Drifting Expectations

The story "To Build a Fire" by Jack London was a interesting read and one that was different from the traditional, more emotionally driven stories and poems that we typically read in class. The writing style was very realistic as oppose to overly sentimental. I personally found this story more relatable than some of the other material covered in the course so far, and I feel it did a good job of making something that may seem very straightforward and unexciting into a tense and shocking thriller of a short story.

One of the themes that I picked up on in the story is the theme of shifting priorities as your situation changes. I feel that this is extremely easy to relate too, no matter what age you are or what your situation is in life. As your circumstances change, your expectations and what you value changes as well. This happens as we age, as our views on things change, as we change friends, and as we move on to new things in life in general.

A good example in the life of a college student would be for an exam. Let's say a student has an exam coming up soon but chooses to continually not study in advance. As the days go by, he or she will lower their expectations for what they want to achieve on the exam and what they think will be acceptable. Maybe they even started out wanting an "A" but will be happy to get a "C" based on how much they studied or prepared.

This theme is very prevalent in the story "To Build a Fire". At the beginning of the story, the man fully expects to arrive to camp within a few hours. "He would be in to camp by six o'clock; a bit after dark, it was true, but the boys would be there, a fire would be going, and a hot supper would be ready." (Page 629). However, once he breaks through the ice, his priorities and expectations of himself shift. He has to stop to build a fire, which will set him back on his time table.

He builds a small fire which is put out, and then his priorities really begin to shift towards something he would not have imagined beforehand. He needs to build a second fire and knows that, "Even if he succeeded, he would most likely lose some toes." (Page 634). Eventually, he becomes desperate as his hands freeze, he lights all his matches and does not even care that his hands are being burned. All he cares about at this point is staying warm.

Eventually, his second fire sputters out, and at this point he has an idea, involving his dog. “He would kill the dog, and bury his hands in the warm body until the numbness went out of them. Then he could build another fire.” (Page 636). His one last ditch effort is to frantically try to run for camp, something which he would never have even remotely thought about had either of his two previous fires stayed lit.Eventually, the man accepts his own mortality and succombs to the cold. “Freezing was not so bad as people thought. There were worse ways to die.” (Page 638).

This example shows how naturalism is more concerned with how things are in the real world and for me, the scary and disturbing part about this story was how realistic it was. I found myself feeling for the main character because of his realistic and dire situation, and I find that often more realistic scenarios and situations make for better stories, even if the story is fictional or takes place in a fictional setting. Overall, this is one of if not my favorite piece of literature we have read in class, and I feel it is the most easy to relate too because it does not try to make us feel anything or try to persuade use to view things a certain way. It is straightforward and blunt in its storytelling and language, which makes it more interesting to read for me.

Synthesis on the Role of Women in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”

The issue I have chosen to cover for my personal synthesis is the role of women in the novel and of the time period. I think it is interesting how Stowe effortlessly weaves themes of the “cult of domesticity”, the role of strong women, and stereotypical gender roles into her novel. She was a woman herself, and a strong one at that, and this aspect is clearly shown in the book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Similarly, both the cult of domesticity and gender roles are both tackled in this novel to some extent as well, and I believe that Stow challenges the predominating view of the day with her strong, assertive, and memorable female characters.

There are numerous examples where the cult of domesticity can be seen. This includes the mother like tendencies of Mrs. Shelby to her slaves, the politeness shown to her by Mr. Haley, (who is in reality a despicable man), the character of Rachel Halliday, as well as the slave women. I think it is interesting how the typical gender roles of women were passed down from master to slave, especially in the cases with Aunt Chloe and Dinah, who both work in the kitchen and do things around the house. In regards to Aunt Chloe, Stowe writes, “A cook she certainly was, to the very bone and centre of her soul.” Page 18. This shows that although there are strong female characters that exist in the novel, the idea of the “cult of domesticity” is still prevalent.

As much as the “cult of domesticity” is present, I feel that the idea of strong women is even more prevalent in the novel. Most of the main female characters who are not only mentioned in passing are strong willed and take action. Eliza is certainly a strong character, as well as Mrs. Shelby, Mrs. Bird, Mrs. St. Clare, Cassy, certainly Ms. Ophelia, and one could also argue that Eva, although she is still young, is in her own way a strong female character. Eliza is strong in that she escapes with her child and sets off to Canada, both Mrs. Bird and Shelby challenge their husbands and influence their decisions to some degree, or at least try too. Mrs. St. Clare makes up for Mr. St. Clare's lack of assertiveness and authority, as does Ms. Ophelia. And Eva is a strong female character in that she shows love and kindness to the slaves, when some around her are treating them with contempt or apprehension.

This reminds me of our discussion of Eva as a Christ figure in class, and to take on this role one must certainly be strong. She seems to take on the sufferings of the slaves and feels their pain, and in my view she is one of, if not the strongest female presence in the book. The fact that she challenges authority, especially her mother, also shows her innocence, and yet her bravery.  She faces death not with sadness or a sense of being cheated or anything similar to that, but with a confidence and courage, and even up until her last breath, shows her love and compassion for others. This attitude is displayed perfectly on pages 267 to 278 when Stowe writes, “The child felt no pain…  she was so beautiful, so loving, so trustful, so happy, that one could not resist the soothing influence of that air of importance and peace which seemed to breathe around her.”

Another major issue that I feel is dealt with in the novel is the bucking of the trend of gender roles. Like I mentioned earlier, I feel that the strong female characters are obviously a part of this, but I feel that a more specific example would help to get my point across. The attitudes and demeanors of both St. Clare and his cousin, Ms. Ophelia perfectly exemplify this. Ms. Ophelia is assertive, bold, orderly, and much more regimented and “by the books” type of person. Whereas St. Clare is frivolous, lazy, inattentive, unassertive, and does not care about everyday affairs around the house. This is a great example of both men and women switching characteristics, and it is a refreshing take on the typical gender roles. St. Clair is indecisive while Ms. Ophelia wants things done immediately and knows exactly how best to do them. This is evident by how quickly she whips the house into shape, much to the surprise and dismay of the slaves of the St. Clare estate. She also wanted to be assertive about setting Tom free, as was Eva’s wish, but St. Clare was not, and his indecisiveness cost Tom much pain and suffering. This is evident when they are discussing the future of St. Clare’s slaves, as written on page 283, “St. Clare had often thought the same thing himself, but answered; negligently, ‘Well I mean to make a provision, by and by.’ ‘When?’ said Miss Ophelia. ‘O, one of these days.’ ‘What if you should die first?’”. I feel that this brief snippet clearly displays Ms. Ophelia’s sense of urgency and get-to-it attitude, compared with St. Clare’s laid back, casual, and more loose attitude.

Overall, I feel that women are portrayed in a positive light in the book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” because of all the positive and strong female characters. I feel there is a good contrast between the more usual, gender- defined female characters and the stronger, more assertive ones. I enjoy reading about strong female characters, as it breaks up the monotony of an all male cast and makes the novel or story more realistic. The flip-flop of gender values and ways of doing things between St. Clare and Ms. Ophelia was refreshing and reflects that not all women and men are “normal” or typical compared to how they are supposed to act given their gender.

                                Review of the Critique of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by William G. Allen

For examining a critique of the novel, I chose to focus on the article written by William G. Allen, called About Uncle Tom’s Cabin. In short, Allen praises the novel, especially with regard to to the contrast of Legree and St. Clare, as well as the piety and good nature of Uncle Tom. He also praises the realistic portrayal of the slave traders and those within the system using religion to justify their actions. He also enjoyed the chapter about Cassy, but has one major critique of the book.  He does not approve of the ending in regards to colonialism, and makes a case that nations are, should continue to be, and are in fact better off being integrated instead of one nation being entirely one race. He also criticizes both the book and the abolitionists for their views on equality and how they do not hold the blacks in as high esteem as themselves.

I think that this particular article adds much to the way we read and interpret the novel. I completely agree with Mr. Allen, and praise his stance, even though it may not have been a particularly popular one at the time. “Nations worthy of the name, are only produced by a fusion of races,” page 501. This quote I feel perfectly sums up his main argument. Allen makes the argument that Americans are already a mish mash of many races, and to say that the Africans are not welcome in the United States is non-sense. I think this adds to the reading by criticizing the work of Stowe and how she advocates for a separate nations entirely for Africans. Allen points how preposterous and ridiculous an idea this is, and how America is simultaneously the ethnically diverse as well as the most powerful nation in the world. He does however, praise the vision that people have for Liberia, that it will be a land of equality for Africans, and that they will have all the rights and privileges of a white man. This leads me to my next point.

Allen then goes on to criticize the abolitionist movement, saying “... their hearts are polluted, with a prejudice which is, beyond all question, a sin meaner than which none ever rankled in the freeman’s heart.” (Also on page 501.) This is something that I talked about in an earlier blog post and to me, it was very surprising to see this view so openly expressed in a piece from that time. I think this adds to the novel by pointing out that although it has good intentions, Stowe, like many others, was a product of her time, and racial equality was not a popular idea of the period. There are indeed moments of racism in this book, and many abolitionists of the time period were not in favor of racial equality. This connects back to the colonial ending of the novel, and how some did not even want the Africans to stay in the United States.

I applaud Mr. Allen on all his points, and I agree with him wholeheartedly. I feel that he does a good job of pointing out both the positive and negative aspects of the novel. I am certainly in favor of his views on equality and prejudice. Like I said, this came as a shock to me while reading this critique, as it was not the prevailing attitude of the day. I also liked that although he was critical of colonization, he did indeed point out some positives that may come of it, such as “... the right of the colored people to meet and mingle in this country-- to rise by their individual worth, and without distinction of caste or color…” page 500. Overall, I think that this article is a fair and honest critique of the book, and one that mirrors my own very closely.

Response to “A Free Person’s Memory of Slavery’s Horror”

One of the scariest and most disturbing things to think about in regards to slavery is how the slaves were treated. The slaves were viewed as property, and could be dealt with however their masters saw fit. There were no laws regulating the treatment of slaves, so the punishment could be as harsh or lenient as possible. This is clearly shown in the memoir of a slave written by Henrietta King. This element is also present in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, as is evident by how Tom is treated by Mr. Shelby and St. Clare and by Mr. Legree.

This memoir is about a slave, Henrietta King, who reflects on her treatment by her Mistress and how her harsh treatment changed her life. The young slave was constantly tempted by a piece of peppermint, and knew her mistress was waiting to catch her in the act of stealing it. Finally, Henrietta could take no more and quickly ate the candy, only to be caught by her mistress the next day. The woman tried to whip Henrietta, but she was struggling and so the mistress called her daughter down to help. She held the young girl under her rocking chair and pressed down on the Henrietta’s head while the daughter whipped her.

Even though the mistress called in a doctor to examine her, Henrietta’s mouth could not be helped. Her face was permanently disfigured, and she lacked teeth on one side. She could not chew and could only eat soft foods or liquids. When the girl grew into a woman, Henrietta would often have people stare at her and children would run away in fear. She grew used to this though, and learned to live with it. When she heard that her mistress had died years later, she did not shed a single tear for her.

I think that this article clearly illustrates the horrors of slavery and how the treatment of the slaves was left up to the slave owners. “I seed dat peppermint stick layin’ dere, an’ I ain’t dared go near it ‘cause I knew ole Missus jus’ waitin’ for me to take it.”  (Page 473). This quote clearly shows that many slave owners held their slaves only in contempt and had no pity or compassion for them. It reminds me of an opposite approach that would be taken by Mr. Shelby or Mr. St. Clare in “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. These characters were compassionate and caring for their slaves, and would have let the child eat the candy, or even given it to them as a treat.

On the other hand, I feel that the response taken by Henrietta’s mistress would be more closely associated with those of Legree. He often punished his slaves harshly for, regardless of their feelings or what would happen. This situation, in which the punishment was too harsh and the punisher got carried away, reminds me of the portion of the novel where Tom cannot work due to his injuries because Legree beat him so bad. Legree did not give regard to Tom’s feelings or what would happen in the future with him, just like what happened with Henrietta in the story. This quote I feel gets this point across well, “Seem like dat rocker pressin’ on my young bones had crushed ‘em all into soft pulp. De nex’ day I couldn’ open my mouf an’ I feel it an dey warn’t no bone in de lef’ side at all.” (Page 438)

This story shows the horrors of slavery clearly, and helps to drive home the point that there was no regulation of treatment for the slaves, and that the punishment could be as severe as the master wanted. Many slaves, like Tom in the story and Henrietta in this real world example, were often subject to their owner’s violent outbursts and fits of rage at their actions. This is just one of the many evils present in the institution of slavery, and why it has been and should continue to be eradicated.

                                                                     The Yellow Asylum

The story entitled "The Yellow Wallpaper" is the story of one woman's descent into madness. The narrator of the story has been cooped up inside a room, presumably to help her recover from her illness. Everyone around her says it is temporary and that it will only last a short while. Eventually, the narrator begins to lose her sanity and becomes obsessed with the wallpaper in her room. This story is certainly disturbing and makes for a very interesting read. However, I think it is also telling of the general attitude toward the mentally ill of this time period, and this is what I will be focusing on in this blog post.

This topic relates to me in that it has always interested me. I have three uncles that were born developmentally disabled, and although this is different than a mental disease, there are many correlations as well. I have always admired the patience and willingness of their caretakers to help them, and I feel it takes a special kind of person to be able to work with the mentally ill or disabled. The topic of the treatment of the mentally ill has always fascinated me, although I admit my knowledge of the subject is limited. However, reading this story only reinforced my previous knowledge of the terrible treatment of the mentally ill in times gone by.

The mistreatment of the insane and mentally ill was common in the 19th Century, and many insane asylums of the time more so resembled prisons than hospitals. This sense of being caged in and kept away from everyone else is a common theme throughout the story, as noted in a few passages. The first is on page 487, where the narrator states, "the windows are barred for little children, and there are rings and things in the walls." Her mention of a "gate at the head of stairs" also conveys this sense of containment, which was common in insane asylums of the time period. Also, the fact that she is kept away from everyone else, and that John makes up excuses to keep her upstairs and not in some other room also conveys the sense of segregation. Around this time, the insane or cognitively disabled were locked away and not allowed in the public sphere. This is also evident in the story how she is told to stay in bed, not to get up and walk around much, and that she cannot help take care of her child. Another example of the treatment of the mentally ill is that, often, John refutes her claims or slyly mocks her comments. This is evident  in a number of passages, including on page number 488, "I suppose John was never nervous in his life. He laughs at me about this wall-paper!" and also on page 490 where the narrator says, "I don't know why I should write this. I don't want to. I don't feel able. And I know John would think it absurd." Passages like these clearly indicate that John felt about the narrator the same way many felt about the mentally ill or disabled at that time, that they were idiots, and their ideas about things were often ridiculed or ignored entirely.

The implications of what I have discussed are far reaching indeed. It is with examples like this that we are able to see how society progresses onward and how our view of certain things has become more ethical over the past 100 to 150 years or so. I think that this shows that now days, those who are mentally ill or disabled are treated much more fairly and with more respect than before. They are sometimes given jobs, and people try to understand and help them rather than ridicule, isolate and try to control them. Mental illness is now looked upon as a disease that can be treated and possibly even cured rather than an oddity or spectacle to be gawked at. In the same way, many other ideas and views of things in society have changed since the time the story was written, such as views on race, women, science, religion, and so on. Most of the these changes have been good, and I think viewing the progression of treatment of the mentally ill is a good example of this.

Outside source used to pull  information from in this post:

http://www.canadianmysteries.ca/sites/jerome/contextes/maladiementale/indexen.html