Life Through Narrative Essay, Research Paper
One of the primary themes of Kaye Gibbons? novel Ellen Foster is the vitality of storytelling in the human life. The fact that ?narrative is the only art that exists in all cultures? (Morton, 2) indicates that storytelling is instinctive in all humans. ?Nothing passes but the mind grabs is and looks for a way to fit it into a story, or into a variety of possible scripts?? (Morton, 3). In an article written for The New York Times Book Review, Katherine Morton restates and supports many of the storytelling themes present in Gibbons? novel. Morton illustrates that the stories humans create assist us as we go through life. ?It is by narrative that we experience our lives? (Morton, 2).
?The first sign that a baby is going to be a human being?comes when he begins naming the world and demanding the stories that connect its parts? (Morton, 3). Ellen substantiates this statement continually throughout the novel. She has no family to teach her anything about the world, and she has to learn for herself. She creates stories so that she may have an understanding for the world in which she lives. These stories not only help her understand her world, they also help her live in her world. Ellen uses stories in every aspect of her life, demonstrating that humans are ?insatiable for patterns?patterns of sequence, of behavior, or feeling?connections, reasons, causes: stories? (Morton, 1). When there is disruption in sequence in Ellen?s life, she feels as if the has no control. For example, Ellen notices how much Starletta is growing up and says, ??I always thought she should be little and fast forever?I want to press my hands to her to stop her from growing into a time she will not want to play? (Gibbons, 83). More evidence that small children will be human beings is that they ??will want a story at bedtime? (Morton, 3). Ellen tells her reader, ?I am not able to fall asleep without reading. You have that time when your brain has nothing constructive to do so it rambles. I fool my brain out of that by making it read until it shuts off? (Gibbons, 10). As Ellen tries to fall asleep, she has problems with her mind wandering. To prevent this, she reads, forcing her mind to stay occupied so that she does not have to face the pain. Ellen?s behavior of repetitively creating stories illustrates that ??imaginative narrative?was decisive in the creation of our species, and is still essential in the development of each human individual and necessary to the maintenance of his health and pursuit of his purposes? (Morton, 3).
As human beings we develop stories to comprehend things we do not understand about our lives and the world as well as to cope with our sufferings. On page 26 of the novel, Ellen describes how she plays ?catalog.? She searches through catalogs to cut out a father, mother, children, and clothing for the family. The family will have everything that she thinks a family should have. This separate reality she has created helps her to forget her own reality. Ellen also tells of picking beans with her mother. She describes vividly how her mother would leave piles of weeds for her to pick up, and then, when the beans were ready to pick, show her which ones to pick. She talks of this as if it was a frequent occurrence, but her mother was actually only well for one growing season. ?You see if you tell yourself the same tale over and over again enough times then the tellings become separate stories and you will generally fool yourself into forgetting you only started with one solitary season out of your life? (Gibbons, 49). Both these stories are how Ellen is able to handle never having had a real family.
A fundamental purpose of Ellen?s stories is finding her identity. Ellen defines herself through the stories she tells. The usual ways that people define themselves, i.e. parents, names, social status, etc., do not work for Ellen. Her parents are not respected and she has no social standing, so she shifts around the facts of her life so find a truth about herself. There are instances in the novel when Ellen looks in a mirror but does not recognize herself. While living with her grandmother, she is told she is just like her father. Her grandmother tells her, ?All I know is when I look in your face I see that bastard and everything he did to my girl? (Gibbons, 78). This causes a struggle within Ellen as she has been told by Mavis that she looks just like her mother. She says, ?Sometimes she talked so strong to me that I had to check in the mirror to see if I had changed into him without my knowing or feeling it? (Gibbons, 68). Later in the novel, as Ellen is coming closer to finding her identity, she decides that she needs a new name. She feels that her family ?wore the other name out? (Gibbons, 88). So, Ellen?s stories are exceedingly significant as they help her ?to make sense out of the greatest mystery all of us must face?ourselves? (Morton, 4).
Ellen?s stories are part of her human nature and are how she lives and experiences life. Without her stories, she would never have survived or began to find herself. Morton best sums up Ellen?s situation when she says, ?I tell you that the only world I know is the world as I know it, and I am still learning how to comprehend that? (Morton, 4).
333
Другие работы по теме:
Christianty In Narrative Of The Life Of
Fredrick Douglass Essay, Research Paper In Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass describes his interpretation of Christianity in his experiences as a slave. Christianity as seen through the eyes of a slave was very different than the Christianity of the slave owner/master. Douglass’ audience is obviously whites and educated blacks, because slaves were forbade reading.
Cloudstreet Essay Research Paper The complexity of
Cloudstreet Essay, Research Paper The complexity of the narrative voice in Tim Winton s Cloudstreet adds to the intrigue of this unusual novel. The omniscient narrative voice by Fish Lamb, along with other aspects of the narrative structure contribute to the understanding of the text. It in turn gives the reader insight into the characters inner thoughts and feelings, the unique setting is given a sense of mystery to it through its personification, and the relevance of each of the events depicted in the novel are made clear through Fish s narration.
Olaudah Equiano Essay Research Paper On page
Olaudah Equiano Essay, Research Paper On page six of the introduction to The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano , Robert J. Allison characterizes Equiano and his narrative in the following way:
Olaudah Equiano Response Paper Essay Research Paper
Response To ?The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African, Written by Himself? By Olaudah Equiano The autobiography of Olaudah Equiano, first published in 1789, is the first example of a slave narrative. Unlike most of the class, I took it upon myself to read the entire story of Equiano?s Travels, abridged and edited by Paul Edwards.
Life Of Equiano Essay Research Paper Olaudah
Life Of Equiano Essay, Research Paper Olaudah Equiano (Gustavus Vassa) was kidnapped from his African village at the age of eleven. Shipped through the ardous “Middle Passge” of the Altantic Ocean. More than two centuries later, this work is recognized not only as one of the first works written in English by a former slave, but perhaps more important as the paradigm of the slave narrative, a new literary genre.
Mary Rowlandson Essay Research Paper Mary Rowlandson
Mary Rowlandson Essay, Research Paper Mary Rowlandson wrote a narrative about hardships she faced during her captivity, in a journal. Despite her suffering she thanked God for her life and his mercy. Rowlandson wrote during the colonial period and is an example of a puritan writer for many reasons.
Life Essay Research Paper You have been
Life Essay, Research Paper You have been ready to move on for quite some time But maybe not so ready to let go Of all that you know (Your friends, your family, and all the sweet memories)
Slaughterhouse Five Essay Research Paper This first
Slaughterhouse Five Essay, Research Paper This first chapter, a preface, is insistent on the fact that the book is based on real events. Vonnegut, like our narrator, is a veteran of World War II, a former prisoner of war, and a witness to a great massacre, and that fact lends a certain authority to what follows.
Narrative Essay Essay Research Paper August 2
Narrative Essay Essay, Research Paper August 2, 2000 Narrative essay Growing up in the streets of Los Angeles one will be caught into the temptations that are out there. One of the biggest temptations being caught into gangs. It is pretty hard not joining one especially when you see all your friends joining a certain crew or gang.
The Brown Wasps Essay Research Paper The
The Brown Wasps Essay, Research Paper The Brown Wasps ?The Brown Wasps? is in my personal opinion, a very good narrative essay that not only has interesting description but comes to a more personal
Narrative Shift Hemingway Essay Research Paper Narrative
Narrative Shift -Hemingway Essay, Research Paper Narrative Shift Hemingway s characters often turn to primitive rituals for comfort. (Donaldson, Vol. 13 in Literary Criticism) It is at this primitive point in each character when Hemingway employs a narrative shift or shifting the narrator s description through another characters point of view.
Poem Belong Essay Research Paper Where I
Poem: Belong Essay, Research Paper Where I belong I am weak, I am strong I will fit where I belong don’t know where it is for now but it will come, if I allow tomorrow, I start a brand new day
Time And Guilt Essay Research Paper Time
Time And Guilt Essay, Research Paper Time and Guilt In Tillie Olsen’s narrative “I Stand Here Ironing,” I interpreted that there was a reflection of the loss of time and the sense of guilt between a
Life And Chess Essay Research Paper To
Life And Chess Essay, Research Paper To run, to hide, to fight, Are the questions we face, day and night. To run, to hide, to fight, You have options, choose well, choose right.
Harriet Jacobs Essay Research Paper Incidents in
Harriet Jacobs Essay, Research Paper Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl was written to appeal to an audience of free white women and to involve them in the antislavery struggle. At a more personal level, it was written to vindicate Harriet Jacobs, both to reveal her history and to account for it in a public setting.
The Awakening Essay Research Paper The central
The Awakening Essay, Research Paper The central narrative of Kate Chopin?s novel The Awakening can be said to concern Edna Pontellier?s struggle to define herself as an active subject, and to cease to be merely the passive object of forces beyond her control. But the precise nature of this struggle, as well as its emotional and psychological dimensions, is less easily articulated.
Quotes About Life Essay Research Paper Quotes
Quotes About Life Essay, Research Paper Quotes About Life “The answers to life s problems aren t at the bottom of a bottle: they re on TV!” Homer Simpson “It s a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.”
Aliens Essay Research Paper Aliens
Aliens Essay, Research Paper Aliens What are aliens? There are illegal aliens. Their are UFO aliens. You have to ask yourself one question, do you think there could be intelligent life
Narrative Essay Research Paper NarrativeI was born
Narrative Essay, Research Paper Narrative I was born in San Jose, Costa Rica, and moved to California when I was very young. Before I moved to California my dad traveled back and forth for 2 or 3 yrs from California and back to Costa Rica. He spent most of his time working in the Fresno area, in the cities of Tulare, and Visalia.
Allegory In The Divine Comedy Essay Research
Paper Dante wrote The Divine Comedy between 1308 and 1321. The Divine Comedy was written as an allegory, Which is a narrative that takes place on both a literal and a figurative or symbolic level. Dante uses himself as the main character and uses allegory to describe himself in the epic.
Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass 2
Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglass Essay, Research Paper Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas Frederick Douglas, a slave born in Tuckahoe Maryland, was half white and half black. His mother was a black woman and his father a white man. Though he never knew his father, there was word that it was his master.
Personal Narrative Essay Research Paper Once I
Personal Narrative Essay, Research Paper Once I was in a car with two of my friends. When we were speeding about 10 miles above the speed limit. When someone cut us off sending us over the median. Crashing straight into a Ford Explorer head on. My friend Jaime who was driving didn’t make it he flew out of the windshield and landed about 25 feet away.
Secrets Of Life Essay Research Paper There
Secrets Of Life Essay, Research Paper There is one part of my life that no one knows about. This secret has caused me to act in ways I thought I wasn’t capable of doing. For the past five years, I
Frederick Douglass Narrative Essay Research Paper Frederick
Frederick Douglass Narrative Essay, Research Paper Frederick Douglass s Narrative In Frederick Douglass s Narrative, Douglas himself narrates the novel using story telling to bring both the reader into the story, and the theme into focus. Through his narration, Douglass also uses narrative strategies like anecdotes, and plot twists.
Curiosity Essay Research Paper More likely the
Curiosity Essay, Research Paper More likely the cat was just unlucky (l. 1-2). In this narrative poem Curiosity , by Alastair Reid, he gives a dissertation on cats and dogs. Cats are adventurous and dogs do not take chances. Reid uses symbols Have you ever heard the saying curiosity killed the cat (l. 1)? and allegory to disclose the theme that life can be more fulfilling if one opens the door to new and different prospects.
Persia Essay Research Paper Influence of Islamic
Persia Essay, Research Paper Influence of Islamic Art The art of Europe, or ‘Western art’ is of a totally different type and style as what is known as ‘Islamic art’. It is difficult to have samples of both together in one place, observe the patterns of one and the narrative form of the other and say, “Islamic art influenced the art of Italy”.
Life Is Like Essay Research Paper Life
Life Is Like Essay, Research Paper Life is like a car. When it?s new, it usually works all right. As time drives by, it breaks down and needs repairs. Life is like a leaf. In its youth, it
Frederick Douglass 5 Essay Research Paper Frederick
Frederick Douglass 5 Essay, Research Paper Frederick Douglass’s Autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, is situated in a context that was not open to, or fond of the straightforwardness of his writing style. His open identity in an anonymous world of anti-slavery literature thrust him into international fame.
Frederick Douglass 4 Essay Research Paper Douglass
Frederick Douglass 4 Essay, Research Paper Douglass Portrayal of Women in Slavery in His Narrative Frederick Douglass portrays the black and white women in The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass at two opposite extremes in his innovative way of using the literary device of contrast to make his views clear and distinct to his readers.
Uncle Sams Song Essay Research Paper Uncle
Uncle Sam`s Song Essay, Research Paper Uncle Sam’s song, "I Don’t Ever Wanna See You Again" is a song about a guy who gets his heart broken by his girlfriend. In this song Uncle Sam is
Robert Frost Critique Essay Research Paper Choices
Robert Frost Critique Essay, Research Paper Choices are never easy- men face multitudes of them in their lifetime. Some decisions to these choices are clear while others are sometimes more difficult to effectuate. The poem “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost is a first person narrative tale of a monumental moment in the speaker s life- Frost can be considered the speaker.