The Antagonistic View of Sexuality in O'Connor Wise Blood Essay

Bram Stoker’s Dracula illustrated fears about sexual women in contrast to the woman who respected and abided by society’s sexual norms. Joseph Sheridan LeFanu’s “Carmilla” represented not only the fear of feminine sexuality, but also the fear of sexuality between women. John William Polidori’s “The

Hazel is a fiery little girl. She is strong-willed and openly opinionated, and believes that “when you got

Hazel has a strong identity in the story, she has much self-confidence and is not afraid of letting everyone know that she is the best, “Now some people like to act like things come easy to them, won’t let on that they practice. Not me. I’ll high-prance down 34th street like a rodeo pony to keep my knees strong even if it does get my mother uptight.” p. 1 ll. 29-31. Thus her strong and proud personality, she still loves and protects Raymond and is not afraid of showing this either. At the end of the story Hazel’s view on other people changes, when she sees Raymond running parallel with her at the May Day race in his own unique style. She realizes that everyone is not just who she sees them to be, that there are more to people than you can

Unlike sex, the history of sexuality is dependant upon society and limited by its language in order to be defined and understood.

Throughout the nineteenth century, women were often supposed to be seen rather than heard. The new emerging woman who was outspoken, overly sexual and educated was often looked down upon and seen as a lower class of society. Stoker uses Dracula’s three sisters to associate lust and sex with the vile and evil of the new woman.

She desperately starts to look for this last testament with hope that she could have changed something. Later comes depression; in the finding and hunting for Gus’s last testament she feels frustrated and slowly starts to depress. Until that spark of flame ignites her and she reaches the last stage of grief, which is acceptance. She finally finds the last testament which ends with this: “You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world but you do have a say in who hurts you, and I like my choices, and I hope she likes hers. Okay, Hazel Grace?”. (Green. 313) With her response being: I do. Peter Van Houten became a monster after he lost his daughter to Leukemia. He is a symbol of what you can become if you do not overcome grief. John Green was wise when incorporating him to the novel because he put him as a species of foreshadowing tool of what could have happened if Hazel would not have accepted Augustus’s death. She saw that and she accepted

Complicating Hazel's confused conceptions of entrapment, sin, and Christianity is the episode involving the Melsy carnival, at which Hazel and his father pay to see a woman lying in a coffin. Hazel's father has a lustful reaction to the woman; he says "Had one of themther built into ever' casket . . . be a heap ready to go sooner" (32). Haze's "shut-mouthed" mother, who O'Connor describes as having a "cross-shaped face," senses Haze's guilt when he returns home (32-33). Telling him that "Jesus died to redeem you," she whips him with a stick, leaving him with a "nameless unplaced guilt" (33). The actions of his parents leave Motes unable to distinguish what is good and Christian from what is forbidden and evil. He associates his grandfather with Christianity but also

Sedgwick describes one of the most distinctive Gothic tropes, as the ‘unspeakable’ (Sedgwick, Pg. 94), through this trope, she explains how sexuality between men has been recognized as having no name, essentially being ‘unspeakable’, ‘unmentionable’, and ‘not to be

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

There is a sense of rebellion throughout the story that reminds the reader of what it’s like to be a child. As a child I can remember talking back, and when something didn’t go my way I would pout and “give (them) some lip.” (Bambara 450) Having this sense of rebellion makes it feel like you can do whatever you want with no price to pay. However, this again shows the rebellious nature of Hazel helping the reader realize she is a child. Even when Hazel talks to the manager of the movie theater she is courageous enough to “…kick the door open…and sit down...” (Bambara 451)and demand the manager her money back. She even puts up an argument to get out of punishment with her parents when she knows she has done something wrong. The connectivity between these two ideas help

Another important aspect of the novel is that of sexuality and of same-sex desire. Froehlich states that, in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries,

While one could argue that the sex scenes in Anatomy of Hell are arousing, most reviewers agree that this movie takes the sexuality of women too far, and makes it almost clinical. Breillat breaks the binds of exploitation by giving us the entirety of the female body including all of its properties and discharges. There is not even half a scene left to the viewer’s imagination. There are no “missing heads” or women in the kitchen and men as CEOs. Even in Romance it could be argued that the main character, Marie, uses her self-exploitation in order to find her sexuality, just as The Woman

Throughout history, definitions of sexuality within a culture are created and then changed time after time. During these changes, we have seen the impact and power one individual or group can have over others. In the Late Nineteenth Century into the Early Twentieth Century, we see multiple groups of people and or authorities taking control over the idea of sex and how they believe society is being impacted by sex. At this point in time, society had groups of people who believed they had the power to control how society as whole viewed and acted upon sex. Those particular groups and ideas changed many lives and the overall definition of sexuality within that culture.

Obscene as they were, his love life and the sexual appetite remained the same. Experiencing a form of sexual attraction and desire to someone of the opposite sex, or even the same sex for that matter was something that he could only achieve in his dreams. Nevertheless, it was something he wanted so terribly. He was merely a man after all, and a man’s lust was inescapable. However, avoiding this issue was his mind, for he was too busy seeking normality and pleasure from the living. Until one day he realised he could not continue anymore.

Hazel and Augustus first meet at the Cancer Kid Support Group. “A boy was staring at me” (8) shows that Augustus is attracted to Hazel. “His every syllable flirted” (17) shows that Hazel notices Augustus and likes the attention. After spending the night together, “[Hazel] liked Augustus Waters” (31). This shows that attraction is evident between them. Augustus wants more and expresses his feelings, “I want to see you again tonight. But I’m willing to wait all night and much of tomorrow. I am serious” (37). Augustus seems to be optimistic in life. He has lost his leg but this does not stop him from falling in love or living his life to the fullest.