The Country of the Pointed Firs - Sarah Orne Jewett

“I could not help wondering what errand had brought him out in search of me” (Jewett 9).

Sarah Orne Jewett’s The Country of the Pointed Firs explores an aging town. Aging seems to be an appropriate word as the majority of the people in Dunnet Landing are older, a juxtaposition to the narrator who seems to be a great deal younger than any of the people she encounters. Upon reading chapter 5, entitled “Captain Littlepage”, I immediately connected it back to Mark Twain’s “The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”. In Twain’s story, he is subject to a tale about Jim Smiley told to him by an older gentleman who, by the end of his story, does not help the protagonist with his original plight. However, the protagonist in Twain’s story was polite enough to sit and listen to a story from a man of another generation, similar to the protagonist in Jewett’s story whose work is disrupted by Captain Littlepage. Although this disruption serves as a minor annoyance at first, the protagonist listens to Littlepage’s story and by the end, begins to realize its importance. The story serves as a glimpse into what life used to be like in Dunnet Landing, before the population began aging and life started to change. Everyone in Dunnet Landing seems to have a story, and although some of them may be dull, each one contributes to the history of the town. There are times when we may look at older generations and think about how they were once young. We may think about how they got to that point in their lives and what their story is, but we often don’t take the time to ask. Although the protagonist in “The Country of the Pointed Firs” did not ask Captain Littlepage to tell his story, their ability to listen to it made all the difference as it proves that the only way to get a sense of a whole place is to take each individual story into account.

The Use of Force - William Carlos Williams

“The child was fairly eating me up with her cold, steady eyes, and no expression to her face whatever. She did not move and seemed, inwardly, quiet; an unusually attractive little thing, and as strong as a heifer in appearance.” (Williams 1170).

William Carlos Williams “The Use of Force” is disturbing because of its ability to make the reader look beneath the surface to realize the alarming nature of the Doctor. The character of the Doctor seems to find some kind of sexual attraction to his patient, who is simply an innocent, young girl. The reader finds themselves questioning the validity of this possibility; could the Doctor truly have feelings for this girl, and if so, could this seemingly routine medical examination be a violation of this girl? The answer to these questions may make the reader feel uneasy as they realize that the Doctor is in a position of power over the girl. The girl did not consent to being examined by the Doctor – it was her parents who allowed him to do so forcefully because they wanted to help her. However, her parents knew nothing about the Doctor or his background before allowing him to intrude upon the rights their daughter would have had if she had been of age. As a result, the Doctor finds enjoyment in making the girl suffer and in forcing her to expose the illness she had been hiding from her family. Ultimately, William Carlos Williams serves to disturb his reader through the realization that we must be cautious of everyone for even those who pledge to help can have the darkest intentions.

The Cask of Amontillado - Edgar Allan Poe

“I must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is redressed when retribution overtakes its redresser” (Poe 935).

Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” is one of literature’s greatest stories of revenge. Poe succeeds in terrifying his audience through the use of basic human emotions. Feelings of anger, resentment and a need to right a wrong are feelings that every person has had at one time or another. No one can deny the fact that revenge is sweet - however, it is also not without consequence. The difference between a sane and insane person is that one recognizes these consequences and does not act while the other disregards morality and makes rash decisions. The character of Montresor is clearly insane as he commits a horrific crime to “avenge” (Poe 945) an issue with Fortunato. However, what is truly frightening is that Poe characterizes Montresor as a man who shows no remorse for his actions, leaving him without an ounce of humanity. Montresor can not recognize that there are ways to go about revenge that are clever and even humorous and come with no dire consequence. Although we can consider Montresor the protagonist of this story, he is by no means a righteous man; by the end of “The Cask of Amontillado”, Montresor has proved that he is a man with no dignity and nothing more than a murderer.

The Rocking Horse Winner - D.H. Lawrence

“If your lucky you have money. That’s why it’s better to be born lucky than rich. If you’re rich, you may lose your money. But if you’re lucky, you will always get more money” (710).

D.H. Lawrence’s “The Rocking Horse Winner” is reminiscent of Mark Twain’s “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” as it explores the canonical “get rich quick” theme. The character of the mother informs her son, Paul, that having luck is the equivalent to always having money. Unfortunately, this statement only proves to have a damaging effect on her son who seems to feel as though he has a duty towards his mother and that is to use his luck to her advantage. Lawrence explores the idea of money and happiness; as the family gains money through Paul they are always left wanting more, proving that money does not equate happiness. Sadly, Paul is a boy that feels no love from his mother and is truly forgotten about by his father and in turn uses his winnings to win her affection. Paul is simply a lost soul – he has no ulterior motives behind winning this money. He does not need to worry about paying bills or living an extravagant lifestyle – Paul only wants to make his family happy. It is the people around Paul, such as his mother and uncle, which use his “luck” for personal gain without realizing the consequences. Lawrence makes a strong statement in “The Rocking Horse Winner” and that is the idea that money can not buy happiness and it most certainly can not buy love and acceptance.

A Good Man is Hard to Find - Flannery O'Connor

“That’s perfectly all right,” the grandmother said. “Maybe Bailey has an extra shirt in his suitcase.” (O’Connor 911).
Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” uses humour to sway the audience into cheering for the antagonist. Throughout the piece, the character of the grandmother always has something to say. Whether it be a derragatory comment or mere suggestions, the grandmother cannot seem to simply keep her mouth shut. During the middle of the piece, she offers The Misfit a change of clothes, a move that showcases her sheer stupidity The grandmother tries to bargain with and change the mind of The Misfit but only succeeds in angering him. O’Connor uses the grandmother’s relentless comments in such a way that the audience turns on the protagonist. Essentially, by the end of the piece, the audience is certain of and even hoping that the grandmother will meet her untimely end at the hands of The Misfit simply because of her idiotic behavior. I equate this type of audience reaction to the kind in a horror movie where the audience often finds themselves rooting for the villain because of the victim’s ridiculous mistakes that could have been avoided has common sense been applied. When the grandmother is murdered by The Misfit it is almost humorous to the audience because her ignorance seems to have gotten her what she deserved. Through this, O’Connor brings about an ironic end to a both humorous and morbid tale.

The Lottery - Shirley Jackson

“Tessie Hutchinson was in the center of a cleared space by now, and she held her hands out desperately as the villagers moved in on her. “It isn’t fair,” she said. A stone hit her on the side of the head” (Jackson 567).

I found my mind wandering through the majority of Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery”. However, upon reading the ending I went back and reread the story, fully understanding the reason for its construction. Jackson spends a good part of the story exploring tradition and what it means to the old and new generations. Tradition is something that everyone can identify with in one way or another and is, in many ways, a comforting and safe entity. The lottery seems like a tradition that most of the townspeople are willing to take part in and are excited about. The description of the old box gives the audience a sense of how much pride the town takes in conducting the yearly lottery and how important it is that the tradition stays intact. However, the final paragraphs completely remove the audience from the previously harmless atmosphere as Jackson redefines the idea of tradition. The stoning tradition present in “The Lottery” quickly becomes a morality debate; this morbid act made me think about how Americans view other countries and what they consider to be tradition. Are we to judge and condemn other’s traditions because they do not reflect the ideals and morals of our culture? Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” explores this idea and makes us think about how far we would allow “tradition” to go before deeming it cruel and inhumane.

Hills Like White Elephants - Ernest Hemingway

Ernest Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants” is an abstract piece of literature that explores the extremely controversial topic of abortion. During my Sophomore year of high school, my class studied this piece and I remember being stuck by Hemingway’s ability to so cleverly disguise his theme. Abortion is under intense debate today and for Hemingway to have discussed this in the latter part of the 1920’s was quite remarkable. Hemingway also explores gender roles in this story, as the woman is consistently being told that her decision to have an abortion will make her happy and that everything will go back to the way it was before. The female protagonist is, essentially, being pressured into having an abortion because it is the choice that was right for her significant other. The men in Hemingway’s story try to simplify the severity of abortion by insisting “it really is an awfully simple operation” (Hemingway 553) and “not really an operation at all” (Hemingway 553). However, it is common knowledge that abortion is indeed a very serious procedure that leaves lasting emotional distress on a woman which is why she must make that difficult decision for herself. “Hills Like White Elephants” is not ahead of its time but a work that transcends it. Although this piece was written over eighty years ago, the issue of abortion is a huge moral and political issue that continues to be debated.

Young Goodman Brown - Nathanial Hawthorne

“And Faith, as the wife was aptly named” (Hawthorne 539)

Nathanial Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” contains various religious imagery to convey the theme of good versus evil and reality versus imagination. The character of Goodman Brown has a wife named “Faith”, who is always seen wearing “pink ribbons” (Hawthorne 539). Here, we can infer that Faith was the source of good in Brown’s life; her name alone connects her with religion, light and righteousness while her pink ribbons suggest purity and devoutness to God. However, we also see evil represented as Hawthorne likens a staff to “a great black snake” (Hawthorne 540). The snake is one of Christianity’s most recognizable evil images, as it is generally connected with wickedness and the devil.

Goodman Brown shouts “My Faith is gone!” (Hawthorne 544), a phrase that has a duel meaning. While Faith is the name of his wife, whom he is searching for, it also refers to the fact that Brown feels as though he is losing his religion and giving into his dark side. The concept of good versus evil is an idea that has transcended time and been the struggle of humanity for all of its creation. History has proved that humans have consistently resorted to violence, war and overall sin as opposed to simple goodness and humanity. The character of Goodman Brown is merely the literary expression of the truth of this world and that “Evil is the nature of mankind” (Hawthorne 546).

The Yellow Wallpaper - Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Upon completing Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”, I was immediately convinced that the protagonist was afflicted with post partum depression. Lines such as “Yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous” (Gilman 489) and “I never thought of it before, but it is lucky that John kept me here after all; I can stand it so much easier than a baby, you see” (Gilman 492) clearly points to a woman who can not handle the pressures of being a mother. Gilman wrote this story in the latter part of the 1800’s, a time when post partum depression was most likely not a widely recognized problem. As a result of the time, the protagonist was treated like a mentally ill patient and not capable of caring for herself. Her husband John forced her into a room that “was nursery first, and then playroom and gymnasium, I should judge, for the windows are barred for little children” (Gilman 488), thus treating her like a child that could not be trusted alone. Cleary, the isolation eats away at the protagonist’s mental state, making her delusional and insistent that the room’s yellow wallpaper was almost like a living entity that would change shape, size and patterns. However, I believe that the wallpaper is really the protagonist’s child as she personifies the wallpaper by insisting that “she crawls around fast” (Gilman 495) and “takes hold of the bars and shakes them hard (Gilman 495). By the end of the story, it is clear that the protagonist has done something awful to her child and not the wallpaper. John’s fainting was most likely a result of discovering his wife’s shocking actions against his child and realizing that his wife had a serious problem that could not be cured by keeping her shut away in a room.

A Rose for Emily - William Faulkner

William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” is a literary example of human cruelty and the effect is can have on certain individuals. Emily was clearly mentally unstable after her father’s death and this instability was only perpetuated by the uncaring people of her town. The character of Emily is seen purchasing “rat poison, the arsenic” (Faulkner 407) while people in her town said nothing but “Poor Emily” (Faulkner 407). It is clear to me that actions such as Emily’s require some inquiry, yet no one thought to ask questions. Instead, the towns’ people rejected Emily; not one person cared enough to investigate her strange behavior but pretended to feel sympathetic for her. Sadly, no one had thought much about Emily during her life except to gossip about her; it was only during her death that people seemed to take notice of a person who had lived her life practically alone. “When Miss. Emily Greirson died, our whole town went to her funeral: the men through a sort of respectful affection for a fallen monument, the women mostly of out curiosity to see the inside of her house” (Faulkner 404). Emily’s funeral was simply an indifferent town coming out to witness the spectacle that her death had turned into. Perhaps Emily’s mental state could have been helped had she received the proper attention following her father’s death. Unfortunately, Emily never fit into her town’s social structure but was instead a burden to it; only through Emily’s death did the town realize the seriousness of her mental state and their inability to recognize it.

We Can Remember it for You Wholesale - Phillip K. Dick

Phillip K. Dick’s “We Can Remember it for You Wholesale” reminds me of the world we are currently living in. Dick uses strange vocabulary such as “conapt” (357) and “vidphone” (356) which is reminiscent of our new technical language such as “Ipod” and “PDA”. These kinds of words have become part of our everyday existence, which is why “We Can Remember it for You Wholesale” is a story that is not so far removed from the tech-savvy, virtual type world we live in today. The world in Dick’s story has “robot drivers” (360) which mirrors the fact that machines and computers are now running many jobs that were previously run by a human being. While the technology we have today is amazing, it is also kind of scary. In the end of “We Can Remember it for You Wholesale”, technology proves to fail the protagonist. Dick was not far off in imagining the reliability of technology, as presently we find ourselves completely inconvenienced if our internet connection does not work or we have a massive power outage. If the reader can take away one very important message from Dick’s story, I believe that it should be not to depend on technology all the time as it can be both remarkable and terrifying. Our virtual society must remember that human beings created computers, cell phones and every other piece of technological equipment and sometimes we should just put away the machines that make life easier and use our good, old fashioned brains.

The Open Boat - Stephen Crane

What I found to be so intriguing about Stephan Crane’s ‘The Open Boat”, was how Crane portrayed the different ways the men dealt with the crisis at hand. Each of the men knew that they would most likely not survive, yet each of them handles this reality differently. The character of the correspondent chooses to spend his final moments smoking a cigar as he observes the state of the other men onboard. By doing so, the correspondent is almost pulling himself out of the horror around him and instead of participating in his demise he becomes an aloof observer. The cook chooses to talk about pie as a coping mechanism for his impending death. Perhaps the cook focuses on pie because cooking had been his life and is something that is familiar and comforting to him, unlike the scenario he faces aboard the boat. “I am going to be drowned – If am going to be drowned – If I am going to be drowned, why, in the same of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?” (Crane 349). This phrase is repeated several times throughout the story, perhaps as a way to rationalize their death through the belief of a higher being. If the mean can somehow believe that it is the will of nature or of God that they must die aboard the ship than perhaps they are comforted. Believing in a higher power is a coping mechanism that an extraordinarily large number of people use; if life and death are out of the men’s hands and into the hands of something more powerful. They men may feel more at peace with their death because it was meant to be. Either way, Crane has explored the vastly different ways people react to death in a story that encompasses humanity’s greatest fear.

The Story of an Hour - Kate Chopin

The character of Mrs. Mallard in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” finds freedom in a moment and loses it just as quickly. Chopin is truly a master of the short story, as she has managed to pack an ironic story full of symbolism in a mere page and a half. Upon hearing the news of her husbands death, Mrs. Mallard felt “there was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully” (Chopin 267). The fear that Mrs. Mallard felt is her realization that she was not upset about her husbands death because it brought her freedom; for the first time in her life, she would be allowed to live and do what she pleased, without having to answer to her husband. Many people may find Mrs. Mallard’s behavior strange and question why she is not more upset over the death of her husband. However, we are not completely certain of the circumstances of Mrs. Mallard’s relationship with her husband. We are told that her face “bespoke repression and even a certain strength” (Chopin 267). Also, the story was written in 1894, a time when most women were not allowed to break out of the wife and mother mold. Through this, we can infer that perhaps Mrs. Mallard was abused by her husband or completely controlled by him. One cannot say that Mrs. Mallard was wrong in feeling what she felt when she thought that her husband had died for she was finally free from the marriage and the man that ruled her life for so long; it is only human to want to yearn for freedom and independence in our lifetime.

Unfortunately, Mrs. Mallard would never get to feel that sense of freedom as Chopin utilizes the power of irony when Mr. Mallard walks through the door and his wife dies “of joy that kills” (Chopin 268). Here, we can liken the character of Mrs. Mallard to Peyton Farquhar in Ambrose Beirce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge”. Both characters were struggling against a force greater than themselves – Farquhar against his enemies at the bridge and Mrs. Mallard against her dominating husband. Sadly, it is only in death that both of these characters defeated their opponents and found the freedom they longed for.

Avatar

My second life avatar, HeatherC Heartsdale, is a reasonably true reflection of myself. I chose my name because one of my favorite literary devices is alliteration; I chose to use my real first name, Heather, and my last initial and feel that Heartsdale accompanies my name nicely. In second life, I chose to make my avatar look and dress similar to myself. My avatar’s outfit is simple and comfortable – just a pair of jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, much like what I would wear in real life. I find it intriguing that I can see a virtual version of myself walking around because in real life we do not get the chance to step back and see ourselves. While we are able to see an image of ourselves projected in a mirror or in a picture, it is impossible to remove ourselves from our body and see what we look like to others. Second Life affords us the opportunity to see how we appear to and interact with others through a virtual setting. I feel that any kind of avatar will work in second life, whether it resembles a human, alien or anything in between. An avatar is a representation of yourself and your online appearance is simply another aspect of your personality and a different view of yourself. Through my second life avatar, I hope to share my ideas and opinions with others in an open environment that is different from the type of environment the classroom provides. Many times it is easier to express our ideas online, through virtual vehicles such as blogs and avatars because we can quickly communicate an idea without over editing our initial reactions on a subject. I look forward to using Second Life as an alternative way of looking at literature and hope that it becomes a useful tool in my visualization of the pieces we explore this semester.

Paul's Case - Willa Cather

Halfway through Willa Cathar’s “Paul’s Case”, we are told that the character of Paul “had no desire to become an actor” (Cather 208), however, there are many instances throughout the story where Paul is purely acting by denying the truth of who he is. When Paul arrives at the Waldorf hotel, he tells a story about his parents arriving on a steamer just a short while after him (Cather 209). Although it is stated that Paul has no interest in acting, he seems to be quite a natural. Paul’s time in New York is spent pretending to be someone that he is not; essentially, Paul is playing a character and that character possesses the qualities that Paul desires to have. In New York, Paul feels more secure and sees big plans for his future. He creates a new identity by telling himself lies; when he realizes that he is simply playing a character and will have to return to his ordinary life, he completely breaks down. Unfortunately, life is not always easy and the lifestyle Paul so desperately wanted is not easily won. Paul’s suicide proved to be a cowardly action, for if he braved a few more years being himself he would have perhaps one day been able to return to the character he played so well.

The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County - Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)

After reading Mark Twain’s “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”, I immediately equated the narrator with myself and the character of Simon Wheeler with my grandparents. In the first paragraph of the story, the narrator states that Simon Wheeler would prove to “go to work and bore me to death with some exasperating reminiscence of him as long and as tedious as it should be useless to me”. (Twain 272). There are many times when my grandparents find themselves launching into stories of their past, some of which are interesting and others which tend to irritate me simply because they seem to have no point. The narrator in Twain’s story seems to feel the same way about Simon Wheeler’s tangent on Jim Smiley, a man whose story really serves no purpose to the narrator. However, the more I thought about this story, the more I felt that the narrator should not have dismissed Wheeler’s story, no matter how irrelevant it was to him. When I find myself trying to drown out the sounds of my grandparent’s stories, I often end up feeling guilty. Although these stories may not be relevant to my life, they are part of my grandparent’s history and I should take all of them in. My grandparents find great joy in relating their stories to me because they want me to know about their lives so that I can keep their memory alive and understand their past. By the end of “Jumping Frog”, I found myself disappointed in the narrator; although Wheeler’s story was not pertinent to the man he was looking for, Simon Wheeler most likely found enjoyment in having an audience to express Jim Smiley’s story to. Although this story is meant to be a comedy, I actually found it to be kind of sad because it made me realize how younger generations often dismiss older generations when instead we should be listening; their stories are what makes up history and we should be more than happy to listen.

Jorge Luis Borges – The Other Duel

Jorge Luis Borges’s “The Other Duel” is the story of a battle between two enemies that is literally fought to the death. However, “The Other Duel” is not just a story of revenge but a comment on the violent nature of humans. Both Cardoso and Silveira do not spend their last moments on earth pleading with their executioners - death is not the imposing force on these men but failure to prove themselves is.

Borges truly captures how far a person is willing to go to maintain their pride during the final scene when he states “As he fell, Cardoso stretched out his arms. He had won, but he likely never knew that.” (Borges 142). It is absolutely revolting that Cardoso would spend the final seconds of his life trying to put to rest a life long battle with Silveira. While this final scene seems grotesque, it is simply a display of the emotions that every human being feels at one point in their life. Everyone can identify with feelings of pride – we are naturally inclined to be somewhat competitive. Borges taps into these emotions by allowing Cardoso to win the duel. By the end of the story, the reader wants to feel disgust for Cardoso’s actions but is actually quite taken aback by how clever he proves to be. Cardoso knew that if he could somehow win the duel he would leave behind a legacy that would prove greater than anything Silveira could leave behind. Through one simple action in the final moments of his life, Cardoso created a lifetime of legacy. Cardoso may have lost his life, but he won immortality and if Borges makes one point abundantly clear in “The Other Duel” it is that we all want our story to be told – we all want to use our story to become immortal.

Ambrose Bierce – An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

“Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek Bridge.” (Bierce 139).

The last line of Ambrose Bierce’s “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” packs a heavy punch. I was in no way expecting such a shock; although it seemed that Farquhar’s imagined utopia was too good to be true, I found myself wanting to believe that he could somehow have escaped into it. Upon my initial reading of the last line, I found myself feeling unsatisfied – the line felt so cold and unsympathetic to me. However, I immediately started the story again from the beginning and found that through this last line, Bierce succeeded in making his reader care for someone that had many unfavorable qualities. Farquhar owned slaves and supported the confederate army, yet we are convinced through Bierce’s storytelling that we should pardon his faults and care for Farquhar as a father, husband and human being. When Farquhar imagines his escape, the reader finds themselves holding their breath, waiting for the moment when he is free and safe from the enemy even though Farquhar is the enemy all along. Our mind is taken to another place while reading Bierce’s story just as Farquhar’s is while he awaits execution. Upon my second reading of “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” I realized that Bierce gave Farquhar these final blissful visions of his escape and his family in order to completely contradict the rashness of the story’s end. Bierce’s last line may bring a cold finality to the story, but certainly does not dismiss the notion that in his own mind, Peyton Farquhar found peace and freedom.