Trace Motif in Thousand Cranes In the book Thousand Cranes there are plenty of motifs. One motif is Chikako’s poison. She is a person who loves to meddle in people’s lives. Chikako had an affair with Kikuji’s father and now that he is dead she starts to interfere with Kikuji’s life. Chikako uses manipulation to get what she wants even if it destroys people’s lives. This meddling that she does is her poison. Chikako has a huge ugly birthmark on her breast and this is the source of all of her bitterness and poison. “Chikako unmarried because of the birthmark.”(Page 5). She believes that she can not get married because of the ugly birthmark and no one will ever love her. The only the man that ever gave her any attention was Kikuji’s father, which at that time he had a wife and another mistress. This adds to Chikako’s bitterness, which in result sets her to destroy the lives of the people involved in her life. She believes that if she couldn’t love then no one else would. Chikako begins by going after Mrs. Ota, the other mistress of Kikuji’s father, because she was jealous of the relationship that she was having with Kikuji’s father. Chikako would start rumors about Mrs. Ota and tell them to Kikuji because she knew of his affair with Mrs. Ota. “You must be careful with her. So meek and gentle-she always manages to make it look as if she could do no one the least harm. But you can never tell what she’s thinking” (Page 22-23). Chikako is trying to destroy Mrs. Ota and Kikuji’s...
Near the beginning of the novel, Fusako moves back to her parents’ home, bringing her two children with her. She left Aihara because he was not a good spouse and their marriage was very defective. It is suggested in the novel that Aihara may have been abusive. Shingo also reveals information that Aihara started peddling drugs. After discovering that Aihara attempted to commit suicide, Fusako and Aihara officially get divorced. Often times, Fusako gets angry with Shingo for letting her marry someone like Aihara. In one argument, Fusako tells Shingo how her husband was a mess and therefore she is mess. She then states “if you didn’t want it that way, then it would have been a very good idea for you to look into things before you married me off” (Kawabata 134). This shows that Shingo was not successful in setting up a sturdy marriage for his daughter and that causes tension between them, which has a negative effect on the entire family. Fusako’s separation also has a powerful on Shingo because he now has to provide for her again. Yasuko tells Shingo that she notices his “‘scowling face when she comes back and you have to take care of her and those two children’” (46). In addition, Shingo believes that the divorce will affect his family’s reputation. Furthermore, the separation has a negative effect on Fusako’s children. One passage explains that
After all the hardships Tai and Chiko have endured in camp, Tai calls Chiko his “ko”. In Burmese, “ko” means “elder brother” and is a word used only for either biological brothers or people who are very close. The way the author uses “ko” is a much more powerful way to describe the relationship that Tai and Chiko now have. In the very last paragraph of the chapter the author writes, “I flick him [Tai] lightly on the skull… like it’s the most important job in the world” (Perkins 108). By the way the two now interact with each other, a sense of lightheartedness and home like feeling is added to the atmosphere. Both of the boys miss their families greatly, but they were able to find new “family” through meeting each other in camp and friendship. Though this is very touching, I predict that this event is only foreshadowing a bleaker future for the two. Earlier in the novel when the boys first entered the training camp, Chiko referred to Tai as an “uneducated boy” (Perkins 73). It amazes me to see how much the characters can be transformed from trials and tribulations. Furthermore, I find it interesting how Perkins uses just this simple word, “ko,” to convey the lesson, “adversity shapes who we are.” Neither Chiko nor Tai predicted that they would find a “brother” in such a harsh place. Near the end of chapter twenty-two, Tai says that he has “never had a brother before” and “who knew [that] I’d [Tai] would find one here of all places.” (Perkins 108). Being sent to the training camp allowed the two to meet. Through the two meeting, Tai learns how to read and write, and Chiko gains the confidence and mental strength he always wished he
In the short story The Birth-mark, Aylmer: scientist, philosopher and perfectionist, is married to Georgiana, a woman of unthinkable beauty and possibly the closest woman to ever reach perfection. However, the tiny hand shaped mark that lay on the surface of her cheek aggravates Aylmer and he thinks day and night of how he may get rid of it in order to help Georgiana reach the perfection that he longs for. The actions that he proceeds to take, prove that he is indeed the villain and the one to blame for Georgiana’s death. He does so by tearing her down with crude words, making Georgiana feel insecure and self-conscious about her outward appearance as well as keeping his failed experiments a secret to her.
... by it. This is symbolic of her marriage which started out as happy and desirable and in such a short time she doubts her love for him and starts to see him as undesirable and animal-like. Women are afraid not to submit to the male species in fear of losing what they have and not being able to make it on their own.
that leaves the successes of his laboratory to find the perfect wife. His pursuit finds her and blindly he does not take notice any of nature?s flaws that Georgiana has. However, Aylmer ideology of perfection consumes him once he discovers the birthmark. All of his attention is on this small mark that is unchanged when there is a shift in her emotions. His next question gives foresight into the depths of Aylmer?s pursuit to rid this small imperfection. Aylmer asks Georgian, his wife, "has it never occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed?" He continues to say the mark makes her imperfect: ?No, dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature that this slightest possible defect, which we hesitate whether to term a defect or a beauty, shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly
Georgiana is a fine wife, and a seemingly beautiful one, too. Aylmer expresses deep affection towards his wife, but it is hinted from the beginning that his two passions in life will eventually have to come in conflict. The meaning of the birthmark shifts suddenly in the end, but in the beginning, it is viewed as Georgiana’s ability to be imperfect and to sin. It is in the shape of a human hand because an angel supposedly has a grip on her, linking her to the other world. That is most men’s reactions, but some women viewed it as disastrous to her beauty. Although Aylmer is not initially concerned with it, it eventually gets to him, obsessively occupying himself with it. He would stare at it whenever he had a chance, and tried to be candid about it. When it became apparent that Aylmer was quite concerned with this, Georgiana asked him to elaborate. He was more disgusted by the mark than Georgiana assessed. Her most significant reply to him was “You cannot love what shocks you!”
... of warning very early on, even before this story begins, but it is not acknowledged until Aylmer exploits it: “It was the fatal flaw of humanity which Nature, in one shape or another, stamps ineffaceably on all her productions, either to imply that they are temporary and finite, or that their perfection must be wrought by toil and pain” (213). This excerpt is foreshadowing at how Aylmer’s plan will ultimately end. By placing this birthmark upon Georgiana’s cheek, Nature is establishing her power of human nature and stating the message that no one in this world is perfect because it is her wish. Everyone will have some flaw associated to them and the only way to undo it is to endure the negative consequences that come along with it. Aylmer sees the birthmark as competition for power, started by Nature, while Nature uses the birthmark as sort of a taunting mechanism.
In the 'Birthmark';, a story that is more than a century old Georgiana and her husband Alymar are searching for physical perfection, much like we do today. In addition they manifested their obsession with physical perfection much like we do today. Georgiana was born with a crimson birthmark in the shape of a hand. This birthmark was on her cheek. One day Georgiana discovers that this birthmark 'shocks'; her husband and he is deeply bothered by it. Georgiana finally realizes this after Alymar says 'Georgiana . . . has it ever occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed?'; After discussing the birthmark several times with her husband, a talented scientist, Georgiana decides to have it removed by him. It is never stated in full detail exactly how Alymar is going to remove this birthmark, we assume that it will be a surgical procedure. At one point in the story Georgina says to her husband 'If there be the remote possibility of it .
...past lives any longer. Perhaps she felt the need to attempt to marry Kim in order to see if she had cleansed her past lives as thoroughly as she had hoped. In the book, if it is not one's turn to die, Heaven will prevent it. Kieu at one point tries to kill herself, but she is healed and thanks Heaven for restoring her. The importance of this is that she was not allowed to die. All things, even death, were up to the will of Heaven. Thus, had Kieu's past lives not been redeemed, she may not have been allowed to marry Kim Trong. Heaven may have prevented it as a sign that her work was not done.
In the novel the Chi is a powerful spirit that determines a man's lot in life. One such instance is when Okonkwo was disbanded from his home for a Feminine murder; Clearly his personal god or Chi was not made for great things. A man could not rise above the destiny of his Chi.
In Romeo and Juliet, poison very often represents death. One example of where images of poison represent death occurs after Juliet receives a potion from Friar Lawrence that is supposed to put her to sleep for forty-two hours. Before she takes it, she expresses a portentous doubt about her trust in the cunning Friar's plan. She worries about the possibility of this potion actually being a pernicious poison, which could lead to her untimely death. She shows her misgivings when she states, "What if it be a poison which the friar Subtly hath minist'red to have me dead" (4.4. 24-25). Another illustration of imagery where poison symbolizes death is when Romeo goes to the Apothecary. After hearing news of Juliet's "death," Romeo talks of procuring poison to wreak death upon himself. He says, "A dram of poison... That the life-weary taker may fall dead" (5.2. 60-62). Finally, images of poison are used to represent death when Romeo is found dead by Juliet. When Juliet awakes from her sleep and realizes Romeo has died, she discerns that poison has been the cause. This is evident as she states, "Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end" (5.3. 162). In this passage, images of poison represent a weapon for death. Images of poison that represent death play a major role in Shakespeare's play.
Many people today feel like their faces are hideous, and the same can be said for Georgina from “The Birthmark”. Almost any- physical attribute can be considered ugly to oneself, and to others, depending on what the others
The In story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne he begins by introducing the main character whose name is Aylmer. Aylmer s a brilliant scientist and natural philosopher who has left behind his experiments to marry beautiful Georgiana. We are told Georgiana is blessed with a birthmark upon her face. The narrator explains that the birthmark on her cheek is a red mark in the shape of a tiny hand on her left cheek. The mark disappears when she blushes; male admirers love the birthmark, and would do anything just to kiss it.
At the beginning of the story, Georgiana is a confident young woman who is admired by many suitors. Unbeknown to her, she marries a man who feels that the mark on her cheek is a fatal flaw and ruins her beauty as a whole. This flagrant emotional abuse causes turmoil for Georgiana that would never have surfaced if not for her husband Aylmer. One night, Aylmer states to his wife, “You came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature that this slightest possible defect shocks me as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection” (Hunter, 213). This first suggestion that her birthmark was a flaw began a spiral of insecurity. After learning of her husband 's disgust with her face, Georgiana, a girl considered the most beautiful
According to Okonkwo, his fathers’ characteristics were considered feminine, he believes that no man should ever hold such qualities. Therefore, Okonkwo decides never to be like his father and does anything in his power to avoid it from happening. Once Okonkwo makes that decision, the