What is Real?

by Julia Cocchiaro

          O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” has brought about much debate over whether the stories are real or not, what he attempts to teach readers, as well as his motives behind writing the collection and doing so in the way he did. 

Most critics agree that although O’Brien insists the stories are completely made up, there is some truth behind them in regards to himself.  In her article, critic Catherine Calloway states that there are many similarities between the narrator and the author.  For starters they share the same name and a history of serving in the Vietnam War.  We also see that in the beginning of the collection, O’Brien dedicates the book to some specific individuals he served with him and these names we later see in the stories as characters.  Not only does his choice in characters cause us to question whether the accounts are real or not but also the author’s own statements about his work.  Another critic, Lynn Wharton, states that in an interview with O’Brien he stated that “this is a true story” and “everything is made up” (1).  If even the author admits that although everything is made up, yet it is all true then how is the reader supposed to decipher what facts are real and which are not? 

Many critics believe that forcing us to ask such questions was not O’Brien’s only goal or motive for writing this collection.  Calloway argues that his main purpose was to inform readers what a war story is not, however, in the process of doing so, he wrote one.  According to her, he attempts to show us that any “truths” in war stories are not actually true.  What we are lead to believe about war, the violence, is not all true.  It is mostly about memorializing the people who were killed, the memories and the struggles with grief.  O’Brien states that this is a true war story and the only way to tell it properly is to keep telling stories over and over.  Calloway suggests that this is why he wrote the collection and why he made it seem like a true account; to show us a true war story without using these “truths” that are actually not as true as we believe. 

Wharton’s understanding of the story is very different from Calloway’s.  According to her the purpose of O’Brien’s writing was to show readers his own vision of himself as well as America’s collective struggle with the moral and ethical aspects of war.  Wharton suggests that his purpose behind giving the narrator the same name as himself was so that he could portray to us what he actually thinks about himself.  The bigger argument she has however is about the American society.  She argues that although the stories do show O’Brien’s person struggles in war, they mostly show readers the challenge many American had of determining whether the act of war, particularly the Vietnam War, is ethical.  She believes he is arguing whether it is ethical and moral for Americans to fight simply because their country tells them they are required to, even if they know it is wrong.  She declares O’Brien shows us this because many of the characters simply do what they are told but are constantly questioning to themselves if they really should be doing them.  For example, she says we see this when one of the soldiers is given a thumb of a killed enemy and he does not know if it is right to accept it.  Also, when Lieutenant Jimmy Cross struggles with whether he should forget Martha, his love at home, and if his love for her is the reason one of his men got killed.  She suggests that these two examples show us how in situations of war, soldiers did not even know what was truly right and wrong. 

These arguments force us to ask many questions.  What is true in these stories? What was the author’s goal? However, I believe the bigger question is whether he simply wanted to tell a story that could be true for anyone; himself, Americans, or soldiers in the war? Or, if he is attempting to teach us something about the American ethics or his own?  As shown in the two critic’s arguments, we can only determine this based on O’Briens characters, and the way in which he creates his stories.

Works Cited

Calloway, Catherine. “How To Tell a War Story: Metafiction in The Things They Carried.”  Critique 36.4. 1995. EBSCOhost. Web. 5 May 2012.

Wharton, Lynn. “Tim O’Brien and American National Identity: A Vietnam Veteran’s Imagined Self In The Things They Carried.”  49^th Parellel: An Interdisciplinary Journal of North American Studies. (1999): Web. 5 May 1012.

Rediscovery of Human Worth and Masculinity in Raymond Carver's Writing

by Wendy Usher

Raymond Carver grew up in Oregon in the 1940s and 1950s. He married his high school girlfriend and took classes at a local college, which lea him to his passion for writing. Then, he began writing, as well as working odd jobs in order to support his family.  In 1968, he published his first poetry collect and other successes followed short after. All while, he was dealing with alcoholism. This alcoholism led him to become non-productive and eventually the hospital. After that, he stopped drinking and divorced his wife. He started writing again, these short stories, though similar in writing style from the previous collection, had a more positive feel and ending to them. His post alcoholism writings include “Cathedral.”

In the short story “The Cathedral” the narrator begins with a very pessimistic attitude with the knowledge that a blind man is coming to visit his wife. Throughout the story, it becomes clear that the narrator feels threatened by the blind man. Though he may not want to admit it, the blind man, Robert, has a much better relationship with the narrator’s wife than the narrator seems to have. Because of Robert’s past with his wife along with the fact that Robert was blind, the narrator did not feel comfortable having him in his house. However, that all changed when the narrator and Robert began smoking pot and watching a television show about cathedrals together. Then, so that Robert could have a better understanding of what a cathedral looks like, they draw a cathedral together.

Mark Facknitz wrote an article entitled, “The Calm,” “A Small, Good Thing,” and “Cathedral”: Raymond Carver and the Rediscovery of Human Worth.” In this article, Facknitz states that through drawing the cathedral with Robert,

      the narrator’s sense of enclosure- of being confined by his house and circumstances-                   vanishes as if by an act of grace, or a very spiritual reward for a virtually insignificant                  gesture. Following the metaphor of the story, the narrator learns to see with eyes other                than that insufficient set that keeps a friendless drunk and a meager husband. (295)

Through drawing with Robert, the narrator becomes more open minded and experiences new things. In the end, the narrator seems to be changed for the better, realizing things that he is doing wrong in his life, which could be considered a rediscovery of human worth. This all happened through one small act.

            Aside from the idea of rediscovery of human worth in Carver’s later writings, another thing that has become a signature of Carver’s is the masculinity that he conveyed through his writings. Vanessa Hall states, “Carver’s stories both participate in and critique narratives of wounded white masculinity” (176). The narrator in “Cathedral” is no exception. The narrator seemed to feel threatened by Robert, especially in the beginning of the story, although from the outside there seemed to be no reason why. Robert was handicapped and the narrator was not, so why would the narrator feel so uncomfortable and almost, threatened, by Robert? The reason lies within the narrator is an insecure, white male. The narrator feels, though he will not admit it, jealous of Robert. Robert has a better relationship with the narrator’s wife than the narrator ever had. Along with that, Robert seems happy and at peace unlike the narrator. Until, the narrator and Robert draw the cathedral together, which is when Carver’s masculinity in his writing and discovering of human worth seem to collide.

When reading the story did you notice the rediscovery of human worth as Facknitz talks about or the masculinity Hall discusses or not?

 

Works Cited

Hall, Vanessa. “It All Fell in on Him”: Masculinities in Raymond Carver’s Short Stories and             American Culture during the 1970s and 1980s.” The Journal of Men’s Studies. 17.2             (2009): 173-188. Print.

Facknitz, Mark A. R. “The Calm,” “A Small, Good Thing,” and “Cathedral”: Raymond Carver             and the Rediscovery of Human Worth.” Studies in Short Fiction. 23.3 (1986): 287-296.             Print.

Inequality and Injustice

by Kayla Agonoy

           From research on the actual event of the Air India Flight 182 bombing in 1985, further insight was gained on the short story “The Management of Grief” by Bharati Mukherjee. Racism and cultural barriers are evident throughout the story and it is no different in real life. Those who had family that were killed in the incident felt as though the Canadian government was not doing everything possible to bring justice to their loved ones. This shows the lack of national urgency that Canada had. Racism is suspected to have played a role in the delay of investigations. The Indo-Canadian citizens did not feel as if they were not treated as real citizens. The plane crash was the biggest terrorist attack on Canada in history. But because most of the victims were Indian, the disaster was not seen as a national catastrophe.

However the tragedy continued beyond what the story entails. “Sorrow and Suspicions” is an account of the state of the investigation of the bombing ten years after. At the time when this article was written the investigation had still not made much progress and the surviving relatives continue to be frustrated. The people that were interviewed, like Perviz Madon and Lata Pada, are very similar to the characters in the story. They have lost loved ones becoming widows and childless. These real people are like the fictional characters in that they have come from similar background; this relays the genuineness of the emotions that the characters were experiencing. Also how they have managed their grief is similar. Some have gotten remarried and pursued new careers. Yet a difference that was not mentioned in the story was how these people formed together as a community to pressure the government for a public inquiry. They felt it was unfair that the government has paid more attention to smaller incidents and represented unequal treatment.

             “Remembering the Air India Disaster” is a report of the aftermath of the bombing a little over twenty years later. And still the Indo-Canadian people are frustrated and angry. The Canadian authorities have done little to honor their loved ones that have passed. It took twenty one years for a public inquiry to be held. All the community wanted was to be heard and the opportunity to express what they have been through. Most of their anger was due to the fact that they felt there was racism at play and therefore they were ignored by the government. However “the purpose of the inquiry [was never] stated to be to redress grief caused by this tragedy or the government’s apathetic response to the victims’ families in the aftermath” (Failler 157). It was stated that the testimonies were to be factual, deeming the testimonies of the people to be meaningless to the Commission. There was a “lack of recognition by Canadian authorities…in terms of public acknowledgement of their loss as a Canadian loss” (Failler 158). This shows that the government did not accept the Indian community as their own and sees them as separate group of people.

And a year after the public inquiry was commenced, public memorials were unveiled. In the summer of 2007 a ceremony was held in Toronto. These efforts to compensate for the tragedy were meager attempts and extremely overdue. The Indo-Canadians felt as though the lives of their loved ones were not taken seriously. Most of the passengers were of Indian descent but they were still Canadian citizens. This tragedy did not have a national effect and this lead the Indo-Canadians to express their anger and their feelings of not being a part of or accepted by Canada as their own people. A real life explanation of how the tragedy was handled and the aftermath compared to the short story demonstrates how the Indian community was subjected to unequal treatment and misunderstanding.

In what ways would the story be different if the Air India bombing had received the national recognition it deserved? Would the process of managing grief be easier for Shaila Bhave and the other surviving relatives?

Works Cited

Bergman, Brian, and Tom Fennell. "Sorrow And Suspicions." Maclean's 108.27 (1995): 48. Academic Search Complete. Web. 07 May 2012.

Failler, Angela. "Remembering The Air India Disaster: Memorial And Counter-Memorial." Review Of Education, Pedagogy & Cultural Studies 31.2/3 (2009): 150-176. Academic Search Complete. Web. 07 May 2012.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Influence on the Women's Movement

by Julia Hanlon

One of the most influential female writers during the Women’s Movement was Charlotte Perkins Gilman. She was extremely concerned with the injustices that women faced and produced many feminist works to inspire other women to strive for equal rights. She was born in Hartford Connecticut in 1860. During this time period women were seen as inferior and received less rights then man. While men were at work, women were expected to cook, clean, take care of the children, and remain in the house. Women were also discouraged from writing or doing anything intellectual. Gilman wrote many pieces that depicted the hardships women faced in order to promote equality

 Gilman’s notorious story, “The Yellow Wallpaper”, was written to show how injustices to woman are mentally harmful. The story was influenced by Gilman’s personal experiences of dealing with depression due to restrictions faced on women during this time period. While suffering from a nervous breakdown, Gilman was forced to restrain from physical activity. The story was explained to be “an imaginative account of her suffering and treatment by the physician S. Weir Mitchell who forbade her any activity, especially writing, the thing she wanted to do most”(Charters 461). Gilman explained that she “considered The yellow Wallpaper to be not literature but merely a story that had a purpose as all her other writings did”(Dock 56). Although “The Yellow Wallpaper” was a powerful story, Gilman produced other works that influenced the Women’s movement.

Another of Gilman’s most power works “Women and Economics”, was “considered one the most important works of early years of the women’s movement in the United States” (Charters 461). In this writing, Gilman examines the sexual and economic relationship in marriage based on Lester F Ward’s theory of human development. Gilman explains, “in no other animal species is the female economically dependent on the male. In no other species is the seal relation for sale” (Chang 323). This quote explains the human injustices of making women dependent on the support of men. It is interesting how Gilman makes a biological argument instead of an emotional appeal about the discrimination women faced. This is a extremely logical argument considering that female animals do not relay on males for shelter and food so why should sex be such a huge role in human development?  Secondly, Gilman makes an argument based on economics explaining the women should not have to depend on men finically. This insinuates that women should be given the right to work outside the home be able to have to support themselves.  Gilman claims that, “an economic democracy must rest on free womanhood, human progress can only be possible when women are liberated from the four walls of the andocentric home, redirecting their motherly serviceability to human community”(Chang 323). In other words, Gilman believes that humans will never progress as a species if women are forced to remain in the house as well as being economically dependent on men.

 Charlotte Perkins Gilman produced powerful writings such as The Yellow Wall Paper and Women and Economics along with many other pieces during the Women’s Movement. Her work is still recognized today and “found a secure place in contemporary literary studies” ( Dock 52). Gilman helped influence equal rights for women by writing about the inequalities women faced.  Although Gilman produced many popular writings, do you think she would have produced the same quality of writing if she was not influenced by the Women’s Movement?

Works Cited

"But One Expects That": Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" and the Shifting Light of Scholarship

Julie Bates Dock, Daphne Ryan Allen, Jennifer Palais and Kristen Tracy

PMLA , Vol. 111, No. 1, Special Topic: The Status of Evidence (Jan., 1996), pp. 52-65

Charters, Ann. "Charlotte Perkins Gilman." The Story and Its Writer: An Introduction to Short             Fiction. New York: St. Martin's, 1983. 461. Print.

CHANG, LI-WEN. "Economics, Evolution, And Feminism In Charlotte  Perkins Gilman's Utopian Fiction." Women's Studies 39.4 (2010): 319-348. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

Toni Cade Bambara's Lesson to the Reader about Herself!

by Jessica Babyak

Toni Cade Bambara’s “The Lesson” was written in 1972. The seventies had a different energy and a different agenda than the previous decade, the sixties. The sixties were characterized as a decade of group movements and cultural movements. The sixties encompassed feats and action through numbers. In an interview with Bambara about her work, she claims, “the seventies is characterized by refocusing on the self (13). By telling her story “The Lesson” through only the point of view of the main character Sylvia, Bambara is stressing and employing the concept of refocusing on the self that she believed defined the 70s. Sylvia is a young African American girl from Harlem who is about 13 or 12 when the story takes place. Significantly, Toni Bambara also grew up in Harlem as a young girl in a community much like the one in the story.

Sylvia has a strong feminist attitude and notably, Toni Cade Bambara also has a strong feminist attitude. Bambara claims that because of the political struggle for independent black political parties during the 70s, she is “about the empowerment and development of our sisters and of our community” (15). This explains why the character Miss Moore is a successful black woman who gives back to the children in her community. As we can see so far, Bambara likes to put a lot of herself, her views, and opinions in her stories. Bambara writes about an oppressed black community because she is aware of the “racist, hardheaded, heedless society” that minorities like herself faced in the 70s (14). She writes about broken black communities, such as the one in “The Lesson,” to expose the struggles they faced and the help they needed. Bambara states, “One’s got to see what the welfare children see in order to tell the truth and not get trapped. Got to see more and dare more” (Bambara 14).  In other words, Bambara writes from the point of view of the oppressed in the 70s in order to expose the truth about it to others. Much like Miss Moore exposed the unfairness of social class to the children, Bambara wants to expose the unfairness of social class to her readers.

Bambara also wants to expose the culture of a working-class African American in the 70s by having the story written in African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Janet Ruth Heller explains, “This dialect emphasizes the children's distance from mainstream white bourgeois culture and economic power and also reflects Bambara's pride in her ethnic heritage” (279). Heller then reveals “AAVE is also a dialect that Bambara herself would have learned growing up during the 1940s and 1950s in New York City's Harlem” (282). In other words, this dialect adds to the concept that Bambara wanted to expose the truth and reality of young natives of Harlem in the 70s and how they interacted with one another.

Putting all the elements together, one can now see that the main character Sylvia is a strong depiction of Bambara herself and what she believed in.  Growing up in Harlem? Check. Feminist attitude? Check. Born into the working class? Check. Ethnic pride? Check. Would you have ever thought that Bambara put so much of herself into the character Sylvia? And would you have ever thought that the 70s had such an impact on the point of view in which the story was told and the topics of events that took place in the community? 

Works Cited

Bambara, Toni Cade. “Toni Cade Bambara.” Black Women Writers at Work.

Claudia Tate. New York: The Continuum Publishing Corporation, 1983. (12-38). Print

Heller, Janet Ruth. "Toni Cade Bambara's Use Of African American

Vernacular English In "The Lesson." Style 37.3 (2003): 279-293. Academic Search Complete. Web. 27 Apr. 2012.

The Historical and Cultural Context of Charlotte Perkins Gilman

by Amanda Bryan

The short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” that we read was written around 1890. At this time in history, men were the most dominant gender. Men were the head of household and provided for their family. Women did not even have the right to vote yet. Charlotte Perkins Gilman had a great impact on the women’s right to vote. Gilman also had a great impact on feminism.

            Some cultural aspects during this time were that women had a lot of hardships and needed to be more independent. I believe this is why Gilman has such an impact on women’s rights and their lives. I believe that she wrote this story and several other stories to show her readers how women were treated differently and pushed to insanity. Gilman grew up in a family that did not go along with all of the traditional views. She wanted to create a more independent life for women in her society. In her lifetime, she became a radical feminist. According to Lane, “Gilman believed that women’s subordination started with the expropriation by men of the agricultural surplus women produced, limiting women’s full expression and autonomy and therefore dehumanizing them” (Lane 8). What this means is that men made the women rely on everything that they did for them. The women were not allowed to do things on their own. If I was living during this society, I would also be upset that I did not have the proper freedoms that I should have. Yes, most women want to take care of their house and children but, would also like a job and freedom from these duties. Gilman wrote that, “Of women especially have been required the convenient virtues of a subject class: obedience, patience, endurance, contentment, humility, resignation, temperance, prudence, industry, kindness, cheerfulness, modesty, gratitude, thrift, and unselfishness. Women must demand equality and freedom” (Hill 5). This statement was a great example Gilman stated to aim for equality for women and become a feminist.

            Not being able to vote, have property rights, or have reproductive rights are just a few examples of what women could not do or have. The Nineteenth Amendment finally gave women the right to vote in 1919. Once a man and a woman married, the woman did not have any property rights. All of these rights went to the men. An act by the name of, Married Women’s Property Acts was passed in the nineteenth century. This act gave women the right to keep their property separate from their husbands. Another right discusses the reproductive rights of women. These reproductive rights consist of the right to receive birth control, abortions, and education about female health. This act was passed in the 1960’s. As a woman, having these acts and rights pass are an extraordinary break through. This is where I believe Gilman worked hard as well and also wanted these rights to be passed.

            The way that “The Yellow Wallpaper” was written portrays insanity in the heroine. The story is based on Gilman’s life but has a lot of added exaggerations. Gilman then also had to prove to her society that she really was not this insane. The doctor that was stated in her story, Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, was a neurologist who was very adamant to diagnose his women patients with rest cures. Hill states in his book that, “Mitchell’s rest cure, then was designed to help such women. In an atmosphere of rest and quiet, they could learn to be more passive and warm, and thus more “feminine” and healthy” (Hill 149). A rest cure could be used for a few days. After that, anyone would become insane, having to sit in a bed with nothing to do. This explanation can show how men and doctors in this society could possibly push women into insanity. If they really want to help, they should be more open to female equality.

            These historical and cultural events surrounding Charlotte Perkins Gilman gave way to becoming a feminist. After exploring some more information, I also believe that in that time frame, women could have been pushed to insanity because they did not have the same equal rights as men.

Works Cited

Hill, Mary A. Charlotte Perkins Gilman The Making of a Radical Feminist, 1860-1896. Philadelphia: Temple University, 1980. Print.

Lane, Ann J. The Charlotte Perkins Gilman Reader. New York: Pantheon Books, 1980. Print.

Nigerian Politics and "Civil Peace"

by Colin Gibson

To fully understand “Civil Peace” the reader will need a general idea about what is going on in Nigerian politics at this time. Nigeria during the time “Civil Peace” takes place had just reclaimed Biafra in 1970 after it broke away in 1967. Michael Gould’s book The Struggle for Modern Nigeria: The Biafran War 1967 – 1970 tell us the lengths to which Nigeria went to reclaim Biafra. According to Gould,  “International journalism, describing life in Biafra and giving snap shot pictures of malnutrition, starvation, genocide, and indiscriminate bombing of innocent civilians by Federal Government aircrafts”(139). Achebe, supporter of an independent Biafra, acted as an ambassador for Biafra until it was retaken. After it was retaken Achebe was involved in political parties but soon stopped after he realized the corruption in Nigeria’s government. This corruption is evident in Hadger’s book Nigeria: After the Nightmare. As said by Hadger, “1966 – 1999 were the years when Nigerian state was being abolished by her elite who were consumed by unenlightened self – interest. This tiny group of politicians and military collaborators joined hands to squander Nigeria’s wealth and opportunities “(7). After the Civil War Nigeria was primarily a military government with its main goal of keeping the nation together by any means necessary. As a result of this laws were passed mandating that political parties couldn’t be ethnically or tribally based. Lgbos, Achebe’s ethnicity and primary ethnicity of the region formerly known as Biafra, faced many hardships after reuniting with Nigeria. Lgbos’ political positions were reassigned on the bases that they “abandoned their office.” This same principle was used when Lgbos had their property was taken over by anyone who found it. Because of the unfair treatment of the Lgbos after the civil war tensions grew between tribes which resulted in small scale conflicts between the tribes. Achebe’s wish for a better Nigeria was only strengthened by the fact that he lived there and understood how corrupt their government is.

Achebe used his feelings and life experiences to create the short story “Civil Peace.” This story takes place in 1971 right after Biafra has rejoined Nigeria. The main character Jonathan is a husband and a father of three (one died in the civil war) who works extremely hard along with his family to provide a good living from themselves. Achebe used his own knowledge of Nigeria to create a character that could relate to the hard working life style most Nigerians had to go through preceding the civil war. Jonathan represents that common man in this story; everyone at that time had some type of problem living whether it is lack of food, no shelter, or no money due to the destruction of the civil war. Jonathan and his family faced turmoil like everyone else when thieves came to his house demanding money or else resulting in violence. Jonathan used his head and only gave the thieves a fraction of what they originally demanded; this is an occasion where we can see Achebe putting some of himself into the story by giving Jonathan intelligence, a quality that not everyone had. Most people would not have handled that situation so calmly but Jonathan did and was rewarded by not losing all one hundred pounds.  We finally see that Jonathan constantly using the phrase “Nothing puzzles God” this phrase is another indication of Jonathan representing the common man. In times of great peril people commonly turn to faith to see them through; that is what Jonathan is doing, by believing that God has a plan for everything Jonathan doesn’t despair why bad things happen only that God will sort everything out in the end and make everything as it should be.

I believe Achebe’s intent on writing this was to bring to the attention of the reader the horror and extreme suppression of the Nigerian people under its government. With enough support Achebe hopes to one day liberate Nigeria from its current government and shape it into a government of the people.  After reading this blog has your perception changed about the story? Would you be willing to help Nigeria knowing what you know now?

Hagher, Iyorwuese H. Nigeria: After the Nightmare. Lanham, MD: University of America, 2011. Print

Gould, Michael. "The Struggle for Modern Nigeria: The Biafran War 1966-1970." Events -. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. <http://www.royalafricansociety.org/events/details/1135-the-struggle-for-modern-nigeria-the-biafran-war-1966-1970.html>.