Literature- Short Stories

Compare the three stories "It was a big black hearse-like automobile." "It was an old spring wagon, with a round canvas top on it like the corner of a prairie schooner" "It was an open jalopy, painted a bright gold that caught the sun opaquely."

-these all provide suspicion towards each story. Which is sort of like the spark to the main plots. Each of these vehicles lead to a sketchy, sexual, or disturbing situation that effects each character emotionally or physically. This represents the theme of controlling the outcomes of the situation. If these suspicious cars or characters had not elevated the stories point, the outcomes and thematic values would not be so important

Name the 4 short stories

1. Cather's "Paul's case" 2. Oates's "Where are you going, where have you been" 3. O'Connor's "A good man is hard to find" 4. Steinbeck's "The Chrysanthemums"

Harry Allen

A character in the chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck the husband of Elisa Allen.

the tinkerer

A character in the chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck, he is a man who drives a wagon around the country fixing pots and pans and stuff. Elisa gives him a pot of chrysanthemums something that she truly cares about and she sees later that he threw them out on the side of the road, that is the reason that she really has a break down.

"Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home; her walk that could be childlike and bobbing or languid enough to make anyone think she was hearing music in her head" "He was always smiling, always glancing about him, seeming to feel that people might be watching him and trying to detect something. This conscious expression, since it was as far as possible from boyish mirthfulness, was unusually attributed to insolence..."

Paul and Connie both have two sides to their personalities. In other people's eyes they are thougt of as teenagers going through a weird or troubled phase. They couldn't even guess that Connie was constantly dreaming of sex and romance, or that Paul was a feminine like boy who happens to be homosexual. Each of these characters have personalities that are trapped behind the walls of what they want people to see. It is through music where in each Story felt. Music symbolizes the releasing of their true emotional characteristics.

Cordelia Street

Paul feels he is not a part of this "community". He feels it is a fake town that is so boring because every thing is the same and perfect, which he is not

Carnegie Hall

Paul feels himself through the music. It is the only place where he is free to feel like himself without feeling isolated

Red Carnations

Pauls individuality and why he is isolated because he is different

"The thing in the corner"

Pauls individuality or his homosexuality is when he really is a person.

Chrysanthemums

Represents her femininity and her passion/growing these flowers, she holds her femininity within the care she gives them

"Outside of Toomsboro she woke up and recalled an old plantation that she had visited in this neighborhood once when she was a young lady....she recalled exactly which road to turn off to get to it..."

Story: A good man is hard to find Author: Flanney O'Conner Published: 1955 Theme: Nostalgia

"....There was something of the dandy about him, and he wore an opal pin in his neatly knotted black four-in-hand, and a red carnation in his buttonhole. This latter adornment the faculty somehow felt was not properly significant of the contrite spirit befitting a boy under the ban of suspension."

Story: Pauls Case published: 1905 Literary device: Symbolism Them: Individuality

Arnold Friend

character in "where are you going where have you been" by Joyce Carol Oates. A sketchy middle age man who try to kidnap Connie (possible succeeds the short story doesn't go that far) he spoke in a sing-songy voice

family

characters in A good man is hard to find by Flannery O'Connor. Bailey (dad) John Wesley (son) June Star (daughter) mum all the kids are rude and obnoxious and the whole family dies in the end

connie

main character in "where are you going where have you been" by Joyce Carol Oates. she is a selfish narcissistic girl who portrays herself poorly. she is not close with her family at all and her friends are all societal narcissist. When she is home alone a strange man comes to her house named Arnold Friend he pretty much tries to kidnap her but never touches her or even goes into her house she has a emotional break down and realizes how poorly she portrays her self so poorly but its too late. Though it could also just be all in her information.

Paul

paul is a boy in high school (about) he is very depressed. He lives a very ordinary life which some might think is great but unlike that majority paul hates it he doesn't not a normal life a life where he does not live with his irrelevant dad but where he lives alone in New York city (his favorite place) a life in which Paul spends all of his time on stage or in a theater. Paul decides one day to run away though before that he gets suspended and shows up the the disciplinary committee though again unlike the majority of kids Paul shows no sign of emotion other than a non fading smile this he keeps along with a red carnation symbolizing that in all honestly he doesn't give af. He runs away to NYC and lives his "goals" life for a day or two then jumps in front of a train and kills himself but a the last min he realizes he shouldn't do it but its do late and he dies

Newspaper and comics

the importance of reading in a good man is hard to find, the grandmother can't read situations in life

The Grandmother

the main character in A good man is hard to find by Flannery O'Connor. she is out spoken lady who comes along with her sons family on a road trip even though the family doesn't like her. during this time there is a bandit out on the loose and the family runs into him because the grandmother had deja vu and told the family to go down this sketchy road eventually the bandit kills her.

Elisa Allen

the main character in the chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck. a 35 year old woman who lives in a valley with her husband Harry. she is not specifically treated poorly though she is never happy with the way Harry treats her and eventually she breaks down and cries showing her weakness "like an old woman"

Connie's music

Like Paul, Connie feels herself and can escape reality. She can feel the romance she desires or sexually desires. The music helps her daydreaming feel real

Connie characterization

-15 -2 sides to herself- split personality of what people see and of what she sees- seems nervous out in society while very open and her real self at home -she was very vain- looked into mirrors and cared about other's opinions of herself -Conflict between mother and daughter- didn't like her mother -Music helps her escape reality -"The music was always in the background, like music at a church service it was something to depend upon" -Always dreamt of boys and sex- symbolized in the music -absorbed into the music

Arnold Friend

-Connie's nightmares -Kinda resembles the devil -Connie says "Christ, Christ" when first sees him- Irony -spoke as if nervous -Imaginary? or Not Imaginary? -Ironic how his last name is Friend -His weapons are words and often times song lyrics- Connie's biggest weakness is song lyrics -says he's her lover- Connie dreams of lovers

June

-Connie's sister -24 and lived at home -secretary at high school Connie was at -"plain and chunky and steady" -June was considered the 'Good kid' in the family- mother wanted Connie to be more like her

"Alone with The Misfit, the grandmother found that she had lost her voice. There was not a cloud in the sky nor any sun. There was nothing around her but woods. She wanted to tell him that he must pray. She opened and closed her mouth several times before anything came out"

Name of story: A Good man is hard to find Name of author: Flannery O'Conner When was the story published? 1955 Name the literary device in the passage: Irony -Because she spends the entire story talking that it is ironic that this is the first time she has no words coming out of her mouth Name the prominent theme: Control or lack of

"On every side it sat like a lid on the mountains and made of the great valley a closed pot. On the broad, level land floor the gang plows bit deep and left the black earth shining like metals where the shares had cut"

Name of story: Chrysanthemums Name of author: John Steinbeck Name the theme that the passage reflects: Isolation Name the literary device used in the passage: Simile

"There had always been the shadowed corner, the dark place into which he dared not look, but from which something seemed always to be watching him.."

Name of story: Paul's Case Name of literary device: Symbolism Name of author: Willa Cather Name the year it was published: 1905

"All the boys fell back and dissolved into a single face that was not even a face but an idea, a feeling, mixed up with the urgent instant pounding of music.."

Name the story: Where are you going, where have you been Name the author: Joyce Carol Oats When published: 1966 Name the theme the passage reflects: Daydreaming vs. Reality Motif the passage reflects: Music

"Paul took one of the blossoms carefully from his coat and scooped a little hole in the snow, where he covered it up" "Far ahead on the road Elisa saw a dark speck. She knew. She tried not to look as they passed it, but her eyes would not obey. She whispered to herself sadly, 'He might have thrown them off the road. That would not have been much trouble, not very much."

The fragility of the flower compares to Elisa's and Paul's fragile feelings. The fact that the delicate flower was put in the snow, it represents Pauls place and how he doesn't belong back at Cordilia Street. Elisa's feelings are hurt when she finds out that the tinker threw away the chrysanthemums. Both Characters have a soft spot that is represented by these flowers. Although Elisa is this physically strong women, her most feminine and soft spot is represented through the flowers that she cares for. Paul's flower shows his feminine side and how this side of him is out of place

The Misfit

a character in A good man is hard to find by Flannery O'Connor. he is the bandit who eventually kills the whole family