Social Issues In The Country Girl

In “The Semplica-Girl Diaries”, George Saunders makes an important statement about the role of materialism in the American Dream, and how this materialism may not be the key to happiness many believe it to be. Saunders tells of a middle class family that strives to meet the standards of their peers and find a happier life. The father, who acts as the narrator, believes that acquiring and spending money on material objects, specifically the Semplica Girls, will improve the family’s life by improving how the family’s financial situation appears to others. The father’s primary values are that wealth and social standing are crucial to attaining the good life, and he believes the purchase of the Semplica Girls will fulfill these values. However, it is clear from the family’s ultimate situation and the disapproval of the mother’s successful father, that the narrator’s beliefs are misguided and potentially damaging to the family.

We see the same act of unconfident behavior again when Benjamin is reserving a hotel room for the two of them. Undoubtedly paranoid, Ben manufactures an extravagant lie to hide his personal misconduct after the bell hop, referring to business matters, asks if “[he] is here for an affair.” However, after many awkward instances and Mrs. Robinson’s continued gratuitous behavior, Ben foolishly leaps into the affair. After countless secret meets Ben begins to realize that the relationship is cold and emotionally empty, counter the initial promising thoughts of being with an older woman. This due to Mrs. Robinson’s abilities to belittle Ben and get what she wants, regardless his opinions. Yet because the fling had no positive affect to his self confidence, when Ben try’s to obtain more from the affair he finds himself in awkward and uncomfortable conversations that Mrs. Robinson has no interest in discussing with him. In one case Ben catch’s himself in a discussion about the imperfect fabricated marriage she has with her husband, and how she only married him because she became pregnant with their only daughter, Elaine.

The first selected reading relies on second-person narration to show how girls are affected over time by societal expectations that internalize feelings of inferiority. By describing the action of the girl in second-person, the reader experiences the decline of confidence and individuality in a girl’s personality. The contrast of past and present self, told through anecdotes, emphasizes the progression of shame and degradation of self that a girl faces in society, particularly in school. The author shows that society’s treatment of girls affects their self-worth. After being called too “vicious” for having a competitive spirit, the story relays the experience of muting one’s personality to fit the desired role of girls (Findlen 3). Another incident by the

Thesis: “Girl” talks about multiple advices that are given to a female during her lifetime, not only by her family but the society in general, not allowing or giving them the chance to choose their own path and even though it can be considered a story about an old reality, it is still actual and real for a lot of girls.

If a woman is unable to properly care for the men in her life, she is looked down upon in society. This gender role, while still existing today, was very prominent during the mid-twentieth century; the time period that “Girl” takes place in. Throughout the story, it is clear that this gender role has a major effect on the way that the mother wants her daughter to act in their society. For instance, the story begins with the mother telling her daughter the correct way to wash clothes and cook and prepare certain foods, such as pumpkin fritters and salt fish (Kincaid 355). By demanding her daughter in this inflexible way, the gender role that women are meant to cook and clean for others arises.

Linda and Willy’s relationship in the play is characterized by deep love and affection, but Willy does not frequently show the physical manifestations of such feelings. After thirty-five years of marriage, both characters have come to know each other’s subtle quirks and dreams, but Linda’s thorough understanding of Willy cannot be reciprocated. At first glance, she resembles a stereotypical housewife who passively stays home while her husband maintains his role as the breadwinner of the family,

In the past, mischievous boy, now the man, could not find his place in life and continues to roll along from one scam to another. Now, he is being chased by mobsters from whom he stole the money, and he is in mortal danger from which he had taken refuge in his mother's house. Louie knows his mother the "iron women," but realizes that her foreign callousness is a heightened sense of duty and the result of the hard struggle for survival. At the same time, Uncle Louie is a kind and good-natured with his nephews and gives them that direct communication that they are lacking and all the inhabitants of the "cold house." The boys are supporting him too, even Jay at the risk of life helps him to get away from his pursuers. But Bella is more impressive. 36-year-old women with the immediacy of a little girl and with desires of an adult woman. The conflict between her and mother reveals generational conflict in this play. In this case, a harsh mother ruthless control of a daughter’s personality suppressed and deprived Bella’s opportunity to grow up. The scene of their explanations is written at a very high emotional level. This fragment produced a deep impression that gives a very high grade of the play. But the final look “natural,” in which Bella is belated, but “becomes free.”

The striving for being rich and have a wealthy life has always been present in the American society. Often living in a capitalistic society leads people to become greedy, and as a result many become too materialistic. This may happen because of the challenge to pursue the American dream where most of Americans are trying to fulfill it. Unfortunately, for most of people it is very difficult to acquire this high status and to secure a spot in the upper-class society. Arthur Miller's, Death of a Salesman, and Lorraine Hansberry's, A Raisin the Sun, are two plays that reveal two main characters: Willy Loman and Walter Lee Young, characters that reflect typical features of the people who struggles to achieve the American Dream. Although they may have common characteristics and share similarities, they also have numerous issues and are very different, setting them apart from other families and even each other. Therefore, the main focus of this paper will be to compare and put in contrast these two great characters.

Like any mother seeing their child in a rocky relationship, Ying-Ying feels obligated to point out the hidden issues between Lena and Harold. Due to Ying-Ying’s critiques it forces Lena to view her marriage in a different way. Lena and Harold get into an argument about their unequal marriage when they hear a sound of shattering glass. Lena rushes upstairs and sees that the marble table has collapsed. When she sees this, she says, “I knew this would happen.” Questioning her daughter, Ying-Ying responds with “Then why you don’t stop it?” (165). When Ying-Ying says this, there is a double meaning about the broken table, but also Lena’s marriage. Due to the unfair nature of Lena and Arnold’s marriage, Ying-Ying brings to light how severe their differences are. Although the furniture symbolizes Lena’s relationship it also marks a turning point in Ying-Ying. Throughout the book Ying-Ying is seen as very soft spoken and a hidden from grief women, but when she gives her daughter advice on her marriage, she finally steps out of the shadows. Through her advice she reveals a story from her past life, about her other husband and how their relationship was much like Ted and hers. When relating the two, Ying-Ying strengthens her and Lena’s relationship by giving her daughter, motherly advice but also by sharing something from her past that Lena has never known. Tan uses the furniture as a catalyst that leads to the

The Conflict of the play is created and perpetuated by Chad. Howard is manipulated into going along with Chad’s plan in order to victimize a young deaf woman because he is mad with women as a whole. The initial conflict is that of a love triangle in which Howard wants Christine, but Christine wants Chad. When Christine first starts to have feelings for Chad, she rejects Howard’s offer of lunch with a lie so that she can have lunch with Chad. Howard caught Christine in her lie when he ran into them at the same restaurant. This hurt Howard to such an extent that he sent Chad on a business trip so that he could propose to Christine while Chad was not around.

The play is driven by human emotions. Most characters seem to experience loneliness. While Esther sees the other inhabitants of the boarding house getting married, she remains lonely and desperate, longing for a man to “touch” her, or described differently, to discover what is not immediately visible to the eye: the intimate aspect of herself - her soul, her heart, and her feelings. By the same token, Mrs. Van Buren has a need of physical and emotional touch because she is neglected and abused by her husband. Mayme, the African American prostitute, reveals to Esther while dancing and playing the piano that she is abused by her clients. George, Esther’s future husband, starts writing her letters because he is very lonely, and hopes to get some form of female companionship. The highest evidence of loneliness during the play, was the same-gender kiss between Esther and Mrs. Van Buren. It was a matter of desperation and loneliness combined, rather than love, as Mrs. Van Buren tried to explain.

In the 1920’s, American consumerism and ideas regarding social structure changed with the emergence of the “newly wealth” class. This class differed from the “old wealth” upper class and was generally rejected by them because of their etiquette and background. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, he examines the societal shifts and conflicts created by the contrast in class. Fitzgerald conveys the idea that, even though in the 1920’s many individuals achieved “newly rich” class status that was linked to the American Dream, the “old wealth” upper class still rejected anyone who is not part of their social circle, as shown through James Gatz’s aspiration to live out his idea of Jay Gatsby and his failure to win over Daisy.

The notion of a women’s choice is explored through these two characters and it is unfortunately uncovered that women cant “Have it all” and you have to choose either family or career and sacrifice the other. Neither of these characters are truly happy with their choices of either motherhood or career and both women attack each other over their decisions. At a point in the play Marlene even poses the question “why are we all so miserable?” Reflecting how women will be dissatisfied with either choice and will long for the other because of the way society of

In order to understand the meta-narrative of the play we will deconstruct the text into themes of sexuality, gender norms and social hierarchy/ class power-play. Analysing the ways in which the author adheres to or subverts the societal norms with respect to the various the themes they lie within. The core essay will emphasise on three points - (i) scrutinising the superficial emancipation of the female characters from the patriarchal gender norms perpetuated in the society; (ii) establishing how the society

Anyone who lived through high school gym class knows the desperation of being picked last for the sports team. The same hurt feelings bubble up when you are excluded from lunch with co-workers, fail to land the job interviewed for or are dumped by a romantic partner. Within a society, social classes are unavoidable. In the short story ‘The Doll’s House’, the author, Katherine Mansfield examines the difficulties dealing with class-consciousness and social ostracism in this society, also the influence on Isabel by Aunt Beryl. Mansfield uses various language techniques to intensify the message, class prejudice corrupts innocence and egalitarian attitude.