Motivation In The Glass Roses By Alden Nowlan

Throughout one's life, there are many decisions to be made. In retrospect, some decisions, such as what to wear in the morning, can seem trivial. On the other hand, there are more extensive decisions that impact the rest of one's life. With these decisions, people tend to base their conclusions on what motivates them. When an individual finds someone with similar beliefs and values, it can take away from expectations set by one's parents, create a different path that was not anticipated and construct a more meaningful life. Alden Nowlan investigates the idea of how other people can impact one's motivation in his short story, "The Glass Roses''. In this short story, a dynamic character named Stephen struggles with his self-view between his

The story shows how the impact of motivations created by others influenced Stephen's way of thinking. Additionally, Stephen's conflict of motivations between what he desires for himself and what his father desires for him was affected when he met Leka.

During the duration of one's life, standards and criteria are set up by their parents. When one is growing up their parents motivate them and guide them to become the best version of themselves. This version of themselves is set up by the parent's beliefs and values. When one is trying to hold up to these expectations they find themselves in a hard situation, as these standards might not meet up to the person they are. Sometimes one does not meet the expectations that were important to their parents. In this short story, Stephen's father has had a consequential influence on his life. This is due to his father having strong values and beliefs about how his son should live his life. Stephen's father was the "huskiest of the most solemn", and was the foreman of the pulp-cutting crew. He had "Ox-like shoulders" and expected that

Communication can be used as a way to learn about others, provide information, and express ideas. In this short story, the pulp cutters used non-verbal and visual communication, such as playing cards. The cards are a game that illustrates how high each pulp cutter is in their society. The pulp cutters are competing with each other to determine who is on top. Whoever wins the card game is the best pulp cutter, as they cut down the most trees. They are competing to motivate each other and create competition to see how one fits in their society. Stephen and Leka do not participate in the card games, Stephen states “their card playing was serious and purposeful”. The author is suggesting that Stephen feels like he is not a part of the pulp cutter's society because he does not meet the expectations and does not contribute as much as they do. In contrast, Leka and Stephen communicate verbally. Leka is from Ukraine, and initially, he took on a different role in society, as he was fighting for his country in World War II. Leka escaped from the war in hopes of finding freedom, work, and peace. Leka has lost his home and his family and is trying to begin over in life. The name Leka means "a protector and defender of the people". The author might have picked this name as Leka ultimately guides Stephan to the man he wants to be because he is protecting him