Sarah Orne Jewett "The Country of the Pointed Firs"

Sarah Orne Jewett’s novel, The Country of the Pointed First, has been a different experience for me. I do not see it as a novel, but rather a series of sketches of many different adventures. The fact that each chapter differentiates itself in the protagonists and adventures encountered is something I learned to appreciate as I read this “sketch”. To me, a novel is a book written about/for a particular purpose, from the beginning to the end. Jewett’s book tells the story of the effects of isolation and hardship experienced by the occupants of the decaying fishing villages along the Maine coast, but at the same it provides the reader with many different chapters which bring us on a new expedition each time we flip the page.
Jewett’s book gave me a new outlook on American literature. Her essays represent a great example of Feminist Literary Theory and American studies. The themes she wanted her reader to pick up while reading this book are very tastefully written. They are done in ways which lead me to believe that a high school senior, who prepares himself/herself for college, would learn a great deal from this book. Considering that Jewett picks up on many topics, such as isolation, and she portrays the study of American culture, this book will be on my top list as I become a teacher myself.
I believe that Jewett holds many goals of feminist criticism in this book, such as “developing and uncovering a female tradition of writing, interpreting symbolism of women's writing so that it will not be lost or ignored by the male point of view, and resisting sexism in literature” (Wikipedia). She teaches through a series of characters whom we meet as we go from one chapter to the next. Jewett has become a much liked writer by me and I look forward to studying this book in depth as I hopefully teach it one day to my students.

"The Use of Force" by William Carols Williams

“The Use of Force”

For this blog, I’d like to focus on the title of the story. After reading the story, I was appalled by the doctor’s feelings as he grew angry with the child and allowed his fury to grow to a very unnecessary level. This is the exact problem we have in society today. People act on impulse and instead of rationally thinking things through, people do and say things which most likely would not have taken place if they took five minutes to relax.
Although the doctor’s motives are to help the child, his immediate feelings of relief and success as he gets to look at the child’s throat, are very unusual. At the beginning, he talks about how beautiful the child was, “one of those picture children” (1170). This creates a possible notion of sexual attraction to a child by an adult man, which is considered to be wrong world-wide. The fact that child was a female leads me to touch up on the male superiority of the story. The child is held by force, as the title suggests, by her father, another male, and the male doctor who are desperately trying to “help” the child. The mother, the other female in the story, is asked to leave while the two men basically attack the poor child with smooth-handled spoons and wooden tongue depressors, which made the child’s mouth bleed by cutting her tongue.
The problem was that the child was scared. By using force, the child became terrified and even more reluctant to listening to anyone’s orders. What was overlooked was the child’s best interest, although the doctor does try to justify his actions by stating his only concern was the child’s health. “The Use of Force” was nothing else than a terrible solution to someone’s need of satisfaction. The doctor wanted to feel powerful and important. He wanted the child to do what he said, instead of trying to understand her behavior. After all, she was a child. By scaring and forcing an already terrified child, the two men made the situation worse. The child was now hurt, which the doctor originally refused to do as he “ground[s] [his] teeth in disgust” upon the mother’s mention of the word “hurt” (1171). He was overpowered by the notion of satisfaction and allowed himself to become angry with - a child. This story shows how inconsiderate our society is of others and the egocentric feelings we all possess despite our perhaps pre existing motives.

"The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe

“For the love of God, Montresor!”
“Yes,” I said, “for the love of God!”

The above quote is interesting due to the setting of this short story. Although the name of the city is not specified and neither is the year, we know that the setting took place somewhere in Europe, which to me signals the Catholic religion. Due to the language used in this story, I can make the assumption that the story took place many years ago, perhaps sometime during the 18th century. Being that I also am from Europe and know about the culture and a lot about the history, I am reasoned to make the assumption that the men of this story were in fact Catholic. The above quote also supports my assumption due to the use of God’s name in Fortunato’s pleas, as well as Montresor’s reply.
What is significant about my assumption is the fact that despite his possible religious views, Montresor commits a horrible crime, which is viewed as one of the worst sins by the Catholic church. The conversation between the two men seems very friendly and to my surprise, Montresor does not seem nervous. He is very calm and feels no remorse for the crime is about to commit. He possesses the qualities of the devil, who is immoral and remorseless. He has no point or reasoning for what he does. He does not seem to be led by anger or any specific feeling at all. His reply to Montresor’s pleas, although using God’s name, is very calm, cold, and heartless.
Montresor’s reply may also seem like he is murdering Fortunato for the love of God. I get a feeling of Montresor justifying his actions through God’s name. Such actions lead me to believe Montresor to be insane since he does not state a reason for his hatred towards Fortunato. It is obvious and apparent to all that murdering in the name of God, in the Catholic religion, is not only a sin but ironic as well. God does not want his followers to kill because by doing so, they are going against what God has created. Montresor’s mind state is very questionable and so is his manipulative character.
Could it be that my assumption is completely wrong and Montresor did not believe in religion? Absolutely. But it is essential to note that if he was, for example, an atheist, he would not have used God’s name in his reply to Fortunato, and/or he would have ignored Fortunato’s pleas completely. This entire story goes against what most people believed in during that time, when it came to religion. It is, simultaneously, ironic and dark, and so is the narrator of the story.

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

"She would have been a good woman," The Misfit said, "if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life." (914)

The short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor is a very interesting one when analyzing it from a religious point of view. The above quote, stated by The Misfit, has great power and strength in its meaning. The Grandmother, a petty, cantankerous, and overbearing individual, is faced with death and suddenly she enlightens herself on the way she should have seen the world all along. She begged for her life, but was she begging because she saw change within herself or because she wanted to live? The Misfit recognized her phony cry and did not bare mercy on her.
Going back to religion, certain individuals simply do not qualify for God’s forgiveness, but it does not mean that God himself would think so. The feel that I receive from the story is that the many terrible acts some individuals had committed and the people they hurt and upset, added up to way too much over the forgiving point. But I must conquer with that understanding and say that I believe grace is for everyone, even those who seem loathsome. While reading the story, the reader hardly feels sorry for the Grandmother due to her behavior towards others. Whether or not she is a likeable person, The Misfit’s decision to kill her is undeserved.
Once faced with death, an individual becomes aware of the rude and hurtful things they have done but sometimes, that time had come too late, as for the Grandmother. In my opinion, the Grandmother would have never called The Misfit a good man or tried to be kind to someone for a change if she had not been told she will be killed. However, just because she was an overbearing woman, it did not mean that she deserved to be shot three times. Her reaction towards The Misfit is normal. We cannot blame her for trying to save her life. Although her ways of doing so were phony and easily picked up on, her initial reaction was absolutely natural.
It is said that the Grandmother reached a moment of epiphany. I am still convinced the only reason for her epiphany was to save her life and not because she all of a sudden underwent a spiritual change. Whether or not the Grandmother would change her actions after this incident took place, if she lived, we cannot say.

"The Rocking-Horse Winner" by D.H. Lawrence

“And aren’t you lucky either, Mother?”
“I can’t be, if I married an unlucky husband.” (711)

D.H. Lawrence’s short story “The Rocking-Horse Winner” is a touching story about a boy named Paul, who wants to prove the fact that he is lucky to his mother. In the beginning of the story, we learn that the family spends more than what they can afford. Therefore, they are placed in debt. Paul hears whispers in his house which say that “there must be more money!” Since his father was not providing for the family with the adequate amount of money needed for the amount they were spending, Paul takes it upon himself to show his mother he can take his father’s place.
The above quote may be studied under Freud’s oedipal theory. Paul strived to replace his father in his mother’s life, but for good natured reasons. He was down to see his mother in such upsetting moods and he saw the unhappiness on her face. Although she comes off as a cold woman in the beginning of the story and the reader finds out that she really does not love her children, Paul gives up his well being and his life for his mother’s feeling of being lucky or well off. I also get the feeling that Paul’s mother did not love her husband much due to the fact that he was unlucky. Perhaps, Paul felt if he was able to achieve this dream of money and luckiness, then his mother would finally begin to love him. He did what he could to gain her acceptance and love. But sadly, no matter what he did, the mother only asked for more. She never asked Paul, himself, but when she was offered a thousand pounds for five years, she immediately went to her lawyer and asked for the full amount. In order to make his mother happy, Paul agreed to her need. His desire for her love was the most meaningful, as well as deadly part of his life. He drove himself sick trying to win his mother over. Nothing was good enough to put him in a special place in her heart. He died exclaiming and asking her if she knew he was lucky. He hoped that at last she would save him from the unreachable dream he so madly wanted to gain in his life before something bad happened. But the bad did happen and unfortunately, his money never truly got him the attention he wanted as he was the "son of the bad" and ungrateful.

"The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson

“School was recently over for the summer, and the feeling of liberty sat uneasily on most of them; they tended to gather together quietly for a while before they broke into boisterous play, and their talk was still of the classroom and the teacher, of books and reprimands.”
“Soon the men began to gather, surveying their own children, speaking of planting and rain, tractors and taxes. They stood together, away from the pile of stones in the corner, and their jokes were quiet and they smiled rather than laughed.” (562)

Although Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” is about a barbaric ritual, it also portrays other rituals that the villagers have acquired over time. The two quotes above show how closely related were the behaviors of the young boys and the older men, (the boys’ fathers). Growing up in such a small town which only housed about three hundred people, made them keep up with certain mental characteristics and actions after becoming older and having a family. The young boys gather together and talk about things that matter to them. Same goes for the fathers. They discuss “planting and rain, tractors and taxes.” None of them gossip. They are very concerned with their topics of interests, unlike the women who gossiped and the young girls who talked amongst themselves and looked over their shoulders at the boys.
These rituals are all a part of their accustomed and self accepting destruction. The ritual called the “lottery” was very barbaric in nature, yet no one questioned it and all the villagers joined in on the act. Even the immediate family of the victim, as I will call her, bonds to carry out this ritual. Although these actions are cruel, brutal, and graphic, I believe that the author wanted to make her readers understand the pointless violence and general inhumanity they may have experienced in their own lives. Going back to the above quotes, both are pointless in nature. Do we really need to know what the boys and fathers were like that morning? Their description is the total opposite of what their ritual made them out to be. The above two quotes create a feeling of a nice town with children running around, getting along and attending school together; their parents also getting along and conversating amongst each other that morning. Brainwashing was not a necessary act for the persuasion of these children. It was instilled in them to do as they are told and what they see due to the village customs and rituals. This explains why over time the children and parents acted so much a like. Their perceptions were affected by the set rules of a little village.
Right from the beginning, there is a feeling of customs and ways of life that get passed onto the offspring. The same way the parents were, the children were as well in this story. Since a young age, their actions were strongly similar and foreshadowed the children’s steps of following in their fathers’ footsteps. Tessie Hutchinson was killed by her community members and family. But the biggest twist comes when it is said that she “wins” the lottery. She “wins” to be stoned to death. The only thing she won was an escape out of that inhuman and brutal mindset of a village.

Ernest Hemingway "Clean, Well- Lighted Place"

"With all those who do not want to go to bed. With all those who need a light for the night."

Since darkness is accompanied with death and bad thoughts, it is not too far stretched to say that the young waiter seems to not comprehend the idea of a well lighted and clean place as an escape for the old from the loneliness they feel. The young waiter mentions money and does not understand why the old man tried to kill himself since he isn’t poor. He says a wife and therefore says that he is not lonely and should not need to cater to an old, lonely man’s needs by staying late and working at the bar serving more drinks to the old man. His lack of adaptation of the old man’s unfortunate nature hinders the development of his character and sets him apart from the reader’s feelings and his own.
The idea of a well lighted place at night that someone can go to and spend time at has to deal with the feeling of security. Light prevents terrible thoughts by keeping companion to the lonely. It casts shadows on leaves, as mentioned in the story, which one could view as people in the middle of the night; motionless and quiet. A bodega, or a bar, will only increase the loneliness one feels due to its dreary, dark, and gloomy feel, which is at its worst at night. The music which most bars play at night brings in thoughts of seclusion and creates a very melancholy feeling which may tempt someone to commit suicide if things are not going well for them. In contrast, spending time at a café, with no music and no negative mental distractions, such as the fear of darkness, illuminates a lonely mind.
It is not uncommon for people to feel protected in a well lighted area. Not going to bed at night, which we find out is the case with the older waiter, allows the lonely person to never fear the darkness of the night any more. By spending time a local café during the night and sleeping during the day, there is light forever savored within the individual’s mind, keeping them content and free of negative thoughts.