A Cover Story

In the end of “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” the old waiter is making sense of the way he feels. He blankets his problem with the idea that it’s just insomnia, something plenty of people have, and there is no major problem. I don’t believe the old waiter is having an epiphany, On page 345, “Now, without thinking further, he would go home to his room. He would lie in the bed and finally, with daylight, he would go to sleep.” I believe that this is his everyday routine, and that his thought process isn’t anything new. Everyday he goes through this struggle of not being able to sleep. This insomnia is a superficial problem that covers a deeper, more serious problem. The old waiter has trouble dealing with his life where he feels doesn’t have much meaning. Insomnia is a cover story for the old waiters much more real issue, depression.

Society, a Box We Live In

            Our lives are defined by society. We change our schedules for it, what we wear, and how we do things. As a human we are shaped by it, and as humans we shape it. It is nearly impossible to escape this box that is society, and it was no different for Elisa, Paul and Sarty.

            Paul knew he would never live up to his father’s expectations or societies. This fact ultimately led to his depression and suicide. He knew there was no escaping society, so he felt his only out was death. In Paul’s Case on page 274 we see his alienation,” Until now he could not remember the time when he had not been dreading something. Even when he was a little boy it was always there—behind him, or before, or on either side. There had always been the shadowed corner, the dark place into which he dared not look, but from which something seemed always to be watching him—and Paul had done things that were not pretty to watch, he knew.” Paul’s “shadow” is his homosexuality, and knowing that society wouldn’t except it he couldn’t either.

            Elisa was a strong worker who had a knack for growing plants. Yet, she felt she was never useful for anything other than planting Chrysanthemums. On page 359 in “Chrysanthemums” we see her last attempt to break out of her role in society as housewife, “Do any women ever go to the fights?” she asked. Oh, sure, some. What’s the matter, elisa? Do you want to go? I don’t think you’d like it, but I’ll take you if you really want to go.” She relaxed limply in the seat. “Oh, no. No. I don’t want to go. I’m sure I don’t.” From that point on, Elisa knew she would escape from her predetermined role in society. She believed that no one truly cared for her.

            Sarty was very afraid of his father, who beat him. His family was all he ever knew, and a life of crime was habit. It is obvious on page 337 in “Barn Burning” “Then he was moving, running, outside the house, toward the stable: this the old habit, the old blood which he had not been permitted to choose for himself, which had been bequeathed him willy nilly and which had run for so long…” This is something Sarty did many times before, so much in fact that it became as mundane as getting dressed in the morning. Since it was all he ever knew, it didn’t seem wrong. In the end, Sarty saw what his family was doing was wrong, and escaped from that lifestyle.

Fitting The Mold

            In both Cather’s and Steinbeck’s stories, the main characters are trying to run from their lives. They are tired of their monotonous lives and they feel they don’t fit into their designated “roles” and expectations society puts on them. In Paul’s case, he knew he couldn’t live up to his father’s expectations and couldn’t fit the idea of a teenage boy by societies eyes. In Elisa’s case, she doesn’t like her life of a housewife, someone who plants flowers every day. She feels she is a very strong woman and that she shouldn’t be confined to the role “society” gives her. At the end of the story, Elisa asks her husband whether or not women participate in the “fights”. This is her attempt to change her lifestyle.

            Ultimately, both attempts to change their lives fail. Elisa rationalizes her thought of fighting as crazy, and has happiness in the fact that she will drink wine at dinner that night. In Paul’s case, he still feels excluded even though he tried his dream lifestyle of an affluent New York life.

            Cather and Steinbeck are trying to tell us that there will be outsiders in society, and not all will “fit the mold”.

Paul's Case

             In Willa Cather’s “Paul’s Case”, a big concept is running away. In the context of the story, Paul is running away from the society in which he doesn’t believe his made for or fits in to. In school, he doesn’t pay attention and does not care about his work. His teachers think so little of his character that they feel ashamed by their dislike of Paul. Paul doesn’t have the interests of other kids in his school, so he doesn’t feel apart of society. Paul loves the Carnegie Hall and the ambience of higher class living, a love that most other teens don’t share. Paul is also different than most in regards to sexuality, as homosexuality was frowned upon in that time. He doesn’t feel he can express his feelings freely in his monotonous middle class life.

            This attempt to run away by Paul eventually fails to succeed. Paul runs away to New York to experience affluence and upper class living, but finds it doesn’t satisfy him. In the end, Paul feels the only way to escape society is to end his life entirely, and he kills himself.

The Yellow Wall-Paper

The Narrator does not rebel in a traditional manner. She doesn’t have a clear objective that she wants to achieve and she likes her husband. The narrator rebels from her husband’s point of view and close mindedness to do as she pleases and believe what she pleases.

The narrator has anxiety and depression, something John(her husband) explains as “a slight hysterical tendency.” The husband John is a physician and is described on page 186 as, “John is practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of things not to be felt and seen and put down in figures.” The wife believes that since John says that there is nothing wrong with her there is nothing she can do but be quiet and suffer in silence. The narrator believes that the wallpaper has something to do with her suffering, so she tears it without her husband knowing. The narrator’s rebellion is a separation from the views of her husband.

Everyone was Happy

Kate Chopin 's "The Storm"is an unique story on the idea that one must bear their marriage, and sometimes not knowing is better than knowing. The quote on page 146, "As for Clarisse, she was charmed upon receiving her husband's letter. She and the babies were doing well. The society was agreeable; many of her old friends and acquaintances were at the bay. And the first free breath since her marriage seemed to restore the pleasant liberty of her maiden days. Devoted as she was to her husband, their intimate conjugal life was something which she was more than willing to forego for a while. So the storm passed and everyone was happy." It is apparent in this passage that marriage can be something you must bear, and a separation from that can cause happiness and a sense of freedom. Calixta and Alcee were happy to have the freedom to be with another spouse, and Clarisse was relieved to hear her Alcee's letter that he was staying longer. Kate Chopin is telling us that sometimes freedom is not held in a marriage

All Just a Facade

The Monarchs were stiff aristocrats and the narrator was a lower class than the couple. Yet, the Monarch’s were the one’s in need of the painter while the Monarchs ended up being no use for the narrator. As Henry James’ “The Real Thing” progressed, the narrator’s views on the Monarchs changed.

In the opening scene, the narrator judges the couple bases purely on appearance, as they looked wealthy. He believes that they have been recommended to him to have a portrait drawn of them, but in fact they are looking to exhibit their services as models. Not only does he believe they are wealthy, but the narrator also thinks that they are the “real thing”. He has bought the fact that they are the real version of what he must convey in a painting. So, he believes that they are the perfect models for his upcoming book.

At the end of the story, it is obvious his view has changed completely. He understands that they are not in fact wealthy, and although they are labeled “aristocrats” they aren’t the real thing. Their clothing and attitude is just a facade of grandeur, and the painter notices it. In the end, the narrator’s “real” aristocrats are cleaning his dishes.

Edgar Allen Poe on Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne is an incredible writer. His use of symbolism and detail makes his stories extremely satisfying to read. Hawthorne is a man after my own heart. We both know that humans are filled with greed, lust and sin. We are also both, not afraid to express our views in our writing. He believes that humans will never be perfect and my short story “The Black Cat” drives the same point that “the Birthmark” does. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s elegance and flow in his writing is truly a pleasure on the reader.

Although I believe that he is a great writer, I do have some grievances on his style of writing. I believe that Hawthorne uses dialogue too frequently, and doesn’t tell the story in a direct manner. Another issue I have is I don’t think that he gets into the mind of the character enough, as that is where the true story lies. Hawthorne is a great writer, but if he improved on these two areas he would be perfect.

Benjamin Franklin-Founder-Legend

What does Benjamin Franklin Stand for?

Benjamin Franklin is known for many things, his face is printed every day on the 100 dollar bill, he was credited with discovering electricity, and he was a founder of the United States. We know what he did during his life, but what did he stand for?

• Benjamin Franklin stood for the three bases of freedom, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
• He stood for independent sovereignty for the Americas from the European Powers.
• Benjamin Franklin stood for peace. He was against any war against the parent country England, but was forced into the idea by the cruelty of the British.
• He was against the idea of bowing down to a King and monarchy.
• He believed and was enticed by science and the learning of new things.
• He believed in the idea that life was short as he was into philosophy.
• Benjamin Franklin believed that the people should have a say in Government.
• Benjamin Franklin stood for a Sovereign United States.

What is American Literature?

American literature is in some ways a foundation of this country. The Declaration of Independence, written by our nation's founders, was the first and maybe the most important piece of writing in American history. One may ask, what is literature? Merriam Webster defines literature as," written works (such as poems, plays, and novels) that are considered to be very good and to have lasting importance." American literature is exactly that, novels, plays, poems and even pamphlets that have had a lasting affect on America. 

Common Sense, a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine was published on January 10, 1776. Common Sense was written in order to spur the English colonists into revolution against England, and to explain the need for independence for Britain. Its intended purpose was fulfilled, and the Declaration of Independence was signed just seven months later on July 4, 1776. 

Not all American Literature has such an obvious impact as Common Sense and The Declaration of Independence, but they still are a great part of our culture nonetheless. Novels like To Kill a Mockingbird and Moby Dick are a huge part of the culture of America and feed into what it means to be American. American Literature is the culture of America expressed through many different ways.