Analysis Of Red Dress 1946

14-15). The narrator’s reverence is emphasized through the use of words such as “so” and “even” highlighting that it is unusual and extraordinary of a child of five to be “so” physically confident. The narrator is not the only one who looks up to Gail, “Other little girls might admire the ringlets and the dresses with smocking on the yokes, and the white socks that stayed up…” (ll 22-24). In the second paragraph we read that the narrator eventually becomes friends with Gail, “In fact, she did become my very best friend, years later,” (ll 9-10).

The Dressmaker (2015), directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, explores Myrtle ‘Tilly’ Dunnage’s dramatic return to her small hometown of Dungatar, a ‘dump’ located in the middle of nowhere in the Australian outback. Sent away from the town as a child after being held responsible for a murder, Tilly has returned to seek resolution of her murky memories and to take revenge on those who mistreated her. Now a talented dressmaker, Tilly uses her skills to manipulate the townspeople into revealing the intricate secrets that led to her exile. Throughout the film, powerful symbolism present in fire, mirrors and clothing signifies Tilly’s resolution from past issues.

As a result, the protagonist feels she cannot fit in and builds hesitancy and self-doubt. Helga “could neither conform, nor be happy in her unconformity” (7). Helga concludes that she cannot accept the stereotypes put forth by society, neither can she accept her own identity and individuality with content.

The theme of the novel is to not follow the crowd, because it may lead you into the wrong direction. Truly followed the populars and dropped her friends who “saved her in the 6th grade.” This teaches middle school girls to have more

Before interment, the girl was a curious, active character but throughout the story, and her prolonged isolation, her self-identity and personality undergo many changes. For example, in the beginning when her mother reminds her they have to leave their home, taking only what they can carry in their arms, the girl declares, “ ‘I already know that’... She wore a white cotton frock with tiny blue anchors and her hair was pulled back in two tight braids. She tossed her books on the sofa and told the woman [her mother] that her teacher, Mr. Rutherford, had talked for an entire hour about prime numbers and coniferous trees” (12). This quote demonstrates how

Every society has a ‘social norm’ that everyone is expected to follow. Whether a person is a female who is expected to cook and clean for their husband while he relaxes from a hard day of work. Society believe that it is okay for a man to sleep around while it is a horrible thing for a lady to do. If a person does not follow these unwritten rules they may be shunned by people all around them, but conforming to these ‘social norms’ may mean suppressing themselves in order to be accepted. In The Bell Jar, Plath shows that if a person is to be normal they must suppress their true selves; Plath demonstrates this by showing how Esther conforms herself to act socially acceptable when she is with Marco and Irwin.

In Alice Munro’s “Boys and Girls,” there is a time line in a young girl’s life when she leaves childhood and its freedoms behind to become a woman. The story depicts hardships in which the protagonist and her younger brother, Laird, experience in order to find their own rite of passage. The main character, who is nameless, faces difficulties and implications on her way to womanhood because of gender stereotyping. Initially, she tries to prevent her initiation into womanhood by resisting her parent’s efforts to make her more “lady-like”. The story ends with the girl socially positioned and accepted as a girl, which she accepts with some unease.

Outside forces do not have any long-lasting influence on how someone perceives themself. This is a notion that some individuals may choose to believe. However, through the events of one story, we come to realize that the prior statement is false. The nameless protagonist of Boys and Girls (1964) showed that as people, we can be created as somebody other than ourselves at our core because we fall back on the opinions of people whose views we regard too highly. Canadian author Alice Munro’s short story displays how an individual’s identity and realization of self is molded by the prominent role adversity plays throughout the course of their life because the contrasting values and ideologies of those around them conflict with their own moral compass.

Girls from a young age are exposed to the idea that by looking right and dressing right, they can receive financial support, love and affection from men. Colette Dowling calls this the Cinderella Complex, a network of largely represented attitudes and fears that keeps women from full use of their minds and creativity. The Color Purple shows how this myth can be broken and reinforced in a manner that empowers women both economically and socially. This essay highlights how clothing in the novel, becomes a symbol of race, gender, strength of character and transformation of the self. (Lupton)

At first, the attention amuses them evident by, “Down to the corner where men can’t take their eyes off of us, we must be Christmas.” However, the stroll quickly turns horrendous when they personally experience the oppression of women on Mango Street, as innocent kids. A local man shouts to them, “Them [the shoes] are dangerous, take them shoes off before I call the cops”. It is significant how a local man regards a trinket that gives the girls confidence as “dangerous”. Later, a drunken neighborhood bum attempts to buy a kiss from them. Terrified that the bum is violent and will attack them, the girls run back home, and hide the shoes in a bag. Later, Lucy’s mother throws them away, and the girls feel relieved.

Many times throughout history it has been shown that people are shaped and molded into what society calls, “perfect people.” Jamaica Kincaid is the author of the short story titled, “Girl.” In her story there are two characters, an authoritative mother and her young daughter. Throughout the story, the mother expects so much of her daughter in various ways. She teaches her how to cook, what to wear, how to behave, and many other attributes she views to be significant for her daughter’s role in society. Kincaid elaborates the theme of how to be the “ideal,” or “flawless” woman in a society, along with being respected through the literary elements of diction, imagery, and mood.

As they tried to get adjusted in New York City it was very hard for them to do since their families wanted them to maintain their cultural roots but yet the girls wanted to be like everyone else was so that they could feel comfortable. Trying to adjust to their new way of life is very difficult especially in a city like New York where if you're not high-class you struggle along in often dangerous community which is something their mother doesn't want them to become exposed to. As they search for their cultural identity this also interferes with their personal identity.

Society tries to place many rules upon an individual as to what is acceptable and what is not . One must decide for themselves whether to give in to these pressures and conform to society’s projected image, or rather to resist and maintain their own desired self image. In the story “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro, Munro suggests that this conflict is internal and external and a persons experiences in life will determine which of these forces will conquer. In terms of the unnamed protagonist’s experiences in the story, it becomes clear just how strong the pressure of society to conform really is, as it overcomes and replaces the girl’s self image.

In 1915 a fourteen-year–old girl received a letter from her nineteen-year-old brother. The girl’s name was Annabelle and her brother’s F. Scott Fitzgerald. In Fitzgerald’s eyes Annabel was a bit socially inept, and his opening words to her were merciless, “You are as you know, not a good conversationalist and you might very naturally ask, ‘What do boys like to talk about?’ Boys like to talk about themselves—much more than girls...” (Fitzgerald qtd in “F. Scott Fitzgerald” 289) Fitzgerald then continued on with possible opening lines: “How about giving me that sporty necktie when you’re through with it”; and topics to avoid, “Don’t talk about school”. He told her to focus on dress and poise “A good smile and one that could be assumed at, is an absolute necessity”. He counsels her to “Learn to be worldly. Remember in all society nine girls out of ten marry for money and nine men out of ten are fools”. And if ten pages of criticisms and unwelcome recommendations weren’t enough, he threatened to send more, “I’ll discuss dancing in a later letter”.

In Victorian England, “the bourgeoisie has torn away from the family its sentimental veil, and has reduced the family relation to a mere money relation” (Engels). This upper middle class, the bourgeois, was divided into separate spheres determined by their “natural characteristics” such as being male or female (Gender 1). The bourgeois society’s main concern was their outward appearance and materialism while gaining respectability among their social class. A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, criticizes Victorian bourgeois society and their strict adherence to gender roles. As Nora Helmer walked away from her family, she generated a “door slam heard around the world” (“A Doll’s House” 1).