Dreiser:
Sister Carrie was a bit interesting in that the story revolved around a young woman coming to Chicago. Just reading two chapters didn't give me a full perspective on the novel, however, I saw Dreiser's theme come into play mostly in the third chapter where Carrie tries to find a job. In the intro, it mentioned that Dreiser's novel, Sister Carrie, "addresses many issues still of significance today...greater independence for women" (567). I felt bad for Carrie who persistently asked for an opening only to be turned down because she had no experience. In some ways, it is a necessity to have experience, but what if one does not a hire a woman no matter what kind of experience they've had? This happens often. Carrie had to be persistent to make herself known, to find a place in society as a female.
Crane:
I read Crane's Red Badge of Courage in high school and loved it. (I don't remember much of it though, but I know I liked it a lot back then.) I found both his stories entertaining, although "The Blue Hotel" ended strangely. I also write stories and am always looking for inspiration, so having read Crane's stories, I got a new perspective on short stories in general. In "The Blue Hotel," I was impressed by Crane's direction of the plot. A man owning a hotel, having visitors, one visitor beats up the owner's son, and then eventually gets killed. The irony truly made the story unique. And his poem: I loved it, especially the first section. What a sad picture and yet Crane refers to war as being "kind." "Because your father tumbled in the yellow trenches, raged at his breast, gulped and died, do not weep. War is kind" (619).
London:
I imagine Jack London like the guy from Man vs. Wild. In "To Build a Fire," I could just picture the man out in the winter wilderness trying desperately to survive. He tries to build a fire only to fail and then eventually die. Nature and man can be portrayed as enemies. Even animal and man can be portrayed as enemies. The dog, not really doing much in the story, leaves the dead man to go find some food, knowing all along where it was. Ah, frustrating! But I enjoyed the story. I'm hoping to read London's Call of the Wild which I've heard is really good. Jack London's story also reminds me of Into the Wild, a true story where the main guy Chris dies in nature. Sad but really thought provoking.
I feel that London's "To Build a Fire" is naturalism at its best. Man versus nature and man thinks that it can beat nature. I actually read this in high school but the only part I could remember was the part where the man thinks about cutting the dog open. I thought the relationship between the dog and the man was really interesting because the dog stayed loyal throughout up until the dog realizes that the man is dead. The man seems dispensable and replaceable to him. After the dog realized that the man was dead he simply made his way back to camp to find new people that would feed him.
ReplyDeleteI find the idea of the dog and the man being enemies really interesting. I almost sympathized more with the dog, because the impression I got was that the man was not very nice to the dog. Yet the dog stayed with that man because he was the food- and fire-provider. I think London was trying to say something about how much loyalty you will get if you don't treat animals with respect. When push comes to shove, they will protect themselves and find another source of food. Just goes to show that it is better to be loved than feared in some situations.
ReplyDeleteSomebody else that read "the Blue Hotel!" It was definitely a unique story. What do you think of it, in regard to the implication that our indirect actions have such deep-seeded effects? Are you comfortable with blaming (partially) the five men, as the Easterner does, or do you think the Swede and the Gambler should assume the bulk if not all of the blame?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I don't read for pleasure much so I've probably read much less than most English majors, but Into the Wild is one of my favorite books I've read, and it definitely impacted the way I think about things. I was also reminded of it when reading "To Build A Fire," pretty much instantly. Funny how that works! Makes me wonder if anyone else was reminded of Into the Wild while reading "To Build A Fire?"