While reading The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, how their family lived and their lifestyle caught my eye. With no father figure in this family because he ran off makes this family broken. The mother Amanda is trying to keep the family together and functional but all she seems to do is yell at her children. Yelling doesn't help anything; it creates distance between all of them instead of bringing them closer and succeeding in life. The son and brother Tom escapes this home and his mother with liquor, literature, and movies. Because Tom uses these hobbies as a way out it causes his mother Amanda to fight with him about it. Tom has a job but the daughter Laura is shy and isn't going anywhere in life like her mother wants. Amanda pushes her and gets Tom involved to help her get a husband. This story about their lives is complicated because conflicts erupt and this home doesn't seem functional at all. A home shouldn't be so crazy, it should be a place where you feel comfortable. Pushing and pulling makes this family get one each others nerves. My home and family aren't perfect; we have arguments and disagreements but never as much as their lifestyle. I also have my whole family with me. I have both parents and a brother. Laura and Tom are without a father figure and Amanda is without a husband to rely on. Because Amanda is husband-less she feels the need to step up and try to be the father because she feels the need to since their father isn't there.
When I read stories with damaged family I feel grateful for what I have. Even in hard times I realize other people have it worse then I do and somehow they manage to go on and live their life with that scar. I have also seen it in person. My best friend has been through so much and recently she had to go through her fathers death. I saw everything that was happening to her through a different perspective because it wasn't happening to me but I realized how much I have and what I could lose. Even though Tom, Laura, and Amanda didn't actually lose him like that but they did lose him in a different way. With the people you surround yourself with makes a difference. If you have a loving family and friends around you it can make a big difference and can pick you up when your really down and depressed. Showing love towards people is strong medicine and powerful. Maybe if the character Amanda showed more of love towards her children the relationships wouldn't be as tense as they are.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Rough Draft
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Londa McDonald
Stacey Knapp
English 1B
May 4, 2011
The Beauty of Evil
In the Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne, the protagonist Hester Prynne is a women living in the Puritan society and has committed the sin adultery. Because of her sin she is forced to wear the letter “A” on her breast for the rest of her life. Using reader’s response, there is good and evil throughout this novel and Hester shows off both. Hester has her ups and downs with adjusting to her new life with raising Pearl, being compared to Ann Hutchinson, and facing all the people who judge her disastrous act. From the beginning until the very end, Hester survives through her punishment and uses her strength from her mistake and changes the views of the people around her. Hester grows into a strong independent woman in the Puritan society.
When Hester is introduced she is stepping out of the prison cell with her daughter Pearl. This is the first impression you get of Hester showing you right from the start that she has done wrong in her society. The town’s people watch her stand up and get her punishment and make comments about it. One woman in the crowd says “This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not a law for it? Truly there is, both in the Scripture and the statue-book” (Hawthorne 39). This shows so much hate towards her and they judge her because adultery is considered “evil” to them. We still judge people frequently on their actions today whether its adultery, how they look, or getting pregnant at a young age. Adultery is still considered a sin and we know it’s wrong but we don’t mark the people who violate the commandment or society’s beliefs. With the scarlet letter placed upon her breast she is an outcast from
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the community. The scarlet letter has “. . . the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself (Hawthorne 41). From now on the red letter on her represents her loneliness and withdrawal from the Puritans society. Because of her punishment she is forced to live a different life and become an independent woman.
Hester has many thoughts running through her mind but she knew that she had to live for her child Pearl who was only an infant. She had to step up and care for her without a man by her side. Hester “…possessed an art that sufficed, even in a land that afforded comparatively little scope for its exercise, to supply food for her thriving infant and herself” (Hawthorne 57). This shows that she worked for herself and Pearl. She used her gift of sewing clothing for children to the deceased. Her hard work paid off and “. . . her handiwork become what would now be termed the fashion” (Hawthorne 57). Because of her work, she has given something back to the people and this shows she has earned somewhat of their respect. From my point of view she deserves it because she is taking her punishment and living the life she picked for herself. There are consequences for every action we do and she becomes strong on the outside to survive in the Puritans strict environment.
Hester knew that her actions were considered evil to everyone around her. The evil that came out of this sin was her daughter Pearl. Pearl’s personality wasn’t like other children’s in the community. While Hester watched Pearl grow and noticed “It was as if an evil spirit possessed the child, and had just then peeped forth in mockery” (Hawthorne 66). This shows the wickedness that child has within her because her mother did not have Pearl like the society wanted her to. She was supposed to have a child with her husband not another man therefore Pearl is considered an act of evil. Deep down inside Hester isn’t has tough as she seems to show people. Hester breaks down about how Pearl acts and says “… O Father in Heaven, -if Thou art still my Father,-what is this being which I have brought into the world” (Hawthorne 65). This shows Hester thinking about her sin and how it led to her giving birth to this outcast
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child. Hester knows what she has done and has to live life even though she is without a husband by her side to help. Many women now in the 21st century live without men to take care of them but back then women always relied on their spouse to provide for them while the women played their role as house wives. Women are strong but fragile; Hester is both of these and has her ups and her downs with the life she has given herself.
After seven years of wearing the scarlet letter and raising her daughter, her life stayed the same but the people around her seemed to change. The obvious symbol placed on her changes and represents the good that’s in Hester. According to the towns people “Such helpfulness was found in her, -so much power to do, and power to sympathize, - that many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength” (Hawthorne 106). This shows that Hester has changed people’s perspective of her because of her “good” acts she has done. Individuals throughout the society forgot and forgave Hester’s sin and would say “Do you see that woman with the embroidered badge?” they would say to strangers. “It is our Hester, -the town’s own Hester, -who is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, so comfortable to the afflicted” (Hawthorne 106). This quote shows her consideration and sympathy towards the suffering even though people show hate towards her. Hester cares for people anyway and gains their respect not to gain the town’s people’s approval but I think for herself to become a better person. She is a mother and has to show Pearl how to be an independent women in this cruel world. I definitely respect Hester and everything she has gone through while living on the outside because she takes full responsibility for her actions and still goes on with all of the non sinners against her.
Hester is not the only woman who has gone against the Puritans strict society. Ann Hutchinson is another woman just like Hester to go and rebel against the Puritan ways. For Ann Hutchinson she is introduced in the novel when Hester is at the prison door. Ann’s act of evil towards the Puritans was
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“hosting meetings for women and had reproached most of the ministers, including Reverend John Wilson, for preaching a covenant of works rather than a covenant of grace” (Hawthorne 37). Her actions show how Ann Hutchinson spoke out and took action in what she thought was right for her and other women. According to Michael J. Colacurcio, Hester and Ann both are both women whose lives turned out to be very similar. Michael J. Colacrucio explains “Like Ann Hutchinson, Hester Prynne is an extraordinary women who falls afoul of a theocratic and male-dominated society; and the problems which cause them to be singled out for exemplary punishment both begin in a special sort of relationship with a pastor who is one of the acknowledged intellectual and spiritual leaders of that society” (Colacrucio 306). With what Michael pointed out I agree with him about Hester and Ann being “extraordinary women” because they both had the strength to face the harsh society they live in. Hester did do the wrong thing by committing adultery but I don’t believe she is a bad person. These acts that women did back in the 17th century seemed to be horrible but without these rebellious women society wouldn’t have changed into how the 21st century is today. Lots of women fight for what they want or believe because they want to be independent and treated differently instead of men always being the dominate sex. For Hester this wasn’t the case but she proved to people anyway that women can be independent and so did Ann Hutchinson.
Another similarity Hester and Ann have is they both become better women after their operations of evil. After, they both reached out and brought kindness to the people around them. Michael also pointed out “. . . with increasing complications, both of these remarkable and troublesome women have careers as nurses and counselors to other women: Ann Hutchinson begins her prophetic career this way, whereas Hester Prynne moves into this direction as a result of her punishment” (Colacurcio 306). “Evil” things people do throughout this world lead to better things. I wouldn’t consider these two things these women did as being evil. Good things come out of the people you least expect; Hester and Ann are examples of good out in the world. For Hester to change herself and become the person that she wanted to after her sin shows us the great strength she has.
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Many readers who read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter have many opinions of the conflicts involved in this novel. When Hawthorne was writing this novel according to Stephen Railton Hawthorne wanted to “. . . use a woman’s sexuality to explore and challenge the structures of society. . .” (Railton 482). This shows that he went into that direction and showed his readers how complications about women actions can turn the society’s structure upside down. He had to focus on an audience when writing this book and “. . . realized that the Puritans are a terrible audience” (Railton 485). Hawthorne wanted an audience that would get what he was trying to say through this story. Hawthorne focused on the “. . . scene between the action and their reaction” (Railton 486). This shows he wanted to write each scene as if he would already know the reaction the readers has. He uses foreshadowing and gives hints on what will happen next and it all connects to the point he is trying to get the reader to realize. Stephen Railton presented that Hawthorne’s “. . .”plan” for The Scarlet Letter was to communicate as well as to explore the depths of our common nature, the truths of the human heart” (Railton 486). This quote shows his deeper meaning he wanted readers to catch, he wanted people to read this and feel these characters from their heart. From my perspective the way he wrote this got me to feel something for Hester and her life. I didn’t end up hating her because of what she did but saw how the good over came the evil she has done. He wrote this in a way to see the beauty of Hester that hides underneath the scarlet letter she wears.
Throughout this novel Hester Prynne’s story shows the balance she brought between good and evil. Living in the Puritan society in the 17th century was rough and challenging. Now in the 21st century women have it easier and actually are a big part of the growing society. We all see things differently and have diverse opinions about what’s evil and what is good. While one person can think something is evil another can have a different view and think it’s not evil at all. We all learn to forgive and forget and move into the future. Just like Hester’s story she shows us both sides of her but looking into her heart we see who she really is and it’s not evil at all. We can never fully understand why we judge people in these categories, but when it comes down to it we all make mistakes and live with them. They lead us down a
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path where we find who we are supposed to be and what we are meant to do in the world. Just like Hester she knows her mistake and instead of putting her head down she rises above what society thinks and lives her life how she wants too. Everyone seems to cut down the people who fall when we all know that no one is perfect and that’s what’s beautiful about the world. We live, learn, and love and it doesn’t have to be perfect in judgmental eyes, it has to feel right and be perfect in our eyes since it’s our life.
Friday, May 13, 2011
annotated bibliographies
Colacurio, Michael J. "Footsteps of Ann Hutchinson: The Context of The Scarlet Letter." The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2005. 304-31. Print.
While I was researching for my paper I came across this criticism. Michael J. Colacurcio explained how Hawthorne used Ann Hutchinson in the novel to compare Hester his fictional character to real life Puritan women who sinned in their society. He states how Ann and Hester are similar because of how they turn out to be good influences on other women. But Hester had to catch up to Ann's good deeds since it took her time to come out and give back to the people. Ann sin was different then Hester's but they both came out to be strong independent women.
Hawthorne, Nathaniel, and Leland S. Person. The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2005. Print.
Another source I used was the actual novel. The book is about a woman named Hester who commits the sin adultery and has to face the consequence and wear the letter A on her breast. She has to live with what she has done and with her daughter Pearl she thinks about the evil she has brought into the world. As the years go by she washes all the evil away with the good deeds she does for other people and for herself. Sh also runs into conflicts with her husband and the man she had an affair with.
Railton, Stephen. "The Address of The Scarlet Letter." The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2005. 481-500. Print.
The last source I came across was really interesting. Stephen Railton's main focus was Hawthorne's audience when he was writing The Scarlet Letter. He knew that the Puritans wouldn't be thrilled about this writing but he wanted to take the risk and write a novel about a women who addresses challenge to the strict society. He wanted to use this novel as a way to get people to realize the deeper meaning of the story. He didn't want the readers to hate Hester but she whats really in her heart.
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