When Edith Wharton was writing these pieces she created two male characters, both already committed to a woman, who fell deeply in love with another. In both cases, however, the men kept their feelings locked away in their hearts, waiting for the right moment to share their feelings with their new loves. The stories similarities are the color red in association to the new women and the secret suspicions of the male characters’ wives. One point of contrast between the two novels is the reason neither male characters, Ethan and Newland, ran away with his new love, leaving behind his wife. Throughout the two works, the color red was associated with the temptresses Ethan and Newland fell in love with.
In the time of Gilead, the women were taken from their homes where they were brainwashed by speeches from their “Aunts” who argued that “such a social order ultimately offers the women more respect and safety then the old, pre-Gilead society offered them” (Sparknotes). In their new age, they’re simply used to run errands and bear children in the homes of Commanders that have trouble conceiving with their wives. They are fed small bits of information on what is going on in the Republic and are expected to be content with just that. Offred spends a great amount time thinking of her old life with her husband, Luke, and their young daughter. Then, one night her Commander asks to see her privately where they play Scrabble (which is illegal because in Gilead, women are not allowed to read) and she is allowed to look at old magazines; to conclude these secret encounters, the Commander asks Offred to kiss him.
Also, when Curley’s wife is talking to Lennie, Candy, and Crooks in Crooks bunk she states “I think I know where they all went even Curley”(37). Curley’s wife knows that her husband is unloyal to her when he goes with the workers to a cathouse. Because no other character in the novel shows jealousy and deceitful, Curley is a bad to be a good husband to his wife it makes her talk even with Lennie. Because Curley ignores his wife and does not let her talk to anybody, he takes part of the responsibility for his wife’s
Explore the ways in which Curley’s wife is presented and developed in Of Mice and Men The first time the reader is introduced to Curley’s wife is when Candy tells George that Curley has recently got married and that ‘he’s keepin’ that hand soft for his wife’. She is spoken as though she is a pet/animal who needs soft, gentle hands when touched. This method of introduction does not present Curley’s wife in a favourable light. The men at the ranch are gossiping about her sex life which has been made public to them. Steinbeck leads the reader to believe that Curley does not really care about his wife; if he did, he would not be flaunting their private life and he would consider her dignity.
Tom is married to Daisy but Gatsby wants to steel her back. Through the book Gatsby try’s to impress daisy . One way that Gatsby and Tom are different is that Gatsby is weird and mysterious and Tom is more normal and snobby. In the book during Gatsby’s party’s he would just stay by himself and watch the party’s. Another
Curley’s wife is portrayed as being a whore – but this is only due to the way she dresses, her provocative ways and the way she acts around men, as if she is aware of her femininity. This could suggest that she is only like this because she is bored, like it is something to do – something interesting for a change. She is constantly trying to get people to notice her. But, because of Lennie’s purity and innocence, he doesn’t see her in the way other men do – a sexual object. When Steinbeck quotes “And because she had confided in him, she moved closer to Lennie and sat beside him”, it is clear to the audience that Curley’s Wife is using her sexuality as an object to create some sort of excitement for herself.
I wanted one downstairs that opened on the piazza and had roses all over the window, and such pretty old-fashioned chintz hangings! but John would not hear of it” (Gilman 76), This room is symbolic of a prison, holding her in against her will. She also makes note that she is in no way fond of the yellow wallpaper that coats the walls of her prison. Yet because of her high regard for her husband and her unwillingness to acknowledge that she is unhappy, she simply thinks that it is for the best, if her husband thinks so. This aids in leading to her mental condition deteriorating even further due to the fact that she must simply put up with her prison.
She, “did not like him as much as a bride should like her bridegroom,” (Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm). This alone breaks the rules of the fairy tales we all know because there is a mention of whether the girl likes her suitor or not. In most fairy tales marriage is a prize, not something that has to do with actually liking someone. The girl then goes to her fiancé’s house and hears a bird screeching that she should turn back because she is in a murderer’s house. After exploring the dark home, the girl discovers and old woman.
Whereas logan killicks treats her as if she was a farm animal and Jody does not let her interact with the outside world. Tea Cake makes Janie feel wanted by communicating and playing with her. Instead of making Janie miserable, Tea cake provides love and comfort by letting her express herself. Zora Hurston put this novel perfectly, love is an intense feel of deep affection. To love someone, one must let that person be who they truly are and love will come natural.
The heroes and villains question is ‘Explore the ways sympathy for and/or dislike of a character is created in the text you have’. This could be an opportunity for bright students to explore less obvious (but still relevant if well supported) interpretations of characters. For example: Curley is a man who lacks the natural power of Slim and can only achieve authority by wearing high boots, aggressive-looking spurs and being antagonistic and violent. He understands the women of the ‘cat-house’ but not the striking young woman he has married, (and who only married him as a way of getting away from her controlling mother). She is dissatisfied with her lot in life, and he is so desperate to be the lover she wants that he wears a glove and