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.