Analysis of Lucy Gayheart by Willa Cather

People one can never really tell how person is feeling or what their situation is behind closed doors or behind the façade of the life they lead. Two masterly crafted literary works present readers with characters that have two similar but very different stories that end in the same result. In Herman Melville’s story “Bartleby the Scrivener” readers are presented with Bartleby, an interesting and minimally deep character. In comparison to Gail Godwin’s work, “A Sorrowful Woman” we are presented with a nameless woman with a similar physiological state as Bartleby whom expresses her feelings of dissatisfaction of her life. Here, a deeper examination of these characters their situations and their ultimate fate will be pursued and delved into

     Indeed, Louise Mallard and Kate Chopin’s lives are very similar and ironic. Louise’s life began once she came to the realization

The heroine, Mrs. P, has some carries some characteristics parallel to Louise Mallard in “Hour.” The women of her time are limited by cultural convention. Yet, Mrs. P, (like Louise) begins to experience a new freedom of imagination, a zest for life , in the immediate absence of her husband. She realizes, through interior monologues, that she has been held back, that her station in life cannot and will not afford her the kind of freedom to explore freely and openly the emotions that are as much a part of her as they are not a part of Leonce. Here is a primary irony.

One of the things about the book that I personally liked was the characters, some of them were easy to relate to, even if you couldn't you could relate someone you knew with them. For example, David is not one of the main characters from the story but the more you learn about him, the more you realize how ambitious he is, wanted to change his career path almost every week, standing up to Mr. Neck. I think he's one of the things that helped Melinda find her voice.

But, the way the author used symbolism, foreshadowing, and relatable quotes stood out to me the most. When I was reading and even after, I found myself making connections and thinking deeper into the books

In the short story “Miss Brill” the protagonist, Miss Brill, is a lonely and isolated woman who likes to spend her Sunday afternoon’s in the park observing everyone around her and listening to their conversations without them knowing. We can infer that Miss Brill has created her own fantasy world to escape the harsh reality of her own life. At the end of the story the audience can come to the conclusion that Miss Brill experienced an epiphany that will change her life.

In the modern society of today, the weak and innocent are constantly oppresed by the amoral, and within the story of, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" the essence of this innocence is depicted through the character of Ms. Lucynell Crater Jr. By using her life, along with Mrs. Lucynell Crater’s and Mr. Shiftlet’s, Flannery O’Connell illustrates the human condition and how we often put our morals to the side for our own self-centered gain.

In ‘Lucy’ the character Lucy, an immigrant girl, leaves her home in the West Indies to come to America in order to reinvent herself and to discover her own identity. Her struggles for personal freedom and independence would require her complete disconnection from her family especially her mother. To do so, Lucy not only had to let go of her former identity, but she also has to void herself of the self-destruction and loneliness. Lucy’s liberation from the past is the key element to her finding her new self. That too will require her to mentally recolonized her past and present in a way she feels comfortable. The novel places Lucy at a cross road of culture and identities Antiguan and American. Upon arrival to America to work as an au pair for an

The grief comes from lost love must be recovered by love. In crow lake, the author Mary Lawson portrays a young successful scholar, 26-year-old Kate Morrison, always is bothered by her anguished past. The innermost struggle not only leads she can’t directly face the problem existing between her and her older brother Matt for years but also becomes an obstacle of the further relationship with Daniel, the men she loves. But all the problems are concealed elaborately before the invitation letter received. While the peaceful life is broken by the invitation coming from Matt’s son, her nephew Simon, Kate suddenly has to face all the problems she doesn’t want to face

It also informs people about how society reacted to someone outside the norm. This novel relates to women and men today. The novel would help women value their selves more and know their worth. It will also help women to make wise choices. “No female, whose mind is uncorrupted can be indifferent to reputation it is an inestimable jewel, the loss of which can never be repaired. While retained, it affords conscious peace to our own minds, and ensures the esteem and respect of all around us” (Webster 919). Lucy opinion focuses on male or female, young or old, by articulating the main value women had -their virtue. Their virtue was to be guarded, celebrated, and relinquished only in the confines of

       As the tale begins we immediately can sympathize with the repressive plight of the protagonist.  Her romantic imagination is obvious as she describes the "hereditary estate" (Gilman, Wallpaper 170) or the "haunted house" (170) as she would like it to be.  She tells us of her husband, John, who "scoffs" (170) at her romantic sentiments and is "practical to the extreme" (170).  However, in a time

She is torn between Cecil’s world of books and conformity and George’s world of passion and nature. This decision is not easy for Lucy to make.

In Lucy, Jamaica Kincaid explores the disillusionment faced by the eponymous character upon immigrating to the United States. The novel's style of narration allows Lucy’s thoughts and emotions to remain hidden. Despite this intense privacy, Lucy's disillusionment is clear. She had hoped that moving around the globe would solve her problems but she still struggles with homesickness and her relationship with her mother. Her move is disappointing. The erasure poem And Coldest also engages disillusionment. The poem suggests the speaker has become disillusioned by observing the world, and indicates their plan to be “shut tight.” The poem inspired me to consider the causes of Lucy’s disillusionment, and her failure to address her own emotions. As a recent immigrant, the causes of Lucy’s disillusionment are somewhat obvious. More enigmatic is her self-avoidant, “shut tight” attitude. In this paper, I argue that Lucy’s disillusionment causes her to avoid the discomfort that comes with self-reflection.

This unforsaken tragedy, an untimely death for one proves to be a new beginning blossoming for the pair. The death also leads to the figurative death of the “old” Lucy, and makes for a shifting, dynamic character to arise. A defining moment of her transformation occurs when lonesomely wander the city, her thoughts begin to take control. Her mind wandered “the gates of liberty seemed still unopened. [Lucy] was conscious of her discontent; it was new to her to be conscious of it. "The world," she thought, "is certainly full of beautiful things, if only I could come across them" (27). It is clear here that she seems trapped, in a way she her self can’t explain, she is only aware that she isn’t happy with the way she is and has been living. This feeling was new and she was aware of just that, she had unlocked a new level on consciousness she had been unable to acquire in the home country of England. She knew she needed to leave it behind, to break away from this feeling that was consuming her, but how she was going to go about it, had her confused. Subconsciously she knew this was a step in the right direction to finding her identity. Her whole life Lucy had merely allowed other to make decisions on her behalf, she was no stranger in being told what to do. As Lucy began discovering her own identity and becoming her own person she struggled with the new obligation of thinking for herself, “This solitude oppressed her; she was accustomed to have her thoughts

Within the story The Story of an Hour there is a train wreck that Louise Mallard’s husband is thought to be on and so his name is on the list of people whom have passed. Mrs. Mallard’s sister and husband’s friend, knowing that she has “heart troubles,” try to keep the news from her before they can enlighten her of the harsh news lightly and smoothly, with much success. She shows a face of how she should react, but on her own she thinks of all of the possibilities that she can do now. She actually feels better about life and wishes for it to be longer than she had when her husband is alive. Through his death she gains a sense of identity for herself. During the time of Mrs. Mallard’s world, a good wife would be one that “accepts the conventions”