A Literary Analysis Of Shells By Lia Rylant

The author Wes Moore’s father dies at a young age and his mother Joy does her best to keep her son out of trouble. She works multiple jobs to send him to a nice private school once they move to

(Page 140). Michael’s parents have to believe that their baby will get better. Coot has to believe that Michael will come back to him and play sports as they used to, and Grace has to believe that her son will finally visit her in

Michael was brought up in poor project housing that was consumed by drugs, alcohol, and gangs. He was pushed in and out of foster homes forcefully being separated from his mother and siblings. As the movie showed in harsh flashbacks, Michael is deeply affected by the forceful separation from his mother. This constant absence from the mother or other supportive figures leaves Michael unable to make a secure attachment to any strong base. Erikson’s stage of trust versus mistrust is displayed due to Michael’s inability to count on the kindness and compassion of others which leads him to withdraw from his surroundings (p 248). This abrupt memory in life affects Michael in his idea of family and commitment. The harsh environment also kept Michael from attending school, and the times he did there was no support for him to even try in school.

They had to bench Michael till they got his birth certificate, but since he is from Cuba it would be hard to get it. Especially since his dad had died a few months ago and his mom died a long time ago before they came to America. Throughout the middle of the book he tried everything he could to get it. This guy who works for the child services got curious about him and his seventeen. Michael has been telling everyone that his dad was in Florida taking care of his sick uncle. The guy wanted to talk to dad to see if he was real. Luckily, Michael had his best friend relative to pretend that he was his

Toni Morrison’s Sula revolves around the relationship of her two main characters, Sula and Nel. The childhood friends grow apart with age. Although it is indicated that their friendship is the most important relationship they participate in, they eventually betray each other and lead dishonest lives. Throughout the novel, we see their constantly deteriorating relationship as a result of absence of a family life. Sula is a novel about the influence family may have on the make up of someone’s personality. In particular, the novel examines the effect parents can have on their children and the conscious effort the main characters make to be unlike their mothers.

Michael’s behaviour was the opposite to Whitney’s. He became a recluse. He made very few public appearances and hid within his Neverland Ranch stately home.

Michael suffers great depression since his dog Ked died. Most of his family and other colleagues address him to see if he is through with Ked’s death, but really he was depressed all along. “I can't tell how sad i really am about Keds versus how sad i am in general”(Cameron 223). In addition, Michael gets sad of unusual things. “I can picture her eating a banana in her tiny office. This, too, makes me sad”(226). Michael gets depressed about Mrs. Dietrich being alone. Also, Michael gets heartbroken about other little things. “I think of her learning to write beautifully as a child and then growing up to be a guidance counsellor, and this makes me unhappy”(227). Michael is not just depressed of his dogs death, but every little problems in his life.

Well, that was before Michael was running toward him with anger. Angel had stopped him, his girlfriend, he leans his head on her shoulder and just cries his life out. He hesitates and says “ why her it could have been anyone else?” Then he has to come tell his two little sisters that their oldest sister just passed away. He saw their faces it reminded him of his sister. He cries the fact Nichelle had passed away in a car accident. He looked down and you could see his tears drop to the floor, and if you were quiet you could here the tear hit the floor. He had to find an answer to his problem, so he went to god and that night he had seen Nichelle’s face carved into the clouds. Their his answer was that she had made it to a better

the beginning of this novel Jennings Burch is taken to an orphanage with no idea why he is being put there. In the orphanage, he was not aware of the rules, so he was starved the first few days for not following the commands made by a clicker. Jennings eventually made a friend named Mark, who teaches him the rules and keeps him company. Jennings is adopted and brought back in the span of a week. His mom eventually came to pick him up, but his stay at home did not last long because his mom broke her back and he was sent to the orphanage. Jennings is in and out of numerous homes, getting abused and embarrassed along the way, but meets many loving people. In one home, he reunites with Mark, but a few weeks later Mark passes away from a disease and Jennings runs away. A police officer takes him in and his old bus driver Sal, who becomes a father-figure, takes him in and he lives the rest of his childhood with Sal and his mom. Jennings’ survival in this story is due to his immense psychological strength.

“Shells” by Cynthia Rylant is a realistic fiction short story about a fourteen year old boy, Michael, whose parents have died and is trying to get used to living with his Aunt Esther. In order to do that he has to stop fighting with her. In the beginning, they fight and Michael storms out the door. Soon, he comes home with a hermit crab that starts a little bit of a bond. Finally, Aunt Esther comes into his room and tells him that Sluggo, the hermit crab, needs a girlfriend. Throughout the story, Michael and Aunt Esther learn to get along.

Two predictable events that would have taken place in Michael’s life are his successful music career and him leaving home.

Michel Basilieres "Blackbird" is a very dark, gothic type novel. It deals with terrorism, death, political crisis and familial strife. Accompanying the darkness, however, is a layer of humour and wit shrouding each character. With Black Bird, Michel Basilieres has written a comic and disturbing study of how the October Crisis and the question of Canadian nationalism and identity play out through the disjointed relationships within one family. The plot is full of twists and turns and incorporates many social and political aspects derived, albeit slightly altered, from Canadian history to pull together a story ultimately about a dysfunctional family coming together. The characters in this family are obtuse and often difficult to understand, but even when they do completely ridiculous things like stealing electricity, robbing graves, committing acts of terrorism, or bringing bodies back to life, there is a likable ness about them brought about largely due to the humour imbedded in their personalities, their actions, and the events they partake in.

The dramatic irony of Michael’s moral culpability is thus the catalyst for his psychological trauma. “It was explained to me that in the end, Michael Holtzapfel was worn down not by his damaged hand or any other injury, but by the guilt of living.” (pt 10: the ninety eighth day) Traumatised by the image of his death brother, Michael commits suicide, perplexed that his desire to live persisted even after witnessing the courageous displays of sacrifice and suffering when in battle. The incessant bleeding from the injury he received during battle can be perceived as his draining will to live. The episodes of bleeding usually occur when he recoils the account of his brother’s death, leading to the possibility that the strains of guilt are eating away at him. “Why do I want to live? I shouldn't but I do.” (p. 487) This indicated that his grapple with guilt was an ongoing

The next day Leigh Anne Tuohy wakes up and realizes that Michael is nowhere to be found and also did not take any of their belongings with him. She runs out of the house and catches him walking out of the driveway. At that moment she demands Michael to come back and asks him would he like to stay for Thanksgiving dinner. Michael continues to stay with the family and even pulls his grades up enough to play football for the school. After giving Michael the unconditional love of a family, the Tuohys ask Michael would he like for them to become his legal guardians. Will Michael find a home with the Tuohys or will he return back to the secluded and neglectful life that he once lived?

As autumn comes and orange leaves fall, Michael awaits for his wife on a plane coming from the city. Relaxing on the couch and watching the news, life was hard and stressful for Michael so the little time he got alone were treasured. The stress he gained from his demanding wife and job all-consuming really controlled his life, this constricted his heart and gave him heart problems to surprising anxiety. Whilst watching the news, large letters fill the screen. “Plane Crash no survivors”, expecting his wife wasn’t in the crash, he doesn’t really pay attention until the list of people’s names appear. The last name brought mixed feelings to Michael, “Louise”. He frantically walking back and forth he begins calls his friends, one after another saying