ipl-logo

Childhood Trauma Cordelia

1263 Words6 Pages

Cordelia is one of Elaine’s school friends whom she meets after she returns from a summer vacation. In “A Study of Childhood Trauma”, Anna Lloyd argues that Cordelia indeed is a victim of an abusive family structure. Cordelia belongs to the upper class family and her house is ornamented in ways unfamiliar to Elaine for the reason that, not only her house is larger than her friends’ houses but the colors inside are light and welcoming as well. Cordelia’s mother also buys flowers to put in the Swedish vases; a habit that is unusual to Elaine. Moreover, Cordelia mentioned several times that they have a cleaning lady referred to as “the woman”. When it comes to her sisters, Cordelia has two older sisters, Perdita and Miranda, or Perdie and Mirrie …show more content…

In addition, she is also well-informed with how to behave when in the company of girls. These social skills allow her to become the leader of the group of friends, as well as the inciter of the bullying of Elaine (Lloyd 14). Elaine becomes a scapegoat for her friends who abuse her and Cordelia in particular. The trio of Carol, Grace and Cordelia constantly criticizes Elaine for her shortcomings and dominates her with the excuse of improving her manners and personality. Pavla Chudějová in “Exploring the women’s experience” states that since Cordelia cannot compare to her attractive and talented older sisters, she makes great effort to keep up appearances in fear of being considered “disappointing” (Cat’s Eye 73). As Cordelia cannot adjust to the social expectations required in her family and in attempt to liberate herself from the constant surveillance performed over her, she refocuses her gaze to Elaine. Elaine presents an easy outlet for Cordelia’s frustrations because she is completely unaware of gender restrictions (43-44). As noted earlier, two events demonstrate Cordelia’s cruel treatment of Elaine. The first incident occurs when she digs a hole in her backyard and the three girls bury Elaine alive in it. While the second event happens as Cordelia throws Elaine’s hat into the ravine and forces her to bring it. Later on, Cordelia attends a private school but is expelled for making an indecent drawing. Cordelia in high school rejoins Elaine but she pays little attention to her schoolwork and takes to shoplifting small items from stores, for instance tubes of lipstick. When Elaine meets Cordelia as an adult, Cordelia remembers the hole and claims that her aim was never to bury Elaine. Cordelia states

Show More
Related
189 Words | 1 Pages

In the short story “Lysandra’s Poem”, by Budge Wilson, Lysandra is justified in taking revenge on Elaine. This is because Elaine was never a good friend to begin with. Elaine mentions that Lysandra was always made fun of as a child, being given the nickname “Pigeon-Toed Cochrane”. Elaine had never stood up for Lysandra, not even once. If they truly were best friends, Elaine would have tried to stand up for Lysandra.

Read More
686 Words | 3 Pages

She creates stories and makes assumptions. She also prefers to talk, not listen. For example, when Beth and Calvin go to play golf, Calvin tells Beth that Conrad “needs to know that you don’t hate him”. She gets defensive immediately and starts to accuse Conrad of telling lies to his father, convinced that Conrad is against her. She shows signs of violence, including labeling Instead, she should control her stories and presume that people are basically good.

Read More
1790 Words | 8 Pages

Gibbons combines these elements with sensory imagery described by Ellen to further capture the reader’s attention and to make them relate and empathize with every situation Ellen describes. Gibbons subtly added her opinion on sensitive topics through the main character of Ellen Foster. She mentioned several different types of abuse in her book. The main character, Ellen, experienced this abuse and witnessed the way it affected a loved one. Ellen grew up knowing abuse was not normal, but thought the way her abuser lived was.

Read More
1548 Words | 7 Pages

(Gibbons 98) Ellen has now set a goal for herself, she wants the foster mother to take her in, she will do anything to impress her, by showing how well behaved and clean she is. She is going to try her best. Comparatively children her age would not be worrying about dressing the best, and acting the most well behaved, because they have their parents to take care of them, but this is a huge deal for Ellen because it will make a big difference of how she will live. This puts Ellen ahead of the rest of her peers.

Read More
825 Words | 4 Pages

Edna fully understands that society would brand her as a terrible woman, but she does not view herself as a bad person. There is an external and internal difference that Edna hopes to one day reconcile. Chopin, instead of creating tension within Edna, created tension within the society and Edna with her newfound independence does not mind how society classifies her. Decisively, it can be concluded that the tension between outward conformity and inward questioning builds the meaning of the novel by examining Edna’s role as a wife, mother, and as nontraditional woman in the traditional Victorian period.

Read More
849 Words | 4 Pages

Edna tries to satisfy this desire by taking part in an adulterous affair with Alcee Arobin, a known playboy. However, this relationship doesn’t satisfy Edna’s wish for companionship as she uses Alcee only to satisfy her sexual desires. This all changes once Edna meets Robert Lebrun, who invokes a sense of excitement and love in Edna. Edna sees her relationship with Robert as her only chance to gain freedom from the confines of society; additionally Robert gives Edna the chance to have a fulfilling relationship as opposed to her loveless one with Leonce. Although the two are deeply in love with one another, Robert is unable to reciprocate Edna’s desires to be together.

Read More
835 Words | 4 Pages

Most of the information, beliefs, and life skills that one gains in life is gathered during the early years of life. Also during this time, one develops and grows to become the person they will be. Ellen’s childhood forced her be become independent, as well as view herself and others differently as she matured. Ellen’s independence was a result of her lack of a parent figure in her early years of life. She was given the tasks of learning on her own and doing things considered more mature, such as taking care of herself and paying bills, something that one normally is not tasked with until they have grown up.

Read More
1208 Words | 5 Pages

It is heavily demonstrated that women are reliant on men when O'Connor describes how the Grandmother lives, “Bailey was the son she lived with, her only boy” (O’Connor). This suggests that because the Grandmother seems to

Read More
558 Words | 3 Pages

In the plays Trifles and A Doll House the reader can see the portrayal of a male society and the way women are where dominated and abused by their husband in the nineteenth century. In A Doll House Nora’s Husband Treats her as if she is and absent minds doll wife that is incapable of thinking for herself. In Trifles Mrs. wright is a woman that have been oppressed and abuse by her husband for so many year that she need to escape one way or another. The woman in the play both took steps to gain there independence in society by any means

Read More
709 Words | 3 Pages

In “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates, both female protagonists are faced with opposing male forces that seek to control, undermine and take advantage of them. However, in the midst of the challenges and subordination they face from these dominant male figures, each protagonists independence is tested as they both strive to overcome these forces. Connie, the protagonist in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” is a 15 year old, narcissistic teenage girl, searching for independence through her sexuality as she enters into the realm of adulthood. “Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home,” (Oates, 1).

Read More
1124 Words | 5 Pages

Edna lives in a very male dominated society. Any orders given by the husband wouldn’t dare to be challenged by the wife. Edna has given Leonce that same sort of respect until “her will had blazed up, stubborn and resistant” (Chopin 31). She reaches a point where her influences are pulling her to resist Leonce and follow her own inhibition. Edna’s emotions stir in response to Leonce and she “wondered if her husband had ever spoken to her like that before, and if she had submitted to his command” (Chopin 31).

Read More
624 Words | 3 Pages

As an American basically we are entitled to an academic education. This aspect of being an American is frequently taken for granted. There are some countries where an education is viewed as a luxury. Growing up in this world one needs more than an academic education. One also needs the opportunity to be taught how to deal with life as a whole.

Read More
324 Words | 2 Pages

On her return trip from visiting her husband at the Tombs, Evelyn Nesbit notices that none of the usual reporters follow her car. She takes advantage of this opportunity to explore the city a bit; her driver takes her to the Lower East Side, where she becomes enchanted with a little girl in a pinafore, and demands that the chauffeur stop in the street. As she approaches the girl, she realizes that a piece of clothesline attached at the girl's wrist connects her to an old man's waist. A silhouette artist, Tateh, produces a silhouette for Evelyn Nesbit. He answers her concerns about the clothesline by explaining to her that many children are stolen from their parents and subsequently sold as slaves.

Read More
1668 Words | 7 Pages

Elaine pointed angrily at me then at the stairs and mouthed “NOW”. I jogged up the stairs with Elaine still staring daggers at me as she followed at my heels when we got up to the attic Chiron, our centaur trainer, in full white stallion form, he had leather armor on his human half, a quiver full of arrows was strapped to his back, a bow in one hand a sword in the other. Sitting in front of him was Rachel Dare, she was trimming her nails with a dagger, a sword sat strapped on her left “ahem, Rachel they're here” Rachel perked up and tilted her head to the left to see us, her red curly hair flopped down in a big bun, her face looked like Kim Jong Un dropped an atomic bomb full of freckles on her face besides that her other features are totally american. She smiled a twisted smile at us and waved, Chiron turned around and looked at us “ah, there's something we need to talk about, all three of us” he said in his soft voice “ there’s four of us” Elaine said, “um I-ghlgd” Rachel was barely able to spit out the last words when Chiron kicked her in her face, she fell back into the old oracle’s throne and the

Read More
280 Words | 2 Pages

The emotional ,social and physical development of young children has an effect on their overall development and on the adult they will become. Sigmund Freud indicated how disruptions in stages of development may relate to current problems in adult hood for example :Trauma at an early stage in life may effectively prevent natural development through that stage this may then have a knock on effect in future stages causing development or learning problems for an adult . It is a positive thing for a client to recognise that certain childhood experiences may have prevented or halted their natural development ,since it provides a rational blame free explanation .If trauma does occur in childhood and problems arise because of that trauma then this

Read More

More about Childhood Trauma Cordelia

Related Topics

Open Document