Using Steller To Tell the Story

Three short stories "Paul's Case", "The Chrysanthemums", and "Barn Burning" have different contents however they all possess same themes to each other. Most significant theme that those three stories share is 'isolation.' Paul was isolated by society because he had strange characteristic, the family in the "Barn Burning" was isolated by society because of the stereotype they had, and Elisa in "The Chrysanthemums" was isolated just because she was a female.

First, the picture of disabled man in a jar which is held by the bigger hand represents the isolation of Paul. Paul wasn't physically disabled however he was somewhat mentally disabled. He thought differently from others and couldn't combined with society because of it. The hand that is holding the jar represents the society. It is true that Paul was different from other people but he was not wrong. However just because Paul was different, the society trapped him, like the man in a little jar. That is why that picture represents the situation of Paul really well.

Second, the picture of two women looking outside the window represents Elisa in "The Chrysanthemums." Elisa was intelligent and passionate woman. However she is unsatisfied about her situation. Even though her interest is in the business side, the fact that she is a female makes her to stay in her house and just do house chores. So this two women who are looking outside the window as if they are admiring the outside the world represents her really Elisa really well. Like this two women, because Elisa is isolated in her house from the society, she admires and wants to live the outside world.

Third, the picture of one person getting pointed by bunch of people represents the family in "Barn Burning." Even though people in the town couldn't find the evidence any evidence of the criminal of barn burning they decided to kick out the Snopes family just because the people thought they have done it. So the society is the one who is pointing at the poor little boy and the boy represents the Snopes family who are getting harmed by the society.

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The Great Runaway

In the short story 'The Paul's Case' written by Cather, Paul is shown as a disabled individual who failed to join the society. He thinks he is very different from the society. The fact that he is kind of homosexual and the fact that he doesn't like the poor society that he is living in, makes him even harder to join the society. So the object that Paul is trying to run away from is the society that he is living in. He first tries to run away from society by hiding his real self by lying to other people. Later on he eventually runs away from the society by killing himself. After he realizes that there is no place that he could fit in, he jumps into the train and ends his life by himself. His runaway can be considered successful because, death is always the ultimate form of escape. By sacrificing your life you can get away from everything. That's how suicide works.
Also in the short story 'The Chrysanthemums' written by John Steinbeck, the main character also tries to escape from the situation that she is in. She it a wife of man who is sexist. He doesn't respect what she does and thinks that the work she does is not productive. Furthermore, he isolates her wife from the society. So the wife one day, tries to escape from this situation by having affair with the man who respected herself and her work. However, the result of her escape was failure because that man who respected her wasn't that different from her husband and was actually being kind to her expecting profit. Consequently, this act of escape made her more miserable.

Rebellion in "The Yellow Wall-Paper"

I think the active rebellion in the short story "The Yellow Wall-Paper" was the act of ripping the wall paper that was done by narrator. In the book wall paper meant the control of narrator's husband John, toward the narrator. He told the narrator what to do and what she shouldn't do. He made a cage that she should live in. And the wall paper did similar job. It isolated the narrator in small room from the big world. So by ripping the wall paper narrator showed her feelings that she wants to be free from her husband and do whatever she wants.

02/10/14

Quotes from 'The Storm'

 "As she glanced up at him the fear in her liquid blue eyes had given place to a drowsy gleam that unconsciously betrayed a sensuous desire."

This is a quote from a short story 'The Storm' by Kate Chopin. This is important quote from her short story because this quote shows the internal confusion that the main character Calixta go through. Like the storm happening outside she is going through her own kind of storm. Her 'sensuous desire' is telling her to have sex with the man in front of her but her conscious is telling her not to betray his husband. Even though consequently, the 'sensuous desire' over the consciousness and have a sex with her friend, this quote show that it was tough decision for her.

01/10/14