Social Roles In Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived In The Castle

In addition to changing my views about poverty, Jeannette Walls’ memoir The Glass Castle modified my views about homelessness. Prior to reading Walls’ memoir, I thought that homelessness was an inescapable part of a

The human experience of an outcast is illustrated by Jeannette Walls in The Glass Castle by the element of chaos expressed throughout the book, the parents’ refusal to conform to social standards, and the poverty that shaped her childhood.

Even as a full-grown adult, the author of The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls, still stands out as being different. Jeannette grew up in abnormal circumstances that some might consider neglectful or abusive. From her point of view, her upbringing was just her normal. Today, Walls is a successful author and public speaker. With her wacky stories, hearty life, and positive outlook, she is a likable character that has been formed and molded by her life experiences. Something that Jeannette and her family has dealt with throughout their life is appearing different than others around them. Being different, from looks to character, was a theme that proliferated Jeannette Walls’ book, The Glass Castle, just as being different

We Have Always Lived In The Castle is a novel written by Shirley Jackson, a popular and influential American writer of the 20th century. The narrative revolves around two sisters, Mary Katherine and Constance, who live together with their amnesic and out-of-touch Uncle Julian in their opulent, ancestral home. The sisters’ parents and brother, as well as Uncle Julian’s wife are dead, all killed by arsenic put into the sugar bowl one night at dinner. Constance, who cooked the meal, was acquitted for the crime but was still held suspect by the village while strangely enough, Mary Katherine had been sent to her room without dinner that night as a punishment and therefore was never questioned. Despite this tragedy, they seem to live happy, stagnant lives until their distant cousin Charles shows up desiring the family’s wealth and bringing radical change. The novel is played out through the consciousness of the younger sister Mary Katherine or “Merricat,” who has wild fantasies and modes of processing the world around her, inserting the reader into her demented imagination. Shirley Jackson employs fairytale and witchcraft into the story through imagery and symbolism presented by Merricat in order to convey the psychoanalytic effects of ignorance and isolation.

In her story, “Old Woman Magoun” she delivered a feminist message more directly than ever. It’s based in turn-of-the-century New England, patriarchy still defined relationships even though the men themselves had degenerated. The story reflects the realities of Freeman’s own life, as her father’s business failed and her mother became the support of the family. However, Freeman’s life was not unique; rural New England is

In the glass castle, Jeannette Wells lives with such parents that she was much of the time homeless. She had no idea that her father’s drinking abuse was so wrong, or that living in such run down homes with animals that came and go could be seemed as unfit for a family with children. So young, with her three siblings, they wouldn’t know at the time they were being treated poorly by the people they believed loved them the most. Scroungy and dirty, but tough from living in such horrible conditions as a child. Growing up has shown difficulty for the young girl.

Domesticity has been portrayed throughout the story; it shows the effects of marginalization towards female characters who do not adhere to the typical socials norms and roles. Mrs. Fullerton, is an individual who does not fit in with her new, younger neighbors. Jane had explained to Mary, “‘I asked her to babysit for me once and she practically spit in my face. She is not exactly a charming old lady, you know’” (Munro 72). Mrs. Fullerton is viewed differently by her neighbors as she is not the typical stereotype. They based her role to her age, therefore, they thought she would be the typically loving, and caring grandma figure for the community that would babysit their kids. They realized that she does not carry herself in that manner, this triggered the community to flip on her and put her in a unimportant perspective by ostracizing as she is useless to them. In general, the suburban women of the community are the ones who organize events, parties, compete with each other based on looks, and gossip (68). Munro illustrates their domesticity when she describes: “most birthday parties were attended by mothers as well as children. Women who saw each other every day met now in earrings, nylons and skirts, with their hair fixed and faces applied” (69). It is seen as meaningless compared to a male’s work/day and, therefore, socially acceptable for a woman. Edith was put in a powerless position compared to her husband, because as “she was surrounded in her kitchen by the ruins of the birthday party — cake and molded jellies and cookies with animal faces” (68). He would be outside “working around their houses” (67). This shows that Edith’s position compared to her husband is unimportant, as she can only work from inside the household, while he works outside maintaining their home. Therefore, being marginalized by her spouse as she is alienated from the hardships of the

Elizabeth Cady Stanton delivered her speech “The Solitude of Self” in 1892, which presented a definition of being a human being as well as being a woman in the time when males were dominating the society. By analyzing the historical and rhetorical context that the speech was delivered at, I argue that Stanton managed to address her purpose to the targeted audiences.

The great Elizabeth Cady Stanton once said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women were created equal.” Thus, the significance behind this quote by Mrs. Stanton reveals that not only has the society upon planet Earth have establish a cruel history of suppressing the female gender, but it has also manufactured many stigmas and notions that are pinned to perception of how a woman must conduct herself. Nonetheless, several examples of society’s shortcomings are presented throughout O’Connor’s short story. Specifically, the story’s representation of Red Sammy’s wife and her subsequent actions allow the reader to make the strong connection that society in the 1950’s was an era in time where males obtained significant social

It is evident that Mary and her family suffer social exclusion, which undermined their wellbeing. In the novel, Mike talks reflecting the true nature of the society in which they lived. He says, “But I’m a Hunky and they don’t give good jobs to Hunkies,” (Bell, 185). This particular statement demonstrates the limiting and oppressive nature of the American society. Putting this into context, Nancy Hewitt, in her book, A

When “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” and To The Lighthouse were written, women were fighting fiercely for the right to vote. When To The Lighthouse was published, woman had gained that right, but it was not common or even accepted for a woman to be an independent, unmarried woman. “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” shows us the anxiety of Mabel, a woman who has no prospects for marriage who see her only choices as being a “spinster” or suicide. She is rescued by Dr. Ferguson after submerging herself into a pond. Her attitude of being a passive guest in her own life are strongly disputed in “Some Men’s Daughters” by Sandra Mallett. While the text has been read in the light that Mabel’s decision to end her life was a strong, independent decision for someone who had to choose between everyone taking care of her when they didn’t want to and becoming a working class person after living with

Life in the Iron Mills is a novella that is hard to classify as a specific genre. The genre that fits the most into this novella is realism, because of the separation of classes, the hard work that a person has to put into their every day life to try and make a difference, and the way society influences the actions of people and their relationships. However, no matter what genre is specifically chosen, there will be other genres present that contradict the genre of choice. While the novella shows romanticism, naturalism, and realism, this essay is specifically centered around realism. The ultimate theme in Rebecca Davis’ Life in the Iron Mills is the separation of classes and gender. It is the separation of classes when the people in the

Rebecca Harding Davis’s story “Life in the Iron Mills” is considered one of the first fictional novels to use realism and bring to life a delineated lower class and issues relevant to women. Encouraging social reform for working class women—as well blacks and immigrants—Davis employs a harsh concrete description of poor living conditions within the mills, workers’ homes, and for the workers themselves. Whereas the meaning of class and social division has changed throughout time, Raymond Williams entry “Class” will be taken into consideration throughout this essay and create for an accurate definition of class among social division that correlates into the mills fictional setting. This essay will include Davis’s vivid illustration of class separation and argue for social change among women, immigrants, and the alienated working class that are unable to escape life in Antebellum America.

In a novel set in 1920’s patriarchal society dominated by the obsession of wealth, power, chasing dreams and an enigmatic narrator, just how independent can a woman really be? This is the context for the characters in ‘The Great Gatsby’ where, in the aftershock of a world war, there is celebration and the incarnation of women left at home into ‘flappers’, but it is debatable how far they have really changed from traditional housewives. For Jordan this is an exciting transition but more traditional characters such as Tom cling to the past. When a threatening situation looms over them will they run and hide or confront the problem head on, the only way they know, as in ‘No Country for Old Men’? These contrasting reactions could be a result

An example of this notion is shown in Hope Leslie when Governor Winthrop, the landlord, reacts to Hope, the tenant, coming home late and refuses to reveal her reason why: “...Winthrop was not accustomed to have his inquisitorial rights resisted by those in his own household, and he was more struck than pleased by Hope’s moral courage” (184). Evidently, Winthrop’s reaction proves that women with “moral courage” are unladylike because moral courage is a manly trait. On the other hand, Esther Downing, another character in Hope Leslie, embodies the cult of true womanhood. Esther’s mere look at her love interest Everell is described as “a look of...pleased dependence, which is natural... and which men like to inspire, because --perhaps -- it seems to them an instinctive tribute to their natural superiority” (219). So, “Esther’s look … of dependence” confirms that the expectation that all women are supposed to have the same behavior, gestures and personality is meant to not only please men but to also hide their true form. Therefore, the cult of true womanhood presents an internal battle in female writers and Sedgwick presents this womanly struggle through the contrast between Hope and Esther. Society wants women to be quaint housewives but publishing a book defies the cult of true womanhood. Thus, defying the qualities rooted in the cult of true womanhood causes high risk of