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Modern American Literature: Rise of Realism

Choose one of the stories to apply feminist criticism to the reading. Identify the protagonist and antagonist and describe their relationship as it relates to the theme. How does the relationship to the foil, if there is one, reflect the theme? Identify whether the protagonist is round or flat, dynamic or static. Support your response with examples from the text.
 * Chopin’s “Story of and Hour” and Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”**

In Chopin’s “Story of an Hour” the main character, Mrs. Mallard, has just received news that her husband was killed in work. She is diagnosed with heart disease which makes her weak so her friends and relatives are wary to tell her the news. She starts out as any woman hearing of her husband’s death would – grieving and sobbing uncontrollably. Josephine tries to comfort her but she is inconsolable. She retires to her room where she stares out the window and begins to put her life in perspective and realizes now how different her life without Mr. Mallard will be. And she begins feel delight, saying how the rest of her life will belong to her and no one else. She feels like a bird is escaping from her and flying, finally free. Because of the time period the wives were basically controlled by their husbands and had to do what they willed. In some cases they were treated like pets, handed off from parents into their hands at young ages and married; sometimes to men twice their age. In stories portraying that time women are shown as weak and frail or unable to fend for themselves as they have the man to do that for them. They are given little to no freedom and only when their husband’s death occurs are they no longer restricted to obeying others wishes. It is very clear when reading stories of that period who is the author without looking at the gender as men stick closely to that detail while women try to give their own gender a bit more independence. In “Story of an Hour” Mrs. Mallard is the protagonist and just society in general and their norms is the antagonist. Mrs. Mallard is a round, somewhat dynamic character while characters such as Josephine and Richard are flat and static. Those characters do not change whatsoever in the text and we do not see more than one or maybe two personality traits. The theme itself is how much freedom means to us as humans and when taken away how dire of consequences it can have on us, sometimes without our knowledge. The characters in “Story of an Hour” were basically a cliché to their time period and a complete representation to what some lives were like. The character Mrs. Mallard wanted so badly to be free yet she still had an attachment to Mr. Mallard because of his kindness to her. Her conflicting emotions along with her disease would have been a telltale sign of what would happen even before Mr. Mallard returned home. She died either of sorrow, knowing she was not really free and losing all hope, or of such love and devotion that she just couldn’t take it. Either way I suspected she was doomed from the beginning.

After reading your writing on “Story of an Hour,” I understood how you feel Mrs. Mallard was the protagonist, and how your knowledge about gender roles during this time period supports how she and Richard are portrayed as characters. You also highlighted the main points in the story you felt were necessary to read the story from a critical feminist view, and showed how the idea of freedom was important to this theme. I especially enjoyed in your line “She feels like a bird is escaping from her and flying, finally free.” I think it is great how you made this comparison and I could picture the image, which I think made your point very strong! Were there any other images that you have found in this piece or other stories that have had the same or different effect on how you read the story? You seemed to have a lot to say on freedom and how it applied to the protagonist. What were the specific words Kate Chopin used to get across the feeling Mrs. Mallard was not free, and desired this freedom? Were there any similarities you found between this story and “The Yellow Wallpaper”?

Select an example of imagery that creates the mood of the story? How does the mood of the setting reflect the character’s motivations driven by their id, ego, and superego?
 * Crane’s “Mystery of Heroism”**

Shailey Letts In Crane’s “Mystery of Heroism” the story takes place during the Civil War in a field where a battle has taken place. The protagonist’s name is Colin and the main conflict throughout the story is the boy’s thirst. There is an old well out in the field near a dilapidated barn that is surrounded by ravines and crevices from the battle. The accessibility wasn’t a problem but the fact the enemy was still there, hidden in the trees and waiting made the bloody pasture a contstant battlefield. Colin is afraid and anxious to go out in the middle of the field where death surely awaits him and the other men chide and tease him, daring him to go out to get the water. He goes to get the captain’s permission, who knows the mission is surely suicide, and gets the other men’s canteens before going out. It’s when he reaches the well that he realizes what situation he’s put himself in and is struck with absolute terror before grabbing the bucket and lowering it into the well. He attempts to run with a full bucket back to the regiment but is stopped by the fallen commander who had been taken down in the battle. The man begs for water and at first Colin refuses and keeps running but suddenly he stops and turns around, giving the man most of the water. The majority of it splashes upon his face and when returning to his troops the water bucket was dropped by overeager soilders, therefore spilling what little water remained.

The descriptions of the field and the regiment are especially descriptive in the beginning of the story. He describes the feel of the wind blowing the blades of the grass and the colors of the ground that they walk on. There is the smell of fire which is depicted; whatever the flames had burned all combining together into one foul odor. Though throughout the description of the field and remnants of the barn you still get a sense that there is beauty in the land beneath all the tainted soil. __The battle has charred it greatly but after time it will regrow to be as beautiful as it once was, which could also be perceived as any innumerable amount of metaphors for the Civil War itself.__

In the story Colin is driven mainly by his ego with his id at a close second. At the beginning we learn the soldier is thirsty and wishes to get a drink from a well, the only problem being the location of the well. Obviously his id would simply have him go out and get the drink, regardless of the outcome, because all it really wants is to be satisfied. Whether or not the id recognized the sense of danger and realized that if he had gone out he would have died is another matter which was probably reserved for the superego to think about. Because he wanted a drink he went to get one, but his ego had to play into it somewhere and because of the taunting of the men, urging him to go get it if he wanted it so badly, the ego was able to balance out his own wishes and the desires of the id. The superego was the only thing that was worried about Colin’s wellbeing, and it was unfortunately buried too far within Colin’s subconcious that when it finally did rear up to overtake the id and ego it was too late. The damage had already been done so there he was, stranded in the middle of a field, gun shots firing all around him, stricken to the core with fear. Of course then all the id wanted was for him to be safe and get back to his regiment, a wish that the ego also supremely had and he started back towards them. When the fallen commander stopped him he had no impulse whatsoever to stop and instead ran on for saftey. This is where I firmly believe that the superego has power over us more than any other as, even though he was locked in peril and could have easily been shot, he returned back to the man and fed him the water. I think that if he had been listening only to his ego, he would have kept on running and forgotten all about him.

Overall the story gives off a very bleak and – at times – a rather solemn vibe. Because of the circumstances the id, superego and ego may have reacted differently than they would have in any other situation. The imagery reflected gives you the sense of a bloody, well worn field with tired troops but with solemnity and respect towards the fallen soldiers. When Colin starts running back towards the base you immediately feel the panic he feels and the rushed anxiety when he stops to give the commander some water. Even in the face of fear your morals withstand the test of all emotions and ultimately win the battle between ego and id. __Though the former may show itself more, I strongly believe the superego is the ‘strong but silent’ one waiting in the background to point you in the right direction when you need it most.__

Shailey, I really enjoyed reading your response to “Mystery of Heroism.” You seemed to describe the imagery that stuck out to you, which was mainly about the battlefield and surrounding area. You said that the mood created was “very bleak” and “solemn,” yet through this weary feeling of battle and destruction you also sensed the beauty of the landscape that might resurface after the war. I thought that was a great observation, and one that I missed the first time I read it but changed how I read the story the second time. Your connection to the Civil War metaphors was also a great observation. You said there were an innumerable amount of these metaphors, can you describe some of these and how they relate to this story? I also thought your take on Collins’ id, ego, and superego was very thoughtful and brought up important ideas. You said that his id was what was responsible for getting him into trouble in the first place, and what motivated him to return to safety. And I understood that you said his ego bargained with the other two, taking into account the taunting of his comrades. I especially enjoyed your thoughts on the superego, when you said the superego overcame the wishes of the ego and helped him show compassion to the commander. I thought your ending sentence “I strongly believe the superego is the ‘strong but silent’ one waiting in the background to point you in the right direction” showed how you see the superego, or “good” part of people, as their saving grace, and what made Collins’ actions admirable in the end. Do you think there are other people who would disagree that the superego triumphs in the end? I think I understand how you said the mood of the field reflected the id and superego, but how does it reflect the ego? I am probably just missing this, but was hoping you could tell me what you thought. You said that “because of the circumstances the id, superego, and ego may have reacted differently than they would have in any other situation”. Can you think of an example of a different situation and how would this have changed or not changed Collins’ behavior?

How does the author indirectly characterize the protagonist through the use of dialect? What does this tell us about the character? How are they influenced by their id, ego, or superego?
 * Wharton’s “April Showers” and Twain’s “The Invalid’s Story”**

Both works of both “The Invalid’s Story” and “April Showers” show very contrasting and different desires from ther id, superego, and ego. They have different wants and needs but it all goes down to self-preservation for one and the requirements of her family for the other. Both stories show a bit of bias to their id towards the beginning in that they seem to follow that more than any other and only after realizing their errors do they become conscious of the needs of the superego and ego that they change direction and therefore also change the direction of the story. The two stories take place in drastically different settings yet the same time period which just shows how much lifestyles differed when travelling to different regions.

In “The Invalid’s Story” by Mark Twain there are two main characters with distinguishly different dialects and backgrounds. Thompson, whom is the engineer of the train, sounds uneducated and like he was not brought up in a very wealthy home. He doesn’t always pronounce his words correctly and it could almost be like he doesn’t know how to correctly say them. The narrator, on the other hand, appears to have been schooled and taught in more ways than just English. He has a more mature vibe around him than Thompson though the latter does seem like a very nice man, just not very knowledgeable. Because of the different upbringings their dialect was exceptionally different. The narrator in forced to sit in a small space with a rather rank piece of cheese – though he is not aware the odor is from that, thinking it his poor dead friend’s corpse – and all his id wants to do is to move away from the smell. His superego also wants to be away from the smell but it knows that if he continues to sit outside in the cold that he will catch pneumonia and become ill. His ego tries to balance out the needs of both superego and id by moving to and from the warmth of the cabin to the frigid cold of the outdoors, where at least it doesn’t smell like cheese.

In “April Showers” young Theodora Dace wants to become a writer and all her id wants to do is write and forget her other duties in her home. Her superego wishes her to forget the writing, at least until she is taken care of her family like she is supposed to do. Theodora’s ego then rationalizes that after she has published her finished novel that she will give the money to her family to help pay for things and send her brother to a better schoool. There is also, like in “The Invalid’s Story” a difference in dialect. The Dace family was brought up in Boston on the East coast and it is very apparent that they are educated and taught how to speak properly and with correct pronunciation in their words. Because of the time period, too, it is also possible they are direct descedents of an English family from Britain which would also give them a more sophisticated air. Theodora sounds smart and well-mannered when she speaks and the father comes off as old fashioned but still just as intelligent.

Though both stories were written in the same period – yet with extreme differences in tone and mood – it all boils down to what the body and soul needs in life. Whether it be escaping from a very smelly bit of cheese or putting aside your own desires to care for the needs of your family it proves that anywhere you go, the outcome is still the same. You may start out in life only thinking about yourself and what you need most but in the end, or eventually, you’ll start to mature and think about more others and their wishes, as well. You won’t find happiness in life if you only give in to your id, there has to be a balance. So no matter where you hail, or how different someone else speaks, we’re all alike and we need the same things to survive, but what those things are you have to find out for yourself along the way.

Shailey, I really enjoyed reading your response! It seemed like you made many connections between the two stories, bringing together what you analyzed for both to make conclusions like “it all boils down to what the body and soul needs in life.” You were also able to connect this to life as you have experienced it so far, in the last sentence of your paper. I thought it was great how you made this connection, because I could see this insight applying to my own life. I could tell you really searched these stories fro how they apply to real life situations. You also wrote a lot about how the opposing dialects of the characters helped define the characters, and showed what their backgrounds and ways of life were like. I think you did a great job of bringing up examples from the stories, especially: “Thompson, whom is the engineer of the train, sounds uneducated and like he was not brought up in a very wealthy home. He doesn’t always pronounce his words correctly and it could almost be like he doesn’t know how to correctly say them.” I was interested to see what actual phrases from the stories led you to come up with these ideas. What specific words or ways of speech did the authors use to help you figure out these ideas about the dialect? Your identification of the id, ego, and superego and their influence in both stories made a lot of sense to me, and helped me understand the layers of their motivation. You said that Theodora’s wants and needs come down to the “requirements of her family.” I wanted to hear more about what you perceived these requirements to be, and if you think there is a turning point for Theodora changing her mind about these requirements? Do you think these requirements tell us anything about family life in this time, as compared to how we live now?

Binary Opposition in “April Showers”

Her eyes scanned the page and as her brain began to comprehend the words her heart started racing; thump-thumping resonating loudly throughout her chest. She felt as if her heart had been grabbed, squeezed, remains oozing through fingers to drip-drip onto the organs below. What was her life if she had failed this; if she had failed the only thing she loved this strongly. How could she ever go on knowing she had failed? Theodora is heartbroken when she sees the mistake the paper made and the truth her story will not be published but rather Kathleen Kyd’s instead. All her life that is all she wanted and that dream has been suddenly snatched from her – abruptly and without care. Not only is she upset with her lack of success in being published but she //needs// to succeed so she can take revenge on the moral dilemma that conflicts her. Theodora Dace is the known protagonist of “April Showers” by Edith Wharton. She longs to be a writer and at the mere age of 17 believes that she has the ability to change her life, along with the lives of those around her. Perhaps that is where she went wrong, thinking she would have all she wanted at the very first opportunity. She tries hard not only because this is her dream but because as every moment passes that she writes her novel, she neglects her duties. She said to herself that when she finishes it she will have time to “look after the children and catch up on her mending.” It is not only knowledge of her heedlessness that spurs her on and keeps her conscience urging to be heard. “Her contrition was softened by the thought that literary success would enable her to make up for all the little negligences of which she was guilty.” (Wharton) Theodora writes her novel, abandoning her duties but thinking like the above quote to keep her psychoanalytic self satisfied. Her id, superego and ego all desired certain, different things and she has to make a way to please all of them while still getting what she really wants. After she has been published and is a renowned author she will have the money to share with her family and purchase things for them like a new wheeled chair or submission to a better school for her brother. It is then that we see the roundness of Theodora’s character, shifting from contentment to guilt and shame to later utter elation. Throughout the story the motivation of the good things to come keep her going along with her desire to write. The protagonist wants to be a writer more than anything, it is her lifelong dream that she wants to accomplish. Because of the time and her status she must try harder than others for in her period women were not often respected or looked highly upon in the work force. It is harder for Theodora especially because she wishes to be a writer and that profession was known mainly to men and few women, so their reputations were more than likely tarnished unless they used a pen name. Women in that day had to work very hard to get published and known as a true author to not be made a spectacle of and ridiculed. Theodora’s problem was the fact she believed she could write her first story and get it published in a magazine just like //that//, no problem. She was naïve in that respect to think she could acquire that status without a hitch and no difficulties. Although she was wrong in her misconceptions -- almost incomprehensibly childish -- the tone was still heartbreaking at the point the reader realizes she had failed. Her desperation and grief all but float off the page and sink into your own skin and your own heart because you know how much she wanted it. The problem was she wanted it so much, so //much// that she wasn’t able to see ahead in the future and consider other probable outcomes. It was that, the truth that life is not easy and you really don’t succeed the first time that really hits home and makes you weep for poor Theodora. We all have decisions in our lives we must make, may they be ominous and dismal or exciting and blissful, but still important because they have the probability to change our entire being. One wrong – or right – choice can alter the path you take completely or be so miniscule that you don’t recognize the change at all. A person must choose what means more to them, whether it be family or another love or something so small as do they want cookies or ice cream after dinner, but in the end we all must make decisions. What are humans if they are never faced with the task of deriving to the conclusion of a problem? Theodora was lucky because she was not alone but had a family that loved and cared about her and wanted her to succeed. They would realize her needs and wants and cater to them to the best of their abilities, as long as she kept up her end of the deal with her chores. The horror and rejection she felt when realizing her failure hurt and jolted a person’s sympathetic mind, but she still had people who loved her and a creative mind which is all she needed, all anyone ever really needs, to succeed.

Response to Shailey: Binary Opposition in “April Showers”

Her eyes scanned the page and as her brain began to comprehend the words her heart started racing; thump-thumping resonating loudly throughout her chest. She felt as if her heart had been grabbed, squeezed, remains oozing through fingers to drip-drip **I think this “drip-drip” is great! Very creative!** onto the organs below. **Great introduction- it drew me in and I could picture what you are describing. Got me very involved!** What was her life if she had failed this; if she had failed the only thing she loved this strongly. How could she ever go on knowing she had failed? Theodora is heartbroken when she sees the mistake the paper made and the truth her story will not be published but rather Kathleen Kyd’s instead. All her life that is all she wanted and that dream has been suddenly snatched from her – abruptly and without care. Not only is she upset with her lack of success in being published but she //needs // to succeed so she can take revenge on the moral dilemma that conflicts her **Good thesis statement here, I was interested to read on about the “moral dilemma”.** Theodora Dace is the known protagonist of “April Showers” by Edith Wharton. She longs to be a writer and at the mere age of 17 believes that she has the ability to change her life, along with the lives of those around her. Perhaps that is where she went wrong, thinking she would have all she wanted at the very first opportunity. She tries hard not only because this is her dream but because as every moment passes that she writes her novel, she neglects her duties. **What are these duties? **She said to herself that when she finishes it she will have time to “look after the children and catch up on her mending.” It is not only knowledge of her heedlessness that spurs her on and keeps her conscience urging to be heard. “Her contrition was softened by the thought that literary success would enable her to make up for all the little negligences of which she was guilty.” (Wharton) **This is a great example from the text, I feel like it really goes along with the ideas you wrote about.** Theodora writes her novel, abandoning her duties but thinking like the above quote to keep her psychoanalytic self satisfied. Her id, superego and ego all desired certain, different things and she has to make a way to please all of them while still getting what she really wants. After she has been published and is a renowned author she will have the money to share with her family and purchase things for them like a new wheeled chair or submission to a better school for her brother. It is then that we see the roundness of Theodora’s character, shifting from contentment to guilt and shame to later utter elation. Throughout the story the motivation of the good things to come keep her going along with her desire to write **I think this is a good observation about Theodora’s motivations...and you were able to generalize them, this was an idea I missed so glad you brought it up!** The protagonist wants to be a writer more than anything, it is her lifelong dream that she wants to accomplish. Because of the time and her status she must try harder than others for in her period women were not often respected or looked highly upon in the work force. It is harder for Theodora especially because she wishes to be a writer and that profession was known mainly to men and few women, so their reputations were more than likely tarnished unless they used a pen name **Good historical reference**. Women in that day had to work very hard to get published and known as a true author to not be made a spectacle of and ridiculed. Theodora’s problem was the fact she believed she could write her first story and get it published in a magazine just like //that //, no problem. She was naïve in that respect to think she could acquire that status without a hitch and no difficulties. Although she was wrong in her misconceptions -- almost incomprehensibly childish -- the tone was still heartbreaking at the point the reader realizes she had failed. Her desperation and grief all but float off the page and sink into your own skin and your own heart because you know how much she wanted it **I think this is a very good and interesting observation, and I am curious – What about the way the story is written makes it able to reach out to the reader so well? I think the way you start off this paper floated off the page and sank into my skin, so maybe you and the author of April Showers both are able to do this**. The problem was she wanted it so much, so //much // that she wasn’t able to see ahead in the future and consider other probable outcomes. It was that, the truth that life is not easy and you really don’t succeed the first time that really hits home and makes you weep for poor Theodora. We all have decisions in our lives we must make, may they be ominous and dismal or exciting and blissful, but still important because they have the probability to change our entire being. One wrong – or right – choice can alter the path you take completely or be so miniscule that you don’t recognize the change at all. A person must choose what means more to them, whether it be family or another love or something so small as do they want cookies or ice cream after dinner, but in the end we all must make decisions. What are humans if they are never faced with the task of deriving to the conclusion of a problem? Theodora was lucky because she was not alone but had a family that loved and cared about her and wanted her to succeed. They would realize her needs and wants and cater to them to the best of their abilities, as long as she kept up her end of the deal with her chores. The horror and rejection she felt when realizing her failure hurt and jolted a person’s sympathetic mind, but she still had people who loved her and a creative mind which is all she needed, all anyone ever really needs, to succeed. **Wow! I feel like this last paragraph has a lot off important ideas in it! You really were able to connect to real life, and I think you backed up all the claims you made. The theme of decisions seems to me to go great with the idea of binary opposition – as you have two different ideas that contrast and influence what you think about the other one, which is what I got from reading your ideas.**