Approximation Mona Simpson

The story, ‘“Approximations” by Mona Simpson expresses the idea that every parent often want to see their children succeed in life, but sometimes the idea gets carried away that many of the parents want their children to stand out and be the best at a sport or have a special talent and be successful in life and tend to forget about their children's own needs and feeling. This is because it makes them look like outstanding parents, and they often forget about what their children really want. In the story Melinda’s mother and father are divorced and she goes through life without her father most of the time and lives with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend Jerry. Melinda’s mother makes her do ice skating but she is so wrapped up with

As the narrator, Claire creates an emotional and compassionate tone throughout the story. Her dialogue constantly consists of words such as “honey”, “mommy”, “love”, which constitutes to the overall mood of the text (Carver 363). Additionally, she is constantly catering to her husband and child by cooking, cleaning, and performing tasks of the typical “stay-at-home” mom. Her affectionate personality, want for control, and mother-like performance plays a role in Carver’s explanation of the stereotypical mother and wife.

A relationship between a mother and daughter may not be perfect at all times. There are many things that can make the job of being a mother tough and one of them is being a single mother. In the short story, “Shopping” by Joyce Carol Oates there is no exception to modern day hardships that come along the road of motherhood. The turbulence in Nola and Mrs. Dietrich relationship is shown during their shopping trip to the mall where Nola hardly speaks to her mother. Mrs. Dietrich refuses to let go of the child inside Nola.

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Likewise, Kincaid wrongly judges her mother. In her essay, “The Estrangement’” she tells that she stopped talking to her mother after she spoke unkindly about her in a conversation they had through the phone. She describes her mother as a person that was seen as nice by others, but not by her nor her younger siblings. She asserts that her mother, “said horrible things to us more often than not” and that the nice person everyone saw in her “was not at all known to us” (Kincaid 170). In other words, her mother was unaffectionate to them. A statement she makes evident when she tells about the time his step-father was buried next to her mother and her uncertainty of whether he would have liked that based on her and her siblings preferences. She claims, “we would rather be dead than spend eternity lying next to her” (Kincaid 170). In other terms, they despised her mother for the treatment she gave them. However, later in the text, there is a shift in tone: from hate to acknowledgement and love. Her perception of her mother changes after she realizes how

    “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” one of O’Connor’s best works, describes a family on a trip to Florida and their encounter with an escaped prisoner, The Misfit. Although “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” is an early work in O’Connor’s career, it contains many of the elements which are used in the majority of her short stories. The grandmother, a selfish and deceitful woman, is a recipient of a moment of grace, despite her many flaws and sins. A moment of grace is a revelation of truth. When the grandmother calls The Misfit her child and reaches out to touch him, the grandmother has a moment of grace that enabled her to see The Misfit as a suffering human being who she is obligated to love. The grandmother realizes that nothing will stop The Misfit from killing her but she reaches out to him despite this. The Misfit rejects her love and kills her anyway. This moment of grace is very important

Carol is the weaker parent because she yells at, criticizes, and says things parents should not say to Melinda. In a taxi on the way home from the airport, Carol is upset and criticizes Melinda: “There you didn’t say one smart thing in front of him [John]. Let me tell you, you sounded dumb,” (Page 126). This quote is just the very first criticizing statement that Carol tells Melinda. It is very unacceptable for a parent to call her daughter dumb. It is very degrading and can lead to a low self esteem, which Melinda does not need. Also, if Carol keeps calling Melinda names, Melinda will eventually start calling

Joyce Carols Oates highlights the importance of developing relationships in families. Connie’s future could’ve had a completely different outcome if she would’ve been raised with attention, love, and communication. Arnold would’ve never had the opportunity to manipulate her if she had her family’s protection; however, that was not the case. Connie’s family must live with a guilty conscience knowing that her kidnapping could’ve been avoided if only they were less neglectful towards

What Janie’s grandma experienced was not warm, caring love. Getting love was the worst thing to ever happen to Nanny. The child conceived by the horrific effects of the rape, Leafy, was also sexually assaulted at a young age. One day Nanny explains to Janie, “But one day she didn’t come home at de usual time and Ah waited and waited, but she never come home all dat night… De next mornin’ she came crawlin’ in her hands and knees… Dat school teacher had done hid her in the woods all night long, and he had donerped muhbaby and run on off just before day” (Hurston 18). This shows that someone as sensitive as your first love and virginity can be the worst thing to ever happen to a little girl. Leafy gave birth to Janie and left the newborn with her mother, Nanny, to live the rest of her life drinking away the pain. When Nanny explains how Janie’s mother left it further highlights the idea of love being the worst tragedy in one’s life. The rape left Janie’s mother absolutely broken, to the point she could not raise the child. Janie never met her mother and never got the love she wanted from her maternal mom. The love and sexual interest the Crawford women hoped to get wasn’t what they

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       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

The short story “Tiny, Smiling Daddy” by Mary Gaitskill is presented as a third person narrative. In this form of writing, the narrator is only observing the story and uses the main character's perspective to project the events. With only the perspective of the main character, Stew, there is a constraint with a limited knowledge point of view. The reader is only exposed to what Stew knows, observes, and on occasion, feels: “How could she have done this to him? She knew how he dreaded exposure of any kind. She knew how ashamed he had been when, at sixteen, she announced that she was lesbian.” (36-39). Gaitskill provides background memories from Stew’s perspective as well, which makes it even more skewed and subjective. His daughter Kitty, is the only Kitty that Stew envisions and nothing else.

Sethe begins to nurture her children, only for her children to have a growing fear that Sethe would kill them one day, enacting her children to distance themselves. Due to Sethe mother’s abandonment, Sethe in fact has never been a “daughter” and the love she displays, Paul D. describes as “too thick” (193) causes resentment from her children. As Sethe undergoes mental and physical abuse from Beloved, causing her strong personality to wither away and becoming fully dependent on Beloved, Sethe gives herself to Beloved, “[a]nything she wanted she got” (283). This is a story not to be passed on for Sethe, she allowed herself to be swallowed up by her own inability to move past her dreadful memories at Sweet Home. The past, “Beloved” began to slowly creep on her, draining away the strong woman she once was. Sethe always tried to nurture her child, the way her mother never nurtured her. However, in the end when she becomes dependent on Beloved, she becomes old and weak. Yet, her positive development occurs when Paul D tells her that she, herself is the most important thing and finally then Sethe moves on.

Mrs. Rowland, the protagonist, is portrayed as the stereotypical nagging wife. While a flat character, she is very realistic. Her level of diction implies her lack of education, she is also bitter towards her husband. Her bitterness is not unfounded. Alfred is of no help, "Heaven knows I do my part-and more-going out sewing every day while you play the gentleman and loaf around bar rooms with that good-for-nothing lot of artists from the Square" (Jacobs 1211). Mrs. Rowland's husband is adulterous and can not hold down a job. Mrs. Rowland loves her husband, although she does not like the way he treats her. She exhibited love by continually enabling him, paying the rent, providing food, and cleaning up after him. She regards Alfred's depression as laziness. "Not that I've got any doubts about your being lazy enough to stay in bed forever" (Jacobs 1211). After learning Alfred's lover Helen, is pregnant, her frustration and disappointments only intensify.

people take a moment to commiserate or feel remorseful for someone, yet they rarely give it another thought. As a class, we read a short story by James Joyce called Eveline. The first time reading this story, it was a bit confusing and quite irritating. As a woman of the 21st century, one whom is “fierce” and independent, I found it tough to sympathize with Eveline. “Stop your pity party and create a happier life.” This is what I found myself saying, after my initial reading. However, I took a step back and actually looked at the story. I remembered the context, it takes place in. The year, country, and how different things were back then. Placing myself in Eveline’s shoes, a woman from the early 1900’s, assisted me in sympathizing with her.