Ripe Figs Essay

433 Words2 Pages
Ripe Figs Shelby, Theresa, Sam Young children learn from everything they do. They are naturally curious; they want to explore and discover. Kate Chopin thoroughly describes this in the short story, “Ripe Figs”; by using compare and contrast of nature to time and patience. Children require a tangible way to keep track of time where as, adults with a wealth of experience and history behind them, perceive the passage of time in an entirely different way. In the beginning, Chopin describes that the goddaughter Babette, is eager to go visit family and rather then disappoint her goddaughter, Maman explains when the trip will happen in a way that the goddaughter can physically understand. This means instead of telling the girl that the trip will happen in months from now; she tells the girl in a way that she can track her self and understand. The godmother uses the ripening of Figs as a way to mark the passage of time that can be easily measured. The author, Chopin, uses this as an example of older wisdom that understands how time goes quickly when anticipating an event, however, children always feel that time goes too slow. She further points this out with the main character commenting, “how early the figs have ripened this year” however the child felt “they have ripened very late.” Chopin further expands upon the difference between young and old mannerism by metaphorically describing Maman to a statue designed by a well-known artist, Michael Angelo, to emphasize the elderly’s love of life and it not being necessary to rush to the next event. In contrast, the young girl is described “as restless as a hummingbird,” emphasizing the youth’s tenacity to rush through life, always focusing on the next near event. Symbolically transforming the young girl into an animal that goes entirely through life with extreme speed, only focusing on what is necessary now. At the end
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