Slave

I find myself forgetting as I read that Mart Shelley's Frankenstein began with Frankenstien recounting his story to Walton. He meant to teach Walton a lesson through his story, and I think this lesson really become eminent towards the end of the novel when the creature's interactions with Frankenstein become more and more frequent. The creature often refers to Frankenstein as "slave" or commands him to do his bidding. "Slave, I before reasoned with you, but you have proved yourself unworthy of my condescension. Remember that I have power; you believe yourself miserable, but j can make you so wretched that the light of day will be hateful to you. Oh are my creator, but I am your master; obey!" The creature realizes it's full power over Victor. Not only does it possess physical advantages, but these physical strengths allow him to destroy the emotional state of others. He is also very clever and knows exactly how to cause victor the most possible misery. Again, I feel no pity for Victor. He refuses time and time again to grant the creature his very reasonable request that Victor, as his creator, surely owes him. Victor shows no mercy towards the helpless creature to whom he have a miserable life. He hears the warning of the monster, and still refuses his end of the promise, apart making it hard to feel pity for him when the creature keeps his word and kills Elizabeth.

A Reasonable Request

"What I ask of you is reasonable and moderate; I demand a creature of another sex, but as hideous as myself; the gratification is small, but it is all that I can receive, ad it shall content me." The cresture's request of Victor is nothing if not reasonable. Victor has caused countless sufferings to his creature, a creature whom he gave life and is therefore responsible for. Victor's fears regarding the creation of another like the creature who has already brought so much fear and destruction to his life is understandable, but he undoubtedly owes the creature this recompense. Not only does Victor owe the creature happiness after bringing him into a world that has only showed him malice, the creature assures Vicfor that he and his mate will be of no harm to Victor or the entire human race. "'I swear,' he cried, 'by the sun, and by the blue sky of heaven, and by the fire of love that burns in my heart, that if you grant my prayer, while they exist you shall never behold me again.'" The creature's response is incredibly reasonable, and even Victor's hesitance astounds me. He is heartless to even think that he can bring this living, breathing, and feeling creature into the world to let it live in despair. Victor owes the creature happines; he owes him the creation of this mate.

Pathos

In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the creature's unjust treatment by humankind evokes much pathos. At first, the novel portrays the creature as a ghastly evil being because this is what Victor believed it to be. However, as the cresture's true nature is revealed, his unjust circumstances evoke sympathy. I am personally on team creature. I'm not sure what Victor expected the creature to become after being raised on its own and being taught nothing but hatred for the human race that did nothing but unjustly rejected and despised him. The creature says to Victor, "Remember, that I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, who thou drivest from joy  for no misdeed. Everywhere I see bliss, from which I alone am irrevocably excluded. I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend." The creature presents an excellent point to his creator. He was not inherently evil, but the mistreatment he received from the world, and even from his master, inspired hatred and introduced malice to his being. The creature deserves pity, though he has committed several heinous crimes. He wishes to be good and desires no more than a frien, but even this small request is time and time again denied until his good heart learns to resent those who resent him for no reason. Victor and humanity cast the monster aside and show malice towards him for no reason other than he looks quite horrid. The creature naturally learned to hate humans in return. Victor, though I pity his losses, deserves no sympathy. It is his own fault that his loved ones are dead, and his fault again for not seeing the reason in the cresture's request which eventually leads to the death of Elizabeth.

Frame Story

The creature of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein presents an excellent example of a frame story. He meets Frankenstein on a mountain while he is wallowing in despair of the recent events, William and Justine's deaths, for which he feels responsible. The creature insists that Frankenstein hear his story, which is of course the frame story in question. "Hear my tale; tibia long and strange..." The creature recounts for Victor all the events of his life from his creation to that point on the mountain. Many aspects of his story are quite amazing, like his ability to learn the human language on his own and furthermore to learn to read by eves dropping on lessons bein taught to someone else. The cresture's story also provides a lot if background information for precious events in the story as well as explanations for why the creature is the way he is. Is story explains the whole situation with William and Justine. It also allows the reader to understand the attitude and actions of the creature as they understand his past and upbringing.

Foreshadowing

Mary Shelley gives a specific instance of foreshadowing in her novel Frankenstein withered the creature's threatening of victor and his loved ones. The creature says, "It is well. I go; but remember, I shall be with you on your wedding-night". This threat by the creature could be construed many ways. Upon first reading this statement by the creature, I thought he was using Victor's as a representation of the fear Victor will feel of his creation for his entire life. I thought that the creature was warning him that even on his wedding-night, a time that should be filled with joy, Victor will be in fear of the creature. It is clear by Victor's thoughts," I should regard the threatened fate as unavoidable. But death was no evil to me, if the loss of Elizabeth were balanced with it...", that he believes that the monster's threat implies the imminent deaths of he and his soon-to-be bride. In the end, it is clear that the true meaning of the threat is to intend to cause Victor more pain than he could have guessed. The monster intends to mirror Victor's killing of his mate by returning the favor, killing Elizabeth.

Krempe vs. Waldman

Upon arriving at the Univesity of Ingolstadt, Frankenstein meets with two professors of science to orient himself with them and their subjects.  He firsts meets with the professor of natural philosophy, M. Kempe.  The professor inquires about Frankenstein's past experience with this field of science and Frankenstein informs him of his obsession with the works of a certain few alchemists and authors. The professor replies, "'Have you,' he said, 'really spent your time in studying such nonsense?'"  Clearly professor Waldaman holds no credibility in the scientists that Frankenstein has based his scientific fascinations on.  Though Frankenstein was warned by his father before reading the apparently foolish novels that they were useless, he is disenchanted by Krempe's remarks.  On the other hand, Professor Waldman spurs the imagination and determination of Frankenstein. "But these philosophers, whose hands seem only made to dabble in dirt, and their eyes to pore over the microscope or crucible, have indeed performed miracles." Waldman's words spark a flame in Frankensteins mind to do just as other scientists have done and more.  He desires to perform "miracles" by defying the vary laws of nature and make discoveries that most people have hardly dreamed of.

Look Before You Leap

Despite all of his calculations and experiments, Frankenstein forgot a very important part of the planning for his discorvery.  He failed to prepare himself fully for the outcome of his success. He focused for so long on the sole idea of achieving his ultimate goal that he completely forgot to imagine how he would feel when he finally reached it. He states, "but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart." Frankenstein loved the chase; pushing the boundaries of science is his passion. He adores the acquisition of knowledge, and he will go to any lengths in order to get this knowledge. However, Frankenstein prepared for everything besides his own feelings towards the outcome of his discovery. As soon as he had achieved success and the desire for knowledge had passed, he no longer loved his work. The result of his labors disgusted him. It is incredibly ironic that after years of effort and work building up to this point, all Frankenstein feels is disgust and hatred for his creation. 

Destiny

In the recounting of his story to Walton, Frankenstein is very set on his impending and certain destiny, "...nothing can alter my destiny; listen to my history, and you will perceive how irrevocably it is determined." For some reason, Frankenstein is certain if his eminent doom. Why he awaits a fate of misfortune, I do not know, but he is positive that the only future for him is a bleak one. He often references this destiny and the events that have made it so inescapable. He says, "Destiny was too potent, and her immutable laws had decreed my utter and terrible destruction." Furthermore, Frankenstein adds later in his narrative, "Thus ended a day memorable to me: it decided my future destiny." I think he is so certain if this destiny because he has, at least in part, chosen it for himself. I am not positive, but my assumption would be that Frankenstein himself has made a decision so concrete that it is his destiny. He feels compelled down a certain path and now is simply awaiting his future.

A Blessing and a Curse

Frankenstein decides to tell his story to Walton because he hopes to avert him from making his same mistakes of throwing caution to the wind in pursuit of knowledge and success. He states that in his youth, his throat for knowledge propelled him forward, into habits of reading and crating his own studies. He then advances to a university where he continues to obsess over his own theories and experiments. Frankenstein leaves the boundaries of science behind him as he discovered and puts to use the source of creation of life. Though all of his efforts ended in success, Frankenstein regards his gift for learning as a curse. "Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow". Frankenstein tries to warn Walton in essentially the same lesson as "curiosity killed the cat". He tells him to be wary of the information he seeks because he might not like what he finds. This is a central theme in Mary Shelly's novel Frankenstein, with the remainder of the story regarding all of the repercussions of Frankenstein's challenging the laws of nature.

Similarities between Walton and Frankenstein

I still wonder why Frankenstein decided to tell Walton his story. He stated that he wanted to share his experiences in hopes that they might serve as a warning for Walton, "You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been".  Why does he care for Walton in the first place? I think the answer to this question lies in the unmistakable similarities between the two men. Very early in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein we see that Walton has a close relationship with his sister. His tone and words of admiration in the letters he writes her make this very clear. When Frankenstein begins to tell his story, he also describes his more-than-sister in an affectionate and adoring manner. The two men are also both self-educated to some degree. They both took their education into their own hands to accomplish their dreams. Though Frankenstein attended a university, the science that led him to create life and his early fascination with learning in his youth were self inflicted. Walton received no former education, using the books in his Uncle's library to fuel his passion for exploration. These men share an obsession with reaching beyond the boundaries of science to benefit and make their own mark on humanity.

APO 96225

APO 96225 by Larry Rottmann reminds me a lot of questions that I encounter everyday. These questions usually start out with, "Tell me the truth..." And continue with a question whose truthful answer would probably result in the hurt feelings of the asker. For example, the classic, "Tell me truth, does this make me look fat?" is one of my favorites, because it is obvious that people only want to hear that they look beautiful. I am usually very honest with my friends and family when asked to be, but what kind of a person would reply with, "yes, you look huge. Go run 5 miles,"? Exactly. Sometimes I think it is not only acceptable, but necessary to bend the truth or lie in order to preserve the feelings of someone around you. When people ask these questions, they don't really want to hear that they look fat, they just want you to tell them they look good and to boost their confidence. This is exactly the case in this poem. The son is sparing his mother from the ugly truth that is war. He wants to protect her from the horrid tasks he performs each day. Eenfually he gives in to her insistence that she wants to hear everything, doubting his correct assumption that she just wars to ascertain that he is doing okay. His original assumption is reaffirmed by the father's reply. The mother didn't really want to know everything ahoy her son's daily tasks and the place where he is stationed, she wants the bossy of confidence that he is alive  and well, as any mother would. This poem very clearly shows this funny quirk of society.

Much Madness is divinest Sense

Much Madness is divinest Sense is another of Emily Dickinsons's poems that discusses the idea of sanity verses insanity. This poem states a slightly confusing paradox, that madness is actually the greatest form of sense, and sanity is really madness. According to the poem, sanity is only called "sense" because the majority of people think this way and agree upon this way of thinking, "Much Sense- the starkest Madness- 'Tis the Majority". I don't really understand how sanity could be madness, and vice versa, but her idea that if a person doesn't agree with the majority, they are considered wrong, is quite true. Dickinsons's poem states, "Assent- and you are sane-, Demur- and you're straightaway dangerous-". This idea is very profound and so true. No matter the reasoning, someone who goes against the majority of society, someone who questions the masses, is automatically frowned upon. Not only frowned upon, but "straightaway dangerous". People are really almost scared of those who are different, and yearn to be considers "sane" bu the act of fitting in and attempting to be just like everyone else.

I felt a Funeral, in my Brain

In I felt a Funeral, in my Brain, the speaker creates and extended metaphor of the loss of his/her mind. The funeral represents the end of normal functioning in the brain, as normal functioning of the body ends when a person dies. It seems that this person gradually lost their mind, as shown by the words "treading- treading" and "beating- bearing". It is possible that the loss of her mind could be a very sad realization to which the speaker has arrived because of be comparison to a funeral. The reason for we insanity is unknown, but it doesn't seem central to the overall theme of the poem anyways. Another unclear spectrum of this poem is the random capitalization of words. Sometime this can indicate important words or words with a greater meaning. For example, "As all the Heavens were a Bell". Why is "Heavens" and "Bell" capitalized? My favorite line that Emily Dickinson writes in this poem is  "and then a Plank in Reason, broke," because it very nicely, yet clearly deceives her insanity.

Miss Brill

I found this story extremely depressing, even more than Bartleby. Katherine Mansfield develops great amounts of pathos throughout Miss Brill with her character of Miss Brill, the lonely old woman whose highlight of the week consists of affirming her lovely fur and strolling down the street in order to people-watch and listen in on other's' conversations. This is probably one of my worst fears, growing old and being left all alone. Miss Brill even begins to speak to her little fur because of the lack of human interaction she has. Her lack of companionship and loneliness is further illustrated in her necessity to participate in the lives of others walking along the streets. She overhears conversations and yearns to participate, "No, nothing would please her. 'They'll always be sliding down my nose!' Miss Brill had wanted to shake her." Her excitement to "participate" in other people's lives is a further indication of desperation for human interaction because she doesn't actually participate, she watches and listens and pretends that other people's lives pertain to her own. The saddest fact is that she absolutely loves her routine of people-watching and genuinely seems to care about each of them. "Oh, how fascinating it was! How she enjoyed it! How she loved sitting here, watching it all!"

Bartleby the Scrivener

"I would prefer not to..." This is Bartleby's constant remark to the characters of Herman Melville's  Bartleby the Scrivener.  Most of the characters, particularly the narrator's three employees, Turkey, Nippers, and Ginger Nut, get wry annoyed of Bartleby's refrain very quickly. In the other hand, the speaker in the story doesn't show any anger towards Bartleby's response and is always very patient. His patience remains throughout the story, even when he is forced to love offices to escape from the stalker Bartleby. I think the reason for his putting up for Bartleby's presence and annoying tendencies is that he sees bits of himself in Bartleby. This is made especially evident at the end of the story when the narrator discovers Bartleby's backstory of having worked in a dead letter office. He sees how this depressing job has affected Bartleby and in my opinion, I think he believed he would have reacted the same way if he'd been in Bartleby's position. Throughout the story, resemblances can be seen between the speaker and Bartley such as their reserved demeanor and loneliness. This is all confirmed by the way the narrator reacts to his discovering Bartleby's story in the end.

Crossing the Bar

I think that Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem Crossing the Bar is both literal and symbolic. The speaker in the poem begins with explanation of embarking on a journey in a ship. He expresses desire for a high tide so that his ship will effortlessly "cross the bar", which is referring to a sandbar. His journey could also be symbolic of death. There are several parts of the poem that I think might suggest this, like that he feels he is being called on the journey. Also, he says For though from out our bourne of, Time and Place, The flood may bear me far, I hope to see my pilot face to face, When I have crossed the bar". This means that though he may travel beyond time and space, he retains hope that he might meet his "pilot". To me, this clearly means death. Theist line of "when I have crossed the bar" further emphasizes death because he is speaking of a new period, time, and place. He is referring to the crossing from a world of life to that of death. He sees death as a journey that will call him out to unexpected and unadvertised new things. 

Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night

In this poem, Dylan Tomas refers to death as "that good night". His poem's main theme is to fight against "that good night", to fight death until the end. He uses repetition in every stanza, ending each one with the line "do not go gentle into that good night" or "rage, rage against the dying of the light". He encourages all men to not give up easily and to gift for each moment of life that they can manage to hold on to. I think this poem might be inspired by his own father's death because in the last stanza he says, "And you, my father, there on the sad height... Do not go gentle into that good night..."  It is possible that he is encouraging others to gift against death because he wishes his father could as well. I know that if someone I knew was dying, I wod selfishly want them to hold on as long as they could, to go down with a fight, so that I could spend as much time with them possie. Maybe Thomas feeled this same way, wishing to hold on to someone close to him.

Death Be Not Proud

I think this poem is trying to lessen the fear death can inspire. The entire poem uses personification by addressing death directly, as a foe who should not be proud. The line, "Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings and desperate men...", very well illustrates this theme. The line is saying that death itself has no power. Death itself is simply a result of things such as fate, chance, and any other number of situation. Death is an inevitable part of life, an therefore should not be feared.  In other words, as John Donne phrased it in the title, Death Be Not Proud. The poem gives all death's credit to its causes, like poison, war, and sickness. Really, death has nothing to be proud of since it can take no responsibility. Death is a mere part of life.

The Lottery

This story reallyade me think about the idea of tradition. There are some things we do that are only done because our parents, grandparents, and generations before them did it before us. There are many such traditions that exist in society today. Why do people give gifts wrapped in paper on Christmas? The answer that we do this in memory of Jesus in the Cstholic Church is true, but we don't question this act is because we simply understand it as something that has been done for ages. Thanksgiving is another example. Why do people make pumpkin pie and watch a parade? We do these things becaus they are a tradition. In the story, Old Man Warner states that their ancestors used to say, "Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon." This rhyme just adds to the idea that this tradition has ensued for ages, an the people continue because it is what they know. Shirley Jackson cleverly shows people's blind following of traditions through her symbolic The Lottery.

A Rose For Emily

After reading this story, is is very clear the Miss Emily killed Homer Baron, and he did not simply die in his sleep. Not only is it incredibly suspicious that she never would report his decaying body in the bedroom of her home, but several other details reveal a motive as well as other strange actions that point towards murder. First of all, the last time anyone other than Miss Emily saw Baron, he was entering her house. No one ever saw him leave. Additionally, Emily bought him a suit and a "silver toilet" that are both present in the room where his dead body lies, almost like she designated the room to him, purposely placing his body and belongings in a real-life arrangement. It might look as if they are married and simply layin down for the night, if his body wasn't dead and decaying that is. Miss Emily also had a clear motive. Homer Baron declares that he likes men and is not "the marrying type". This clearly shows that he and Emily are not compatible to be married, and this is the reason I think she murdered him. After her father died, she became more dependent on Baron because she was so close to her father, as seen by her keeping his dead body like she kept Homer Baron's. Because he will not marry her, she killed him to ensure he would never leave her like her father did. If the motive and creepy bedroom set-up aren't enough proof, the scene at the drug store also aids in the argument of Baron's murder. " 'I want some poison,' she said. 'Yes, Miss Emily. What kind? For rats and such? I'd recom--'. 'I want the best you have. I don't care what kind.' " William Faulkner gives numerous clues throughout his A Rose for Emily to show Emily's guilt, the final clue being her grey hair and head-indent in the pillow beside Homer's body in the bed, showing that she had clearly slept by him at night.

The Glass Menagerie: Pathos and Humor

I've already addressed the pathos that the character of Tom brings to attention with his unfortunate position in a job that he hates. However, I have determined that he is my favorite character in Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie with the humor he brings to the play as well. I'm not sure if it stems from his bitterness with life or his personality in general, but his sarcasm brings some distinct comedic effect to the plays abundance of Amanda's fretting and Laura's predicaments. For example, he asks, "An particular place you would like me to sit?" In response to his mothers over exaggerated nagging about Laura's potential gentleman caller. On the next page, he implores, "Shall I call him up and ask him his minute?" when his mother will not leave the issue of whether the Irish Mr. James D. O'Connor drinks. Like his mother portrays a typical mother in many ways, he is an average brother. He is funny and sarcastic and cares very much for his sister. When Amanda is asking that he find a gentleman caller for Laura, his response of "Oh, my go-osh!" reminded me of my brother in his sarcastic and humorous replies to many of his mother's requests. Regardless, Tom secures a gentleman caller anyways, showing that through the humor and bitterness, he cares very much for his mother and sister.

The Glass Menagerie: The Average Mom

Though she has her selfish moments, Amanda seems like a typical mom. She loves her children more than anything, and wants the best for them (even though this also means the best for herself). For example, when she joins Tom out on the fire escape in Scene 5 and asks what he wished on the moon for, she shares her wish with him, "I'll tell you what I wished for on the moon. Success and happiness for my precious children! I wish for that whenever there's a moon, and when there isn't a moon, I wish for it, too." Amanda genuinely wants Laura to be successful in finding a husband so that she will live a secure life. She really wants Tom to be happy, and even is willing to give her blessing in his leaving to find adventure, as long as she and Laura are secure. This part of The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams actually surprised me, when Amanda tells Tom, "I know what you're framing of. I'm not standing here blindfolded. Very well, then. Then do it!" I never though Amanda would be okay with Tom leaving, no matter how unhappy he was, because of what her husband did to the family. She shows just one aspect of her motherly instinct there. Amanda is also the average fussy, nagging mother. She is always fussing about trivial matters, like preparing he house before Laura's first gentleman caller, or with her constant worrying, "Where is your muffler? Put your wool muffler on!" With her nagging, which is obviously because she cares, Amanda reminds me a lot of my own mom.

The Glass Menagerie: Tied Down

I really pity Tom in regards to his being unable to follow his dreams. He is caught in a life that he absolutely loathes, always wishing for the adventure that is never found in his tiresome warehouse job. He says, "...I like adventure. Adventure is something I don't have much of at work, so I go to the movies". Not only is he tied down from adventure by his job, but he is prevented from leaving that job by the dependency his mother and his sister have on him. Like his father, Tom wishes to find adventure and leave his troublesome life behind. However, unlike his father, Tom cares too much about his family to simply abandon them. It is unfortunate that he is constantly reminded of this option, the option his father chose, by the picture of the father that plays a large role in the Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie as well as his mother's constant nagging to not be like his father. Tom has inherited a large responsibility as well as his father's yearning for adventure, but he proves his character with his endurance and loyalty to the family despite the frustration it causes him.

The Glass Menagerie: Amanda, the Hypocrite

Right from the beginning of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, I got the impression that Amanda was a selfish person. If not selfish, she is just self centered, and mainly concerned with her own well being. In Scene 1, she is obsessed with the memories of her own gentleman callers and how's my there were. She seems to live in the last because she isn't pleased with her present. She also skirts around the issue at hand, Laura's lack of confidence and dropping out of school, with selfish concerns. She says, "We won't have a business career-- we've given that up because it have us nervous indigestion!". By including herself in this statement with the use of the word "we", Amanda illustrates her main frustration with Laura is that she cannot support her mother, she is dependent so the only source of income for the family is Tom who loathes his job. Then in Scene 4, Amanda tells a Tom, "Overcome selfishness! Self, self, self is that you ever think of!" Amanda's statement here is quite ironic because she could easily be talking about herself. She is guilty of always being concerned withe herself, but blames Tom for this anyways.

The Glass Menagerie: The Impact of the Father

I find the impact of Amanda's husband Tom and Laura's father the most evident in Scene 4 of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. There are subtle signs of his impact on the family throughout the entire play, but in this scene they are directly stated, "And you - when I see you taking after his ways! Staying out late- and- well, you had been drinking the night you were in that-terrifying condition!". Amanda is declaring her fear that Tom might follow in his father's footsteps. She calls Tom her "right-had bower", expressing how much she and Laura both depend on him. Mother sees how much Tom hates his job as a factory worker and how much he longs for adventure. Tom says, "Man is by instinct a lover, a hunter, a fighter, and none of those instincts are given much play at the warehouse!". Tom needs adventure in his life, and the lack of adventure he sees from day to day is driving his imagination to places other than his home. Amanda is not he only one who sees this. Amanda tells Tom, "She has an idea that you're not happy here," in reference to Laura. Laura is very perceptive of her surroundings and sees Tom's unhappiness with his life, she also worries that he will imitate their father and leave the family. In my opinion, Tom seems to care far too much about his mother and sister to ever abandon them.

Edward

As I was reading this final work from our Family Unit, it occurred to me the trend of disturbing and unhappy stories that each author has written about families. Not one has seemed to happily reflect a holy overall. Edward (written by an anonymous author) is no exception. The poem is about a sontelling his mother that he has killed his father. He denies this at first, then admits the truth and the mother asks what he son will do about the situation. I am curious as to why the son has done this. More than curiosity, this poem spurred anger and contempt for the son. He seems to feel no moral responsibility for anything in his life. He shows no regret for his horrible deed and proceeds to make himself appear worse with each question his mother asks. First, rather than face what he has done and pay the consequences, when his mother asks what his penance will be, he says he will escape on a boat. Then, he completely disregards his family, saying "the world is large, let them beg through life", meaning he intends to let his family suffer as a result of his selfish actions. Lastly, he tops all the horrible things he says with "the curse of hell from me shall te bear", putting the blame of his killing his father on his mother because of "such counsels you have me". The mother did not know whose blood was on the sword, so it is unlikely that she told the son to commit this act, therefore he proves furthermore his shallowness and selfishness with this statement of blame.

The Joy of Cooking

This poem confused me upon reading it the first time because the author seems to be literally describing how she went about cooking her sister's tongue and brother's heart. However, after reading it a few more times, I have a suspicion about the metaphorical meaning behind the poem. I think that the author's discussing of her sisters tongue might hold similar to the meaning of the phrase "hold your tongue" or someone who has a "sharp tongue" in reference to their manner of speaking. It is a possibility that the author, Elaine Magarrell is very bitter towards her siblings, as the tone suggests, and therefore composed the poem in an expression of this bitterness. Having resenent for her sister's "tongue" would perhaps prompt her to write about the joy of cooking it in a metaphorical sense. She describes preparing the tongue for the meal and how perhaps it will grow back. She also says "next time perhaps a creole sauce or mold of aspic?" which alludes tkt he fact that she dislikes her sisters words (tongue) so much that she would cook it again should it grow back. Similarly, her brother apparently has a dad heart, which means to me that he is a bad person. I get the indication that he is a bad person by her describing the heart as "firm and rather dry" and saying that it "needs an apple-onion stuffin to make it interesting at all". Overall, she describes these pieces of her siblings with only negative details which characterize her brother and sister as a whole only negatively as well. Clearly, The Joy of Cooking is a somewhat disturbing illustration of Magarrell's bitterness towards ER siblings.

A Worn Path

"In answer to a student who wrote to ask her 'Is the grandson really dead?' Welty responded, 'My best answer would be: Phoenix is alive.' "

This question and Eudora Welty's significant response both really intrigue me. The question of whether her grandson was alive did not even occur to me while reading the story. However, looking back on the text, there are several instances in which the grandmother gives hints that the boy might be dead. For example, when asked whether he is dead by one of the nurses, she hesitates in her response because she at first actually forgets her reason for coming to the doctor's office. She then responds with "My little grandson, he is just the same, and I forgot it in the coming". The bizarrity of the situation is made even more obvious when the nurse says that the incident took place two or three years ago. In the other hand, the grandmother also says again, "No, missy, he not dead, he just te same." I can't help but to feel curious about this muster of whether or not the grandson is actually alive, but Welty's response to the students question of, "my best answer would be: Phoenix is alive," emphasizes that the grandson's being alive is not actually important to the central theme of the story. Phoenix's determination and drive to secure the medicine for her grandson and the love she shows by doing this are actually what I think Welty is trying to convey to readers of A Worn Path.

The Drunkard

Despite the obvious humor thought Frank O'Connor's The Drunkard, such as the mere fact that a young boy is in a bar and drinking a beer, an underlying presence of pathos also exists. I thought it funny that a young boy accidentally became belligerent, but the reason why this situations as necessary is quite tragic. The boy had to attend the funeral with his father because his mother saw this as a way to possibly stop his father from drinking and then spiraling into a cycle of alcoholism that the family had no doubt seen before. The boy is aware of all of  this, "I knew that my mother would be half crazy with anxiety; that next day Fathe wouldn't go to work; and before the end of the week she would be running down to the pawn with the clock under her shawl. I could never get over the lonesomeness of the kitchen without a clock". I'm not sure what times were like in the era in which this story was written, but I don't think any child should be faced with te trouble of preventing his fathers alcoholism and the effects of that alcoholism. Regardless, the boy drinks the beer, giving the story a surface feel of humor. The more subtle pathos is nevertheless present.

Once Upon a Time

A constant theme that I see throughout Nadine Gordimer's Once Upon a Time is irony. She begins the story with a an anecdote about how she was asked to write a children's story. Clearly, by the way she describes her declining of the request, children's stories are not her writing style. She then proceeds to write a dark and gloomy story that she claims is her "children's story" that she thought of after being woken in the night by a strange noise. This is ironic because she ends up writing a children's story that is not appropriate for young people at all. It is clear why she originally refuses to write the story, and I find humor in her subtle way of proving this to the reader. I found more irony in the story itself as well. Throughout the story, a couple (as well as the rest of society) is obsessed with continuously improving the security around their house in order to prevent intruders and robbers that seem to plague the suburb. The irony is that all the security measures only resulted in severe injuries to their son when he climbs into barbed wire that is supposed to be keeping the house intruder-free. One last example of irony is that Gordimer implements many aspects of. A fairy tale into this story to set the tone of a children's story, including the "wise old witch" and when the son attempts to conquer the barbed wire like the "Prince who braves the terrible thicket of thorns to enter the palace and kiss the Sleepig Beauty back to life". However, it is ironic that her story ends in such horrible trajedy with the boy getting mangled by the barbed wire, quite contradictory to most fairy tales and to Sleeping Beauty, the story to which Gordimer compares the boy's actions.

A Raisin in the Sun: A Seemingly Unimportant Meeting

One o my favorite parts in Larraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is Beneatha's meeting with Asagai.  Asagai seems a very genuine character who speaks his mind, no matter what others seem to think. He blatantly tells Beneatha of his feelings for her, "No. Between a man and a woman there need be ot kne kind of feeling. I have that for you... Now even...right this moment...", though he knows she does not really return his feelings at theoment. He even is truthful about these feelings in the presence of Mama, "It means... It means One for Whom Bread-Food- Is Not Enough",in explanation for the nickname he gives Beneatha. The meeting between Asagai and Beneatha at first seems very casual and of little significance, but after the drastic change seen in Beneatha afterwards, it seems of more importance. Beneatha shapes her hair naturally like the African woman because of Asagai's insistence that the style is beautiful. She dresses in the beautiful African gown he gave her and pretend to act like a tribal woman. She seems to embrace her culture more and I think she is trying to impress him. Not only this, she favors his line of thought, embracing the new idea that her heritage is something to be proud of. The short temper she has with Heorhe following her meeting with Asagai only further proves her growing affections for her culture verses the American way of thinking.

A Raisin in the Sun: Abortion

The situations that Lorraine Handberry's characters in A Raisin in the Sun find themselves in often lead them to make decisions that are out of character for them. We discover in the play that Walter is similar to his decease father I many ways, "And my boy is just like him- he wasn't meant to wait on nobody. The text also informs that Walter's father was "crazy 'bout his children!", so this, at least for me, lead me to believe that Walter cared about his children a great deal as well. Also, they way he tries to spoil his son, despite the family's obvious lack of financial resources, illustrate his love for his son. Ruth also shows great passion towards her son. She works herself to exhaustion to help provide for him every day. The loving exchange before he leaves for school when Ruth teases him with "I wouldn't kiss that woman goodbye for nothing in the world this morning!" also shows a special mother and son bond. The evidence of the parents' care for their son made Ruth's decision to consult an abortionist even more shocking. To add on to the situation, Walter doesnt even say Nything to sway his wife's irrational thinking. I feel bad for both of them because based on their previous behaviors this is not what either of them really want. They are both feeling the pressures the world has placed upon them as parents and are folding at the fear of the challenge of another life for which they are responsible.

A Raisin in the Sun: Can or Cannot Adjust

A key aspect of the characters in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is their ability to adjust to negative aspects of their environment. For example, Walter who was always raised by his father with pride and the desire to succeed in life and as the head of his family, has a difficult time adjusting to the adversities in his life. Walter hates his job, working as a mere ate up from a servant as a limo driver. He hates the inferiority he feels and longs for the financial success of a man who has succeeded in his life endeavors. I really feel bad for Walter because he is trapped in a lifestyle that he's ashamed of. The fact that his family who loves him plays a part in his being trapped makes the situation even more desperately tragic. He does not respond well to all this negativity, lashing out at his wife, "Who's fighting you? Who even cares about you?", and seeking a distraction through drunkenness. Ruth, on the other hand, responds muc better to the negativity with which she is surrounded. Ruth wakes up everyday as a leader of her family, waking everyone and ensuring that they all prepare for the day at hand. She cares for both her husband and son and continually works hard to try to improve the stark living conditions the family seems unable to escape. Ruth is a lot like my own mother in a lot of ways. She puts the family on her back in the way that she works herself raw but expects no gratification. Though she is a little angry and moody at parts die to exhaustion, it is celad that Ruth doesn't do anything without her family in mind, a very good response to the negativity she lives with.

A Raisin in the Sun: Lonliness

None of the characters in Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun are lonely in he sense that they have no one to talk to or simply no company. However, there are some that seem to be lonely, though surrounded by many other people. One such character that fills this role is Walter. Walter's mother and wife are both always at his side throughout the play, yet he still seems lonely. He says, "Nobody in this house is ever going to understand me". Walter has so many ideas and aspirations, but no one in the family seems to agree with any of his dreams. He wants to dream big and open a liquor store that he can properly provide for his family and succeed in life, but his family doesn't support the idea. As a result, though he is not physically alone, surrounded by a family that loves him, he is alone in his yearning for his dream. His individual dream isolates him from the rest of the family, especially because of the extent to whic he desires to achieve it.

A Raisin in the Sun: Generation Gap

The obvious presence of a generation gap is clearly presented in Lorraine Hasberry's A Raisin in the Sun.  There are several instances throughout the play in which I noticed the differences between the elder and younger characters, like Act I Scene One when Mama, Ruth, and Beneatha are discussing her new fascination with learning to play the guitar, and her tendency to "flit so from one thing to another".  Beneatha say that, "People have to express themselves one way or another", causing her mother and Ruth to burst into laughter.  This shows the gap in the mindset regarding the individiual between two generations.   Beneatha is already thinking closer to the mindset of people today, in the individual sense, more concerned with her own personal growth and discovery than other wordly concerns.  On the other hand, elders like Mama never had the luxury of "expressing themselves", having other priorities to worry about. Another example of this generation gap is Mama and Walter's argument about what iostnimportant in life, money or freedom. Mama says, "Once upon a time freedom used to be life - now its money. I guess the world really do change... " This shows how Mama's generation had a very different outlook on life than Walter's, creating a generation gap.

Interpreter of Maladies

"Oh, Mina and I were both born in america'" mr. Das announced with an air of sudden confidence. "Born and raised." I think this quote speaks grestly of one of the themes of this story, that though many people in America have different cultures, it is what makes American so special and what givers her her unique identity. The line "Mr. Kapasi found it strange that mr. Das hook refer to his wife by her first name when speaking in front of the little girl". This furthermore describes the differences between some cultures, in this case between a New Jersey tour guide and a family of Indian lineage. These two different races and cultures represent the hundreds of cultures that have combined in American to make it a melting pit of sorts of all different cultures form numerous parts of e world. Despite theirs differences however, I think the line "but Mr. Das squeezed hands like an American do that Mr. Kapasi felt it in his elbow," is also very key yk the theme of Jhimla Lahari's Interpreter of Maladies, that though America is a huge melting pot of culture and diversity, each citizen is indeed American and each is proud to admit so.

Everyday Use

First Of all, I can't help but notice a possible trend having to do with race in the works that we are reading this chapter. This makes sense, because race is definitely a large aspect of a person's identity. Most of these happen to be particularly about African Americans from what I've gathered from the reading. Anyways, in Alice Walker's Everday Use, I fin myself breaking one of the crucial rules of reading and identifying with a character. I know that the life of an African American famil in he mid 1900s hardy compares to my own life, but the idea and structure of families I believe is at least similar. I actually find myself relating to the two sister, Dee and Maggie. I right away sympathize with Dee as she is "eyeing her sister with a mixture of envy and awe" because I often fin myself looking at my own sister in this way. It is common for a little sister to look up to her big sister, as it seems Maggie does.i also feel bad for Maggie in the way that she is being compared to Dee. As one of five children, I know there is nothing more annoying than being compared to a smiling (slight overexaggeration).  From the text, it seems that Maggie has had horrible bad luck, being badly crippled in a fire and then that "like good looks and money, quickness had passed her by". While Dee on the other hand, live a life in which it seems "that 'no' is a word the world never learned to say to her'".

Mr. Z

The poem Mr. Z by M. Carl Holman really made me a little sad when I finally understood it. I think this poem is about a half African American who is trying to overcome the racial boundaries society has placed on him by essentially disowning his own race. The references to "kinship with jazz and spirituals" and "cornbread, yams and collards" are suggestive of the African American race.  The speaker's animosity towards his African heritage is shown through phrases like "Taught early that his mother's skin was the sign of error", which tells that his mother was the patent of African descent, and "disclaimed kinship with jazz and spirituals, which illustrates his dislike of traditional African culture. It is understandable that one might feel this way toward African heritage if living in the United States, restricted by a society that firmly looked down upon individuals of other races. Also, the fact that this man was mixed probably made him more frustrated because he was probably stil persecuted despite being partly white. What made me sad was not the anger he felt towards feeling this persecution because of his race, but that he had to feel this anger and grow to dislike his own lineage because of social standards in America.

Dream Deferred

This was m favorite of the poems we read, mostly because of the imagery and visual comparisons used throughout. Langston Hughes uses mostly similes in his Dream Deferred such as "Does it stink like rotten meat?" to illustrate possible situations of a "dream deferred".  The first thing I did in order to understand this poem was to look up the term "deferred". It is important to know what is happening to the dream in question that all the similes are describing. The dictionary.com definition of deferred is "postponed or delayed". So the poem is exploring the idea of a dream that is being hinderred somehow. Another key aspect behind discovering the meaning of this poem is the fax that Langston Hughes was a black American. Therefore, it is not very far fetched to think that this poem might be about the dream of African Americans of equality. This dream was indeed deferred by American denial of their rights and equality. Also, as the final line in the poem states, the dream "exploded" during the civil right movement into the Civil Right Movement.

Hazel Tells LaVerne

• First of all, I'd like to address the title I Katharyn Howd Machan's poem, Hazel Tells LaVerne (I'm sorry, I'm typing this on my phone before the volleyball game, so I can't italicize the title!) But the title, which is always the first part of the work that the reader sees, just initially confused me. However, after reading the poem, I think the author was informing that the speaker and narrator of the poem is Hazel, and apparently is telling a story to LaVerne. The text of the poem includes numerous grammatical errors in punctuation and spelling, as well as including slang like "musta", "tryin ta", and "sohelpmegod". All of these prove that Hazel is uneducated and possibly a member of a lower or working class. I think that fact is very important to the theme of the poem, that Hazel does not believe there is any chance that she, a working class, uneducated girl, could ever be a princess. She repeat the phrase, "how can I be a princess, me a princess", proving the disbelief that she could ever merit that status. Furthermore, Hazel doesn't even attempt kissing the frog, which shows she doesn't have even the tiniest bit of hope that this could be possible.

The Interpretation of Poetry

I agree with Perrine's approach in regards to the principle that "for any given poem there are correct and incorrect readings". However, I don't quite agree that there is only one correct reading. It's is true that some interpretations would certainly be incorrect. How could, like in this class, a teacher ever grade or test a student's ability to interpret poetry if any wild idea were considered correct. The fact that every person's interpretation will not be correct is obvious. But then how does one choose which answers are acceptable and which aren't? In my opinion it is unfair to say that one person's imagination is wrong simply because they arrived at a different idea than another person. This is just a difference in opinions, especially since poems are a lot of the times so open for interpretation. I think that if a person can arrive at a conclusion and can successfully reason their arrival at that conclusion of the meaning of a poem, that can be considered correct. The whole idea behind interpretation is to try to combine reason with the mysterious words and symbols in writing isn't it?

I really like Perrine's idea that "a poem- in fact, any pattern of words- defines an area of meaning, no more. Any interpretation is acceptable which lies within that area". This goes along with what I was saying in the way that there can be some leniency in whether an interpretation is right or wrong. I think Perrine is saying that a poem represents a thought or idea, and if an interpretation is reasonably in line with that idea, it is a good interpretation. It seems very unlikely that someone would come to the exact conclusion of the author in reading poetry (like Perrine's English class of which one came to the correct interpretation of Emily Dickenson's poem).  Too many variations in imagination and personalities in general exist for it to be expected that one interpretation of something so vague as poetry be expected to be studied scientifically. I get the vibe that Perrine like to look at poetry in this scientific outlook, with his "criteria used for judging any interpretation of a poem". I really don't like this idea, and I hope a littleeniency will be allotted to this class, or I might be in trouble. I just enjoy reading the poetry more without having to frantically scan for the mandatory interpretation. 

Picture of Me

The Great Gatsby: Tom vs. Gatsby

Fitzgerald really livens the The Great Gatsby's plot when Daisy is faced with an incredibly difficult decision.  What makes the situation worse is that she is put on the spot in front of two men she loves and forced to choose between the two.  Tom is her husband with whom she has a daughter and a good life.  Based on stories that Jordan recounted early in the novel, the two were definitely in love at some point, and I think that at this point they still are.  However, both of them have strayed from the path of fidelity and greatly complicated their marriage. Tom has an affair with some woman, and Daisy is fully aware of this, and now Daisy has an affair of her own that has come to Tom's attention.  Then there is Gatsby whom had had a relationship with Daisy five years prior before it had been unfortunately interrupted by the war.  I'm sure Daisy had wished for his presence for months or maybe even years before she finally gave up hope on him and married Tom.  That circumstance probably made Gatsby all the more irresistible to her when they were reunited that summer.  Daisy has been taken for granted by her husband and responds with a taste of his own medicine.  However, in the fallout of her husband discovering her and Gatsby's affair, the two men both demand that she declare her love.  Poor Daisy doesn't know where to turn because she knows that at some point she loves both of these men, but there are huge downfalls to both of them as well.  And I think the situation is a whole lot more complicated than simple pros and cons anyway.  She must have had so much running through her mind: the accusations Tom just made about Gatsby being a gambler and bootlegger, the fact that her husband cheats on her, Tom's insistence that he will be better, Gatsby's demanding that she admit she never loved Tom.  She's just being pulled in so many directions.  "'Oh, you want to much!' she cried to Gatsby. 'I love you now- isn't that enough? I can't help what's past.' She began to sob helplessly. 'I did love him once-- but I loved you too' (Fitzgerald, 132).

The Great Gatsby: Dr. T. J. Eckleburg

Seriously though, who is Doctor T. J. Eckleburg? His name reoccurs numerous times throughout Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and I don't have a clue as to the significance.  He seems to be associated with New York City i think because his name is mentioned when the group travel there.  I am guessing that the name or the fact that he's a doctor, or something along those lines, is some symbol that plays a part in the novel.  I haven't a guess of what the symbol stands for or why it is necessary though, which is a little aggravating.  I really don't think the doctor is a real person though.   The book never mentions any action or detail regarding anything human about the "doctor" and though I have tried to catch any symbolism in this book, I feel like I am letting the vast majority slip right through my fingers.  I actually discussed this book with my mom who read it all the way back in her high school years, probably at least twenty or twenty five years ago, and she remembers a lot of symbolism being present in the book. One particular piece that she recalled was the green light, I assume the one outside the Buchanan house, and its meaning for Gatsby as his life take on the meaning of getting closer to that green light, to Daisy and hope and happiness. I am actually excited to see what other symbolism  might have gone right over my head when we discuss the novel in class.

The Great Gatsby: Karma

Tom Buchanan has now gotten a little taste of his own medicine when he realizes that his wife is having an affair.  He then runs into Mr. Wilson while filling up Gatsby's automobile's gas tank and sees first hand how distraught he is as a result of finding to that his own wife was having an affair, "He had discovered that Myrtle had some sort of life apart from him in another world, and the shock had made him physically sick" (Fitzgerald, 124).  This fact makes me feel a lot less pity for Tom.  I still think that it is a horrible thing that his wife might run off with her ex-lover, but how can Tom condemn her when he was unfaithful first?  Or is that how society functioned back then; men being able to get away with much more than any woman.  That would not surprise me.  I also find it extremely odd that the affairs of these marries couples are almost common knowledge to society.  Tom's own wife knows! And when Nick frame to diner at their house the first time, Jordan was surprised that he hadn't heard of the scandal, not the other way around as one would think.  Daisy was powerless to do anything, so Tom simply didn't car that she knew apparently.  It is also hard to blame Daisy for wanting a little more affection and devotion than her cheating husband, and therefore engaging a relationship with someone who loves her.  That affection is hard to pass up.

The Great Gatsby: Foreshadowing

F. Scott Fitzgerald really likes foreshadowing, or so it would seem with the great amount of it that I've seen in The Great Gatsby.  He does it once again with Gatsby's remarks to Nick about how he wishes that Daisy would just tell Tom that she never loved him.  Multiple problems become possible when these words leave Gatsby's mouth.  First, this means that Gatsby believes that Daisy really never loved Tom, which is not true based on what the reader has learned about their relationship. Second, he expects Daisy to choose him over her family, which might not be the path she chooses.  Also, this statement reveals Gatsby's impatience with sharing Daisy with Tom, implying that a fallout might occur soon (and it does).  Gatsby and Nick go to the Buchanan household on what is apparently the hottest day of the summer.  Nick's anxiety about this day already reveals that something negative is going to unfold, and I don't feel bad for Daisy and Gatsby at all when it does.  They weren't trying to conceal their affection for each other hardly at all in front of Tom, who being a smart man, quickly figured out what was going on, "He got up, his eyes still flashing between Gatsby and his wife. No one moved" (Fitzgerald, 119).  How could they be so stupid as to flirt right in front of Tom? He's sure to figure it out since he's having an affair of his own.  That was definitely an unintelligent move on Gatsby and Daisy's part.

The Great Gatsby: The Gatsby-Daisy Affair

At first, I pitied Gatsby and Daisy because of their unfortunate circumstance when Gatsby was end off to war, eventually leading to Daisy's marrying Tom Buchanan.  This whole situation really rends me of the novel Dear John by Nicholas Sparks, in which the boy and girl meet one summer, fall in love, and then the boy is drafted overseas, causing the eventual break in their relationship.  I also feel very bad that Daisy knows fully of her husband'd affair and is forced to stay with him regardless. However, Gatsby had lied to her about his social and wealth status anyway, so that would have surely cause some problems.  Also, the fact that Daisy has a daughter with Tom and decides to be irresponsible with Gatsby anyways seems a little sketchy.  On the subject of her daughter, I found it very odd that Gatsby was introduced to the daughter with Daisy and Tom both in the room while he and Nick visited the Buchanan household one day.  Does Gatsby have no heart that he doesn't feel like a horrible person and, there's no better word, a homewrecker when seeing this whole family together? He and Daisy's initial breakup was unfortunate, but it by no means justifies the breaking up of a family, at least in my mind.  I really don't think that Daisy wants to break up her family anyways.  She is delighted to see Gatsby again, and I think she gets a little confused, but in the end I think she would have chosen to keep her family together whether her husband discovered her and Gatsby's mischievous or not.  Her husband's affair and lack of appreciation for her probably fueled her affair as well. I also think that it was unfair of Gatsby to expect Daisy to all but drop her entire life and pick up where she and him had left off five years prior as soon as they were reunited, "He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: 'I never loved you'" (Fitzgerald, 109).  Fitzgerald does a very nice job of weaving such an intricate plot into The Great Gatsby with so many dilemmas and so many problems to be solved.

The Great Gatsby: The Truth about Gatsby

It is funny the way people make up rumors about things just because there is doubt.  This is very common today and apparently was back in the 1920's as well. The people of West Egg Village and around New York where Nick Carraway and Gatsby live are constantly gossiping about Gatsby simply because they don't know much about him.  Hardly anyone does.  Whenever his name is brought up in conversation, assumptions and accusations fly.  For example, when Tom Buchanan first goes to one of Gatsby's parties he expresses his frustration with Gatsby's mystery, " 'Who is this Gatsby anyhow?' demanded Tom suddenly. 'Some big bootlegger?' " (Fitzgerald, 107).  The rumors and assumptions serve more to give Gatsby an air of mystery than to show some sort of downfall of the society I think.  The rumors make the revelation of Gatsby's true past as Daisy's ex-lover more surprising and profound.  In fact, this revelation is made even more surprising because Gatsby lied to Nick about his past at first.  While they are on their way out to lunch one day he tells Nick the studied at Oxford, that his parents died and left him a great deal of wealth, and that he traveled the world. According to the breakdown of Gatsby's true background that Nick later informs us, none of these things are true.  I was annoyed with Gatsby after discovering that.  When they do arrive at lunch; however, Fitzgerald implements another foreshadowing trick which are very common throughout his The Great Gatsby, when Nick spots Tom Buchanan and attempts to introduce Gatsby, only to find him gone.  In hindsight, this should have revealed a lot more to me than it really did at the time.

The Great Gatsby: Nick and Jordan

Nick Carraway is a little curious in the way that he mentions his loneliness and discontent with being alone, but he doesn't try very hard to pursue any women. In fact, throughout the book, the only woman with whom he associates with as more than just friends or acquaintances is Jordan Baker, and their relationship seems mostly fueled by her feelings anyway.  I was actually really angry when he ruined the relationship by telling her he didn't want to see her after Daisy, Tom, and Gatsby's fallout.  Jordan had no part in the bad situation, in fact she and Nick had seemed united in their desire to stay out of the entire situation, but Nick rudely dismissed himself at the end of the night.  The following day when she called him on the phone, they both made excuses for why they couldn't meet up until eventually, one of them just hung up.  On a different note, another thing I have noticed about Nick is that he pays very close attention to minute details.  For example, in regards to Jordan Baker he says, "Jordan Baker instinctively voided clever, shrewd men, and now I saw that this was because she felt safer on a plane where any divergence from a code would be thought impossible" (Fitzgerald, 58).  Fitzgerald must agree with me in thinking that this is a convenient quality to have in a character that also serves as the narrator of the story so that as much detail can be shared with the reader as possible through the character's thoughts.  Nick is strange in that I never really know what to exact from him, not that he is extremely outgoing, but he just takes strange courses of action.  For example, he wards off Jordan despite his loneliness and older age of thirty.  Also, he decides to help Gatsby meet up with Daisy again despite his friendship with her husband Tom.  Many of his actions surprise me.

The Great Gatsby: Nick the Narrator

It is very clear that Nick Carraway is recounting all of these events and is supposedly the author of this story (it's really F. Scott Fitzgerald of course); however, what is not clear is his reason for writing all of these events.  The plot is interesting and all, but I don't know the purpose for why he would write all of this.  And in the very beginning of the novel when he was introducing himself with his background and a little bit of his past, it seemed like he definitely had a purpose for writing.  I'm just getting a little lost as he elaborates about seemingly pointless things, such as the really confusing part about the car crash after the party.  I'm just not sure why that is at all important.  Anyways, it seems like he has a point, like when he says "Reading over what I have writhed so far, I see I have given the impression that the events of three nights several weeks apart were all that absorbed me" (Fitzgerald, 55).  The simple fact that Nick cares about his writing so much makes me think that there is some greater picture, I'm just not sure what it is.  Hopefully I'm not overlooking something really simple.

The Great Gatsby: The First Party

At the first party to which Nick Carraway is invited it seems that the plot really gets rolling.  The party is very similar to the others Gatsby has been hosting al summer but Nick experiences this one first-hand rather than peering across his lawn at the festivities.  I really actually pity him at one point because he hardly knows anyone except his friend (and possibly more than friend) Jordan Baker, and then he doesn't recognize the host, Mr. Jay Gatsby himself, when he is talking to him face to face.  That is slightly embarrassing, but Gatsby assures him it is okay.  I was a little surprised at this point because the mysterious speculations and even accusations (like the rumor that Gatsby had killed a man) had built a persona in my mind of a harsh and maybe haughty man. I'm really not exactly sure what I was expecting, but the polite young host that greets Nick was certainly not the image in my head.  It was a pleasant surprise though.  Oh, the drunken man speculating whether or not the books in the library were real or not was quite entertaining too, "He waved his hand toward the book shelves. 'About that. As a matter of fact you needn't bother to ascertain. I ascertained. They're real" (Fitzgerald, 45).

The Great Gatsby: Figurative Language

I would like to take a brief respite from analyzing The Great Gatsby's plot to address F. Scott Fitzgerald's awesome use of figurative language.  On every page there is some representation of beautiful imagery, similes, metaphors, personification, pun.. the list goes on.  I admittedly found a lot of the beginning of the book a little boring, but it really was interesting to look for these unique devices on each page.  I was also impressed with the creativity of each literary tool.  Often, similes and metaphors use common or redundant comparisons or the language is just very simple.  Somehow, Fitzgerald contracts similes, metaphors, and imagery that allowed me to see exactly what he was attempting to illustrate.  I'll go ahead and sound cheesy in saying that it is truly art.

A few of my favorite examples:

Personification- "Her grey sun-strained eyes looked back at me with polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming, discontented face" (Fitzgerald, 11)

Imagery- "...with the city rising up across the river in white heaps and sugar lumps all built with a wish out of non-olfactory money" (Fitzgerald, 68).

Oxymoron- "...began to eat with ferocious delicacy" (Fitzgerald, 71)

Metaphor- "At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete" (Fitzgerald, 111)

All of this added to impeccable diction including words I've never seen before like somnambulatory and gonnegtion just make for excellent reading and a great piece of work.

The Great Gatsby: The Mysterious Gatsby

So F. Schott Fitzgerald is slowly, very slowly, revealing the character of Gatsby as the reader continues through The Great Gatsby.  It seems that he is also trying to make him seem as mysterious as possible with remarks like "... signed Jay Gatsby, in a majestic hand" (Fitzgerald, 41).  By the fact that Fitzgerald uses "majestic" to describe Gatsby's mere signature shows the mystery of the man who lives in the extravagant ouse next door to Nick Carraway.  Also, the constant gossip about Gatsby, most of which is very far fetched like that "...he's a cousin or nephew of Kaiser Wilhem's..." and Nick Carraway's extremely detailed three or four pages going on and on about his observations of Gatsby's wealth and night life (Fitzgerald, 32).  I may be wrong, but I think all of this plays into Fitzgerald's neat way of foreshadowing the large role Gatsby plays in the plot of the story.  I have noticed that Fitzgerald has an interesting style of foreshadowing most events before they occur or allowing the reader to speculate before revealing all the answers.  This really hypes the excitement of the book which was actually very low in the beginning of the book (I'm going to be honest, I was bored for a while).  All I was thinking before Nick Carraway finally was invited to one of Gatsby's parties was "Why is everyone so fascinated with this person?" But then I realized that they simply were just as curious as I was.

The Great Gatsby: Nick meets Daisy, Tom, and Jordan

First of all,  I think that the meeting between Nick Carraway, Daisy, Tom, and Jordan is very awkward, or maybe just strange.  Why do the women lay on the couch and not say a word as Nick enters the room?  That just seems very odd. I'm sure I would feel a little weird if someone invited me to their house and then acted so strangely.  Regardless, the small talk begins and the awkwardness fades for a while until dinnertime arrives when the phone rings and Jordan tells Nick that "Tom's got some woman in New York".  Well, now there's an elephant in the room. And then Tom comes back from his phone call and Daisy acts all lovey-dovey and as if everything is normal.  I'm not sure what was socially acceptable at this time, but if I knew  that my husband was having an affair, I certainly would not respond as Daisy does.  All in all, I felt that this entire meeting was very strange.  It's funny that Nick becomes such close friends with these characters despite their rocky beginning.

P.S.  What is with all the affairs in our summer books? And people say that contemporary society is immoral?

The Great Gatsby: The Beginning

F. Scott Fitzgerald begins his The Great Gatsby by indirectly introducing the reader to the first-person narrator Nick Carraway (but the reader doesn't find out his name for a while, not that his name i very essential to the story line). Fitzgerald gives a little background about Carraway, like that his family "have been prominent, well-to-do people in this Middle Western city for three generations" and that he is in the bond business (Fitzgerald, 3).  The beginning of The Great Gatsby is quite engaging, Fitzgerald employing several techniques to engage the reader.  He first establishes that the story is told from this man's point of view and that it tells of past experiences.  He gives a slight clue as to the title of the book, "Only Gatsby,the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction--Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn" (Fitzgerald, 2)  It seems that throughout the beginning of the book, Fitzgerald tries to make Gatsby seem as mysterious as possible, a good implementation of suspense that was really the only thing that got me interested.  And then Fitzgerald also applies a lot of foreshadowing to imply future events, this added to my curiosity.  He writes, "I came East, permanently I thought, in the spring of twenty-two", possibly hinting at something that might later occur (Fitzgerald, 5).

The House of Mirth: The Tragic End

Finally, Edith Wharton draws The House of Mirth to an end.  Not only is the end clever and tragic at the same time, it is consistent with the theme that has persistent throughout the book: the roller coaster and spontaneous events that seem to add to Lily Bart's demise every time.

I feel like I'm having deja vu with the blatant parallels between the closing of this story and that of Romeo and Juliet.  Lily did not intend to overdose on the chloral which where the two tragedies differ, but she was surely not careful in preventing it.  The tragedy is intensified by the fact that she finally arrives at the realization of the truly important things in life only right before her death after her happening upon a girl named Nettie, who claims that Lily saved her life when she lived a the girls' home that Gerty led.  Lily sees the happiness in Nettie's life despite her poverty and participation in the working class and sees that she too could be happy at this status if she was not so lonely, if she had a baby and husband to love her as Nettie did.  In a case of extreme irony, Selden realizes once again that he loves Lily Bart.  He awakes the morning after her still unknown death with elation, excited to go find Lily and express his adoration for her once again.  To his dismay, he arrives at Lily's apartment to be confronted with Gerty informing him of the horrible news. "The doctor found a bottle of chloral - she had been sleeping badly for a long time, and she must have taken an overdose by mistake" (Wharton, 264).  Selden goes into her room to see the form of the deceased Lily lying peacefully on her bed.  He gazes about the room and after small investigation of the things lying about the room pieces together Lily's entire predicament.  He finds the $9,000 check for Gus Trenor and the $10,000 check from her aunt's will.  Lily's moral respectability is confirmed in Selden's mind as he realizes her intentions to repay Mr. Trenor despite her current situation.  Edith Wharton's ending to this great story is a huge success in my opinion.  She creates a tragedy that is classic and ironic at the same time. Somehow, despite the fact that the book is ended, she manages to still keep the reader guessing.  What if Lily had survived the night to greet Selden at her door the following morning? Would they have married? Had children? All of these thoughts were running through my head anyways, and though i with that Lily would have lived to answer them, the lesson she learned prior to her death still sheds a light of joy on the situation.  

The House of Mirth: Seldon's Back!

Yay! Selden's back again! Lily is working as a social secretary for a woman from the South when Selden visits to insist that she return to Gerty so that she make help her make a life for herself.  Selden is saddened by the fact that Lily has put herself in this position, proving that she will go to almost any length to stay among the elite.  He is wrong though, Lily will not go to an length and proves this a few weeks later.  Meanwhile, Lily begins to work for a living.  She works in a hat shop and is reprimanded fore her bad hat-making skills.  I feel bad Lily and find her a bit pathetic at this point in Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth.  She has no idea what it takes to make a living for those who are not born into the blessing of wealth.  This might be a good experience for her to adjust her priorities which are so ridiculously out of whack, with social standing at the top and love at the bottom.  Lily has actually grown almost depressed with her longing for her old life, resorting to a strong sleeping medication that the doctor warns her to be careful with (FORESHADOWING).  I hope Lily doesn't continue to use this medication as a crutch.  I have heard of and seen people using substances as crutches and in no circumstance has it ever benefited the situation.  Simon Rosedale visits Lily and is appalled at her living conditions and insists that she is far too pretty to work for a living.  He reminds her that his marriage offer still stand if she reconciles with Bertha.  I hate to admit it, but Simon is growing on me as well.  I really want Lily to marry Selden but it seems that option might no longer exist.  Lily decides to take the letters that she still has as proof of Bertha's unfaithfulness and blackmail her until she once again agrees to be Lily's friend, at least publicly.  However, on her way to the Dorset home, Lily thinks of Selden.  She imagines her current plan of action through his eyes and is immediately ashamed.  Throughout this novel this has been Lily's saving grace.  Although she has bad judgment and is eternally superficial, she always intends to do the right thing.  Most of the time her actions are to make herself appear in a better light, but she still tries.  So instead she goes to see Selden.  This part makes me very happy despite the lack of romance.  Lily and Selden have both changed a lot since the beginning of the book, and their conversations no longer consist of playful flirting.  Lily thanks him for visiting her months prior and informs him of her current status while he notices her thinner and unhappy appearance.  Before she leaves Selden notices that, "When she rose he fancied that he saw her draw something from her dress and drop it into the fire" (Wharton 252), clearly the letters that she had carried with harmful intentions earlier that evening.

  

The House of Mirth: Lily's Broke

Desperate times call for desperate measurers, or so the saying says.  In Lily's case, this saying is spot on.  Carry Fisher advises Lily to marry as soon as possible, and Lily (along with her depleted finances) agrees that this is necessary.  Her two option, according to Carry, are either George Dorset or Simon Rosedale, both of which are not particularly appealing to Lily.  She outright refuses the suggestion to confirm to George Dorset his suspicions of her affair with Ned Silverton and therefore break up their marriage for the sole purpose that he might marry her in return.  However, the idea of marrying Rosedale is more acceptable. I really wish that Selden would make a reappearance because now would be the opportune time.  I wonder if Lily would take a marriage proposal from him more seriously now that she is no longer included in the top social community.  But, Lily chooses to pursue Rosedale since she is sure he still is very attracted to her, although her falling from her previous social status is no help to her cause.  I cannot imagine living in a society in which people care so much about what others think.  I think i mentioned this in an earlier blog, but it simply baffles me.  I would hate that environment with the constant pressure to live up to the expectations of others and then the gossip and humiliation if you don't.  In a way, high school is a milder form of this, but  by no means wake up every morning with my main concern being to impress others.  I certainly like to look nice and buying new clothes to wear is fun, but if that were my main concern in life I think I would be about as miserable as Lily seems, if not more.  Lily's omnipresent need for the luxurious rules her decision making.  She ends up alone with Simon Rosedale as they take a walk down a street in New York.  Lily tells Simon that she will marry him, and it is now he that hesitates.  I am hoping that something will happen to prevent their marriage, especially because Lilly's thoughts wander to Selden as she walks with Simon, reminiscing the walk she once took with him.  If I knew that I loved someone, I would not be able to force myself ion marrying someone else.  That is why there is so many marriage problems among the elite in The House of Mirth, all of them marry in order to reap the benefits of their spouse.  No one marries for love so they hardly feel bad cheating on them, unless, God forbid, rumors started and their social status was harmed.

This is how most women in Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth are except that they are more attracted to their husbands' money than anything else.

Rosedale, being no different from the rest of the elite New York society, is hesitant to marry Lily because he is aware that the most highly thought of women in New York are disconcerted with her because of recent events.  Bertha Dorset absolutely despises her and is actually still trying to hurt her social status, which is ridiculous because it is her fault that the rumors between her husband and Lily were started in the first place.  She know perfectly well that there is nothing suspicious going on between the two and resents only Lily's knowledge of her affairs.  I cannot stand this woman.  Simon proposes another offer to marrying Lilly, that they be "good friends", "'What is your idea of being good friends?' she returned with a slight smile. 'Making love to me without asking me to marry you?' Rosedale laughed with a recovered sense of ease. 'Well, that's about the size of it, I suppose'"(Wharton, 206).  He suggests this unless she repairs her friendship with Bertha.  If I were Lily, he probably would have been slapped right across the face then and there.  Edith Wharton is really great at creating characters for me to dislike.  Who does he think he is speaking about the beautiful Miss Lily Bart is such a way? In the end, the only thing established is that Lily's financial woes will not be addressed any time soon.

The House of Mirth: Curiosity Killed the Cat

Alright, so this title doesn't have a lot to do with this part of the story unless like me, the gossip and speculation about Lily and her supposed relationship with Mr. Dorset is the "curiosity" and Lily's hope for a luxurious life is the "cat". Upon her return to New York, Mrs. Peniston, Lily and Grace Stepney's aunt, has died.  To make Lily's entire situation (the debt, scandal with Mr. Trenor, scandal with Mr. Dorset, the fallout with Selden, etc.) immeasurably worse, Mrs. Peniston left all of her belongings to Grace Stepney over Lily, with the exception of ten thousand dollars.  Apparently, Lily's aunt had heard the rumors all the way from Europe that Bertha Dorset had fabricated about her husband and Lily, in order to cover her own situation with Ned Silverton.  This is really very sad.  I would be heartbroken if my aunt whom had sheltered and provided for me since the deaths of my parents, as Lily's aunt did, died with such horrible misconceptions of me.  Lily didn't make it back in time to correct these misunderstandings with her aunt.  The fact that she went to such measures to change her will would shame me, even if I knew I was innocent. The fact is that Lily is not completely innocent, and she knows this.  In regards to the rumored affairs with either Mr. Trenor or Mr. Dorset, Lily's record is clean. However, her choices and actions ultimately led to the rumors; therefore, Lily is truly at blame.  She does not make a fuss about Bertha spreading these fabrications because it was Lily's job on the yacht to distract Mr. Dorset in the first place, so that no questions would be asked.  Lily knows that her situation is dire.  She desires to reclaim her social status (only she would think of such things in her circumstance) and looks to Mrs. Trenor, her former friend for assistance.  Unexpectedly, Mrs. Trenor is not friendly with Lily at all and Lily realizes that this must be due to her debt to Mr. Trenor, her $9,000 dollar debt (i'm sure the rumored affair between the two didn't help either).  Lily decides that she must pay Mr. Trenor back a.s.a.p., "She must be quits with the Trenors first; after that she would take thought for the future" (Wharton 186).  There is a slight flaw in Lily's resolution.  It is nothing shy of brilliant for Lily to finally pay back her debt (I'm scared of what other scenarios Edith Wharton could dream up if Lily prolonged the inevitable any further); however, Lily has hardly any money to her name, let alone the amount needed to pay back the Trenors.  She won't receive the money from her aunt's will for about a year as the lawyers sort through and finalize everything. I'm not sure if it is obvious yet my obsession with Harry Potter, but if not, here's another reference.  The length of time scrutiny of the will reminds me of in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the last book) when the Ministry of Magic examines Dumbledore's will for an unreasonable amount of time before giving Harry, Ron, and Hermione the gifts he left them in the will. I'm assuming the lawyers take so long to examine the will of Lily's aunt because of how wealthy she was and possibly the pure magnitude of things that she owned, unlike the Ministry of Magic who searched Dumbledore's will for possible hidden devices, codes,or tokens that could be used to take down Voldemort (I really hope that you have seen the movies and/or read the books because that probably sounded like complete gibberish if not).  Regardless, Lily cannot yet pay back the Trenors, and while she waits for her inheritance, she can only afford to live the life of a commoner.  How Lily will deal with her desperate situation is the question.

The House of Mirth: Sweet Escape

In the beginning of Book 2 of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth, Miss Lily Bart has left most of her problems back in New York, as she escapes on the Dorset's yacht to Europe, "She had been plunged into new scenes, and had found in them a renewal of old hopes and ambitions" (Wharton 209).  Lily is pleased by how much everyone in Europe seems to like her, especially the Duchess who very much likes her (a lot more than Mrs. Dorset, which will actually prove badly for Lily).  It is odd how many of the people were all in New York last chapter and all came to Europe in such a short amount of time. I'm not sure if this is a coincidence or if they socialites of New York are like the Roncalli families who yearly congregate in Fort Myers during spring break.  It's like there's an unspoken contract between Roncalli and its students that they must go to Fort Myers for spring break if they wish to attend the school (not really, that was a slight over exaggeration, but oh well).  Anyways, the Dorsets and their guests Lily and Ned Silverton; the Stepneys, the Brys and their guest Carry Fisher are all in Europe.  It turns out that Selden is here too! I feel bad for him having to see Lily again after he obviously went to great lengths to get away from her (all the way to Europe? That seems a little overkill, Lawrence).  The poor guy has good reason though.  He thought he was in love with Lilly, which was probably difficult enough for himself to deal with considering the fact that the thousands of dollars he doesn't have are the key to her heart.  Now she shows up on his vacation while he is still trying to grasp that he witnesses someone he thought very highly of leaving a married man's house very late in the night.  I would hardly be able to stand the sight of Lily either if I were him.  Not to mention, Lily's role on board the Dorset's yacht is to distract the Mr. so that Mrs. Dorset can go about her very sketchy pursuit of an affair with Ned Silverton.  I really want to slap some sense into Lily. It was a good idea to leave New York when she did, I wold have done the same thing in order to clear my head and think things over regarding Gus Trenor and the marriage proposal to Simon Rosedale.  Helping a woman cheat on her husband is defiantly not going to earn any good karma.  Oh yes, and then Lily is spotted alone with Mr. Dorset late at night because Mrs. Dorset and Silverton are both AWOL (however, anyone can probably guess the gist of what is going on, including Mr. Dorset). Mr. and Mrs. Dorset no join the pity party: Mr. Dorset knows of his wife's actions and plans to divorce her, and Mrs. Dorset earns mine and Lily's pity because without her husband, her lavish lifestyle will also suffer.  Despite her flirtatiousness, I began to like Mrs. Dorset a lot more than in the beginning of the novel when she personally began to create the mess that is now Lily's life.  In Lily's mind she thinks that since then she has been very kind to her, like taking her on this trip.  It is so obvious though that the horrible person that is Bertha Dorset is only looks for personal gain.  To use the "generous" vacation example once again: Bertha brought Lily to distract her husband without any other reason necessary.  She then places herself right back to where she had been in chapter one with her blaming Lily for being alone with her husband late the previous night.  Lily and I both are astonished... what?! Are you seriously kidding me... I'm sorry, but this is the most mad I have been at a character in the book so far.  What a horrible woman to blame Lily for such a thing while she was in fact the source of the problem.  Hopefully this doesn't end up further harming Lily and her reputation.

The House of Mirth: Too bad, So Sad

I have a haunch that Gus Trenor and Simon Rosedale have been cohorts against Lily from the time she first asked Trenor for help and invested her money in the stock market.  It just seems curious that Trenor would give Lily a large sum of money pretending it was her own success in the stock, then reveal that he has actually been simply giving her his own funds and that she is in his debt just in time for Rosedale to swoop in and offer her a speedy resolution to her financial woes if she marries him.  Despite the fact that Trenor also shares feeling, or maybe just lusts, for Lily, the fact that this situation was planned is very possible.  Marriage to a beautiful, wealthy, and sociable woman like Miss Lily Bart would greatly aid Rosedale becoming part of the top social community as well, another facet to the possible plan.  Lily's need for Rosedale's money is made evident by her aunt's decision not to help her pay off her debts.  I agree with her aunt's decision here.  Lily created this problem on her own and then made it even worse by hiding it and attempting to fix it throws Gus Trenor, in the process of which rumors and misunderstandings have flourished.  Her aunt is disgusted with Lily's gambling as well, which is the cause of the debt in the first place. Lily very much deserved to be punished for not only her foolishness, but her poor judgment and hesitance to truly fix the root of the problem.  

Lily's aunt's not paying for her debts for some reason reminded me of when kids are put in timeout as their punishment.  This is what i found when I tried to search for a picture of "timeout"... Hopefully Lily's reaction to her aunt's decision is a little more constructive to her situation.

She now realizes how much she really needs Selden's help and fixes to meet him at 4:00 as they had planned. The time passes, at which point the irksome Rosedale arrives (I really don'y like him).  Lily informs Rosedale that she needs to contemplate his offer before she makes a diesicion.  I would bet Rosedale is fairly confident at this point in the story, especially because, as Lily later finds out, Selden has left for the West Indies. The consistent theme of Lily's unfortunate life is becoming almost predictable.  Not in a bad way, but in a way that I am constantly wondering what awful thing will happen next.  In a slight turn of events, Lily receives a letter from Mrs. Dorset asking if she would like to accompany her and her husband on a cruise to the Mediterranean.  This is very curious and is sure to bring on an entirely new share of drama. Edith Wharton has not allowed me to get bored throughout the entire The House of Mirth, so I hope she doesn't let me down. 

The House of Mirth: Caught in the Web

The society in The House of Mirth loves to gossip and spread rumors, like those that surround Lily and Gus Trenor.

Poor Gerty. Poor Selden.  Poor Lily. Everyone is caught up in the giant web of misunderstanding thats is intricately weaving its way into the plot of Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth.  Selden has embraced his love for Lily and admitted it to her, only to be bashed with her money concerns. Gerty finds herself in love with Selden (who is her cousin, ew), and therefore hates her friend Lily for being the focus of Selden's affections, "But on her bed sleep would not come, and she lay face to face with the fact that she hated Lily Bart (Wharton, 132)." And Lily adds to the confusion when she visits "Mrs. Trenor" who turns out to be out of town and is ambushed by Mr. Trenor and his advances.  Distraguht and terrifies Lily flees the house, as witnessed by Selden and another man. At this point, I am hating Mr. Trenor with a  passion.  He is an older man with a wife and fortune, yet he has trapped Lily in a horrible situation after pretending to simply off his help.  Lily again has stuck to her morals and intends to pay Mr. Trenor back everything that she owes him so that he will leave her alone.  If she doesn't pay him back and stop accepting his money, the rumors and constant harassment will never cease. Gerty really grows in my mind as one of my favorite characters in this part of the book as well because despite her resentment of the fact that Selden loves Lily instead of her, she accepts Lily into her home and allows her to spend the night, no questions asked.  She converses with Lily a little and realizes that Selden has come to love Lily of his own accord, not because of her flirtatiousness or mere beauty.  That would be really difficult, to overcome that intense hatred in order to understand more fully the situation.  That is something that does not often happen, especially in high school where teenagers, particularly girls, hold grudges and spread rumors about each other because of trivial things like boyfriends or whatever.  It can just be really hard to conquer your feelings toward a person, especially in a situation like Gerty's where Lily is favored by Gerty's love.  Her jealousy is intensified by the fact that she believes Lily is leading Selden on and will never actually marry him because of his money situation. I know that it would take a lot of self control for me to look past all of that in order to understand that she is deserving of a love that I wished could be mine.  Gerty is definitely next to Selden now on my list of favorite characters.  Then there is Selden: Selden who has finally accepted in his own mind that he loves Lily, told her, kissed her, and is expecting that she will agree to marry him (or at least hoping).  Now he has witnessed her leave the house of a married man, about whom rumors have already whispered scandalous associations with the lovely Lily.  The assumptions that no doubt immediately came to his mind are well reasoned.  They are incorrect, but sadly Selden doesn't know this.  This is even more tragic because he had been disguised by the gossiping about Trenor and Lily that he had overhead that night, and had wished that he could put an end to it to protect Lily. Now the rumors are being revealed before hie own eyes and this makes me pity both him and Lily.  I feel for Selden and his crushed hopes and I pity Lily for her deteriorated position in Selden's eyes.  Lily is unaware that Selden saw her leaving the Trenor household, but I am feeling bad for her anyways.  That feeling that comes when someone thinks something about you that isn't at all true, yet you cannot prove that it is false is horrible.  This is made even more true when the circumstance involves your reputation or perception in that person's mind, as in this case with Selden and Lily.  If the situation was as it appeared, Selden would have every right to disrespect Lily. This entry is extremely lengthy, but I'm honestly explaining and digesting this whole situation as much for my own benefit as well as for the blog.  The tragedy of the situation is even further emphasized when Lily expresses to Gerty the night after she fled from Mr. Trenor that Selden had long ago warned her of the dangers of society.  She wonders aloud if Gerty thinks that Selden would help her or would he condemn her, as all these other men have done.  Gerty, bless her heart, admits that she thinks he would help her, highlighting Selden's moral standings.