Review #2- Summer, With Twins

Rebecca Curtis’s Summer, With Twins is a short story centered around four women waitressing at an expensive restaurant in order to afford what each considers a “necessity” for herself. The story revolves around an average college student working alongside two spoiled and insensitive twins along with a middle-aged struggling single mother. Throughout the course of the story, the reader cannot seem to understand why the narrator spends so much time with the twins and why she strives to please them. If anything, they are condescending, arrogant, self-obsessed, and all in all, bad friends. I really liked the story because of the underlying theme that bad things sometimes happen to good people; however, were there really any good people in this story? This prompt got me thinking and I am confident that I could expand on it and craft together a pretty good essay. I will keep reading but this story is definitely an option for the final essay (159).

Review #1- The Scent of Cinnamon

I just finished reading Charles Lambert’s The Scent of Cinnamon, and overall, I am pretty pleased. The story begins with the blossoming love story of two strangers, Joseph Broderick and Miriam Payne. Interestingly enough, the reader is taken a bit off guard when the preface of a romantic story meshes with that of a ghost story. Lambert is able to balance both aspects of his writing very well, and upon first read, the reader hardly picks up on many of the more chilling aspects of the story and instead focuses on the romance. In the end, I was thoroughly spooked but still found myself smiling; therefore, I think Lambert achieved his dual-purpose of invoking awe and fear from readers. Overall, the story kept me thinking about it long after I had put it down. The concept of everlasting love, the discrepancy between what is happening and what isn’t, the vivid descriptions, and even the theme of forgotten friendship are all viable routes that my future essay may take. I would definitely consider this as an ideal short story for my final essay, but I will keep reading in case something else comes up (194).

Breaking Down and Breaking Free

Charlotte Perkins Gillman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” is one of the most haunting pieces of feminist literature that I have ever read. At the surface, the piece is a dark tale about the horrors of insanity; however, what Gillman subliminally stresses is the notion of being a prisoner in marriage. The story takes us along the shocking reality of what it was like to be a woman in the early 19th century, and we see the narrator’s breakdown through her own eyes by means of her journal entries. The loving bias she writes of when she refers to her “very careful and loving” John is revolting to the reader, as he or she is able to see him as the patronizing and obsessive husband that he is (425). Throughout the course of the story, the narrator complains about her inability to live her own life, but instead of ever placing the blame on John and his rules, she has been brainwashed into believing that she has a nervous condition that puts her at fault for her unhappiness. The entries are full of dramatic irony, as the naïve narrator is unable to see her subjugation as what it really is.

The narrator does not complain so much about being locked in the room, but it is the room itself that she dislikes. She comments on the dullness of the decor, the strange and intriguing pattern on the walls, and the “repellent, almost revolting” yellow wallpaper (426). Not only is the room ugly, but it also resembles a prison as the previous owners have barred the windows and there is a gate with which John can control her access to the rest of the house. When she asks her husband why they cannot sleep in the lovely room downstairs, he dismisses her without another word and maintains that he knows best. This sort of behavior may seem doting and caring in her eyes, but to the reader, his actions are condescending and controlling.

It is enough that John has her locked away in an unpleasant, dirty, and disturbing upstairs room, but the story goes far beyond the physical constraints in her life. What causes her ultimate deterioration is her inability to think for herself. In many ways, she lives her life acting like a timid child afraid of the wrath of her father. Although she finds her only solace in writing, she fears doing so in front of John because of his disapproval. Not only is he against her expressing her thoughts, but several times throughout the story he also urges her to refrain from using her imagination at all. He believes that exerting her mind will only worsen her condition. She tries to force herself to believe that she is happy despite the utter lack of control in all aspects of her life. Whenever she has a desire it is perceived as ludicrous, whenever she wants to express herself she can only confide in her journal, and whenever she feels unhappy, she is led to believe it is her “nervous condition” acting up again. Although a fully-grown adult woman, the narrator resembles a child in her ignorance of her husband’s inexcusable behavior and in her complete faith that he only cares for her best interest.

Inevitably, the narrator falls into the clutches of insanity. Despite John’s constant nagging that thinking and dreaming would only worsen her health, her ultimate downfall comes from the repression of her mind. She begins suffering from hallucinations as she sees women trapped inside the yellow wallpaper, attempting all possible means to escape their torturous dooms. Within these repressed women, she sees reflections of herself, and by the end of the story, it is as if she and the women in the wallpaper have all merged into one. Finally, while peeling off the grungy wallpaper, she feels liberated, and despite her insanity, she is able to conjure up the courage to directly accuse John for her prisoner-like lifestyle. It becomes clear that the disgusting wallpaper is symbolic of the chains with which her husband controls her, and only once she peels it off is she able to psychologically break free and become more than merely a face behind a formless pattern (703).

Obadiah's Back

To many, the title “Parker’s Back” is interpreted to mean that the entire story will literally be about his back; however, when I was reading the story, I noticed the author’s play on words in choosing this title to mean something deeper. The text is more about a return of a former-self as opposed to an intense tattoo, but instead of the title “Parker’s Back,” I feel that a more appropriate title would be “Obadiah’s Back.” The entire story revolves around one man’s earnest search for an identity. He desperately wants a sense of self, a sense of who he truly is underneath the tattoo artist’s pen, but he spends his entire life growing away from the identity he was born with. Parker is unable to embrace his true self and unknowingly, continues to wander about looking for something which he has possessed all along. Although he goes by Parker, the name he was born with is something else, something he hates being called by. He uses any means possible to avoid explaining what the initials “O.E.” stand for, and when he finally says his name out loud, he makes sure it is in a whisper so that others won’t hear. In many ways, it is his biggest secret, but why? What about the name is so dreadful for him? I think it is just the fear of acknowledging his subservience to God. He only trusts his hidden identity to the woman he falls in love with, and for the entire course of the story, she is the only character who knows that he is really Obadiah Elihu, and not Parker. In many ways, Parker himself does not know that the lost identity he is searching for is simply Obadiah. Then, one day, due to a near-death experience, he decides that there must be a gargantuan change in his life. He becomes maniacal in his desperate attempts to find identity, running away from home without informing his wife and proceeding to decide that another tattoo is a necessity. After impulsively having the haunting eyes of Jesus dyed into his back, he attempts to return to his former life and finally goes home. The door is locked and when his wife asks who is there, he strangely responds “Obadiah.” After making such a fuss about the name and swearing to only go by “Parker,” he is suddenly able to embrace his real name, his real identity. There is no more hiding behind tattoos; finally, Parker finds himself. The way that the story is written indicates that his identity finds him, and not the other way around. He does not even realize strangeness in referring to himself as Obadiah instead of Parker, and does not register that he is a changed man. At the end of the story, Parker is no longer the character that was introduced to us in the beginning of the piece; instead, he is transformed back into the religious and God-fearing Obadiah. In the end, I think that the title “Obadiah’s Back” indicates a return of a former self which was lost in the turbulence of growing up (521).

Amanda's Role in Teenage Wasteland

It has always been my belief that what is not stated in a piece of literature is often more important than what is stated. I make it a point to focus on the subtle hints that an author drops throughout the story, hints which others may overlook. In Anne Tyler’s Teenage Wasteland, I think that the most important character, more so than Donny, Daisy, and Cal, is Amanda. At first glance, this may seem odd; however, the entire story can practically be told through the brief encounters that the reader has with Amanda. The entirety of the short story is dedicated to a parent’s asking herself, “What went wrong?” Daisy seems to try everything she can, but no matter what, her efforts with her rebellious son Donny are fruitless and she loses him forever when he runs away. Several of my peers argued that she did indeed try everything she could and that Donny’s demeanor was not her fault, but I disagree. There is a “too late” point for everything, and Daisy had undoubtedly reached hers long before. Not until Donny begins getting himself into trouble does she attempt to seek help, but how did he become like that in the first place? A troubled adolescence is almost always linked to a troubled childhood, and a troubled childhood usually finds its roots in an ignored youth. Daisy is unable to find enough time to devote the full attention that each of her children needs and deserves. When Amanda wants to discuss the happenings of her day, her preoccupied mother neglects her. To some, Daisy was merely tired and it was not a big deal that she told Amanda that she would listen another time, but for me, I saw it as strong clue as to what Daisy was like to Donny as a child. We are only shown Daisy as a struggling mother, but through her encounters with Amanda, we see Daisy as a young mother. Later, Daisy and her husband abandon Amanda during dessert, leaving her to finish eating and cleaning up on her own. To a child, such actions can seem incredibly heartbreaking, and so begins the child’s alienation from the family. Which child would chose to spend time with a family that can never seem to make time for him or her? It seems ludicrous that Daisy does not blame herself for the way both her children end up. Near the conclusion of the story, we learn that Amanda chooses to stay away from home as much as possible. Again, we are shown Daisy’s failure as a parent. Had she only spent more time with her daughter and not treated her as a second priority to Donny, perhaps at least one of her children would have grown up with the proper parenting necessary for a healthy lifestyle. But alas, Daisy seems never to learn from her mistakes, and through Amanda, we see that she is intent upon repeating them even while her folly, as symbolized by Donny, is staring her right in the face. In conclusion, Amanda’s small but powerful role is an extremely effective tool in providing insight into Daisy’s true parenting. Many see her actions with Donny as worthy tries and good attempts, but had she only tried harder during Donny’s youth, she would never have the problems in the first place. Daisy seeks others to throw the accountability on for Donny’s disappearing, but whom will she blame for Amanda’s abandonment for the family? Again, Daisy reaches her “too late” point and there is no one to blame but herself (596).

11 Books That Have Stuck With Me

1. Macbeth- William Shakespeare. Although technically a play and not a book, Shakespeare’s Macbeth instantly popped into my mind when this blog was assigned. For the longest time I had been under the impression that Shakespeare’s work was nothing but wordy nonsense, but upon reading Macbeth, I found it to be remarkable I have since been in love with Shakespeare’s work.

2. A Thousand Splendid Suns- Khaled Hosseini. This book touches upon the subject of love better than any other I have read before. I completed it in a single sitting because of the emotional surges I felt throughout the novel, and I finished wishing that the beautiful story of love would go on longer.

3. The Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold. It is a wonderfully touching tale about love and moving on and it made me cry more than any other book I have ever read.

4. The Namesake- Jhumpa Lahiri. It focuses on an Indian youth settled in America and torn between two cultures, and therefore, I find it very easy to relate to. Adjusting to a new culture while retaining the old culture’s values can be hard, and this book captures that struggle perfectly.

5. The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald. I loved the way Fitzgerald painted a vivid picture of the “roaring twenties” and all the culture which surrounded that era.

6. Ramona and Her Mother- Beverly Cleary. Cleary’s Ramona series was my favorite during my youth and to this day, I often find myself revisiting my childhood by curling up with the one that I loved the most, Ramona and Her Mother.

7. Flowers for Algernon- Daniel Keyes. I first picked this book up as a fourth grader, and in many ways, it was the first “adult” book I had ever read. At the time, the brief sex scene seemed exceedingly inappropriate and I was unable to understand many of the book’s deeper themes, and so, I have always remembered this as my first mature read.

8. This Pen for Hire- Laura Levine. Levine’s novel is a light and fun read and probably the funniest that I have ever read. I love the quirky heroine whose imperfections make her all the more loveable.

9. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan- Lisa See. It seamlessly incorporates the brutality of traditional Chinese culture with a soft story about a secret friendship. It provided me with global insight into a culture I knew little about.

10. The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini. An unforgettable story about redemption and regret that has always haunted me with its ending that brings the story to a complete 180 degree finish. It had the most well-written ending to a story that I have ever encountered.

11. Gone With the Wind- Margaret Mitchell. I loved the way in which Mitchell develops the main character, Scarlett O’Hara. She is selfish, overconfident, and manipulative throughout the whole book but she is also one of the strongest and most memorable female icons I have encountered in a piece of literature (503).

Summer Reading- A Thousand Splendid Suns

This summer I set a goal for myself by vowing to read a minimum of ten books, and with the backdrop of a lazy summer morning, I found this feat easily accomplished. Among my favorite novels I read were Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, Sidney Sheldon’s Tell Me Your Dreams, Elizabeth Gilbert’s Eat, Pray, Love, Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones and Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

Very rarely do I chance upon a book that I am unable to put down. It is not because I am quick to judge a piece of literature and therefore find it inadequate, nor is it that I am difficult to please when it comes to reading; no, it is merely that I am often unable to directly relate to a novel’s central characters, and therefore, lose interest quickly. However, upon completing Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns, I was immediately overwhelmed by the depth with which I was affected by the text, so much so, that I was able to complete it in a single sitting. At the surface, it may seem odd that such a book would find itself drawing parallels to my own life, as it is centered around two emotionally and physically abused Afghani women who are forced to lead lives subservient to their despicable husband. Almost every chapter of the book brought about new upheavals for the heroines and nearly every page was filled with more tragedy and heartache. There were even numerous occurrences throughout the read where I found myself smudging the text with my own tears. To those reading the synopsis of the book, it may appear horrifically depressing and unpleasant, and, to a great extent, it is; however, if one is able to analyze past the gore and grief, and read deeper into Hosseini’s intentions, he or she would probably find the book as remarkably relatable as I did.

While it is true that I am neither abused nor a suffering Afghani wife, the words of Hosseini’s unforgettable piece of writing seethe with unstated deeper meaning. The underlying themes of hope, courage, friendship, inner strength, and freedom were what touched me the most.

I believe that the theme of friendship, or more specifically, sisterhood, is what kept me most enveloped. When both women first encounter one another, the reception is cold and neither is welcoming toward the other. One of the women is beautiful but the other is ugly, one is from a privileged background, the other is from the slums of Afghanistan, one has grown up surrounded by love, and the other has known nothing but rejection; essentially, the two women could not be more different. Still, in the harsh and unforgiving life the two of them lead, both begin to accept the other and realize that they need one another. Slowly but surely, the two build an inseparable bond, very much akin to the bond of sisterhood. While one of the characters uncovers her long-lost lover and finds that the embers of their love have been reignited, the reader is still much more interested in the sisterly love between the two women. Finally, the women prove the strength of their love when one sacrifices her life for the other.  It is the most emotionally charged moment in the book, and amidst all of the tragedy, the reader is left with a sense of true admiration at the ultimate sacrifice of love.

In the end, I think that it was one of the most remarkable stories I have ever read.  Despite the heart-rending tale, the glimmer of hope never fades away, and eventually, with the help of love, inner strength, and courage, both women find themselves liberated because of the emotional strength they provided for one another (632).