Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton “What I see is him that suffers most” was my initial thought toward Ethan’s life in the end. Edith Wharton’s ending of the novel filled my heart with such sorrow and compassion to Ethan’s situation. Wharton throughout the novel made subtle actions toward Ethan and his torn feeling to stay with his wife and his attraction toward his sister in law, Mattie Silver. I sympathize with Ethan Frome to an extent to the point in which I actually think his actions throughout the novel seemed like the right thing to do but, I feel little compassion toward him for he was the one to propose to Zeena without thinking of the consequences toward either him or Zeena. First of all, Wharton’s subtle action toward Ethan’s torn feelings for Mattie and being loyal to his wife.
Contrary to that, there are also multiple similarities between their societal behaviors involving mental illnesses and ours. In Jane Eyre, there can be many arguments made on characters that can be considered ‘mentally incompetent’ or ‘insane’. One example would be Aunt Reed, who found it impossible to care for Jane as her own child simply because she did not like the child’s mother. Today, Aunt Reed would be designated as having Avoidant Attachment Disorder. This mental illness would be diagnosed based upon her hostility, her criticism, her self-important image and her lack of empathy towards Jane.
In the end resolution is needed to establish some sort of common ground, but this would be the most difficult of the stages in a conflict to be pursued. When conflict arises, truth often becomes a matter of perception rather than reality. This is evident in the book “The Quiet American” by Graham Greene where it shows the love triangle between the main characters. The conflict here is between Pyle and Fowler where they fight over Phuong. Pyle’s perception is that he is confident Phuong will go for him but in reality she picks Fowler.
A wife, a husband and a young servant with a dirty little secret with someone you wouldn’t expect; a secret love affair with the husband- John Procter- all behind the wife's- Elizabeth Procter- back. John Procter and Abigail Williams have been hiding their complex, secretive and dangerous relationship from the whole town since Abigail worked as a servant in the Procter household. John Procter and Abigail Williams relationship is extremely complex first and foremost. The relationship between these two dynamic characters goes much farther than just two people having a simple affair, partially because affairs are never simple. Another reason being that john Procter has a wife- Elizabeth Procter- and Abigail Williams is only an adolescent.
Good or Evil… You Tell Me In many ways, Friar Laurence and the nurse have been both good and bad for Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the story, both Friar Laurence and the nurse made choices that changed the course of Romeo and Juliet’s lives. Some of these were positive changes and others would later be greatly regretted. In the story, Friar Laurence, was at some moments good for Juliet and at others very bad. For example, the fact that he didn’t fulfill the plan he told Juliet of how she could escape from her second marriage, could very well be blamed for her death.
So, there are many examples of not thinking for yourself and thinking for youself in this novel. In the novel the main character is Guy Montag and his wife Mildred Montag, and Mildred is the one who should be thinking for herself. She is letting the government get to her head, and everything they say she believes. Even though she is married to Montag, she thinks that the "parlor walls are her family" (Bradbury 49). Montag is her family, but she doesn't consider him as much as a family compaired to the parlor walls.
On the oppose side of the marital spectrum, Zeena regularly professes her hypochondria to her husband. However, in response to the sledding accident, she “seemed to be raised right up just when the call came to her” (Wharton 131). This ironic “miracle” proves Zeena’s addiction to martyrdom, emotionally dependent on first her illnesses, then to her vocational role. Although professedly unhappy, she relies on her marriage for a sense of purpose. In an examination of the constancies, it seems as though both wife and husband, woman and man, are reliant upon both one another and their marriage to function
Throughout the Awakening, the direction of the plot fluxuates based on the choices made by the characters. Of all the characters, none make choices as drastic as Edna Pontellier. Her decision to turn away from her husband defines her as one of the rarest types of women in that time period. The American society of that time was not used to seeing a woman even think of leaving her husband, which is what made this such a controversial novel. Robert Lebrun realizes that his love for Edna will come at an expensive price and is forced to come decide if he will let a family be torn apart in the name of love.
Ego and Image Vs Truth and Beauty In Ann Patchetts Truth and Beauty she chronicles her friendship with Lucy Grealy. The book is an intimate look at their relationship. It includes letters from Lucy to Ann as well as Ann's letters written to Lucy. It seems authentic and truthful but I have missed the beauty in this very raw depiction of a so called friendship. After reading the article written by Sue Ellen Grealy I can understand her frustration and anger toward Patchett for writing this expose on her sister..
Relationships can be hard, especially, when careers interfere. If Cliff did quit so he could stay with Priscilla, she may regret being the cause of him quitting or he may always hold it over her head by saying, “you should do this for me since I quit my career to be with you.” Another problem with this relationship is that Cliff and Priscilla are an interracial couple. Interracial couples were permitted but not accepted during this time, especially in the South. Even though the nation was desegregated, not everyone approved of blacks and whites being together. Cody the bartender told Sam how his Father would have handled Cliff and Priscilla’s relationship if it had occurred while Buddy was