Literary Criticism and Review - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2458 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2018/12/19 Category Literature Essay Type Book review Level High school Tags: Character Essay Literacy Essay Did you like this example? The Necklace, A Perfect Day for catfish, Everyday Use, Boys and girls, this blessed house and Sure thing portray the themes of marriage, materialism, and identity in different yet almost similar ways. This literary criticism discusses in detail the idea of marriage in This Blessed house, The Necklace and A perfect Day to banana fish. It also addresses the topic of materialism in The Necklace, Everyday Use and A Perfect Day to Banana Fish. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Literary Criticism and Review" essay for you Create order It further examines the idea of identity in Boys and girls, This Blessed House, and Everyday use. A summary of the main points drawn in this writes up included. Marriage The theme of friendship depicted in the short stories This Blessed House. The author informs us that Sanjeev and Twinkle know one another at a birthday party. Twinkle was impressed by Sanjeev because of the way she refilled her teacup during their conversation. After only four months of frequent visits and long phone calls, Sanjeev marries Twinkle and moves in with her to a new house. Their wedding attended by people that Sanjeev could hardly recall from his childhood. Modern day relationships are characterized by two people infatuated with each other. The infatuation leads them to believe that they are in love and as a result, they rush into marriage without taking time to know each other. Unlike the traditional relationships where the couples were forced to marry each other with or without their consent, Sanjeevs and Twinkle then introduced to each other by family friends. Introduction of people through friends is standard on the present days. After rushing through marriage, Sanj eev begins to question if he loved Twinkle. The doubt provoked by Twinkles fascination with Christianity when she finds several sculptures in her new house. According to Sanjeev, he expects that being from the Hindu religion Twinkle would show no interest whatsoever in Christianity. He notices negative traits such as Twinkles laziness and her inability to cook most Indian dishes. He laments in regret how his parents had sampled different girls for marriage who were equally hard working. Their relationship depicts two strangers who have not courted long enough to cope with their differences. Twinkle and Sanjeev represent the reality of modern-day marriage as rushed as a result of desperation. In the text, the necklace, Guy de Maussapant conveys marriage as the only means that women hoped to maintain or become wealthy. Maussapant reveals this by introducing us to the character Madame Loisel. The young lady is born to parents from the lower class. Madame Loisels parents are artisans . The author depicts the role as a woman who had gotten used to the lower standards of living and had no ambitions whatsoever on the type of man she would marry. From the authors description, it is predictable that Madame Loisel was bound to settle for any man that showed any interest to marry her. She decides for a little clerk at the ministry of education. Madame Loisel spends most of her time lamenting on how she wishes that her husband could provide her with the delicacies and the extravagant life she craved. The fact that she is married off to a poor man consumes her and causes her to have a low self-esteem. Maussapant informs us that she has a wealthier friend whom she hates visiting. Madame Loisel alienates herself from her best friend.Her husband is prosperous, and that makes her suffer. Madame Loisel is unhappy with her marriage because she desires the lavish life. The state of her unions changes ten years down the line when she loses Madame Foresters diamond necklace, and the couple cooperates to pay off the debt (Cohen). J.D Salinger, in the text A Perfect Day to Banana Fish, describes a single kind of marriage. The author introduces us to two characters namely Muriel and Seymour. Seymour is Muriels husband. Seymour has post-traumatic stress disorder due to his experience at war. Muriel is least concerned about the well-being of her husbands mental condition and focuses on the wealth benefits she gets. When Sybil meets Seymour lost in thought at the beach and asked him about the whereabouts of his wife, he tells her she is at the salon getting her hair dyed mink or making dolls for the sick child. The response is a lie to Sybil to cover up for his self-centered wife. The author depicts this marriage as a selfish marriage. The conclusion based on the fact that Muriel does not offer any emotional support required helping her husband recover from post-traumatic stress disorder, and therefore he has to spend his time around Sybil who is only an innoc ent child. Materialism The theme of materialism has been brought out in The Necklace, Everyday use and A Perfect Day for Banana Fish. In the short story called The Necklace, the author introduces us to a homemaker who desires to have a more satisfying life. Madame Loisels perfect experience is that in which she can afford anything she likes. However, her aspirations cut short because she is married to a little clerk in the ministry of education. Madame Loisels friendship with her best friend limited because of their apparent differences in their social statuses. The epitome of Madame Loisels materialism is depicted when her husband comes home bearing an invite to Madame Ramponneau party that is exclusive. The husband expects her to be happy because he is among the few people at his office to be invited to such an individual. In an unexpected turn of events, Madam Loisels breaks down into self-pity. The wife laments that she has no dress to wear to the party and everyone is going to know that she is poor. After futile efforts of the husband convincing her that to wear her theatre dress, he offers to buy her dress with money that he has been saving up for a gun. Madame Loisel further claims that she has no jewelry to accessorize in the suit. The husband advises her to borrow jewelry from Madame Frostier. Madame frostier lends her a diamond necklace. The author describes how Madame Loisels beauty stands out at the party and how much she loves looking vibrant and beautiful. Madame Loisel remembers with nostalgia how cute she looked at the side. We can conclude from her fantasies that that was the only day she truly lived. Materialism, in a perfect Day to Banana Fish by J.D Salinger, has been brought up by the character of Muriel. Muriel is a materialistic lady who is willing to stay with a mentally ill husband due to the material things he can provide for her. In a conversation with her mom, Muriel dodges a question about the stability of Seymour and discusses a dress. She states th at the suit was ugly similar to the one that they saw in Bonwits window. We would expect that her priority would be trying to help her husband cope with post-traumatic stress Disorder. In another scene, Sybil meets Seymour at the beach and asks him about the where about of his lady. The ex-soldier claims that the wife is at the salon getting her hair dyed mink. The fact that Muriel is willing to put her life in danger married to a mentally unstable person without necessarily caring about him getting better concludes that she is very materialistic. If Muriel were more emotionally supportive of her husband, he would not have committed suicide. In the story, Everyday Use the theme of materialism has been brought out through Wangero. The story depicts an innocent girl (Dee) born of a single family who changes when she becomes learned. Dees mother and Maggie are illiterates, and they have grown accustomed to that kind of life. When Wangero returns home, she is a different person who a ppreciates her African roots more than she did before. The unusual twist of events because Dees mother believes in the connection that is evident in families. Wangeros materialistic nature sets in when she wants specific quilts that her mother had promised her sister all to herself. The author informs us that she had been offered the same quilts by her mother before she joined college but claimed that they were too old-fashioned. Wangeros material nature also reveals itself when she spots the churn during a meal. Dee jumps ecstatically and stands to a corner and claims that the churn top is what she needs. In this text the reader can relate Wangeros materialism to the exposure, she finds after pursuing further education. The conclusion is drawn based on the fact that her younger sister, although her mother had promised her the quilts, lets Wangero have them. However, Dees mother intervenes by taking the quilts off Wangero by force and gives them to Maggie. Identity In both genders, the theme of identity revealed through the narrator who is female. Unlike the assumption that she will act like the girls and stay the narrator rebels indoors from being ladylike. She grows attached to her father more than her mother. The narrator respects the work of his father. The narrators mother wishes that Lard would help his father more so that her daughter can stay indoors. An incident happens, and the narrator realizes that she can object to some stereotypes without necessarily trying to do chores meant for boys. The theme of identity revealed through Twinkle and Sanjeev in the story The Blessed House. Sanjeev is a sensitive person and cares about the opinion of passersby when they spot the statue of the virgin marry on his property. Twinkle on the other and is a free spirit. She is curious and adventurous. Twinkle is aggressive with her identity as she corrects Sanjeev who lies to his colleagues that her name is Tamina. In the book Everyday Use, Wan gero knows very little about her identity. The heirlooms are Maggies and her familys true identity. She is misinformed about how quilts are made even thug she appears to be deeply rooted in her African tradition. Conclusion The theme of marriage ten depicted in the short stories This Blessed House. The author informs us that Sanjeev and Twinkle were introduced to one another at a birthday party. After only four months of frequent visits and long phone calls, Sanjeev marries Twinkle and moves in with her to a new house. Their relationship depicts two strangers who have not courted long enough to cope with their differences. Twinkle and Sanjeev represent the reality of modern-day marriage as rushed as a result of desperation. In the text, the necklace, Guy de Maussapant conveys union as the only means that women hoped to maintain or become wealth. Madame Loisel spends most of her time lamenting on how she wishes that her husband could provide her with the delicacies and the extravagant life she craved. Madame Loisel alienates herself from her best friend. Her husband is wealthy, and that makes her suffer. J.D Salinger, in the text A Perfect Day to Banana Fish, describes a single kind of marriage. The au thor introduces us to two characters namely Muriel and Seymour. The author depicts this marriage as a selfish marriage. The conclusion based on the fact that Muriel does not offer any emotional support required helping her husband recover from a post-traumatic stress disorder, and therefore he has to spend his time around Sybil who is only an innocent child. In the Necklace, the epitome of Madame Loisels materialism comes when her husband comes home bearing an invite to Madame Ramponneau party that is exclusive. The husband expects her to be happy because he is among the few people at his office to be invited to such an individual. In an unexpected turn of events, Madam Loisels breaks down into self-pity. The wife laments that she has no dress to wear to the side and everyone is going to know that she is poor. Materialism, in a perfect Day to BananaFish by J.D Salinger, has been brought up by the character of Muriel. In a conversation with her mom, Muriel dodges a question about the stability of Seymour and discusses a dress. The fact that Muriel is willing to put her life in danger married to a mentally unstable person without necessarily caring about him getting better concludes that she is very materialistic. In the story, Everyday Use the theme of materialism has been brought out through Wangero. The story depicts an innocent girl (Dee) born of a single family. She changes when she becomes learned. Wangeros materialistic nature sets in when she wants specific quilts that her mother had promised her sister all to herself. Wangeros material nature also reveals itself when she spots the churn during a meal. Dee jumps ecstatically and stands to a corner and claims that the churn top is what she needs. References Analysis Of Conflict In Jhumpa Lahiris This Blessed House. 5 Dec 2017. 123HelpMe.com. 6 Dec 2017 https://www.123HelpMe.com/view.asp?id=160876.. Chris Sabatino, Brigid McCusker, Chris Boutsikaris and Sam Pastuzyn. A PERFECT DAY FOR BANANAFISH themes. n.d. weebly. 6 Dec 2017 https://salingerbananafish.weebly.com/themes.html. Cohen, Madeline. Suduiko, Aaron ed. The Necklace Themes. 29 October 2016. Gradesaver. 6 December 2017 https://www.gradesaver.com/the-necklace-and-other-stories/study-guide/themes. E, Charles. Boys and Girls Themes and Meanings Comprehensive Guide to Short Stories, Critical Edition Ed. May 2004. Notes. 6 Dec , 2017 https://www.enotes.com/topics/boys-girls/themes#themes-themes-and-meanings. Everyday Use Themes at a Glance. n.d. notes. 6 Dec 2017 https://www.enotes.com/topics/everyday-use/themes. Ives, David. The Sure Thing. Ives, David. . . . 1988. Lahiri, Jumpha. This Blessed House. interpreter of the maladies, 1999. Maussapant, Guy de. The Necklace. n.d. McKeever, Christine. Weinbloom, Elizabeth ed. Interpreter of Maladies This Blessed House Summary and Analysis. 27 November 2011. GradeSaver. 6 December 2017 https://www.gradesaver.com/interpreter-of-maladies/study-guide/summary-this-blessed-house. McManus, Dermot. . A Perfect Day for Bananafish by J.D. Salinger. , 8 Sep. 2014. The Sitting Bee. The Sitting Bee. 6 Dec 2017 https://sittingbee.com/a-perfect-day-for-bananafish-j-d-salinger/. no_one. Boys and Girls. 28 April 2004. Everything. 6 Dec 2017 https://everything2.com/title/Boys+and+Girls. Salinger, J. D. A Perfect Day for Bananafish. Salinger, J. D. A Perfect Day for Bananafish. New York: The New Yorker, January 31, 1948. , pages 21-25. SparkNotes Editors. SparkNote on Everyday Use. 5 Dec. 2017. SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2007. . 6 Dec 2017. SparkNotes Editors. SparkNote on A Perfect Day for Bananafish. 5 Dec 2017. SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 6 Dec 2017 https://www.sparknotes.com/short-stories/a-perfect-day-for-b ananafish/themes.html. SparkNotes Editors. SparkNote on Everyday Use. 2007. SparkNotes.com. 6 Dec 2017 https://www.sparknotes.com/short-stories/everyday-use/citing.html. The gender conflict in Munros Boys and Girls. n.d. https://www.engelska.uu.se/digitalAssets/299/c_299583-l_1-k_a-level-discussion-essay.the-gender-conflict-in-boys-and-girls.pdf. Walker, Alice. Everyday Use. 1944.