However if the responder were to read Fay Weldon’s Letters to Alice on first reading Jane Austen, the connections between the two would shape and then reshape the responder’s understanding of both texts. The two texts are connected most obviously through Weldon’s commentary and analysis of Austen’s writing and social and historical context. However the two texts are also connected through their didactic purpose, examination of values, use of epistles and their female author’s status and feminist messages. Whilst all of these connections do enrich each text, it is to a limited extent as both texts also work in isolation. Aunt Fay writes to her niece Alice in the hope of teaching her about Austen and her writing and what better way to do that than by direct reference to Austen’s most successful text, Pride and Prejudice?
Aunty Fay is a concerned Aunt who is trying to get her neice, Alice, to engage in studies, however Alice’s interests lie elsewhere. Aunty Fay’s frustration is seen when she incorporates imperative mood when Alice did not listen to her, “I warned you not to, now take the consequences.” This shows us that Alice’s lack of interest to obtain
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.
As the story transpires, Jane's unknown figure becomes all that is known to her; however, because of what is expected of her as a woman it is difficult for her to acknowledge her own self as she is afraid of her own monstrosity. Her repression is what initiates her transgression of becoming this unknown figure, and through excessive behaviour and desire she is able to recognize her situation as everything she is initially told is meant to keep her in the dark. Living in the nineteenth century, Jane has an extensive amount of pressure to be the perfect housewife and comply to her domestic expectations. Women have little rights and respect, and they must pursue their roles as women and tend to their husband and children's needs without complaint. Jane is very aware of these pressures placed upon her, as she is constantly describing how she must make John happy, and get well for John and the baby.
Then the quote continues and states: “You will find them, [women] a set of harpies, absurd, treacherous, and deceitful—regardless of strong obligations, and mindful of slight injuries…” (86). The bluntness of this statement about women would not have come from a man seeking a wife during this time. The female villain of the novel, Mrs. Hammond exemplified these awful characteristics throughout the story. The author, Rebecca Rush was probably surrounded by women, during this time, willing to stop at nothing to secure their future. As the quote continues, “and when your integrity has been
Her contrasting moods in the presence of specific adults seem not to have caused alarm: “no evidence to indicate she had any friends or playmates”; “she would watch TV, draw, play...[she learned] how to dance”; “Victoria was reluctant to talk about how she got them [her injuries]”; “Victoria was extremely distressed to see Ms Cameron leaving”; “she liked to dress up…she was a little ray of
She does not feel sorry for anybody. She accuses Elizabeth Proctor in witchcraft to get rid of her and have Proctor for herself. But this will never happen. In the third act a big conflict in the court is shown. Abigail pretends she feels cold and sees a yellow bird.
The story does not state the mother having any concern, or even try to plea with the murderer to not harm her children but she simply called them over to her. No mother, would have just done that without pleading for their children to be unharmed. “A good man is hard to find” is over all a great story. Mrs. O’Connor did a great job describing things throughout the story, making it very easy to visualize what exactly is going on. I do not know if it was intentional, but she did however, give some of the characters unrealistic characteristics.
The only thing accepted in orthodox societies are traditional beliefs. Even if a great idea is introduced to that society, it won't be acknowledged or accepted just because it is new and different. Abigail was a very creative character herself. She went through several transformations in the story . She pretty much lead the other girls in their “fits” related to bewitching, pretends to see things like the bird (which was not actually there), “Why-?...Why do you come yellow bird?” (Miller 106) It's not that she is lying to avoid punishment and to assert power over her community; her stories and her claims are pretty inventive.
In the first line of the passage, the speaker addresses her own naivety. She recognizes the fact that, as a child and through her adolescence, she truly did not have any sort of grasp on the fact that there was anything wrong with her conduct. She could recognize that there were things that were “dark and forbidden” (329), which indicates that she had a basic understanding of the concept of taboo. This passage also indicates naivety and lack of understanding as a crutch, or coping mechanism, when the speaker states, “I’m not bad-looking, so if offering my body to dead men is a crime, I’d like to know who the victim is” (329) She makes an interesting point here about the nature of how subjective normality is, and how naïve she is as a person trying to cope with the feeling of alienation. She is indignant.