The two stories The Shawl and Years of my Birth are completely different but have a number of things in common. They share abandonment, abuse, and characters who are willing to put others before them. These seem to be a common use in Louise Erdrich stories. They have a powerful meaning and leave the readers astonished in the end.
“The Shawl” and “The Years of My Birth” by Louise Erdrich One similarity between the two stories is the theme of abandonment of a child by its mother and a difference is that one ends on a very sad note and the other on a hopeful note. The ending of “The Shawl” is tragic and the ending of “The Years of My Birth” is hopeful as Linda has created a life for herself and moved beyond the tragedy of her earlier years. Other themes similar in both are twins and mothers are self-centered and care more about themselves than their child.
That is why he hates Blanche because she is not the same as the girls he has seen. He sees her as a threat in the sense that she will ruin the marriage between Stella and Stanley. However, he has feelings of self conscious and feels threatened because he feels like she can ruin him. He hates that Stella and Blanche were always wealthy and he feels as if they look down on him for being poor. He does not feeling submissive which is why he reacts harshly most of the time.
Stella’s sister, Blanche, sees through the illusion and can see how toxic the marriage really is. Stanley and Blanche come from distinctly different backgrounds, Stanley is from the working class while Blanche comes from wealth. Williams uses these two contrasting points of views on marriage, to show the issues of possessiveness, class, and sexism. When it comes to Stanley’s marriage to Stella, one of the most notable characteristics is how possessive Stanley is. An example of this is when Stanley found out that Blanche and therefore Stella, lost their estate.
Stella is resentful and angry. She does not try to escape the reality she is faced with but allows it to negatively affect her attitude towards her sister and her mother. For example Ozick explains “Then Stella took the shawl away and made Magda die. Afterward Stella said: ”I was cold.” And Afterward she was always cold, always.
When he is questioned by Blanche in front of his friends he throws a fit, in a way that could be interpreted into showing off for his friends. He takes his anger out on Stella and hits her. After Stella leaves with Blanche, he calls for her nonstop until she finally comes back to him. He needs Stella just as much as she needs
Stella tells Blanche “I like to wait on you, Blanche. It makes it seem more like home”(pg 93). In the poem in line 18 to 20 the speaker says “I do not live to retrieve or multiply what my father lost or gained”(Baca). We can assume that the father in the poem was enduring hardships and their child was very able to see that. The hardships were so difficult that the child doesn’t want to be at all associated with
[quote from confrontation]. Equally detrimental is the situation of Stella, who is forced to stand for her alcoholic sister Blanche, out of compassion for who she once
(Ozick). Stella is jealous of the protection Magda receives concealed in the shawl, and makes the choice to take it to help her survive with no remorse. The shawl even saves Rosa when she uses it to stifle the screams and control her impulse to run after Magda as she was killed, an action that would have surely resulted in her own
In A streetcar named Desire, Stella is associated to this stereotypic role, she is an innocent woman and housewife who takes care of her husband by loving him in an outrageous way. Even if Stanley is hitting her, she still loves him. Whereas Blanche acts like a seductress, at first sight she seems to be pure by wearing a “daintily dressed in a white suit with a fluffy bodice” (Williams 3). In reality the authors gives a false impression of her in order to affirm that stereotypes or first impression are not always true. Indeed, after several scenes Blanche uses her power of seduction in order to manipulate men and reach her objectives.
When Blanche first comes to Stella’s house, she firmly demands Stella to “turn the over-light off!” as she cannot “be looked at in [the] merciless glare” (Williams 11). Although the light seems harsh, Blanche acts hardhearted and pitiless and could possibly be seeing herself in the glare. Blanche “cannot tolerate being seen in bright light” because she is “hypersensitive to her declining physical beauty” (Adler 30). In attempts to protect her own image, she buys a paper lantern to cover the harsh light in Stanley and Stella’s bedroom; Blanche’s mental state is “as fragile” as the paper lantern that protects her from her own reality (Adler 30).
It also highlights Stella’s submissive nature, and how she conforms to the sexist societal expectations of a helpless and fragile woman. Although the surrounding male characters disregard Stanley’s abuse, the audience is repulsed by it and identifies it as morally wrong. This shows how Williams is criticising the acceptance of this abusive behaviour in society, using Stella’s dilemma as a victim to plea for a change. Stanley is even abusive when displaying his
Stella is a prime example for this case as she constantly shifts her loyalty between Blanche and Stanley throughout the play. Scene 11 is the pivotal scene where Stella makes the final decision as to who to side with. The dialogue “I couldn’t believe her story and go on living with Stanley” suggests she believes Blanche’s story to some extent but is consciously choosing to think Blanche is lying in order to live peacefully with Stanley. Stella’s choice is symbolic of relationships which are made to conserve an individual’s existence. She carries a seed of doubt towards her husband however in order for her to survive especially when she bears a baby, Stella chooses Stanley, hence sustaining her placid lifestyle.
Stanley thought money was going to fix the issue. Blanche still continued to get into Stellas head about him but she wasn’t trying to hear it. Blanches independency was what created space between her and Stella because of their opposite views on situations. And due to that fact, Stella saw Blanche as a judgemental
In the short story “Everyday Use,” Alice Walker shows the conflicts and struggles with people of the African-American culture in America. The author focuses on the members of the Johnson family, who are the main characters. In the family there are 2 daughters and a mother. The first daughter is named Maggie, who had been injured in a house fire has been living with her mom. Her older sister is Dee, who grew up with natural beauty wanted to have a better life than her mother and sister.
