First of all, I'd like to start off by saying that "Good Country People" was one of my favorite reads that we had to do all semester.
Now on to business! The contrasting styles presented in "The Swimmer" and "Good Country People" don't really seem to contrast at all. They both started out as unimportant(I could care less) type of stories. They progressed into intriguing proses when they added a touch of curiosity to the mix. I was curious about what was going on in the swimmers head to make him forget those events in his recent past. I was curious about Hulga and why she was so distant and anti social.
I think the common link between these two stories is their surprise endings. Who would have thought that the boy selling the bibles would have turned out to be the snake that he was. It totally caught me off guard. I thought I was going to read about how Hulga finally finds love but instead I read a disturbing story about treachery and deceit. I was shock and appalled. The story kept me on my toes and made me want to read more.
"The Swimmer" was just a weird story. Who swims across an entire county? Who does that? I thought this story was also good at surprising the reader and leading them up to a surprise ending. I still don't really get this story but I know that throughout the story I was curious about the life of its main character.
The essential comparison between these two short stories is they both interested the reader with vague descriptions and mini details. They kept me alert and curious and had twist at the end.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Sunday, April 1, 2007
The mistreatment of women in "Their Eyes Were Watching God"
In "Their Eyes Were Watching God", women are portayred as being mistreated badly. There are several occurences of domestic abuse toward women in the novel and assumptions about the gender as well. Women are not treated as equals in the novel. Perhaps it reflects the times the book was written but getting beat by your husband seemed to be a norm for women ofthe time. It appeared to be socially accepted.
There was no opposition by Janie when Tea Cake beats her for no reason. She does not seem to acknowledge it really and still considers him a good man. In comparrison to the other men Janie was with, Tea Cake is a good man, which tells us something of how women were treated. They were expected to submit to the authority of their husbands and not question them. When Janie was with the mayor of the black town, she was oblidged to work for him and was expected to be his wife and nothing more. Not a confidant or business partner but instead a mere worker and a woman.
On top of being beaten, Janie had no independence. Although she had money, she did not seem to stand on her own. Her dependence upon her husbands is evident throughout the entire novel. Her husbands plan her daily activities and if they move, she moves along with them without any resistance. Also, when Tea Cak takes her money, it is alright because he needed it to gamble. She is not expected to argue against it or question his motives.
In this novel, Janie is never mentioned without a man by her side. She drifts from marriage to marriage like a orphane who drifts from home to home. Its as if she has no choice. It is suggested that in this time in this society, women were suppose to be married. If they weren't, then rumors spread and she would then be ridiculed and questioned.
Owmen had to remain loyal to their husbands as Janie does to all of her hers. Divorce was not allowed so janie wasn't free until they died. She probably would have remained with each man had death not overtook them. She was incapable of getting out of the marriages. She had to do as women do. She was also not expected to be tough. She was expected to be sumissive. Tea CAke didn't want her to work with him in the fields but she defiantly does. In this novel, women don't seem to ahve a mind of their own. They are almost always mentioned in accordance with their husbands and never given distinct qualities. The descriptions for the men are more detailed and there is more of an emphasis on Janie's relationships than on Janie, as a person. This shows the nature of the novel. Women were represented very much in the same way in which they were most likely treated in their communities: as property to be sold and nothing more than that. One dimensional at best.
There was no opposition by Janie when Tea Cake beats her for no reason. She does not seem to acknowledge it really and still considers him a good man. In comparrison to the other men Janie was with, Tea Cake is a good man, which tells us something of how women were treated. They were expected to submit to the authority of their husbands and not question them. When Janie was with the mayor of the black town, she was oblidged to work for him and was expected to be his wife and nothing more. Not a confidant or business partner but instead a mere worker and a woman.
On top of being beaten, Janie had no independence. Although she had money, she did not seem to stand on her own. Her dependence upon her husbands is evident throughout the entire novel. Her husbands plan her daily activities and if they move, she moves along with them without any resistance. Also, when Tea Cak takes her money, it is alright because he needed it to gamble. She is not expected to argue against it or question his motives.
In this novel, Janie is never mentioned without a man by her side. She drifts from marriage to marriage like a orphane who drifts from home to home. Its as if she has no choice. It is suggested that in this time in this society, women were suppose to be married. If they weren't, then rumors spread and she would then be ridiculed and questioned.
Owmen had to remain loyal to their husbands as Janie does to all of her hers. Divorce was not allowed so janie wasn't free until they died. She probably would have remained with each man had death not overtook them. She was incapable of getting out of the marriages. She had to do as women do. She was also not expected to be tough. She was expected to be sumissive. Tea CAke didn't want her to work with him in the fields but she defiantly does. In this novel, women don't seem to ahve a mind of their own. They are almost always mentioned in accordance with their husbands and never given distinct qualities. The descriptions for the men are more detailed and there is more of an emphasis on Janie's relationships than on Janie, as a person. This shows the nature of the novel. Women were represented very much in the same way in which they were most likely treated in their communities: as property to be sold and nothing more than that. One dimensional at best.
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