Week One: "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan
https://olsen-classpage.wikispaces.com/file/view/TwoKindsfulltext.pdf
The most prominent themes in "Two Kinds" include the idea of the American Dream, along with the challenges of a mother-daughter relationship. Ni Kan's mother immigrated to America from China, and she strongly believed that she would make her daughter a child prodigy, because anything was possible in America. Throughout the story, Ni Kan struggled to find a common ground between her and her mother and with finding herself as a person. Ni Kan was angered that her mom always wanted more from her, and she felt like she was never good enough. She kept these emotions to herself, eventually resulting in telling her mother that she wished she had never been born.
When Ni Kan became an adult, her mother died, which brought her back to her challenges as a child. Going through her mother's things, she revisited these challenges as her self-discovery. "And after that, every time I saw it in my parents' living room, standing in front of the bay window, it made me feel proud, as if it were a shiny trophy that I had won back" (Tan). Ni Kan realized that her mother did truly love her for who she was, and although she hadn't become a child prodigy, her mother was still proud of her. She simply wanted the best for her, and wanted her to be as successful as she could. Her mother wanted her to have the opportunities that she didn't have growing up in China.
Looking at her piano again, she found two pieces of music. One is called "Pleading Child" and the other, one that she had never noticed, is called "Perfectly Contented." She realized that together, they have a meaning and that they fit together. "And after I had played them both a few times, I realized they were two halves of the same song" (Tan). They are symbolizing her relationship with her mother and the struggles they encountered. Between them, there were many barriers including age, culture, and dreams, which made it difficult for the two to find a balance between what her mother wanted, versus what Ni Kan wanted for herself. As common with many parent-child relationships, it took Ni Kan growing up and even losing her mother to fully understand and appreciate what her mom did for her.
https://olsen-classpage.wikispaces.com/file/view/TwoKindsfulltext.pdf
The most prominent themes in "Two Kinds" include the idea of the American Dream, along with the challenges of a mother-daughter relationship. Ni Kan's mother immigrated to America from China, and she strongly believed that she would make her daughter a child prodigy, because anything was possible in America. Throughout the story, Ni Kan struggled to find a common ground between her and her mother and with finding herself as a person. Ni Kan was angered that her mom always wanted more from her, and she felt like she was never good enough. She kept these emotions to herself, eventually resulting in telling her mother that she wished she had never been born.
When Ni Kan became an adult, her mother died, which brought her back to her challenges as a child. Going through her mother's things, she revisited these challenges as her self-discovery. "And after that, every time I saw it in my parents' living room, standing in front of the bay window, it made me feel proud, as if it were a shiny trophy that I had won back" (Tan). Ni Kan realized that her mother did truly love her for who she was, and although she hadn't become a child prodigy, her mother was still proud of her. She simply wanted the best for her, and wanted her to be as successful as she could. Her mother wanted her to have the opportunities that she didn't have growing up in China.
Looking at her piano again, she found two pieces of music. One is called "Pleading Child" and the other, one that she had never noticed, is called "Perfectly Contented." She realized that together, they have a meaning and that they fit together. "And after I had played them both a few times, I realized they were two halves of the same song" (Tan). They are symbolizing her relationship with her mother and the struggles they encountered. Between them, there were many barriers including age, culture, and dreams, which made it difficult for the two to find a balance between what her mother wanted, versus what Ni Kan wanted for herself. As common with many parent-child relationships, it took Ni Kan growing up and even losing her mother to fully understand and appreciate what her mom did for her.
Week Two: "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway
http://www.mrbauld.com/hemclean.html
In "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," Hemingway uses light and shadows enrich his theme of life and death. The lonely old man in the bar sits in "the shadow of the leaves of the tree." This metaphor is used more than once, and illustrates that the old man is in the purgatory of his life. In contrast, Hemmingway uses light when describing the girl in the soldier in the street. The street light shines on them and the girl wears no head covering. This shows the idea of youth and symbolizes that they are still in the beginning of their lives. The lack of the girl's head covering could symbolize her openness to the world, while the old man's deafness may symbolize his separation from the world.
The older waiter and the old man both find importance in the clean, well lighted café because it helps them avoid the darkness, or depression in their lives. They have both accepted death with dignity. When the old man leaves the café, he walks "unsteadily but with dignity." The old man is also described as clean. This shows that he has accepted that he is near the end of his life and is trying to avoid the existential depression that comes with this. The unhurried waiter also accepts that loneliness, old age, and death is unavoidable and will eventually happen to everyone. He appreciates the old man, unlike the young waiter, who describes him as nasty and says that the old man should've killed himself. The younger waiter is in denial of aging. He is in a rush to get home, and to this, the older waiter asks him "you have no fear of going home before your usual hour?" (Hemmingway). He isn't simply asking him about going home, he is actually asking about death. The older waiter knows that soon he will be in the same position as the old man, so he wants to help him. "Each night I am reluctant to close up because there may be some one who needs the café" (Hemmingway). The café symbolizes a safe, positive place to avoid or cope with existential depression. The older waiter says that you cannot stand at a bar with dignity. This is showing that a dark place only adds to the depression, which is why a clean, well lighted place is necessary.
The idea of "nada" is also a main theme in this short story. It is a very depressing and dark thought, but Hemmingway conveys it in a more positive way. In a simple way he is telling readers that life is somewhat of a nothingness, but you must accept that and simply live your life in the light. This is especially conveyed in the paragraph where the old waiter recites the Lord's Prayer in a mocking way. "Our nada who art in nada, nada by thy name...." (Hemmingway). After reciting this, he still smiles. He has accepted life and death and has chosen to live on with acceptance and dignity, just as the old man has.
In "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place," Hemingway uses light and shadows enrich his theme of life and death. The lonely old man in the bar sits in "the shadow of the leaves of the tree." This metaphor is used more than once, and illustrates that the old man is in the purgatory of his life. In contrast, Hemmingway uses light when describing the girl in the soldier in the street. The street light shines on them and the girl wears no head covering. This shows the idea of youth and symbolizes that they are still in the beginning of their lives. The lack of the girl's head covering could symbolize her openness to the world, while the old man's deafness may symbolize his separation from the world.
The older waiter and the old man both find importance in the clean, well lighted café because it helps them avoid the darkness, or depression in their lives. They have both accepted death with dignity. When the old man leaves the café, he walks "unsteadily but with dignity." The old man is also described as clean. This shows that he has accepted that he is near the end of his life and is trying to avoid the existential depression that comes with this. The unhurried waiter also accepts that loneliness, old age, and death is unavoidable and will eventually happen to everyone. He appreciates the old man, unlike the young waiter, who describes him as nasty and says that the old man should've killed himself. The younger waiter is in denial of aging. He is in a rush to get home, and to this, the older waiter asks him "you have no fear of going home before your usual hour?" (Hemmingway). He isn't simply asking him about going home, he is actually asking about death. The older waiter knows that soon he will be in the same position as the old man, so he wants to help him. "Each night I am reluctant to close up because there may be some one who needs the café" (Hemmingway). The café symbolizes a safe, positive place to avoid or cope with existential depression. The older waiter says that you cannot stand at a bar with dignity. This is showing that a dark place only adds to the depression, which is why a clean, well lighted place is necessary.
The idea of "nada" is also a main theme in this short story. It is a very depressing and dark thought, but Hemmingway conveys it in a more positive way. In a simple way he is telling readers that life is somewhat of a nothingness, but you must accept that and simply live your life in the light. This is especially conveyed in the paragraph where the old waiter recites the Lord's Prayer in a mocking way. "Our nada who art in nada, nada by thy name...." (Hemmingway). After reciting this, he still smiles. He has accepted life and death and has chosen to live on with acceptance and dignity, just as the old man has.
Week Three: "The Chrysanthemums" by John Steinbeck
http://nbu.bg/webs/amb/american/4/steinbeck/chrysanthemums.htm
Similar to Steinbeck's other writings, in the "Chrysanthemums" he uses a patriarchal society and depicts women in an unimportant, degrading way. The main character, Elisa is in a marriage where she is unappreciated, looked down on, and is ignored of intimacy. Steinbeck demonstrates this by symbolism and the use of the chrysanthemums. These symbolize and help illustrate Elisa and how she feels about being a woman. She even directly compares herself with the flowers, saying that she becomes one with the plant.Elisa cares greatly for her beautiful chrysanthemums, but her husband doesn't appreciate them. Thus, he doesn't appreciate her. "I wish you'd work out in the orchard and raise some apples that big" (Steinbeck). Elisa is immediately angry at this rude comment from her husband because of his lack of affection.
When she is gardening in the beginning, Steinbeck repeatedly has Elisa looking over at the men and watching them. She is obviously wistful and curious about their lives. She wears men's clothing while gardening. The hat, shoes, apron, and gloves symbolize Elisa's femininity. When she wears them, she is trying to hide her femininity because she is ashamed. When she begins to take off them off, she begins to feel like a brave, strong-headed woman. When the man from the road begins to talk to Elisa, she feels excited about being noticed by a male. She quickly takes of her gloves and tries to fix her hair. She gets even more excited when the man notices her flowers. She immediately feels much more important and appreciated, and takes off her hat completely, revealing her pretty dark hair. This is symbolizing Elisa's transformation back into a woman. Soon, she begins to flirt with the man because she is looking for the attention she lacks from her husband. "She was kneeling on the ground looking up at him. Her breast swelled passionately" (Steinbeck). The man becomes uncomfortable but Elisa continues on, now describing the night sky in a very passionate, sexual way. "Why, you rise up and up! Every pointed star gets driven into your body. It's like that. Hot and sharp and--lovely" (Steinbeck). As soon as the man leaves, Elisa goes inside and fixes herself up and puts on the nicest dress she owns. She spends time looking at herself in the mirror, and realizes how pretty she is. She seems happy to be a woman and gains bravery and strength to stand up for herself.
Elisa quickly becomes frustrated again when her husband describes her as nice and strong. "I'm strong. I never knew before how strong" (Steinbeck). On the way into town, Elisa realizes again that it is unrealistic to hope for a more equal marriage or society and that she will never be treated as an equal, regardless of how hard she works or what she does. "She turned up her coat collar so he could not see that she was crying weekly--like an old woman" (Steinbeck). This shows the transformation back into her character where as a woman feels powerless, unappreciated, and cowardly.
Week Four: "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1952/1952-h/1952-h.htm
This short story is written as a journal by the narrator herself. This is an example of an epistolary perspective, because it is in the form of letters between characters (in this case she is writing to herself). Gilman uses this point of view because it gives readers an intimate understanding of what’s going on in the narrator’s mind. This is important because everyone else in the story lacks this knowledge- a cause of not allowing her to express herself. If Gilman had used another type of perspective, the understanding of the woman’s mind would not be so clear. The woman inside the wallpaper may be confusing or appear to actually be real. Readers would not get the full effect of the story’s symbolism of social and political norms of this time era.
The journal leads readers through the path of her decent into madness. The narrator isn’t allowed to freely express herself and she is repressed from all freedoms. She is treated as a child by everyone around her (ironically she is placed in a “nursery” to recover) and is forced to ignore her thoughts and her depression. Her journal represents the need for freedom and self-expression, and because she is not allowed to write, she is withheld from that need. This repression leads her into her eventual insanity. This shows Gilman’s beliefs of the importance of self-expression, and also connects to the story’s theme of the treatment of women in the 19th century.
Woman were treated as second class citizens and were domestic in marriages. In "The Yellow Wallpaper", the narrator is controlled by her husband, John. She has no choices and isn't treated as an equal adult. She feels trapped in this type of society and feels unable to escape. This is symbolized by the wallpaper, which the narrator eventually sees as bars with a woman behind it.
Week Five: "The Signal-Man" by Charles Dickens
https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/d/dickens/charles/d54sm/index.html
This eerie and mysterious short story is about a signalman who spends his days alone and sees a recurring phantom. This supernatural theme is common in Dickens’ writings. The signalman doesn’t have anyone to talk with, so when the narrator comes to visit, he is at first very skeptical. We learn that he at first thinks that the man is a ghost. They get to know each other, and the narrator feels sorry for the signalman because of his daily loneliness, helplessness, anxiety, and the desire for someone to talk to. As similar with “The Yellow Wallpaper” and The Awakening, the signalman has mental issues. In these times, mental problems were not taken seriously and there were no correct treatments to help them. All 3 characters of this story all feel alone and don’t have the freedom or ability to talk to others about their issues. Although Edna enjoyed being alone and independent, her solitude lead to her suicide. The same holds to the other 2 stories, including “The Signalman.”
This theme is recurring in Dickens’ other stories. A number of his characters are lured to their own death. Some of them commit suicide, but there are others who are drawn towards something which will destroy them. The exact cause of the signalman is not completely clear, it could have been a suicide, or it could’ve been that he was lured to his death by the phantom. Either reason is ultimately caused by the signalman’s lack of connection to society and other people. The suicide by the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” and by Edna are also caused by this. Being women in their society, they had no power (the signalman didn’t have any power either), and since they were not considered “normal” they also had a lack of connection to those around them. In summary, all of these characters share qualities of abnormalities, solitude, depression, a lack of power, and helplessness.
The journal leads readers through the path of her decent into madness. The narrator isn’t allowed to freely express herself and she is repressed from all freedoms. She is treated as a child by everyone around her (ironically she is placed in a “nursery” to recover) and is forced to ignore her thoughts and her depression. Her journal represents the need for freedom and self-expression, and because she is not allowed to write, she is withheld from that need. This repression leads her into her eventual insanity. This shows Gilman’s beliefs of the importance of self-expression, and also connects to the story’s theme of the treatment of women in the 19th century.
Woman were treated as second class citizens and were domestic in marriages. In "The Yellow Wallpaper", the narrator is controlled by her husband, John. She has no choices and isn't treated as an equal adult. She feels trapped in this type of society and feels unable to escape. This is symbolized by the wallpaper, which the narrator eventually sees as bars with a woman behind it.
Week Five: "The Signal-Man" by Charles Dickens
https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/d/dickens/charles/d54sm/index.html
This eerie and mysterious short story is about a signalman who spends his days alone and sees a recurring phantom. This supernatural theme is common in Dickens’ writings. The signalman doesn’t have anyone to talk with, so when the narrator comes to visit, he is at first very skeptical. We learn that he at first thinks that the man is a ghost. They get to know each other, and the narrator feels sorry for the signalman because of his daily loneliness, helplessness, anxiety, and the desire for someone to talk to. As similar with “The Yellow Wallpaper” and The Awakening, the signalman has mental issues. In these times, mental problems were not taken seriously and there were no correct treatments to help them. All 3 characters of this story all feel alone and don’t have the freedom or ability to talk to others about their issues. Although Edna enjoyed being alone and independent, her solitude lead to her suicide. The same holds to the other 2 stories, including “The Signalman.”
This theme is recurring in Dickens’ other stories. A number of his characters are lured to their own death. Some of them commit suicide, but there are others who are drawn towards something which will destroy them. The exact cause of the signalman is not completely clear, it could have been a suicide, or it could’ve been that he was lured to his death by the phantom. Either reason is ultimately caused by the signalman’s lack of connection to society and other people. The suicide by the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” and by Edna are also caused by this. Being women in their society, they had no power (the signalman didn’t have any power either), and since they were not considered “normal” they also had a lack of connection to those around them. In summary, all of these characters share qualities of abnormalities, solitude, depression, a lack of power, and helplessness.