Homosexuality In Ruth's The Awakening

Firstly, Ruth is a mature woman who can make decisions on her own. Ruth tries to get an abortion, “I think Ruth is thinking bout getting rid of that child”. Ruth is an independent mature lady, she makes a decision to get an abortion which was unlikely for Ruth to other family members. Ruth’s family has been struggling with money and relationship with each other, bringing

Another factor that influences my interpretation of Ruth, is economics. Nadar’s interpretation of Ruth is that she is a survivor and a positive role model for underprivileged women and widowers. I do not disagree that she is a survivor, but I do believe Ruth was exploited by working the land and becoming the reproductive means for Boaz and Naomi’s economic profit. Yee talks about Ruth’s desperate act of trying to have sex with Boaz as a way to lock him down for economic security. She states “Whether or not Ruth and Boaz had sex that fateful night should not distract us from the economic urgency that compelled Ruth the foreigner to go to the threshing floor in the first place,” (20). Yee and I completely agree with Katherine Sakenfeld when she states “No woman should have to do something so socially unacceptable in Israelite culture… in order to put food on her family’s table for the longer term. This is not a slightly adventurous tryst. It is a desperate act by a desperate person,”

First of all, Isabel is figuratively chained to Ruth. Isabel is determinately keeps Ruth out of harm’s way, and she is also intent on keeping Ruth and herself together because Ruth is her only surviving family. After Isabel’s parents died, Isabel felt a sense of responsibility to protect and nourish Ruth. One reason why Isabel feels a sense of responsibility is because Ruth is particularly young and she also suffers from strokes caused by epilepsy. At the beginning of the book, Ruth snickers when Madam does not let the guard search her undergarments, and Madam furiously questions the laughter. Isabel takes the blame for Ruth, and consequently, she experiences Madam’s vexation and a slap across the face. Furthermore, Isabel shelters Ruth when Madam beats her with a broom. Madam believed that Ruth was demon-possessed and started

Margaret Atwood's short story “Lusus Naturae” demonstrates how we reject people, or things we do not understand. We have a tendency to shun what we do not know and what we do not think is morally acceptable.

When Macon found Ruth with "[Dr. Foster's] fingers in her mouth," the "love" that Ruth had for Dr. Foster has evidently become destructive as it not only estranges her from Macon and the rest of the family, but also forces her to live an impersonal, emotionless life (73). Although at the onset of the novel, she attempts to rekindle these emotions not through Macon who utterly refuses to please her, but through her own son Milkman, a gross exploitation of filial love: "His mother had been portrayed not as a mother who simply adored her only son, but as an obscene child playing dirty games with whatever male was near—be it her father or her son" (79). It seems, however, that her willingness to emotionally satisfy herself finally comes to an end when Freddie blatantly points out her misjudgment of breastfeeding Milkman who is twelve years old at the time. Thus, instead of looking for emotion, she learns to take comfort in the emotionless, the inanimate such as the goldfish, rhododendron, and other flowers she constantly surrounds herself with. And to simply remind herself that she exists as an animate being

Irene’s queer personality lives repressed in her id and the attraction can be noticed through many too detailed descriptions of Clare body parts and personality. “Her lips, painted a brilliant geranium red, were sweet and sensitive and a little obstinate. A tempting mouth” (45). It is impressive to see how this supposedly straight woman describes Clare’s mouth as tempting, yet she does not stop there, because Irene also describes her voice, “What was it about Clare's voice that was so appealing, so very seductive?” (52). The utilization of these adjectives is questionable because even when Irene talks about her husband Brian, she never uses adjectives that could express desire or even love. Irene is aware that her marriage is an arrangement where according to Brian sex is a just grand joke (60).

Sexuality has an inherent connection to human nature. Yet, even in regards to something so natural, societies throughout times have imposed expectations and gender roles upon it. Ultimately, these come to oppress women, and confine them within the limits that the world has set for them. However, society is constantly evolving, and within the past 200 years, the role of women has changed. These changes in society can be seen within the intricacies of literature in each era. Specifically, through analyzing The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, one can observe the dynamics of society in regards to the role of women through the lens of the theme of sexuality. In both novels, the confinement and oppression of women can be visibly seen as a result of these gender roles. Yet, from the time The Scarlet Letter was published to the time The Bell Jar was written, the place of women in society ultimately changed as well. Hence when evaluating the gender roles that are derived from sexuality, the difference between the portrayals of women’s oppression in each novel becomes apparent, and shows how the subjugation of women has evolved. The guiding question of this investigation is to what extent does the theme of sexuality reflect the expectations for women in society at the time each novel was written. The essay will explore how the literary elements that form each novel demonstrate each author’s independent vision which questions the

As a child Ruth suffered extreme measures of disapproval from her father, Fishel Shilsky. Playing a tyrannical figure in her life, her father mistreated his wife and three kids regularly. He was the despot of the household that made every day living hell for everyone. She says, “I dreaded him and was relieved anytime he left the house...and even now I don’t want to be around anyone who is domineering or

     Ruth’s dream is to improve her family’s lifestyle and move into a house where she can raise Travis and the new baby. To realize her dreams she should not put everyone else’s wants and needs in front of hers all of the time. She should express her feelings more often so that her family will listen and help her to reach her goals. The play supports this view by showing how Ruth often neglects her feelings and pays great attention to her family’s feelings, wants, and needs.

“The perception and the potential of Homosexual actions inside of Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Summoner’s Tale.” The author of The Summoner’s Tale is Geoffrey Chaucer and the poem includes certain aspects such as Heterocentrism, Homoeroticism, and Universalizing views inside of the poem. The vital component to take away from this poem is both the Friar and Thomas’s behavior and how it can be viewed differently from the usual hetero-sexual or hetero-patriarchal view.

The novel is set in the mid to late 20th-century. It is full of bizarre coincidences, multiple plot lines, lengthy deviations, and stories within stories, quite like A Visit from the Goon Squad. Although it is set up in chronological order, the reader is exposed to various stories from three set periods in the life of the main character, Ruth Cole. The story begins in childhood and ends in womanhood, taking us through the transitions of Ruth’s life. The novel begins in the summer of 1958, on Long Island when Ruth is only four years old. In the first line of the novel, Ruth has a piece of her innocence stripped from her when she walks in to find her mother in bed with her lover. The narrative states that “There are few things as seemingly untouched by the real world as a child asleep” (151). Although she has seen what no child should see at her age, she is still

as seeing with the eyes of society which is falsely assumed to be in a

I felt delighted as I watched the episode “Born This Way” from “Glee”. The story was appealing due to the high school setting. Besides the entertaining purpose, the episode also reflected three significant issues namely discrimination, cosmetic surgery and homosexuality.

Sexuality is the dominant motif of the film All About Eve. Additionally, the film constructs happiness as something that is bestowed as a gift on “normal” heterosexual couples. The association is reinforced through couples such as Margo and Bill and Karen and Lloyd who seem to have formed wholesome relationships. Not even momentarily is the film free from its paranoia and fear of homosexuality. Most critics view Addison and Eve as homosexual characters, and they are depicted as belonging to a cold-hearted and mysterious world. Indeed, the homosexuals in the film are seen as sterile, cold predators. Endorsing the strict social code actualized in Hollywood between 1930 and 1960, the film regards a lady as a lady only if she is in the company

Do you want your homosexual to be destined to go to Hell? Are you afraid that your child will infect the other heterosexuals with his or her gayness? As the head leader of a program called “Pray Away the Gays”, I can guarantee your child will understand how to change from a homosexual to a heterosexual. It is known that in one unit, one out of two kids will be homosexual. In addition, in this world today, less than half of the population is known to be a heterosexual citizen. If you join this program, we will go through the processes to make your child revert back to what the Lord desires – a normal human being.