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Summary Of The Glass Roses By Alden Nowlan

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Self discovery is an essential part of people's lives; it is ongoing and is never truly finished. It is more important to discover oneself than it is to be pushed into something. In the short story The Glass Roses by Alden Nowlan, the author establishes thoughts on self-discovery, and how it is vital to discover one’s self and not get pressured into a role that everyone wants because of what they believe is the right thing.This is shown through the relationship between Stephen and his father, and by Leka showing Stephen a new side of being a man. Stephen’s father wants him to be like all the other men at the camp, and he almost wants a relationship with his father, but the relationship they have is built on fear. Stephen is always on edge …show more content…

Leka starts trying to given Stephen advice about life, and it makes Stephen angry because he is trying to fit the mold. Leka apologies to Stephen for making him angry and gives him a shock.“Stephen blinked and looked away. in his world, men did not tender apologies” Stephen has been taught that men do not apologize or show emotion, and Leka just apologized to him. It makes Stephen almost uncomfortable, unsure of what to do. Leka grew up in Ukraine, so he has seen more of the world than Stephen has. This is how Leka gets Stephen to start thinking about other possibilities that he has and what he could do with his life than just be a lumberjack, “I’d like to see Poland and France and Italy. I’d like-” but reality always pulls him back. Stephen starts to explore other possibilities for his life, but he knows that it could never happen. Stephen gets introduced to words like “beautiful.” He was always taught that men do not use those words. Leka tells Stephen stories of glass roses and how they broke. The glass roses are a symbol of Stephen and how fragile he is. He starts to see that there is another way to act; he starts to challenge what he has been raised to think. Stephen apologizes to Leka but is unsure of how he feels about it. “He flushed, feeling childish nand ludicrous, wishing he had kept his mouth shut.” He still thinks that men should not apologize,

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