Alienation

Paul Newman once said, “People stay married because they want to, not because the doors are locked” (74). There is no such thing as the perfect relationship, however, being involved in a healthy relationship is essential for a person to feel valued, safe, and happy. Unfortunately, in the situation of Kelly Sundberg’s personal essay “It Will Look Like a Sunset,” and Kate Chopin’s short story “The Story of An Hour,” include extreme examples of unhealthy relationships. The essay “It Will Look Like a Sunset,” shares painful experiences of Sundberg’s physical and emotional abusive relationship with her husband Caleb, while “The Story of an Hour,” shares a rare reaction of a married woman, Louise Mallard, who explores her emotions cautiously when hearing about the death of her husband. Each woman faces their own prison created by their husbands. The two marriages represent the figurative meaning of doors being locked in a marriage. Both pieces of literature convey the theme of confinement by using the literary devices of foreshadowing, imagery, and conflict.

Advances in technology has altered the world as we know it, and it can only progress farther. Through the minds of many intelligent and devoted individuals across time technology has developed into a twenty first century deity. A young child one hundred years ago could never envision a world like ours today, ruled by ones and zeros. The media has affected us in ways that we can’t even comprehend and will continue to steadily provide humans with a faster and faster flow of information for years to come. But what is the cost to have all of the information you can imagine at your fingertips? The exponential increase in information that we process in all forms of media is affecting the way that we live by making society more alienated.

In Anton Chekhov’s short story, The Lady with the pet Dog, Dmitry Dmitrich Gurov and Anna Sergeyevna are bound together, not by love, but by their psychological needs. Both need to believe in a phenomenon deeper and more meaningful than each of their despised lives and for this reason; they think the intimacy between them, fueled by desperation, is love. . In reality, the relationship between Gurov and Anna is characterized by lies, boredom with reality, and a desire for self-satisfaction. Physiologically, neither Gurov nor Anna posses the qualities needed to genuinely love another person. In order to do so, one must love themselves, an attribute neither one

Fairy tales tell us that once upon a time a girl met a boy; they fell in love, and lived happily ever after. Reality is not that simple. Long-term relationships force couples to become more acquainted with each other, include themselves in each others’ worlds and eventually develop further connections. However, a relationship can come to an end point and therefore one will try to come back in the other’s life. This type of relationship is remarked in Fran Kimmel’s short story “Laundry Day”. The author suggests that getting rid of unhealthy relationship leads to happiness, the author uses the protagonist’s transformation, contrasting characters and symbols.

In a social setting where the presence of God is absent, love simply cannot exist. It is a common-truth that human beings require love; in a society where love cannot and does not exist, the void where that “love” would have existed becomes filled with deluded misconceptions of what love truly is. In Marie-Claire Blais’ Mad Shadows, Blais clearly illustrates what happens genuine love cannot exist and is replaced by misinterpretations, with the use of well developed character relationships. In many of the relationships (romantic and otherwise) displayed

Authors across time have used various relationship models in their works of writing in order to communicate their beliefs about love. By examining the relationship between two unlike brothers in his short story, “Sonny’s Blues,” James Baldwin communicates his belief that the idea of love can save people. Jhumpa Lahiri, in her short story “Hell-Heaven” also shows that the idea of love can save people, but by the end the characters are only truly happy where there is acceptance. Both Baldwin’s short story “Sonny’s Blues” and Lahiri short story “Hell- Heaven” while culturally different, use the trials and tribulations of their characters to prove that the idea of love is a saving force.

Alienation is something we find to be constantly present within our society. This idea is steadily exemplified throughout history whether it be through class, race, or any social unjust. In Kristen Dombek’s piece, she details various accounts of social alienation. The reader follows as Dombek reveals corruption between human relationships and the way we interact with world. She exposes what we are all afraid to admit- modern values and morals. Kristen Dombek presses us with the question of why we do the things we do and live the way we live. Readers are forced to question if they are slaves to the world around them. Do we succumb to the social and economical pressure demanded from us, and if so, will we allow that to happen for the generations after us? Although alienation is something that roots from ourselves as individuals, recognize the factors in our lives that this originates from. Question the relationships people have established in their own neighborhood, or if a prosaic office job is fulfilling. When we serve our economy but it does not do the same for us, the symbiosis or harmony in which live in is disrupted. Will we make a change for the beauty we desire to create and the life we lead in oppression today or tomorrow? In Bank-robbin in Brooklyn Kristen Dombeck explores the ideas of societal alienation by questioning the dynamic of people 's’ lives in their neighborhoods, in the workplace and their roles in society in general.

While traveling to New York City, Victoria and her sister Tennessee met Cornelius Vanderbilt. He was appreciative of Victoria, so he helped them start the first women-run stock brokerage company. Along with her sister Tennessee, Victoria created a publication called Woodhull and Claflin’s Weekly. With the publication, the sisters were able to give their opinions on women’s suffrage, social reforms and other rights that they thought women deserve. She spoke out publically, and even appointed the issues to congress. Although she tried to raise more awareness by running for president, some of her supporters alienated because of her remarks about sexuality and social

In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, society warrants alienation and isolation to remain a constant underlying effect of social conformity. Alienation is the “withdrawing or separation of a person or a person’s affections from an object or position of former attachment” (“Alienation”). The motif of alienation is shown throughout the novel in the characterization of the main characters, the relationships of the characters, and the consequences of the choices made by the characters.

Frequently, married couples value the stability of their relationship over the true pillars of marriage; trust, connection, compatibility, and most importantly, love. This leads to a desperate attempt to grow love in the relationship, which often fails. Such is the case in the short story, “The Other Paris,” by Mavis Gallant. Here, Gallant portrays her disagreement with this idea of love through her mocking tone and sarcastic characterization of Carol and Howard Mitchell.

In Ursula K. Le Guin’s writing on ‘The ones Who Walk Away From Omelas’ explains how the little child had been isolated from the people of the town while Nathaniel Hawthorne through ‘Young Goodman Brown’ illustrates Goodman Brown reactions as a result of the Devil’s actions which made him feel depressed by his own family’s actions. Been isolated from the outside world or from the truth has led to one profiting from the unruly act that is alienation. Alienation is the drastic difference between someone experiencing something that socially benefits others and someone who does not because of lack of common values or sheer discernment. Ursula K. Le Guin in her writing explores this aspect of alienation, discernment by the community members of Omelas towards the child whereas Nathaniel Hawthorne, shows how someone can benefit from alienation, in this case; the devil knew Goodman Brown was naïve about his family’s history which he was alienated from, therefore took the advantage to show him their true evil ways of living.

Alienation can be more hurtful than any physical harm. It renders feelings of isolation and loneliness. Estrangement by your community confuses your ego and sense of self and leaves you wondering, “where do I belong?” Alienation and its effects were appropriately personified in both the late Leanita McClain and fictional character Arnold Spirit Jr. from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian.

Max Shulman’s piece, “Love is a fallacy” expresses many arguments expressed during every day social interactions. In the piece, the author comes into contact with his roommate, Petey Bellows and a possible love interest, Polly Espy. The author makes many unjustified guess pertaining to their wisdom and intelligence, and these false pretenses contribute to his interactions with the two, and he aims to take advantage of the opportunity of manipulating the two into achieving his own selfish desires. His plan backfires, and he is forced to reconsider his actions. In the process, Max Shulman reveals that his piece is both anti-women, anti-men, and Shulman underestimates the intuitive and emotional aspects of love.

The middle-class ladies didn't work, and didn't have a life outside their homes. They dedicated all of their time, energies and passions into keeping their men happy and contented; and in return, were loved, pampered and protected from the harsh realities of life. Even though this idea of total subjection and passivity, wouldn't have a hope of success in today's society, the level of trust and commitment these two "Romantic Poets" apparently share, could be the ideal that all couples should aspire to. In sharp contrast to Browning idealistic and spiritual love poetry of the 1800s, Seamus Heaney's Twice Shy uses an altogether more contemporary and realistic style of prose too describe love in the 20th century.

We are born into this world with a need to attach to other humans. Loneliness is something we try combat and we every go as far as to surround ourselves with mindless people just to flee the solitude. With attachment comes love, an exposed wounds to the elements. Undying care is projected on to family or friends or lovers. The fear of loneliness paired with the loss of love can cause one to want the world to cease. In W. H. Auden’s Stop All the Clocks, Cut Off the Telephone paints a picture of requested seclusion.