He sheds his dignity completely when he decides to recapture his youth with makeup much like the bumbling old fool he had spotted (and secretly laughed at) on the steamship that brought him to the city. The journey from the derisive observer to the silly old hag is painful and uncompromising. The slow collapse, which drags Aschenbach from the one state to the other, is finally completed once death disintegrates him completely. Like Aschenbach Gabriel Conroy's collapse begins early on in the story. The initial jolt he receives from the caretaker's daughter, Lily, is furthered at every stage of the text. Many of these he seems to bring upon himself. His hesitation over quoting Browning at the speech he was to deliver at dinner was unfounded and completely avoidable, much like the smart-alec like comment he makes at Lily at the beginning of the text. As the narrative unwinds Conroy gives the impression of being a rather nervy old fellow with a calm facade. However this calmness too collapses easily...
Conroy is devastated on realizing that this young boy had invaded into his wife's mind at the very moment when he was grappling with a strong, new desire for her himself. But his fury soon turns into hopelessness when he realizes that this young boy had given up his life for Gretta. This sacrifice he realizes is something he is incapable of and thus try as he might, in his mind, he would always fall short of the dead young Michel Furrey. This epiphanic moment brings about the complete disintegration of Conroy, who now feels defeated at every point in life.
That dynamic was so familiar to the boy that he responded, probably automatically, by adopting the correspondingly appropriate demeanor on his part, as clearly evidenced by the following passage: The woman was sitting on the day-bed. After a while she said, "I were young once and I wanted things I could not get." There was another long pause. The boy's mouth opened. Then he frowned, but not knowing he frowned. The
Where Connell emphasized myriad consumer items like silk pajamas and finely tailored suits, Lawrence highlights two items: the rocking horse that gives the story its title and money. Before the protagonist, Paul, is even introduced Lawrence attests to the significance of money (in reference to Paul's mother): "There must be more money, there must be more money" (1). Shortly thereafter, the protagonist furiously rides his rocking chair, which endows
Likewise, Joyce Carol Oates short story, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? also involves a basic story of violence with a more symbolic meaning. To summarize Oates' style is to say her works typically mix the themes of Gothic estrangement and high social observations with violence being a central theme, often to a sensationalist point. Interestingly, she cites William Faulkner as one of her major influences. The story Where
English Literature - Flowers for Algernon Though Flowers for Algernon is a fictionalized account, it addresses genuine issues, many of which are universal. Published in 1966, the novel reflects the less sensitive treatment of mentally disabled people during that time period. Allowing a unique perspective through the eyes of a man who lacks, gains, then loses genius, the novel is both tragic and inspirational, making definitive statements about high intelligence's great
This theory essentially states that myths are designed in order to tell a story, or to explain how, through supernatural means, a particular event took place (Eliade, 1998). Using this definition from Eliade himself, it is much easier to discuss the importance of religious ritual and its tie to myths. Because myths perform the task of explaining what may have only been explainable through sheer faith without myths in
In this light. Dee represents the most successful fulfillment of the material side of the American Dream (Whitsitt). On the other hand, she is unsuccessful at preserving what is most beautiful about her culture by no longer honoring it in any practical sense. In this, she represents the tragedy of loss in terms of meaning, culture, and heritage in blind pursuit of material gain and social success. The Red Convertible"
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