. Another example of how Edith and this particular story is compares to her life is Alice’s daughter is sick with typhoid and when Edith was 10 she suffered from typhoid fever and almost died. Also like Lily and most children her age Edith Wharton also had a governess. Wharton’s main concept in the story was the theme of divorce and survival of the fittest. By having the other two men being around the current marriage and dealing with some of struggles of divorced and being able to survive New York’s
Lasse Hallstrom has directed several outstanding films, one of them being What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. The movie follows Gilbert’s life experiences and what’s ‘eating’ him up. Gilbert and his family live in the town of Endora, Iowa. The movie supposedly takes place in the late 80’s and early 90’s. Gilbert is in his early 20’s but has more burdens than any 20 year old should have. Whether it’s his mentally challenged brother, handicapped mother, desire for freedom et cetera, Gilbert is slowly getting ‘eaten up’ on the inside.
Microbial decomposition releases nutrients into the environment that are needed by other organisms. Microbes are also involved in the cycling of many other important compounds in — and between — ecosystems, including oxygen, carbon and nitrogen. Many microbes use the energy of sunlight to convert carbon dioxide to oxygen, which we need to breathe. As they do this, they create new organic material — themselves — which are then eaten by other organisms. In this way, the cycling of nutrients and energy
Composting is the process of biodegrading the waste material in which an enormous number of materials like hydrocarbons, nitrogenous compounds, acids, their derivatives and even other organic and inorganic substances can be remediated from the environment (Finstein et al., 1986). Compost pro...
The tradition of women taking a husband’s last name is fairly new. This tradition arose in the 1970’s. Before the 1970’s, women were referred to as the mistress of the said husband. This was due to the fact that it was assumed that the husband would take care of finance and business. Although, about 50 to 90 years ago, women became upset with being treated as property. Due to this, they began taking their husband’s last name, this didn’t come into play until the 1970’s though. I believe women should take their husband’s last name. When a woman doesn’t take the husband’s last name, her usual argument is because it strips her personal identity. This argument is not true. I believe women should take the husband’s last name because it shows a connection to family, it’s less confusing for children, it shows unity, there are less misunderstandings and business transactions are generally easier.