Yellow Woman

- A main part of the Laguna Pueblo culture was oral storytelling
- Pueblo story tradition involves creating stories to help oneself and others be strong
- The Yellow Woman was the focus of Female fantasy stories in the Laguna Pueblo Culture- Both heroic and sexual, the Yellow Woman protects the Pueblos with her heroism and her uninhibited sexuality
- Yellow Woman tales embody both male and female qualities: an aggressive sexuality (male) but with a traditional object of female desire.
- A woman courageous in the service of her people and usually achieving success through sexuality rather than destruction

Theory 1
- A characteristic of the Yellow Woman is that she often lives away from the center of the village or behaves differently from the norm.
- This suggests that she is somewhat alienated from her people.
- This has been identified as a possible explanation for why Silko is so attracted to the character of the Yellow Woman.
- It is through the yellow woman’s character that we see a close resemblance of how Silko grew up
- Since her family lived at the edge of the reservation, they were excluded from the Laguna Pueblo rituals and their societies



Theory 2
- Storytelling is the collection of narratives by Silko in which “Yellow Woman” is included
- The collection centers around the theme of liberating female sexuality, often including a scene of encounter between a woman and a mysterious stranger.
- Silko uses the Yellow Woman to represent feminism in her texts
- This includes the union of personal independence, sexual freedom, and heroic endeavor for the community at large
- In the story, the element of transformed sexual transgression into heroism has been lost in the modern texts, leading to the question of whether or not this is a true portrayal of a Yellow Woman.
- This may explain the protagonist’s desire to give greater meaning to her adventure by attaching it to the Yellow Woman story
- This leads to the theme of Yellow Woman as the power which physical sensations and desire have to blot out the thought of home, family, and responsibility
- After the protagonist’s encounter with Silva, she returns to her domestic life without excitement.
- Instead of playing a part in the Yellow Woman myth, she will go back to her family

A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

I found it interesting that this story was intended to be for children. The people's treatment of the old man who falls from the sky is harsh and inhumane. They keep him in a chicken coop where his health begins to fail him and he becomes dirty and weak. The people from the town come to see him and eventually the family who is keeping him begins to charge them, using the man as a profit. However, when the circus comes to town, the people are no longer as interested in the man with wings and the family begins to feel as if he is a burden on them. They begin to wish that they did not have to care for him anymore. The man begins to regain his strength and eventually is able to fly away in a scene that seems of little importance - the wife simply sees him leave and feels better that he is finally gone.

I think that the author's intention for this story is to illustrate adult's judgement of others. For all they knew, the man could have been an angel. However their preconceived notions of what an angel is supposed to look like did not match what they saw. Children, on the other hand, do not have judge as harshly - they love no matter what someone looks like. This is the theme that the author is trying to illustrate to the reader - that our judgements of others can inhibit the love for mankind that we are supposed to posses.

The Overcoat

I felt that "The Overcoat" was a very sad piece. In the beginning, the main character, Akakiy is a sad and targeted man. His coworkers mock him and tease him. He has no friends and is an extremely systematic person, never straying from the pattern he lives his live in. He is even extremely upset at handling any other task other than copying. His job as a copier is the only thing he looks forward to in life. When is is clear that Akakiy must get a new coat, he is completely against the idea. He avoids any change in life and he clings onto his coat for as long as possible. However, there is no way around buying a new one. He works very hard to save up his money and eventually select the perfect new coat. Akakiy feels like a new man when he receives the new coat. He has a new level of confidence that even his coworkers notice. He is invited to a party and has an improved outlook on life. However, his luck ends when the coat is stolen from him. A court officer refuses to do anything about it and acts in a superior and pompous manner toward poor Akakiy. Akakiy eventually dies and it is rumored that he begins haunting the town, stripping people of their coats. He finds the rude court officer and gets his revenge by stealing his coat.

The Namesake

The Namesake was my favorite text that we have read this semester. I enjoyed the crossover between Indian and American culture. Gogol was a conflicted character who is trying to discover himself throughout the novel. He goes through a series of failed romances that help to shape his identity. Gogol begins as a child who clings to his name, Gogol, but eventually grows into a young man, embarrassed of it and confused by its meaning. It is not until Gogol hears the full story from his father about where his name cam from that he truly feels like it is significant.

The part of the novel that surprised me most was when Moushumi cheated on him. I though that he had finally settled down with the right woman. However, as I read, I realized that their marriage was simply a relationship of convenience. They were both trying to discover themselves in America and mistook their similar backgrounds as a basis of love. Also, Moushumi's insensitivity toward Gogol's embarrassment of his real name shows a side of her that Gogol cannot see past. That is the deepest secret of himself, and she tells her friend as if it meant nothing.


In class, we also discussed the progression of Ashima in the text. There is no doubt that she was the character who progressed the most. She was taken from her home in India and moved to America to marry a man she didn't know. She raised her children without any assistance or support from her family in India. She had no friends when she first arrived, and no understanding of American customs. Ashima is forced to adjust to a completely new and foreign lifestyle.

The Guest - Albert Camus

This story had an interesting feel to it. The reader is kept on edge with the descriptions of the snowy wasteland and the deserted school. There is also a tense feeling when the prisoner is depicted as "restless and rebellious." (2575) But when Daru and the Arab are left aloe, they dine together and sleep in the same room, tow things that usually would signify a friendship. Daru gives the man the option of walking to the prison and turning himself in, or escaping to the hills and residing with nomads. The Arab surprisingly, after a moment's hesitation, is seen walking in the direction of the prison. When Daru returns to this school house, there is a message in the chalkboard that reads, "You handed over our brother. You will pay for this." Even though Daru gave the man an option to be free, he is targeted by the enemies who don't know the full story. This part of the story involves the theme of revenge. There is also a theme of honor, illustrated in the line, "That man's stupid crime revolted him, but to hand him over was contrary to honor." (2581) As much as Daru hated that this man was a killer, to turn him in for his crime went against his beliefs.

Themes

Parent/Child Relationships: "The Shawl" & "The Metamorphosis"
Gender Conflicts: "Child's Play" & "Doll House"
Love and Relationships: "Doll House" & "The Dead"
Revenge and Honor: "Child's Play"
Power/Powerlessness: "Ladies and Gentlemen" & "The Fly" & "Dolls House"
Death/Mortality: "Ladies/Gentlemen," "The Dead," & "The Fly"
Changing Traditions: "Dolls House," "Child's Play," & "The Metamorphosis"

Mansfield - "The Fly"

In "The Fly," there is a question of what the fly actually represents. In my opinion, I believe it represents the son of the boss who was killed in the war. The boss drips ink on him, representing the hardships of the war. The fly cannot withstand the torture and eventually dies. All the while, the boss speaks encouraging words to the fly, as if these are the words he wishes he could have said to his son.

They way in which this story is told also provides the reader with a feeling of odd casualness when Woodifield tells the boss that his daughters saw the bosses son's grave the other day. He says that it's "Beautifully looked after" in a way that could be mirrored when describing a park or a nice landscape. This strange tone give the story a cold feel, as if death is no big deal.

 The place in which this story takes place also adds to the sort of cold feeling that this piece portrays. An office is not usually a representation of a warm setting - this is where the boss is when he hears about his son's grave. It is also where he kills the fly and forgets about his son altogether. The setting here could represent the fact that the boss has moved on from his grief and now only invests his time and emotion in his job - a business that his son was supposed to take over.