“Harrison Bergeron”, by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., is an extremely interesting short story that provides the reader with a glimpse of a scary future. “Harrison Bergeron” is a story set in 2081, that is very short, but its message hits hard. The story is about a society where all individuals are set to be “equal”. To me, the beauty of the story is the irony of the “equality” itself.
Though in the story, everyone is “dumbed” down to create equality, the “dumbing” down only emphasizes the true inequality of the characters throughout the story. Vonnegut writes, “The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren’t only equal before God and the law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody was better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else…” These statements seem very frightening, for they suggest that all members of the society will seemingly voluntarily diminish their strengths so that they can all be equal.
The irony of the story is seen in the handicapping of the characters itself. The handicaps that ensure equality are in humorous forms: a mental handicap in the form of a radio that bursts random sounds to impede thought process; weights that limit excessive strength; and masks to prevent showing more attractiveness. These handicaps, though meant to hide strengths, actually reveal prominently individuals’ true strengths and weaknesses. Examples are seen with George and Hazel. George’s handicaps of his hearing impediment and the weight show that he truly is an intelligent and strong man, by contrasting his impediments with the truly average Hazel. Hazel is symbolic of the truly average, no-handicap-needed, individual that the handicap program seeks to emulate. When Hazel feels envious of George’s mental handicap, George is shown to be above average because he has to have the mental handicap. This shows that though the handicaps try and hide strengths, the handicaps do no good at all.
The irony continues with the character of Harrison Bergeron. The handicaps used to equalize Harrison Bergeron also serve the opposite purpose of the handicaps. Ironically, Harrison is described as “a genius and an athlete” which should not make sense if all the individuals of the society are of the same mental capacity and athletic ability. Yet, the handicaps continue to elevate Harrison. “Nobody had ever borne heavier handicaps…Instead of a little ear radio for a mental handicap, he wore a tremendous pair of earphones, and spectacles with thick wavy lenses. The spectacles were intended to make him not only half blind, but to give him whanging headaches besides... And to offset his good looks, the H-G men required that he wear at all times a red rubber ball for a nose, keep his eyebrows shaved off, and cover his even white teeth with black caps at snaggle-tooth random. (44-57).” The fact that the Handicap General tries to handicap Harrison so much shows that Harrison is truly an extraordinary being (who is strong, handsome, and intelligent). Harrison’s excessive handicaps show that he must be handicapped so much, because he is normally much better than average, to be lowered down to average; Harrison’s handicaps decorate him as a unique individual. It is interesting to see that Harrison must become so ugly, probably uglier than average, to hid his beauty; he must carry way more pounds than the average man to hide his strength; he must wear earphones, while everyone else must just have radios. Is this fair? Is this equal?
One of the most interesting ideas about Vonnegut’s story is that the story itself is not plausible in relation to progress. If a society was based on true equality, by handicapping above average intelligence, then the society would not be able to progress at all. In fact, the Handicapper General would probably not even have the intelligence to handicap the other members of his society. I believe that if this handicapping equality existed, societies that used this practice would die out after a period of Dark Ages.
“Battle Royal”, by Ralph Ellison, is a very interesting short story. What I like about Battle Royal is how the grandfather’s words come back to haunt the narrator. At the beginning of the story, the grandfather warns the narrator to appear willing to please white people, but really just to deceive the white people inside.
As the narrator approaches the battle scene, he is confronted with the words his grandfather gave him. The narrator is entered into a battle with another boy, a battle that the white men feel immense pleasure in watching. The narrator tries not to deceive the white men into feeling pleasure in watching the fight, but instead he tries to flee from the battle by bribing his opponent. When the narrator fails to deceive the white men, he goes against his grandfather’s words, and he only ends up in more trouble. He gets electrocuted and humiliated further.
I believe that if the narrator submitted to the pressures of the white men by really submitting to the fight, the narrator would not have felt so much misery in the story. The narrator could have faked being beaten, to please the white men, or he could have kept trying to save himself by trying to bribe his opponent; the narrator chooses the second option. If the narrator listened to his grandfather, he could have escaped so much trouble. The last line, “I awoke with the old man’s laughter ringing in my ears” serves to show that the grandfather is laughing at his grandson’s apparent foolish decision. Though the narrator’s decision to fight against the white men may seem better, more noble than submitting to the white men or trying to deceive them, the grandfather’s saying shows that the easy way out is less painful and trying to fight against only ends up in more pain. (977)
Friday, September 28, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
A&P
“A&P,” by John Updike, is a wonderful short story that progresses in an interesting manner. Updike’s creative, interesting writing helps the story progress rapidly, while at the same time capturing emotions of the narrator, Sammy. Updike, in “A&P,” creates an interesting story in an everyday environment, and it is this creativity that excites us as readers.
Updike begins the story from Sammy’s point of view at work at a store called A&P. The story begins with the line, “In walks three girls in nothing but bathing suits.” Immediately, this sentence catches the reader’s attention: What? What are these three girls doing in only bathing suits? Where are they, what are they doing, with such little attire?
The readers keep on reading. We realize that the girls are in a grocery store, milling about, looking around at items. Sammy’s attention is really focused on the three girls. His attention though is caught by one of the three girls who stands out in particular. Sammy vividly and beautifully describes her in a “dirty pink-beige maybe” bathing suit, with her body that has the straps of her bathing suit falling off. The line, “this clean bare plane of the top of her chest down from the shoulder bones like a dented sheet of metal tilted in the light,” paints a vivid picture and really captures the reader’s imagination. The simply worded description, “She had a sort of oaky hair that the sun and salt had bleached, done up in a bun that was unraveling, and a kind of prim face,” captures the reader’s attention—the reader actually wants to find out more about her. Sammy’s, or rather Updike’s, description of this girl elevates an ordinary girl to a girl who is something really special. As said in the story, “I mean, it (the description, as well as the girl) was more than pretty.” (3)
As the story progresses, Sammy’s attention is still focused upon the three girls, but especially the one he so vividly describes. It is interesting to see how Sammy elevates the girl in the “dirty pink-beige maybe” bathing suit, by degrading the other two girls. One girl is constantly referred to as being “fat”, and also one girl is humorously nicknamed “Big Tall Goony-Goony”; the two girls are compared to “sheep” following Queenie (the girl who has captivated Sammy) (5). As the other two girls are lowered in value, Queenie only seems to grow in beauty and importance.
A critical point of the story is when the three girls find themselves in a pickle in A&P. The manager of the store, Lengel, comes and scolds the girls for wearing such little attire in a public store. “This isn’t the beach,” Lengel says, causing Queenie to blush and feel very ashamed of herself (12). The lead girl, Queenie, says all she wanted to do was buy some snacks for her mother. But, Lengel continues to enforce this strict clothing policy, and Queenie only becomes more “ashamed” of this scolding as she tries to defend herself and her sheep. Queenie becomes extremely embarrassed, blushing the shade of a sunburn (15), of her being a part of a “scene” in the grocery store. The girls leave the store disgraced, humiliated, crushed.
The most interesting part of the story is Sammy’s reaction to this crushing blow, by the ruthless Lengel:
Lengel asks, “Did you say something, Sammy?”
“I said I quit.”(Sammy)
“I thought you did.”
“You didn’t have to embarrass them.”
Lengel tries to reconcile with Sammy, but the cash register boy is adamant—he “remembers how Lengel made that pretty girl blush, and he punches the No Sale tab, folds his apron” and walks out (30). The readers, I, respect Sammy. He is a hero. He fights for what he believes. What a man. What a man.
Wait…”I look around for my girls, but they’re gone, of course,” details Sammy. The girls, Queenie, and in fact nobody is truly there to witness Sammy’s heroic, noble act. Nobody, but the reader is there to see what has happened at this ordinary grocery store, on an ordinary day, concerning an ordinary, or rather heroic, cash-register boy. Though the fact that there are no witnesses of Sammy’s act might seem like an anticlimax, it actually makes the reader appreciate Sammy’s behavior and attitude more. I respect Sammy. What a man. What a man. (727)
Updike begins the story from Sammy’s point of view at work at a store called A&P. The story begins with the line, “In walks three girls in nothing but bathing suits.” Immediately, this sentence catches the reader’s attention: What? What are these three girls doing in only bathing suits? Where are they, what are they doing, with such little attire?
The readers keep on reading. We realize that the girls are in a grocery store, milling about, looking around at items. Sammy’s attention is really focused on the three girls. His attention though is caught by one of the three girls who stands out in particular. Sammy vividly and beautifully describes her in a “dirty pink-beige maybe” bathing suit, with her body that has the straps of her bathing suit falling off. The line, “this clean bare plane of the top of her chest down from the shoulder bones like a dented sheet of metal tilted in the light,” paints a vivid picture and really captures the reader’s imagination. The simply worded description, “She had a sort of oaky hair that the sun and salt had bleached, done up in a bun that was unraveling, and a kind of prim face,” captures the reader’s attention—the reader actually wants to find out more about her. Sammy’s, or rather Updike’s, description of this girl elevates an ordinary girl to a girl who is something really special. As said in the story, “I mean, it (the description, as well as the girl) was more than pretty.” (3)
As the story progresses, Sammy’s attention is still focused upon the three girls, but especially the one he so vividly describes. It is interesting to see how Sammy elevates the girl in the “dirty pink-beige maybe” bathing suit, by degrading the other two girls. One girl is constantly referred to as being “fat”, and also one girl is humorously nicknamed “Big Tall Goony-Goony”; the two girls are compared to “sheep” following Queenie (the girl who has captivated Sammy) (5). As the other two girls are lowered in value, Queenie only seems to grow in beauty and importance.
A critical point of the story is when the three girls find themselves in a pickle in A&P. The manager of the store, Lengel, comes and scolds the girls for wearing such little attire in a public store. “This isn’t the beach,” Lengel says, causing Queenie to blush and feel very ashamed of herself (12). The lead girl, Queenie, says all she wanted to do was buy some snacks for her mother. But, Lengel continues to enforce this strict clothing policy, and Queenie only becomes more “ashamed” of this scolding as she tries to defend herself and her sheep. Queenie becomes extremely embarrassed, blushing the shade of a sunburn (15), of her being a part of a “scene” in the grocery store. The girls leave the store disgraced, humiliated, crushed.
The most interesting part of the story is Sammy’s reaction to this crushing blow, by the ruthless Lengel:
Lengel asks, “Did you say something, Sammy?”
“I said I quit.”(Sammy)
“I thought you did.”
“You didn’t have to embarrass them.”
Lengel tries to reconcile with Sammy, but the cash register boy is adamant—he “remembers how Lengel made that pretty girl blush, and he punches the No Sale tab, folds his apron” and walks out (30). The readers, I, respect Sammy. He is a hero. He fights for what he believes. What a man. What a man.
Wait…”I look around for my girls, but they’re gone, of course,” details Sammy. The girls, Queenie, and in fact nobody is truly there to witness Sammy’s heroic, noble act. Nobody, but the reader is there to see what has happened at this ordinary grocery store, on an ordinary day, concerning an ordinary, or rather heroic, cash-register boy. Though the fact that there are no witnesses of Sammy’s act might seem like an anticlimax, it actually makes the reader appreciate Sammy’s behavior and attitude more. I respect Sammy. What a man. What a man. (727)
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Short Story Post- "Interpreter of the Maladies"
“Interpreter of the Maladies” by Jhumpa Lahiri is an amazing short story that takes place from the view of the Indian Mr. Kapasi. Lahiri’s short story helps the reader understand the differences in the values of Indians and Americans, through the help of Mr. Kapasi. The story itself is beautifully crafted, with quick progression and great conversation. To me, the most interesting part of the story is the perspective from which it is told.
Because Lahiri chooses us to look through Mr. Kapasi’s eyes in the story, many readers (including me) find this very different and almost strange. Many readers, especially in our English class, might find this perspective an interesting situation. Mr. Kapasi’s perspective shows how others (in this case Indians) view American attitudes and culture. Mr. Kapasi provides the reader with an initial description of the Das family. Though the Das family appears to be Indian, through Kapasi’s description we see that they only look it. Kapasi describes Mr. Das to be an average tourist looking man, whereas he goes into heavy detail, when describing Mrs. Das. Lahiri writes, “He (Kapasi) observed her. She wore a red-and-white checkered shirt that stopped above her knees, slip-on shoes with a square wooden heel, and a close-fitting blouse styled like a man’s undershirt.” (14). This description is funny that Kapasi describes clothes we are used to everyday in a strange manner, but we realize that from his perspective it is strange to him as an Indian.
Mr. Kapasi’s analysis of the Das family through his perspective goes deeper. As the story goes on, and Kapasi continues to observe the family, we see that the family is not Indian at all, but American. From my perspective, as an American brought up by Indian parents, the Das family is very strange. From what I have observed, Indian parents and families are extremely close and Indian parents will do anything for their children. Indian parents value and respect their children and treat them with the utmost care and kindness. But these Indian-appearing parents are the actual opposite of what I imagine as Indian parents; this example shows my perspective: (as well as Mr. Kapasi’s perspective), “Mrs. Das reached into her straw bag and pulled out a bottle of colorless nail polish, which she proceeded to stroke on the tip of her index finger.”
The little girl stuck out a hand. “Mine too. Mommy, do mine too.”
“Leave me alone,” Mrs. Das said, blowing on her nail and turning her body slightly. “You’re making me mess up.”
…Mr. and Mrs. Das behaved like an older brother and sister, not parents. It seemed that they were in charge of the children only for the day; it was hard to believe they were regularly responsible for anything other than themselves…Mrs. Das continued to polish her nails…Every now and then Tina renewed her plea that she wanted her nails done, too, and so at one point Mrs. Das flicked a drop of polish on the girl’s finger before depositing the bottle back inside her straw bag.” (33-45)
Mr. Kapasi is very surprised by this behavior, as I am when I read the story. Parents, especially Indian parents do not treat their children like this. This fact makes it obvious that the Das family, though they appear Indian, are far from being Indian. Mr. Kapasi, interestingly, would probably instead do anything for his children and would lovingly treat his own children. I am not saying that Indian parentage is the best or that American parentage is “unloving” or “lazy”, but the Das family does not exhibit typical Indian parentage. From what I have experienced, as an American Indian, Indian parents are generally more involved with their children than American parents are with their children, unlike the Das family. This comparison of more “American” and “Indian” parentage and attitudes is only possible through Mr. Kapasi’s perspective. Through Mr. Kapasi, we get to see a different angle of American parentage, something that we are so familiar with, and we start to realize the differences.
Mr. Kapasi is also very interesting in relation to Mrs. Das. It is interesting to analyze Kapasi’s attraction to Mrs. Das. It is very interesting when Kapasi is attracted to Mrs. Das and his inner feelings are revealed. It becomes clear that Kapasi is attracted to Mrs. Das physically as well as emotionally. Kapasi is not content with what he has and he wants more, through the form of Mrs. Das. It seems that Mrs. Das is fascinated with Kapasi and he begins to gain the wrong impression. Mrs. Das approaches Kapasi to tell him a burning secret, a malady. Kapasi symbolizes easing pain through words (in a medical sense), but Das sees this easing in a different way. Mrs. Das relieves her secret of her child out of wedlock to Kapasi. Kapasi instead of really easing Das makes her think, and he starts to disrespect the woman he admired so much. Kapasi really sees her for who she is, a woman who is unhappy with her life and family. A beautiful piece of symbolism is when Mrs. Das accidentally loses a piece of paper with Kapasi’s address for pictures of him and the Das family to be sent to. This symbolism shows Kapasi’s want of disconnection from the family as well as final decision that Kapasi will really remain with his Indian roots, set apart from the American Das family. (904)
Because Lahiri chooses us to look through Mr. Kapasi’s eyes in the story, many readers (including me) find this very different and almost strange. Many readers, especially in our English class, might find this perspective an interesting situation. Mr. Kapasi’s perspective shows how others (in this case Indians) view American attitudes and culture. Mr. Kapasi provides the reader with an initial description of the Das family. Though the Das family appears to be Indian, through Kapasi’s description we see that they only look it. Kapasi describes Mr. Das to be an average tourist looking man, whereas he goes into heavy detail, when describing Mrs. Das. Lahiri writes, “He (Kapasi) observed her. She wore a red-and-white checkered shirt that stopped above her knees, slip-on shoes with a square wooden heel, and a close-fitting blouse styled like a man’s undershirt.” (14). This description is funny that Kapasi describes clothes we are used to everyday in a strange manner, but we realize that from his perspective it is strange to him as an Indian.
Mr. Kapasi’s analysis of the Das family through his perspective goes deeper. As the story goes on, and Kapasi continues to observe the family, we see that the family is not Indian at all, but American. From my perspective, as an American brought up by Indian parents, the Das family is very strange. From what I have observed, Indian parents and families are extremely close and Indian parents will do anything for their children. Indian parents value and respect their children and treat them with the utmost care and kindness. But these Indian-appearing parents are the actual opposite of what I imagine as Indian parents; this example shows my perspective: (as well as Mr. Kapasi’s perspective), “Mrs. Das reached into her straw bag and pulled out a bottle of colorless nail polish, which she proceeded to stroke on the tip of her index finger.”
The little girl stuck out a hand. “Mine too. Mommy, do mine too.”
“Leave me alone,” Mrs. Das said, blowing on her nail and turning her body slightly. “You’re making me mess up.”
…Mr. and Mrs. Das behaved like an older brother and sister, not parents. It seemed that they were in charge of the children only for the day; it was hard to believe they were regularly responsible for anything other than themselves…Mrs. Das continued to polish her nails…Every now and then Tina renewed her plea that she wanted her nails done, too, and so at one point Mrs. Das flicked a drop of polish on the girl’s finger before depositing the bottle back inside her straw bag.” (33-45)
Mr. Kapasi is very surprised by this behavior, as I am when I read the story. Parents, especially Indian parents do not treat their children like this. This fact makes it obvious that the Das family, though they appear Indian, are far from being Indian. Mr. Kapasi, interestingly, would probably instead do anything for his children and would lovingly treat his own children. I am not saying that Indian parentage is the best or that American parentage is “unloving” or “lazy”, but the Das family does not exhibit typical Indian parentage. From what I have experienced, as an American Indian, Indian parents are generally more involved with their children than American parents are with their children, unlike the Das family. This comparison of more “American” and “Indian” parentage and attitudes is only possible through Mr. Kapasi’s perspective. Through Mr. Kapasi, we get to see a different angle of American parentage, something that we are so familiar with, and we start to realize the differences.
Mr. Kapasi is also very interesting in relation to Mrs. Das. It is interesting to analyze Kapasi’s attraction to Mrs. Das. It is very interesting when Kapasi is attracted to Mrs. Das and his inner feelings are revealed. It becomes clear that Kapasi is attracted to Mrs. Das physically as well as emotionally. Kapasi is not content with what he has and he wants more, through the form of Mrs. Das. It seems that Mrs. Das is fascinated with Kapasi and he begins to gain the wrong impression. Mrs. Das approaches Kapasi to tell him a burning secret, a malady. Kapasi symbolizes easing pain through words (in a medical sense), but Das sees this easing in a different way. Mrs. Das relieves her secret of her child out of wedlock to Kapasi. Kapasi instead of really easing Das makes her think, and he starts to disrespect the woman he admired so much. Kapasi really sees her for who she is, a woman who is unhappy with her life and family. A beautiful piece of symbolism is when Mrs. Das accidentally loses a piece of paper with Kapasi’s address for pictures of him and the Das family to be sent to. This symbolism shows Kapasi’s want of disconnection from the family as well as final decision that Kapasi will really remain with his Indian roots, set apart from the American Das family. (904)
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