Out Stealing Horses Themes

Suicide can sometimes feel like the only way to pacify the pain. It is as if something is eating away parts of you slowly and intently and the only way to relieve the constant pain, is to die. Tiffany Hunter and Pierre L’errant are two very different characters with both equally unique yet queer personalities. Although Pierre and Tiffany are not the best of friends, their contrasting characteristics somehow complement each other. They both have similarities in their plans of suicide as well as differences that help them make the correct decision on where they want their life to go in future. Although they both made different decisions at the end, they assisted each other to settle on the right choice. Drew Hayden Taylor develops a theme of despondency and isolation from peers and loved ones in the novel “The Night Wanderer.”

Victor Kelleher's book Taronga is an inspiring book about a boy barely a teenager who manages to find his style through the 'Last Days'. The 'Last Days' is as what the title displays, all the same, it will have the teen readers wanting more. Kelleher's book Taronga exhibits the life of a young teenager who learns to discover himself through the dangers around him. Taronga firmly discusses the fight for survival of not just the main character, but also another character, his teenage friend Ellie. Kelleher’s book ‘Taronga’ engages teenagers through the dangers that lurk in the book, showing the subject of ‘survival’ through the darkness and mystery of the adult characters. Kelleher displays how young teenagers can have such powerful voices

People who enjoy realistic-fiction novels that include sibling rivalry, sports, making life changes, and the tension of a dysfunctional family environment will be interested in reading this journal writing from the first person perspective of Paul Fisher. This novel includes characteristics of middle school encounters ; therefor, ages 10 and up will appreciate this

Self image is crucial for an individual’s sense of well being. It can also be a source for their identity and dreams for the future. As well, others’ impressions of the individual considerably affects their view of themselves. This interaction can either build their self esteem or tear it down. In his short story, “The Glass Roses”, Alden Nowlan explores the idea that when an individual is coming of age and is struggling to determine their identity, how others’ perceive them - specifically father figures - deeply influences how they perceive themselves. Stephen, the protagonist, is a fifteen year old boy on the cusp of adulthood working in his father’s woodcutting company. As he finds fascination in beauty and feels enslaved by the work, he fails to gain his father’s approval and falls to depression. Fortunately, he forms a friendship with the Polack, who provides a kinder definition of being a man as well as a hope for the future.

While George and I share same social aspects we also share some personal aspects with each other. Like George, I was left without a father figure in my life. George’s father and my father left around the same time in our lives, which I find particularly interesting. Our fathers left when we were between the ages of seven and ten years old. As our fathers left we were looked at as the “man of the house” in our household. This might seem like a big responsibility for young boys our age but, we established ways to make a positive result for ourselves and those affected by the situation.

“Loneliness is a common emotion when someone feels alone, separated from others or unsupported and distressed” (Kennedy). A common occurrence of many great authors is to make a theme regarding loneliness or isolation for example, “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”. “The Fall of the House of Usher”, comparatively speaking, is a very challenging read for most, whereas “The Yellow Wallpaper” is more of a relaxed read. There are many differences between “The Fall of the House of Usher” and “The Yellow Wallpaper”, however, there is a common occurrence that links the two, loneliness. Throughout the two short fiction pieces both characters, Roderick Usher from “The Fall of the House of Usher and Jane from “The Yellow Wallpaper”, are isolated from the outside world, both characters have an illness that keeps them in isolation, and both characters in some way turn to a form of literature to pass time . All of these aspects contribute significantly to loneliness.

Out of the Past is definitely an interesting movie with a lot of things to talk about. I will touch briefly upon two main things I have noticed during the screen: the film noire genre and the image of the femme fatale.

Parents often say, “Listen to your elders.” This cliché can make some people apathetic, but when looking back, most appreciate the wisdom of their elders. The knowledge imparted to children is crucial for their ability to understand and improve the world. In XIV by Derek Walcott, the speaker uses imagery, metaphor, and other literary devices to convey the storyteller’s significance to his life.

Hayden uses the juxtaposition of the cold of the outdoors to the warmth of the home that the writer creates to present the father’s love for his child. Although the father did not demonstrate conventional love for the narrator but proved his unconditional love by putting a roof over the child’s head. The winter night is metaphor for the absence of love. Though the child did not comprehend the love the father had for them, they reminiscence upon how the would be left in the cold if the father did not meet the provisions. So the father’s love was not evident in displays of affection but meeting the needs of the child. Most fathers demonstrate their love in what seems like a harsh manner, working most of the time and not spending quality time to fulfil their first role as a father - the provider. Nevertheless as a transformation take place the role of the father or parent become replicated in the adult child. Through understanding the contribution of the caregiver; once empathic response to the parent increases. Hence it closes the gap of differences that exist within the child parent

Trumbo shifts the tone from tense to reflective through effectively selecting details which portray the impact of the encounter between the father and son. Opening the passage Trumbo asserts the significance of the tradition by carefully depicting the campsite, in a way which he conveys an atmosphere of nostalgia. Describing how his memories included the “pine needles…falling” on their tent, sitting “staring into the fire,” fishing, and hearing the “streams which connected the lakes” throughout the night. Reveling an appreciation of company is present in the boy’s childhood which lays the foundation for his anxiety to inform his father of his wants, as the two were once connected like the streams and

The narrator was writhing in the misery of the burden of brotherly love. The narrator’s mother, via tasking him with looking after Sonny, asked him to serve as his sibling’s keeper and protector. The narrator was riddled with grief throughout his life right from the burden of brotherly love that was placed upon his shoulder, to the dilapidated living conditions he and Sonny had to endure while shaking up in the projects, to the imprisonment of his younger brother and the death of his own daughter-

Mark Strand’s poem, “Poor North” depicts the life of a married couple facing countless struggles during a harsh winter. It tells of a man working in an unsuccessful store while his wife sits at home, wishing for her old life back. The way the wife copes with her sadness is both intriguing and perplexing. She misses her old life, even though it is described to have not been special; however, the wife may be a person who never feels satisfied or fulfilled by the external world due to internal conflict. Despite the wife’s obvious misery, she stays by her husband’s side and they stroll in the cold together, bracing the wind. As a means of escape from life, she peers into her past in order to find hope in the present.

The dominant image of a father figure that we are left with after reading this poem is far from a loving or pleasant one. In fact, it is rather the opposite. The “Daddy” whom the speaker is addressing in this poem ends up being portrayed as a vampire, who “the villagers” (77) — perhaps the people surrounding the speaker— never seemed to be fond of. This strengthens the image of a highly dysfunctional relationship, rather than a “normal,” loving one. As readers, we have to ask ourselves about the reliability of Plath’s character; however, seeing as she is clearly emotionally unstable. We learn about at least one suicide attempt in the lines

Thesis: The story mimics Alcott’s writing style in that both include the similar topic of transcendentalism, the similar theme of simplicity, and the topic is similar to Alcott’s main topic, namely, family.

From reading this book, I have figured out that the theme was coming of age and facing maturity. What you are about to read are examples of this.