The Gentle Lena Essay

Characteristics and Thematic Significance Walter is Lena’s oldest child and is married to Ruth. As the ambitious man that he is, he still caused everyone in his family lots of trouble. With

Lena Wilkes possesses the intelligence, bravery, charisma, and will-power to make her story her own. She knows her own strengths and weaknesses and doesn't allow the past to define her. She never backs down from a challenge and surprises both herself and others with her abilities as she grows and learns. She has the power to stand up to and confront her foes past and present who try to thwart her. She occupies a larger world than her former family, where the natural concepts of good and evil are well-defined, where “the right thing” and “the wrong thing”

Many women in modern society make life altering decisions on a daily basis. Women today have prestigious and powerful careers unlike in earlier eras. It is more common for women to be full time employees than homemakers. In 1879, when Henrik Ibsen wrote A Doll's House, there was great controversy over the out come of the play. Nora’s walking out on her husband and children was appalling to many audiences centuries ago. Divorce was unspoken, and a very uncommon occurrence. As years go by, society’s opinions on family situations change. No longer do women have a “housewife” reputation to live by and there are all types of family situations. After many years of emotional neglect, and overwhelming control, Nora finds herself leaving her

Ruth is willing to work day and night to move into the new house, Lena I’ll work twenty hours a day…” says Ruth. The Younger family was stuck in a tight situation when Walter lost all the money for the house including Beneatha's tuition. Ruth feels depressed when Lena makes a decision to not to move into the house, she tries to convince Lena to move in but ends up being unsuccessful. Ruth is amenable to work all to make her family move into the house with her pregnancy. Ruth talks to Lena about the liquor store even though she does not wants to, “Aint nobody a businessman till they go into business” says Ruth. Walter wants his dad's insurance money so that he can invest it in the liquor store. He convinces Ruth to talk to Lena about it as he knows that Lena would not listen to him. Ruth talks to Lena about it but Lenas answer remains the same. This shows that Ruth does not think of her self-respect but of Walter’s unreal

After Lena leaves the Harling place, we hear the town's opinion of Lena, based on the rumors which surround Ole Benson's infatuation with Lena. The story is very pastoral, Lena is described as a barely dressed and beautiful "something wild, that always lived on the prairie . . . yellow hair burned to a ruddy thatch on her head . . . [with skin that] kept a miraculous whiteness which somehow made her seen more undressed than other girls" (Cather 106). The town accuses her of "making Ole Benson lose the little sense he had" (107). In other words, the married adult man who is really the one who should know better than to run around chasing a young girl is tempted by the "dangerously seductive" Lena.

Lena Younger doesn’t have materialistic things and good wealth but, she walks high, displays pride, and carries herself. Her children’s are her pride and joy and would do anything for her children’s. With no important dreams of her own, for even her dream of having a house is interested only by her aspiration to make living conditions better for her family. She says, upon receiving the $10,000 insurance check from her husband death. I think her American Dream is to have a house so, her family can live in a better environment. Lena is belittling by some of her family member because they want to use the money for something else. “Big Walter used to say, he’d get right wet in the eyes sometimes, lean his head back with the water standing in his eyes and say, "Seem like God didn’t see fit to give the black man nothing but dreams but He did give us children to make them dreams seem worthwhile." He stating that he makes sacrifices for his family even though he has dreams for himself.

Women were confronted by many social obligation in the late nineteenth century. Women were living lives that reflected their social rank. They were expected to be economically dependent and legally inferior. No

Lena Younger, the head of the family, and the mother of both Walter Lee and Beneatha encounters many struggles while attempting to achieve her American Dream of living an improved lifestyle with her family. Lena wants to own a house with a garden. She says; “I always wanted me a garden like I used to see sometimes at the back of the houses down home.” (I.i.53) The Younger family lives in an apartment where Lena is unable to have a garden of her own since she does not have a front or back yard. The Younger family is in financial turmoil, and they cannot afford to invest in a house. While talking to Travis, Lena says; "you know that money we got in the mail this morning...Well—what you think your grandmamma gone and done with that money...she went out and

Thesis: A “true women” in the 19th Century was one who was domestic, religious, and chaste. These were virtues established by men but enforced and taught by other women. Women were also told that they were inferior to men and they should accept it and be grateful that someone just loved them.

The Joy Luck Club finishes with the story of Lena. Lena is the American born daughter of immigrant Ying-ying, and she is married to Harold. Unlike Lindo, her marriage was not arranged; however, her marriage fits the recurring theme of toxicity within relationships of opposing sexes. Similar

the house and abandon her illusion of aristocracy. This only adds to her misery until her young niece,

It would be a huge understatement to say that many things have changed when it comes to women's rights, positions, and roles in our society today since the 19th century. Actually, very few similarities remain. Certain family values, such as specific aspects of domesticity and performance of family duties are amongst the only similarities still present.

Lena enjoys dancing and kissing but is merely having fun. When Frances Harling teases Lena about a suitor who the town thinks Lena will marry, she responds, "I don't want to marry Nick, or any other man,' Lena murmured. 'I've seen a good deal of married life, and I don't care for it. I want to be so I can help my mother and the children at home, and not have to ask lief of anybody." (Cather 105). It seems impossible for the town to believe that a beautiful girl would consider working, but Lena goes against the conformity and shows that women can live self sufficiency.

Lena is selfless. Lena is selfless because like Ruth she cares about her family’s well being and so she acts tough in a way to think about others. For example, when she slapper her daughter for saying that isn’t sure that there’s even a God and after she done it, she felt uneasy. She then in the end told Ruth how she doesn’t want her kids to turn out in a negative way because she cares about them a lot.

In the 19th century a woman's main duty was to take care of the household. They were in charge of the cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. During this time, most women didn’t work, and weren’t supposed to spend their time on getting an education. Since women couldn't get educations, they had to be married because they weren’t able to support themselves. The women were in charge of the family and house, while the man was in charge of some duties in the house and making money to support them. In the