Walker's Short Story 'Everyday Use'
Fiction Essays
Introduction to Literature Class
Professor Lay
Fall 2009
Saint Louis Christian College
1
Fiction Essays
2
Table of Contents
1
Everyday Use
Victoria Mallory
3
2
The Swimmer
Scott Worley
8
3
Bartleby, the Scrivener
Nathan Diveley
13
4
The Open Boat
Megan Sabourin
18
5
Bartleby, the Scrivener
Michael Womble
23
6
Everyday Use
Jessica Diveley
28
7
Separating
Laura Hocking
33
8
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Jessica Wieneman
38
9
Omelas
Jimmy Woods
42
10
Gimpel the Fool
Jimi Raffety
47
11
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Julie Outlaw
53
12
The Lady with the …show more content…
She traced the absurd actions of the southern black peasant women, such as Ms. Johnson, the guardian of southern black culture in this particular story.
In my examination of Walker‘s short story Everyday Use, I noticed several profound things in the beginning of the story. Walker starts by introducing the characters in a very descriptive way. The very first line of the story is the forerunner of the entire story. It shows the characters
Maggie and her mother preparing the ―atmosphere‖ for a certain daughter and or sister. A daughter who the story describes Maggie as saying that she has never had the knowledge of the word ―no.‖ Maggie believes that her sister has ―held life in the palm of her hand.‖ It is very interesting that the story does not show Maggie and the mother of both young ladies cleaning the house, but the front yard which is described as being like an ―extended room‖ to the house. This is interesting because it shows that the women are trying to ―fix‖ the very appearance of the house where this certain daughter once resided, before prestige of course! Although there are
Fiction …show more content…
Melville is showing that the goal and what men are striving for is to be among the rich in every aspect of life and anything outside of that is really nothing. Melville shows through the lawyer how powerful he thinks money is by trying to pay Bartleby to leave, and shows through Bartleby that money is not so important by placing the money in his handkerchief. The view of ―wallstreet‖ can be seen in the two main characters as the lawyer works with the economy by saying
―the easiest way of life is better‖, while Bartleby is saying ―I prefer not to‖(Melville600, 606). We see toward the end of the story that Bartleby has already been victim of this economy by stating
―he had been suddenly removed by a change in the administration.‖ (Melville 625). It was best said like this about the role of capitalism, ―The story 's omnipresent walls—the Wall Street setting, the tall brick buildings surrounding the office, the folding glass doors and portable screen that divide the office internally, and finally the prison walls—serve as symbols of the growing division between employer and employee and between the capitalist and
Introduction to Literature Class
Professor Lay
Fall 2009
Saint Louis Christian College
1
Fiction Essays
2
Table of Contents
1
Everyday Use
Victoria Mallory
3
2
The Swimmer
Scott Worley
8
3
Bartleby, the Scrivener
Nathan Diveley
13
4
The Open Boat
Megan Sabourin
18
5
Bartleby, the Scrivener
Michael Womble
23
6
Everyday Use
Jessica Diveley
28
7
Separating
Laura Hocking
33
8
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Jessica Wieneman
38
9
Omelas
Jimmy Woods
42
10
Gimpel the Fool
Jimi Raffety
47
11
Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Julie Outlaw
53
12
The Lady with the …show more content…
She traced the absurd actions of the southern black peasant women, such as Ms. Johnson, the guardian of southern black culture in this particular story.
In my examination of Walker‘s short story Everyday Use, I noticed several profound things in the beginning of the story. Walker starts by introducing the characters in a very descriptive way. The very first line of the story is the forerunner of the entire story. It shows the characters
Maggie and her mother preparing the ―atmosphere‖ for a certain daughter and or sister. A daughter who the story describes Maggie as saying that she has never had the knowledge of the word ―no.‖ Maggie believes that her sister has ―held life in the palm of her hand.‖ It is very interesting that the story does not show Maggie and the mother of both young ladies cleaning the house, but the front yard which is described as being like an ―extended room‖ to the house. This is interesting because it shows that the women are trying to ―fix‖ the very appearance of the house where this certain daughter once resided, before prestige of course! Although there are
Fiction …show more content…
Melville is showing that the goal and what men are striving for is to be among the rich in every aspect of life and anything outside of that is really nothing. Melville shows through the lawyer how powerful he thinks money is by trying to pay Bartleby to leave, and shows through Bartleby that money is not so important by placing the money in his handkerchief. The view of ―wallstreet‖ can be seen in the two main characters as the lawyer works with the economy by saying
―the easiest way of life is better‖, while Bartleby is saying ―I prefer not to‖(Melville600, 606). We see toward the end of the story that Bartleby has already been victim of this economy by stating
―he had been suddenly removed by a change in the administration.‖ (Melville 625). It was best said like this about the role of capitalism, ―The story 's omnipresent walls—the Wall Street setting, the tall brick buildings surrounding the office, the folding glass doors and portable screen that divide the office internally, and finally the prison walls—serve as symbols of the growing division between employer and employee and between the capitalist and