Short Story

She once wished to disappear, but her peers showed her the idea of the average American teenager. Jeanne fell into their world, changing herself and the way she dressed. Her conservative clothes disappeared, and were replaced by gaudy clothing that became a distraction from her heritage. Papa became outraged when he found out that Jeanne had been voted carnival princess at her new school. She barely won the vote, only after confronting teachers that stuffed the ballot box because they wanted Jeanne to lose. For her coronation night, Jeanne found a dress that was traditional and elegant. When she arrived that evening, her fellow contestants taunted Jeanne, making demeaning comments about her dress. One girl in particular was especially mean, ““The high neck,” she explained, studying my dress. “You look so… sedate. Just perfect for a queen.” As the other girls arrived, she made sure they all agreed with this. “Don’t you wish you’d thought of it,” she would say. And then to me, during a silence she felt obliged to fill, “I just love Chinese food.”” (Manzanar 180). The way that Lois Carson spoke to her reeked with sarcasm and made Jeanne feel like she didn’t belong with the other

Other traditions in the family of Macarena she did not like was that for the Christmas dinner all had to be elegant because it was an important date. Macarena’s style was wearing jeans. Macarena’s mom had already bought a dress for the dinner event, but she did not know about it. Christmas day arrived and it was a labyrinth in the house of Macarena. Few hours left for the whole family coming. Macarena mom’s was stressed out, so they could not speak to her. The Christmas dinner started, the uncles, cousins and grandparents came. The house was full people, had laughter and happiness was throughout the house.

The inn keeper's parlor was the best in town, they told her. His wife was wearing a heavy dress, adorned with lace and a massive broach that she raised a plump hand to touch, as if to be certain it was still there. They spoke of the massive rug, bought from Paris, and the finely crafted furniture they all sat upon. The preacher listened quietly, smiling as though their vanity wasn't a sin, while Mrs. Hartford eyed the dress with longing. Della thought that the dress was tasteless. The lace was poorly made, and the line of the bodice wasn't flattering. The fabric was an odd shade between blue and green, and the woman inside it was far less appealing. She didn't bother to mention that her own parlor had been filled with crystal, and priceless art her father had collected around the world. She didn't mention that her toys had cost more than Mrs. Johnson's gowns, or that she was mispronouncing the tea they'd been served. Not to be kind, not to be deceptive, but because did not matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. She'd given up that life to marry Ben, given up her family, given up her home and her gowns and her education.

When Henry gets home and starts dressing for dinner Elisa nervously waits on the porch for a reaction on her appearance from her passionless husband. “She looked toward the river road where the willow-line was still yellow with frosted leaves so that under the high grey fog they seemed a thin band of

She starts to walk on the path of getting to work. Barely awake and aware of her surroundings. As she continues to head to work she starts immediately regretting her life and choices. She hears the sounds of the street and the workers working. She sees the people that were at her wedding. They were exhausted and lacked tons of enthusiasm. They were all drained and out of spirit. She even noticed little Stanislovas who was ill from his act of overeating sausages and sarsaparilla. He is standing at his lard machine, rocking unsteadily, and slightly closing his

After Lucinda had given me this letter, I put things into motion. As Francois had me watched like a hawk, there was only one place I was free from his henchmen’s icy stares, the dressmaker. He allowed me to have a new dress fashioned when there was a social event where I needed to accompany him for appearances. He liked to parade me in front of Creole society coerced to portray the image of being happily married. We had such an event coming up the first week of June.

Next, a yellow cocktail music bursts as the cheers of people raised up into the air again. The crowd moved more swiftly around the garden, flowing, dissolving, and merging back into the same form again. The sky slowly turned orange –the sun was heavily sinking into the horizon – and Tom’s boutonniere enhanced its bloodiness and Daisy’s white dress dyed in an elegant yellow. As Tom looked over the crowd, all the immaculate white dresses that were dancing on the grass like fairies were soaked in the sunlight, each one in vivid, but lusterless colours. However, there was a ray of light that caught Tom’s eyes as he overlooked on the people. It was one of the house maids, sweeping the fallen leaves as her pale ring-finger gleamed a dull reflection of the sunshine. She was a woman with a roundish figure, probably in her early thirties. There were no traces of beauty in her appearances like Mary Pickford or a fashionable stylishness like Pola Nergi, but there was an immediate vitality that could be percept straightaway, just like Myrtle. No, exactly like Myrtle, Tom thought. There were no specific similarities between them, but Tom felt like a child who found a puzzle piece that he’s been looking for ages, or perhaps a fragment of a story from his favorite child

The play “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wild is about an English man, Jack Worthing, who creates an illusory brother in order to escape his social obligation. Jack is a respectable young man living in the country who has assumed the patriarch position over the estates of the past Thomas Cardew. Some of the many of Jack’s responsibilities include: guardian of the past Thomas Cardew’s granddaughter (Cecily Cardew), head land owner and the law giver of his estate, people starting with tenants, farmers, servants and other employees are all dependent on him. For many years the pretense of having a troublesome brother (Earnest) who leads an immoral life and is always getting into mischief has allowed Jack to

About ten thirty that morning, she sent a servant to ask that I join her for brunch. It was just across the street so when the time came, Benét helped me dress and then I walked over. A handsome male servant ushered me in. It was my first visit to the townhouse since my marriage to Louis. I blushed, wondering if he was one of

sometimes, if I see an especially sensitive-looking fighter, I’ll bet against him ‘cus I can’t stand the idea of missing the chance to spot a crier before he’s cried. I don’t know how much sense that makes, by when I explained my reasoning to Ed, he said that it was ten-times better to bet with your heart and lose, than to bet with your mind and win. Even though Ed pretends to be this grumpy, grisly guy, sometimes he can be cheesy like that.

“Well, I suppose we’d best get up,” Norma said finally, sitting up and loosing her hand from Norman’s grasp to run her fingers through her hair. Norman reached up for it, grabbed it again and brought it to his lips. She looked lovingly down at him, before abruptly whisking away the sheets encumbering her lower body and standing upright, completely nude, framed in the window. “What should you wear today, do you think, Norman? I think it might be cold, you’d better have a sweater…” And with that she walked off to putter about the closet, selecting the clothes to be worn by both of them, ever the domestic goddess.

All was well in the morning. Mary was serving our morning meal when I saw the invitation. It was for a party at the mansion that the Stiers’ resided in. They had thrown many parties, so no suspicion was arisen from me. Mary seemed very eager to go, and she had not previously shown much interest in public affairs, but I disregarded this too. Although I suspected something might be off, I didn’t worry too much. I ate

Anne did not try to hide her satisfaction. Jane did not even knock on the door. She took out a key from her coat pocket and unlocked the door. “Oh Henry, Mary, I have a surprise for you!” Jane called as she walked inside. Jane disappeared down a hall calling the names of Henry and Mary. Anne entered her new home and looked around. “Thank you Catherine” Anne mumbled to herself. It was a warm cabin with hardwood floors and a cozy interior. Even though the aroma of Bourbon was in the air, the home had a cheerful demeanor. The fire place buzzed with life. The orange light illuminated the pictures that hung on the

“Monsieur Enjolras, I enjoyed your company tonight.” Under his elbow were two books, Monsieur Valjean passed the two mighty volumes in Enjolras’ arms. “These are two books I have enjoyed in the past; I thought you might enjoy them.” Enjolras thanked him with warm gratitude, if there was a gift he would always cherish; it was the beauty of the written word. Modestly, Valjean shook Enjolras’ hand for the last time in the night and bid au revoir. Under the light, Cosette’s dress shone with a lavender glow. With a cherishing smile, she pressed a chaste kiss against his cheek. Surprisingly, he did not mind the innocent gesture.

But then he sensed movement and froze. Footsteps scraped across the stone steps beside him, and as he turned to look, he saw Ami burdened with an overloaded tray of refreshments weaving her way up the steep winding path to the summit. The tan dress she wore flapped like a trapped bird in the soft morning breeze. Tralore remembered it once fitting her to perfection, but as her duties had grown, she had slimmed and toned her once corpulent frame. Now, she was a beautiful young woman. And he knew it wouldn't be long until she chose a husband.