Analytical and Personal Evaluation of Feminism in Prue and My Hear Is Broken

             Technically, both stories, My Heart Is Broken and Prue, published in 1964 and 1981, belong to the time period of the second wave feminism (1960s-1990). As such, I expected the works to portray some of the characteristics of the second wave feminist movement, refusing social and cultural inequalities, or “throwing ‘oppressive’ feminine artifacts such as bras, girdles, high-heels, makeup and false eyelashes into the trashcan.” (Rampton)

               Published during the early stages of the second wave feminism, My Heat Is Broken has two potential protagonists: Mrs. Thompson and Jeannie. By examining their conversation and attitude towards the main incident of the story, Jeannie’s rape, we can easily assume the contrasting characters of the two main characters. On the surface, their attitudes contrast in a way that Jeannie seems calm – applying “a bottle of coral-pink Cutex nail polish”- while Mrs. Thompson is worried, keeping Jeannie’s company because she thinks Jeannie “might be needing me.” On the other hand, under the surface, their attitudes shift. Jeannie reveals signs of shock: “I already can’t remember it…I was walking the wrong way- I couldn’t talk anyway” while Mrs. Thompson shows her true feelings: “Women don’t know when they’re well off. Here you’ve got a good, sensible husband working for you- You have to go and do a terrible thing.”

               Even disregarding Jeannie’s rape, the general opinion of women and gender role of the two ladies differ. Mrs. Thompson is conservative, denying “peroxides”, pursuing lovely homes and a life where she “get some curtains up and some carpets down” until her husband is home. “Fooling around” with her hair and having “grease spattered behind the stove”, Jeannie is more carefree and absentminded. She finds nothing wrong with taking a walk “like a little girl… in high heels… with a purse…and a hat” on her head.

               Up to this point, I appreciated the feminist insight of Jeannie denying the standardized role of women as a housewife, having freedom over her personal time, or being unrestricted of her appearance, with Mrs. Thompson setting a counterexample. However, in the last page of the story, Jeannie wishes that the rapist “could at least have liked” her and Mrs. Thompson wonders “if her heart had ever been broken, too.” They disappointed me by both turning out to be naïve female characters that depend on men for their happiness.

               Written closer to the third wave feminism period, Prue’s protagonist is a 40-year-old, seemingly light-hearted woman: Prue. As she “presents her life in anecdotes”, Prue is treated insincerely in all her relationships, but pretends not to care by always responding with a joke.

               In her relationship with Gordan, she is portrayed much like a safety net of Gordan. Not only when Gordan describes their marriage as “the Problem” does she “lightly” answer “What a problem?”, but when he confesses “I think I’m in love with this person…but I do think I want to marry you”, she jokes “oh… after you get over being in love?” Even worse, it seems like for Gordan, the crème brûlée is more important than Prue’s feelings. In terms of her relationship with her children, she rarely acts nor is treated seriously as a mother: “they bring presents, try to do her accounts,…. She is delighted with their presents, listens to their advice…” Lastly, although “everybody hopes that” she is not staying in Toronto because of Gordan, gossiping about and mocking her personal life, “She would laugh at the idea” and “people always feel cheered up after listening to her.”

               As a lover, a mother, and a female in society, Prue sets an example for the readers “what not to be” not only in terms of feminism, but also in terms of the equality of human race in general. I believe the author’s description of Prue’s method of coping with life - treating herself like the cufflink: “a reminder” yet “an intimate prank, a piece of nonsense” “not of great value but not worthless” in the tobacco tin, being “more or less forgotten” – is what really drew me away from viewing this work as a feminist literature.

               Although the two stories might have promoted women’s equality from a macroscopic perspective - having been written by a female author about a female character –, the motives and the content of both stories failed to reach me as a reader seeking for a more active, firsthand feminist movement. In a way, they both seem to belong to the third wave feminism where the concept of “feminism” is often not to be defined in a single manner. Thus, the ambiguousness had a negative impact on my evaluation of both stories.

 

<Works Cited>

Rampton, Martha. “The Three Waves of Feminism” Pacific University.Vol. 41 No. 2, Fall 2008

http://www.pacificu.edu/magazine_archives/2008/fall/echoes/feminism.cfm  

The Student

The Student

Chekhov is essentially a humorist. His is not the quiet, genial humor of an Addison or a Washington Irving nor the more subtle, often boisterous humor of a Mark Twain. His is rather the cynical chuckle of a grown-up watching a child assume grimaces of deep earnestness and self-importance. In his earlier stories the laughable, and it is a more or less cheerful laugh, with little of the serious behind it, often predominates. But as the stories grow more in volume, the undercurrent of gloom and a stifled groan of pain become more and more audible, until, in the later volumes, his laugh quite eloquently suggest the ominous combination of submission to Fate and Mephistophelian despair. — N Bryllion Fagin, "Anton Chekhov: The Master of the Gray Short-Story," Poet Lore, XXXII, Autumn 1921

         I quite enjoyed reading this short story by Chekhov. Mainly describing the conversation between three characters in a third person narrative, the Student has some unanswered questions and an open ending that encourage the readers to read the story multiple times. Furthermore, the most interesting factor was that the story has a “theme within a theme” where Chekhov seems to portray a theme in a straightforward way while actually he uses that theme to refer to another theme in a humorous way.

         At first reading the story, the story seemed somewhat awkward. The overall atmosphere of the writing -diction, depiction of scenery, character’s attitude- started out pessimistic; for example, Chekhov describes winter as “cheerless, remote, and lonely.” However, as the narrator says “life seemed to him enchanting, marvelous, and full of lofty meaning,” the atmosphere suddenly shifts to be optimistic towards the end. Also, the change in the story’s structure, from the metaphorical lecture about Peter to the straightforward statement about the student’s realization of “the chain”, was confusing. Then, as I read the story several times again, I realized that the awkwardness that bothered me was, really, a smart intention of the author who tried to show his cynicism on the student’s immaturity in an indirect, witty way.      

When interpreting the story in a simple manner, “The story tells of betrayal and remorse--a very human sequence but also offers the hope of forgiveness. Peter, after all, becomes one of the greatest of all saints. Human weakness and the need for redemption link us all, past, present, and future” (Coulehan,Jack.1999.NYU). The story seems to have a happy ending where Ivan, a student of the clerical academy, “experiences the power of the word to heal” while giving a biblical lecture to the two widows he encounters on his way home. However, although the last two paragraphs, beginning with the sentence “And joy suddenly stirred in his soul,” finishes the story in an optimistic atmosphere, the optimism soon reveals itself to have been a mere mask for the true pessimism hidden under it.

         In fact, even in the last paragraph the author hints at his doubts on the student: “He was only twenty-two”, “unknown mysterious happiness”, and “life seemed to him enchanting.” In addition, the uneasy attitude of the younger widow Lukerya, “staring immovably at the student, flushed crimson, and her expression became strained and heavy like that of someone enduring intense pain,” supports the author’s sarcasm, mocking the light hearted realization of the student who had not yet have lived long enough to judge and give lectures on the true meaning of life. In my opinion, by showing the student and the older widow’s belief in god and the distrust of the younger widow, the author tried to say that people, like the student, have faith in god until they encounter difficulties, like the young widow’s hardship of getting beaten by her husband; yet, as they experience even more obstacles in life, like the young widow’s mother, people ultimately return to having faith in god.      

< Certificate of Honor >

< Certificate of Honor >

It’s been 18 years now. For 18 full years have you been so diligent and hard-working.


I still remember the first day we met. So cold was it in Hoengseong, my teeth were clattering and my legs shivering. Then, for first time you opened yourself and I took a nervous step inside. That unforgettable moment, I was amazed at how broad and neat hearted you were. Bold and sturdy on the outside yet warm and welcoming on the inside, you gave me trust and I knew I could always count on you.


For hundred times a day, for students, teachers, and workers, heavy and light, tall and short, you didn’t seem to mind. Your mind was always wide open. No matter how late I was, you had my back covered. Landing me safe and sound, just in time on the lobby, you proved to me, nothing is impossible.    


Then, last summer when you were ill, the entire school was rent with grief. Although it was only a week or two, your absence was so critical. So many were sent to court and everyone thought “Only if you had been there.” As Benjamin Franklin said “We get wise too late and old too soon,” it was only after you were gone that we realized how much we appreciated and loved you.


So now that you have returned, young and beautiful as you used to be 18 years back, we give you this certificate of honor. Mr. Elevator. Kmla. Senior, we honor you today, November 26th 2013, as the “Best Elevator in the World,” for having volunteered for the safety and convenience of thousands of KMLA family members over the past 18 years. With no doubt, You, Mr.Elevator, have certainly raised us all, to the “highest level.”

Tales of the Unexpected- Roald Dahl

Although I have only read a couple of the stories out of <Tales of the Unexpected>, it was certainly enough for me to find several common traits shared among the stories. The most significant of them was the “ironic” attitude of the narrator. The irony appears when the narrator contradicts himself by speaking of horrid things in such a moderate manner. The last scene of <Lamb to the Slaughter>, where the detectives eat the murder weapon as their supper, the narrator adds lines such as “One of them belched” as if the men were eating an ordinary lamb chop. Like so, I think such narrating methods made the overall tone of the stories sarcastic and cynical.

 

Unlike his children’s’ novels, most of the Roald Dahl’s short stories in <Tales of the Unexpected> portray the negative side of human nature. The dark themes of the stories suggest that the author intended to show the negative human natures through the actions of his characters. Revenge, in <Lamb to the slaughter>, greed in <Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel’s Coat>, and dishonesty in <Man from the South>, all three are example of Dahl’s such intentions. Almost as if it is a punishment, the main characters mostly end up in a tragedy for pursuing immoral human deeds. Like so, not only did the author try to portray the evil human nature, but also he tried to show his critical attitude towards it.  

 

Lastly, another hint suggesting Dahl’s negative portrayal of human nature is perhaps the theme “trust.” In <Man from the South>, the American Boy answers “Sure, I’ll bet, why not?” to the South American man that he encountered for the first time; and eventually he almost loses his finger for a Cadillac that didn’t even exist. In <Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel’s Coat>, Mrs. Bixby cheats on her husband for 8 years. On the contrary, she herself, who refused to write the description of the coat saying “I trust you” to the pawnbroker, is cheated in the deal with the broker. By making the characters trust in the beginning and eventually get betrayed at the end, I assume that Dahl intended two things. It’s either that Dahl wanted to stress the evilness of the human nature by contrasting a crime against trust and innocence, or simply to show the stupidity of human nature, so carefree and lacking suspicion.

 

Are they Really Homosexual?

At first glance, Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray" might appear to deal with the homosexuality between Dorian and his two admirers, Basil and Henry. After all, when the book was first published in 1890, it was both popularized and criticized by the public for dealing with one of the “tabooed” values of the Victorian era. Although there are no direct references to homosexuality in the book, quotes such as “…saw Dorian Gray for the first time… our eyes met…I grew pale. A curious sensation of terror came over me” and the homosexual preference of the author himself bring a synergy effect; emerging together, they-the evidences- seem enough to refer to the theme “homosexuality”. However, as Oscar Wilde was often quoted “All art is quite useless,” he did not “use” his novel to portray real-life, personal traits; thus, it is more accurate to see his literary works with no accordance with his sexual preference. Accordingly, the relationship between Basil and Dorian cannot be proven to be something more than an artist’s attraction for his masterpiece. Therefore, it is perhaps more accurate to assume that the atmosphere of the novel is not based on a sexual affection of males, but an instant interest or platonic attraction among companions. In this sense, homosexuality, one of the major themes of “the Picture of Dorian Gray”, should rather be accepted as a “shaky” idea built upon lack of evidence and not a solid statement.

Very Personal- Ben X

Ben X; I Am Nothing (2007)

    - Ben being taunted

 

“In order to feel good, you need to learn how to feel” - Scarlite

Despite the fact that he has suffered from autism and Asperger’s syndrome all his life, Ben (Greg Timmermans) is to attend a “normal” high school with all the other “normal” students. For the past few years, he has been constantly bullied by his classmates (especially by the two extra mean boys named Bogaert and Desmedt), but this time, the class has somewhat “crossed the line” in taunting and humiliating Ben. With that “incident” being a catalyst, Ben and his mother begin a struggle to finally make things alright.

 “This is my end game”- Ben X

Ben views the world as if he is playing his favorite game of “ArchLord,” in which he is called Ben X, level 80, heroic, and loved by his “healer” named Scarlite (Lara Verlinden). The film does an excellent job in building a game-like portrayal of Ben’s perspective of the world by, for example, intertwining Ben as the actual human Ben, being all tense and nervous on the complicated streets on his way to school and the fictional ArcLord character Ben X, going on a quest while following a mouse cursor floating on the screen. Throughout the film, the viewer can really experience the true assimilation of reality and an MMORPG game, with all the game-like sound effects and BGMs.

 - Ben's view of the world

The running time of total 93 minutes basically deals with the dark situation that Ben has faced all his life and the attempt to overcome such a situation; narrated both in Ben’s first perspective, and in the third perspective of others surrounding Ben. The scenes that frequently flip back and forth between the first narrative of Ben and the recorded interviews of people certainly stresses the intention of the director; he might have wanted to clarify what was going on in the movie since half of Ben’s perspective was based on the computer graphic scenes on ArchLord. However, despite the director’s initial intentions, whether the interviews of such diverse people- his mom, dad, teachers and etc- actually helped with the clarification or rather contributed to more distraction is debatable.       

Overall, the movie is respectable in a sense that it faced many of the hot social issues such as teenage game addiction and bullying. Nevertheless, bringing the film to a personal level, it was rather disappointing. As a viewer that has an ex-game addict older sister an  therefore abhors games in all shapes or forms, I did not enjoy a single part of Ben’s hypersensitive game viewing eyes, the game like sound effects, nor the 3D computer graphics. Personally, I give the movie 6 out of ten, for I couldn’t feel what Ben was learning to feel  even until the entire movie ended, but rather I sympathized more with his younger brother that appeared on the screen for less than 5 minutes in total.

 

Cast: Greg Timmermans (Ben), Laura Verlinden (Scarlite), Marijke Pinoy (Mom), Titus De Voogdt (Bogaert), Maarten Claeyssens (Desmedt) and Pol Goossen (Dad).

The Last man Standing

In Oscar Wildes’ The Picture of Dorian Gray, all the characters face their tragic finals by either getting murdered or committing suicide. Starting with Sibyl’s suicide, Basil gets slaughtered by Dorian, Alan kills himself, and James Vane is shot by a hunter. The death of Basil, without doubt, was brought by Dorian, but when observed more carefully, I noticed that the death of others also had Dorian as the fundamental cause.   

 

Then, where or who was the centre of that evil, which corrupted Dorian to “murder” so many people? In the beginning of the plot, Dorian was said to be “unstained purity” but towards the end as somebody tells him “the goes the devil’s bargain” he turned out to be the monster he found in the portrait.

 

The first sacrifice of Dorian’s vice was Sibyl Vane, the former fiancé of Dorian who killed herself after Dorian unilaterally broke the marriage. James Vane, the brother of Sibyl Vane, was shot while stalking the “murderer” of his sister, Dorian, by a hunter who had mistaken him as a deer. Then, Dorian reveals his highest potential of wickedness when slaughtering his closest friend Basil and black mailing his chemist friend Alan Campbell to hide the crime scene. Alan, who later kills himself for guiltiness, tells Dorian “You are infamous, absolutely infamous!” after getting threatened that Dorian would publicize his homosexuality if he had not done the job.        

 

Murder after murder, Dorian seems to develop his evilness. Some people say, “as written in the book, the “yellow book” was the core of the bad influence.” But then as Wilde wrote “All art is quite useless,” could it really have been that single book that destroyed Dorian? And after every incident, Dorian still seems to have some moral senses, which are however; all contradicted by Lord Henry. From the very beginning of the story, Lord Henry has had a great amount of influence on Dorian and it can be seen from “Basil would have helped him to resist Lord Henry’s influence, and still the more poisonous influence came…” Also, as Lady Naborough said “Lord Henry, I am not at all surprised that the world says that you are extremely wicked.” Many parts of the book proved his evilness.

 

Sibyl died from a broken heart and the failed relationship that devastated was actually due to Lord Henry who, behind the scenes, persuaded Dorian to break up with Sibyl because “One should never make one’s debut with a scandal.” Lord Henry, with his villainous character, not only encourages immorality, but also destroys the existing morality within Dorian by constantly justifying the immoral actions that Dorian himself regrets. After the death of Alan, Dorian falls in sorrow for luring the man into his death but Lord Henry describes it as “It’s the man’s own fault. Why did he get in front of the guns?”

 

The story ends by Dorian killing himself after acknowledging the tragic outcome of his wrong doings in the severely wrecked portrait. Finally, with Dorian committing suicide as a result of the immorality, which was introduced to him by Lord Henry, Lord Henry eventually becomes the “core” of all tragedies. And as of what I noticed to be very interesting, he was the only man alive, or the “last man standing.”