Finding Healing After Injustice in vThe Round House by Louise Erdrich

In today’s economy, it is a hard fact that many women will have to enter the workforce. In her article for The Atlantic, “Why Women Still Can’t have it All”, Anne-Marie Slaughter examines the difficulties faced by women who either have children or would someday like to do so. Having given up on the task of holding a high powered government position while being the mother of a teenager, her kairotic moment, the author discusses the changes that would be necessary in order for women to find a real work-life balance. Although Slaughter 's target audience is primarily women who seek high powered positions, the article contains ample information that should appeal to both men who seek to balance the needs of a growing family with their work responsibilities, as well as workplace policy makers who could help usher in the necessary changes. Her goal in sharing her experiences is to argue that women can succeed at the very top level of their organizations, “But not today, not with the way America’s economy and society are currently structured” (Slaughter).

In "Oppression" by Marilyn Frye, Frye discussed how a bird cage symbolizes the systematic oppression of women. Frye explains that if you look at a single wire in a bird cage you cannot understand why the bird, is unable to simply fly around the wire and be free. But, when you step back and look at the cage as a whole system of interlocking wires you realize that the bird has no chance of escaping because of all the barriers put in their way (Frye). This is exactly the same case for women. When somebody tries to see the oppression of women. they look only at one problem women face, refusing to step back and see there is no one cause for their oppression. If instead they looked at all the barriers women face at once, they would finally see that women have no way of escaping oppression without continuous efforts of every person involved in the oppression, including the woman being oppressed and the sexist men doing the oppressing.

The Family Crucible, written by Augustus Napier and Carl Whitaker (1978), exemplifies a fragmented family system. The family consists of David a VIP lawyer, Carolyn an angry mother, Claudia an enraged teenager, Don the 11-year-old peacemaker, and six-year-old Laura. Co-therapists, Napier and Whitaker have taken on the task of working with the family using a systemic approach to conceptualize the family’s difficulties. Herein, this writer will describe how Whitaker and Napier depict the family struggles, how these struggles relate to the family unit in deference to an individual focus, and how

The novel The Round House revolves around the questionable morality of vengeance. Louise Erdrich, shares the tale of a young boy and his endeavor to gain vengeance for his mother’s rape. Through the eyes of Joe Coutts, a story of crime and justice unfolds. Joe’s aggression emerges after he discovers his mother, Geraldine, is raped. Consequently, Joe attempts to avenge his mother by locating the perpetrator, Linden Lark, and killing him. Does Joe’s quest to find vengeance, justify his plot for murder? The moral conflict between justice and vengeance interferes with Joe’s plan. Erdrich voices, “I don’t remember that they even looked at me or I at them after the shock of that first moment when we all realized we were old” (317). Joe finds out the judge is uncertain whether Lark can be accused at all, this sparks Joe to carry on his own personal quest for retribution. Erdrich uses Joe’s vigilante perspective to question the morality of vengeance; it acts as a call to action when dealing with family affairs.

Linda does not only portray Native American values, but also European/Western values. In The Round House Linda Lark values the European/Western value of aggression, which is a hostile or violent behavior or attitudes toward another. Linda displays a hostile attitude as a young girl when a welfare officer takes her away from the Wishkobs to a more suitable home. She “opened [her] mouth, that is all, and that [she] did not shut it until [she] was back with Mom,” Betty Wishkob (Erdrich 116). This same hostile behavior is also displayed years later, when she is an adult. Linda is suffering and throwing up because her birth mother, Grace Lark, lied to her. When Linda feels Grace touch her for the first time she is bothered. She “[pushes] her away, repelled with hate like an animal sprung from a trap” (Erdrich 122). Linda struggles handling her feelings with her mother

Laurel Ulrich’s A Midwife’s Tale is the personal history of a typical New England woman, living and accommodating to the impending changes brought on by the creation of the American Republic. Martha Ballard’s story is then used by Ulrich to portray a larger history of the time period. By a comprehensive look into the diary of Martha Ballard, which contains over 9,000 entries written in daily by Martha over a twenty-seven year period, Laurel Ulrich is able to shed light on the day-to-day responsibilities of women, daughters, midwife’s, and families that all lived together in the years following America’s war for independence. The three decades covered in her diary entries were years of transformation for American society on many levels, such as medicine, religion, and family life.

Many brothers can relate the importance of brotherhood to each other in their household. In the short story, “The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich is about how two brothers, Henry and Lyman, relationship changes after the war. The story is at the point of view of Lyman and shows the transformation of both characters. In the “The Red Convertible” the author values brotherhood because of the relationship the brothers have throughout the story. I have a younger brother, which makes me value the same belief as Louise; that brotherhood is what helps us get through the difficult times.

O’Brien also represents women being treated worse the less feminine they are through Linda. Young O’Brien observes Linda and says, “Over the next few weeks Linda wore her new red cap to school every day … it was inevitable that she took some teasing about it” (O’Brien 233). Linda develops cancer as a young girl, and loses her hair due to the treatment. Linda now wears a red cap all the time, and is made fun of by the other kids. However, Linda is not really being tormented because of her hat, but rather because she has cancer and is using the hat to hide her cancer.

After the death of her husband, Mother struggles to keep her family together by providing the support and guidance they need, and encouraging them to use good judgment and think of the family as a whole before making their decisions. As the family faces various obstacles, each seemingly more severe than the last, Mother begins

In Marilyn Frye’s piece, ‘Oppression,’ the author seeks to define ‘oppression’ in such a way that entails that women are oppressed as women. Women face restrictions, barriers and limitations in her freedom. When it is about women as a gender they are restricted in not being permitted towards several things in life, and also in having less opportunities in the industry and having a job. Women basically have an absence of personal freedom and less economic freedom.

Revenge is sometimes sweet but, it can also be very bitter. In The Help by Kathryn Stockett, revenge is shown often and in some cases it is sweet and in others it is bitter. In many cases revenge can make a person feel better, when they are the ones giving it. When receiving revenge, it could make a person more upset than what they were before. Revenge is either sweet or bitter depending on who is giving and who is receiving.

Linda had a great six or so years with her mother’s old mistress and her new mistress, but she too tragically died. This left Linda with a new mistress, and this one was only five years old, so in reality she was the property of her masters, and his name was Dr. Flint. Dr. Flint purchased Linda and her brother William, and he was a very cruel

These constant beatings in Maggie Johnson’s home, furniture thrown from parent to parent, and every aspect of her family life as being negative, her family situation is not an extremly healthy one. But, despite her hardships, Maggie grows up to become a beautiful young lady whose romantic hopes for a more desirable life remain untarnished.

The circle of justice is a process offers and closes with some form of ceremony. Its also a criminal system. It's a bad place for people to go. Also circles draw their best values.

Before reading the book, Feminist Therapy by Laura S. Brown I had many different and somewhat jumbled ideas of feminism and what is meant to be a feminist. After reading the book I feel much more clarified and found a great appreciation for many aspects involved in the feminist theory and approach. It is refreshing to see a theory that takes into consideration the effects of the dominate patriarchal culture and systems.