Saturday, October 9, 2010
G bell-Chekhov and Kincaid-Due Friday, October 15th
Both Chekhov and Kincaid portray conflicts through relationships within their short stories. In "The Lady with the Pet Dog," the connection between Dmitry and Anna is filled with contradictions through a morally corrupt affair, while in Kincaid's "Girl," the association between the mother and the daughter creates tension within the household. Using textual evidence, support how these challenges allow the reader to obtain a stronger understanding of these short stories.
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All relationships have some sort of tension. It is this tension that derives being with and around other human beings. It can stem from a mother daughter relationship to even an affair, seen respectively in Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl” and in Anton Chekhov’s “The Lady with the Pet Dog.” Both short stories revolve around a relationship, which is actually what humans thrive on during life. Although the relationships are inherently different, with one being an affair and the other maternal, both present challenges that allow for the greater understanding and development of the plot. In “The Lady with a Pet Dog,” obvious tension is present as there would be in any affair. Dmitry and Anna spend extensive time together before Anna returns to her husband. When out in the town they cannot resist each other, but “these kisses in broad daylight [are] exchanged furtively in dread of someone’s seeing them” (239). The challenge of attempting to have a normal relationship, which requires more than just hotel room visits, provides the tension for the affair driving the plot line and story. The tension between a mother and a daughter can also drive a story, as seen in “Girl.” The mother in the story is depicted through her instructions that she gives to her daughter in hopes that she will succeed and do something with her life. This list is seen by the daughter as more of a list of grievances that her mother is holding against her as Martin Luther did with the church in his Ninety-Five Theses, except for the difference being that the daughters seem to be posted on her forehead instead of on the door of the church. Such statements as “this is how to behave in the presence of men who don’t know you very well, and this way they won’t recognize immediately the slut I have warned you against becoming,” (719) are embedded with in the list, and the mention of viewing her daughter as becoming a slut is within this two more times in addition to the one above. It is clear that the tension in the household is what dominates and drivers this story.
ReplyDeleteRelationships are the foundation to any interaction one person has with another in real life. Hence the importance of relationships and the impact they have are an integral part of many great literary stories. In the “Lady with the Pet Dog”, the relationship between Anna and Dmitry is secretive and morally corrupt since they both are married to other people but have an intimate affair with each other in Yalta. Their secretive relationship allows the reader to understand the complexity of living a married life while also being in love with another person, “He had two lives: one, open, seen and known by all who cared to know, full of relative truth and of relative falsehood…and another life running its course in secret” (10). This double life creates a split lifestyle for both characters which greatly enhances the storyline of the two separated secret lovers. One life they are loving parents and good spouses, but another life they are sinners who secretly love each other. Relationships also play a key role in the story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid. In this story, the relationship between the mother and daughter is full of tension. This is seen through the daughter’s stream of conscious of all her mother’s advice that constantly encircles throughout her mind as she tries to do everyday tasks, “…always eat your food in such a way that it won’t turn someone else’s stomach…” (655). This tension is caused as a result of the mother constantly ordering her daughter around and hammering advice into her head. She is constantly told what she must do, and must always be aware of her behavior while trying to undertake simple tasks such as eating and dressing for Sunday school. Both the relationships in “The Lady with the Pet Dog” and “Girl” are complex, but provide greater insight into the characters’ lives whether it is that they live a double life or a life full of tension and apprehension.
ReplyDeleteSorry “The Lady with the Pet Dog” is not in the edition of my literature book so I looked the story text online, and this is the website I used.
http://www.turksheadreview.com/library/texts/chekhov-ladypetdog.html
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ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozm_Fd1oNmQ
ReplyDeleteWhat does a bundle of twigs possess that a simple stick does not? Tension. The tension of many twigs outweighs the force of any one individual. Like this famous Aesopian fable, writers employ tension not only to drive the plot of their works, but also to add a layer of complexity that mirrors the course of human events. Without tension, literature fails to be relevant to humanity, and thus becomes useless. Identifying the tension in a story, moreover, leads to greater insight and understanding. In Chekhov’s story, “The Lady with the Pet Dog”, the untrained eye will quickly zoom in on the superficial affair as the main source of conflict within the story; however, this is not the case. Digging down deeper, examining the actions of the characters, and reading between the lines rips away the façade of an easy fling. Simply put, the affair shows the human need for fulfillment in love. To love and be loved. The main character, Dmitry, cannot love his wife of “…limited [intellect], narrow-minded[ness], dowd[iness]…” and thus must search for completion elsewhere (235). He finds it in the form of a “…free and contented…” young maid, Anna Sergeyenva. By analyzing the paramour that wells between them, we further gain insight into the human condition. Both of their desires stem for a hole in their heart that cannot be filled with meaningless physical relations but something deeper; something more profound that causes Dmitry to “…[follow] her…blindly” (243). The tension is finally released with a sigh of “ahh” with a true spiritual and loving union, albeit difficult one.
Likewise, in the short story “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, at the onset the story presents itself as a simple laundry list of chores, instructions, and motherly admonitions. Stripping away this veneer, however, delves into the heart of the matter: the need for acceptance and for encouragement versus the need for self-actualization. In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, a pyramid which places the necessities of life in order of their importance to growth, the erosion of acceptance destroys the ability of ever reaching true self-esteem. Her mother repeatedly calls her a “slut” and gives her a extreme list of don’ts including “…you mustn’t speak to wharf-rat boys…don’t eat fruit on the street…don’t squat down to play marbles…” (719). Confronted with this long list of expectations, the daughter is left with nothing but a glimpse of hope of success in a vast sea of potential failure. This tension not only underpins the story, but exposes the strained mother daughter relationship and alludes the unkind future of a young girl bereft of motherly acceptance.
No relationship is perfect no matter whom the relationship is shared with. This is clearly demonstrated in both stories "Girl" and "The Lady with the Pet Dog". In "The Lady with the Pet Dog", after having a small fling the two them decided that they would never meet again. However, the memory of the vacation provides Dmitry with an aspiration that things can be different, and this passion within him is so potent that he begins to feels incomplete when Anna is not with him. Upon encountering Dmitry the second time, Anna is appalled, which is seen as she states, "How you frightened me! I am barely alive. Why did you come? Why?" (243). After their confrontation, Anna is so shocked that she behaves in a rough manner because they had planned to never meet each other again. This tension between the two ultimately reveals the love they share for each other because when they had left each other the first time that they might, both had promised to be "parting forever" (239), however, they end up meeting again. If they had not shared an intimate relationship, then there was not point in hiding their relationship. The fact that Anna reacted in such a manner makes it obvious that she, too, feels the same way that Dmitry feels for her. Similarly, the rift in relationships in "Girl" shows how the daughter completely disagrees with her mother. Throughout the short story, the protagonist pours her stream of consciousness at the audience about all of the rules her mother has laid out for her. The narrator commences by, "wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap" (719). When the reader reads this first line, the reader automatically begins to ponder whether the girl is being instructed to do this or is she telling someone to perform this task. Once the reader continues reading, he/she realizes how the girl is instructed by her mother to follow the social norms otherwise she will not fit in with society. The mother places so many restrictions on her daughter that the girl feels confined and begins to feels that she is not able to live the life the way she desires to live. Her mother is menial to the daughter, therefore, this makes the daughter feel that she holds no value. Because the mother views her daughter as a "piece of trash", the daughter begins to form a similar opinion for her mother. Through the rift of the mother-daughter and the couple, the reader gets a clear understanding of the story.
ReplyDeleteGreat posts everyone! You all seem to have a great understanding of the tension between these two short stories.
ReplyDeleteLauren: The quote you used to support your argument for "The Lady with the Pet Dog" is strong and shows how tension affected the couple's relationship. I also like your reference to Martin Luther and the connection made between his 95 Theses and "Girl."
Tasha: Your quote for "The Lady with the Pet Dog" is a great example of the "double-life" led by Dmitry and Anna, and your reference to stream of conscious within "Girl" is important since the story is told through the tasks of what the girl is expected to achieve. Also, your connection to Freud's shows your ability to apply his beliefs to other works.
Bracey: Your video of the twigs shows your scholarly understanding of tension within the short stories, and your contradiction to the blog question, while using supporting evidence, clearly demonstrates your knowledge of an important theme in "The Lady with the Pet Dog," the desire to obtain love. In addition, the girl's longing for acceptance, rather than self-realization is a good point. Including outside sources such as the YouTube video and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs adds to the strength of your analysis.
Prutha: You're right that the reason there was tension in the relationship between Dmitry and Anna was because of the loved they shared for one another. The quote clearly depicts Anna's mood,and the role these conflicts play within "The Lady with the Pet Dog." Also, mentioning that, according to her mother, the girl does not fit into society is a great analysis of the constant tasks her mother asks her to complete, and the mutual feeling between the mother and the daughter creates the tension within "Girl"
Every relationship is different. Numerous aspects can affect a romantic relationship such as distance, age, and family matters. This theme is showed in both, "The Lady with the Pet Dog" and "Girl." Within "The Lady with the Pet Dog", Dmitry and Anna realize that continuing to see each other would not be right. They can not deny their feelings for each other, however, and disregard other's opinions for their own, personal happiness. "They lay together, still. She imagined their posture like this, the two of them one figure, one substance; and outside this room and this bed there was a universe of disjointed, separate things, blank things, that had nothing to do with them." The quote expresses Anna's reliant feeling towards Dmitry. "The Lady with the Pet Dog" is a novel that teaches true love. Through the immoral affair and outside opinions, both, Dmitry and Anna, can not deny their love for one another and continue to express this love.
ReplyDelete"Girl" is another story that conveys the hardships of love, except within this short story, the subjects are a mother and daughter. The story consists of a mother continuously giving orders on how the daughter should live her life. She does not acknowledge the daughter's feelings but instead only tells her what she believes is right. She even goes so far as to insult her daugther. "This is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and so to prevent yourself from looking like theh slut I know you are so bent on becoming." The mother's disdain for the daughter creates a sense of anger and resentment inside of the daughter also. Just as the mother views her daughter as a useless human being, the daugther begins to view her mother in the same light. This tension between the mother and daughter help the reader discover the underlying emotions within the story.
Conflict in relationships is omnipotent in daily life. Many others attempt to capture these daily struggles through their literature. Joyce Oates and Jamaica Kincaid masterfully project these unpleasant, but existing elements in their works that help the audience comprehend the plot. In “The Lady with the Pet Dog”, the protagonist (Anna), is the cause for the conflict. She is had an affair with a secret lover and now her lack of love for her current husband, coupled with the guilt of adultery is tearing her apart; “Her husband was impatient. He was apart from her, working on her, operating on her; and then, stricken, he whispered, “Did I hurt you?” (Oates 252.) The sheer dramatic irony of the husband inquiring whether he had caused his wife’s pain adds to the burden that is eating her alive. Oates’ use of these contradictions helps the audience comprehend the compiling and overwhelming since of guilt the women feels when she is around her husband.
ReplyDeleteThe relationship between the girl and her didactic mother in Kincaid’s “Girl” offers a different dynamic. The mother is telling her daughter all of the things she needs to do in their male dominated society to be “successful.” Her instructions are full of contradictions; “is it true that you sing benna in Sunday school?… don’t sing benna in Sunday school.” (Kincaid 719.) The mother is only attempting to look out for her daughter in the harsh, sexist society, but her stream-of-consciousness set of fallacious advice is only straining her daughter. This stream-of-consciousness of contradictions displays to the reader the hardships that women face during this era.
In literature, the relationships developed by characters provide insight to themes and messages imminent to the story. In “The Lady With the Pet Dog,” the tantalizing dynamic between Gurov and Anna reveals the complications of love and the struggle in balancing what is right and what is desired. For both Gurov and Anna, love represents hope, happiness, and a better life. Although, their love is arduous, inconvenient, and sinful, it provides a safe place for them, a level of comfort they cannot find in their marriage partners: “Gurov looked at her his heart contracted, and he understood clearly that for him there was in the whole world no creature so near, so precious, and so important to him; she, this little woman, in no way remarkable...filled his whole life” (241). Anna transposes Gurov’s opinion of women. He never knew he could be so captivated and entranced with someone. At the same time, however, the two expose the lonliness that often accompanies love. Never knowing if the other feels the same, one remains silent, hiding their deepest fears. Anna and Gurov are isolated from one another because of lack of communication: “He was moved, sad, and conscious of a slight remorse. ... This young woman whom he would never meet again had not been happy with him” (240). Although Gurov recognizes Anna’s unhappiness, he is unable to relate it to his own discontent widening the gap between them. The relationship between the mother and the daughter in “The Girl” also evokes an important message. The story is characterized by a juxtaposition of nurture and criticism. The mother begins her dissertation by listing domestic duties of a woman that will help her serve a man. However, she quickly changes her tone to a harsh, personal vindication. She goes on to relay demands “so to prevent yourself [the daughter] from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming” The mother insults her daughter with the accusation that she is careless with her sexuality. From this relationship, the art of manipulation is exposed. The mother first draws her daughter making her feel safe. Then she quickly changes from simple, melodious voice to harsh and critical. Additionally, the importance of repressing female sexuality in the Afro-Caribbean culture seeps throughout the story. In both Kincaid’s and Chekhov’s stories, relationships reveal pertinent information about the themes and messages being portrayed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTension, Drama, Suspense; all feelings associated with conflict in literature. Conflict is present in almost every written work. It is used to develop the storyline and increase the depth of the work as a whole. Anton Chekhov uses conflict in the relationship between Anna and Dimitry in the short story, “The Lady with the Pet Dog”. Their affair paves the way for confrontation in their relationship. In “Girl”, by Jamaica Kincaid, there is constant tension between the mother and her daughter. This in turn has a negative effect on not only their relationship, but also the family.
ReplyDeleteAnna and Dmitry find love in Yalta. They know cheating, is morally wrong, but being with each other and experiencing the thrill of fresh love is remarkable and inescapable. Although the intimate relationship is fun it causes conflict due to their inner consciouses. The guilty feeling of knowing that what they were doing was wrong really hit hard, “At Oreanda they sat on a bench not far from the church, looked down at the sea, and were silent” (Chekhov 238). The guilt has an impact on the relationship. This is even more apparent to the reader as they sit in silence. They may love each other, but the conflict and knowledge of doing something wrong is always going to have an effect on a positive thing or feeling. The last several sentences of Jamaica Kincaid’s short story, “Girl”, really demonstrate the lever of the mother and her daughter’s relationship. Their conflict slowly tears apart the family. In a conversation with her daughter a life lesson is tried to be taught, “Always squeeze bread to make sure it’s fresh; but what if the baker won’t let me feel the bread?; you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won’t let near the bread?” (Kincaid 720). The mother is very blunt with her daughter in telling her that in life she has to have self respect for herself and not be a slut or “get around”. In this one sentence the reader can experience the awkwardness of their relationship and see how it can have harmful effects on the entire family.
Many do not realize how demeaning conflict can be. To readers, it gives depth to a story and makes the plot and character to character relationships more interesting.
A reader can comprehend a story by merely reading the words on the page. The mood of the story adds to the reader’s comprehension of the situation, which in turn creates a better understanding of not only the plot summary but also the in-depth messages within. One common thread used by authors to create a specific mood would be tension. Within the short stories “Girl” by Kincaid and “The Lady with the Pet Dog” by Chekhov, tension caused by relationship issues is the key element used in both to create that mood the reader is looking for.
ReplyDeleteWithin “Girl” the narrator shows that she has problems with her mother and their relationship is very weak. The whole story is a list of things that her mom has told her to do. The daughter makes her mother seem very bossy and not compassionate like a mother should be like. She expresses negativity towards her mother. Her mother has not only nagged tremendously but has also referred to her more than once as a “slut I have warned you against becoming”(719) which portrays her mother as a bitter, insensitive woman. This is why their relationship has not been cohesive.
The short story “The Lady with the Pet Dog” also has a tension caused by a flawed relationship. Dmitry and Anna have a very suspenseful companionship because they try to conceal the affair from the eyes of others and the eyes of Anna’s husband. Anna is confused at what she wants. Obviously she is not completely happy or fulfilled with her husband because she looks elsewhere to find a fix for her emptiness. “Her inner emotions cause even more tension when she sees how disgraceful this affair is. Anna says, “now I have been a vulgar, vile woman whom anyone may despise” (238) which goes to show that even when trying to find happiness she just causes more pain for herself by hurting her husband. This causes a double tension created the suspenseful mood, which keeps the reader’s eyes glued to the page. Both stories exemplify why authors use tension to create a certain mood within the story. It is to help readers comprehend not only the story line but also the overall message that is being portrayed.
In life it is inevitable that relationships will be tested and people will be challenged. Tension is a state of anger and impulse that ultimately brings a relationship closer, as does a tragedy to a family; it forces people to come together. Found in Anton Chekhov’s “The Lady with the Pet Dog” and Jamaica Kincaid’s “Girl,” tension within relationships reveals true feelings. The immoral affair between Dmitry and Anna requires tension in itself because of the nature of a love affair. Anna is married; however, both desire a different perspective and a change in their lives. A strain is put on their relationship by the constant worry; “Then he looked at her intently, and suddenly embraces her and kissed her on the lips... and at once he looked round him anxiously, wondering if anyone had seen them” (237). Anxiety results in tension with one’s self and it articulates into others. Constant stress and worry among the secret lovers dampens the happy, fulfilling relationship. Together they represent the freedom and easiness of passion, but this is lost throughout the struggle to go unnoticed. The stress is felt throughout the story. In “Girl” the tension between the mother and daughter does not go unnoticed by readers. It basically drives the story, resembling the relationship between and dominating parent and the rebellious, growing teenager whom seems to need guidelines revolving around, “…how to behave in the presence of men who don’t know you very well, and this way they won’t recognize immediately the slut I have warned you against becoming…” (719). The daughter feels cornered and bombarded. The mother leaves no room for personal growth within the daughter. She is unable to make a mistake and learn from it, ultimately not able to set her own goals and guidelines. This is a typical strain among parent-child relationships. An overbearing parent can drive a child to rebel due to lack of freedom, which the story outlines by the strict guidelines.
ReplyDeleteThe Newtonian law states that for every action or force is a directly opposing force. However, while these tensions are inevitable following the initial action, they are self-inflicted in the sense of agency to knock down the first domino in a chain of exacerbating effects. Therefore, all relationships could be tension free if the world was filled with drugged and desensitized humans with uniform actions and unanimous purposes who moved in every direction in unison. Obviously, this is not the case in a world of humans who hypocritically disagree with an eye-for-an-eye and tooth-for-a-tooth even though they are invariably prepared to retaliate and be the opposing force to unconsciously comply with Newton’s law. Kincaid demonstrates this tension in her mother’s list of oppressive, controlling advice. The quotidian advice of caring for laundry, eating, and transcending childhood play acts as more than strict advice. It is the metaphorical and symbolic representation of male dominated society, regret, and moral cleanliness. In emphasis of immediate repentance and care for issues, her mother instructs her to, “... soak your little clothes right after you take them off” ( Kincaid 719). These little clothes, or lingerie, must be kept clean in her mother’s eyes, advice with the underlying meaning of chastity. Indeed she encourages her daughter to not fall prey to her lustful id by avoiding the “slut” she is “so bent on becoming,” and then that mother “know[s]... [she is]... so bent on becoming,” followed by “warned... [her]... against becoming” (719). This progression from possibility to knowledge and ultimately an “I told you so” warning demonstrates the motherly wisdom that her daughter is not perfect and will make mistakes. This alludes to God’s two great commandments for the biblical Adam and Eve: to multiply and replenish the earth, and to not eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. In juxtaposition, these two elements of counsel are contradictory, for the could not procreate without the knowledge of how to do so. Therefore God allowed Satan, a power who he has power over, to tempt Eve in order to fulfill his plan. Likewise, the mother provides the advice for a near quintessential lifestyle in full awareness that her daughter must make mistakes in order to grow. Perhaps this is why she teaches her daughter, “...how to make good medicine to throw away a child before it ever becomes a child...” (720), or in other words means for abortion should she make a mistake, or be forced to make a mistake by another. Jamaica Kincaid’s narrative is overall very straightforward and emotionless, demonstrating her obedience and appreciation for her mother’s wisdom. These two qualities of the author however do not denote she is not overwhelmed or somewhat rebellious of her mother’s counsel.
ReplyDeleteYet these possibilities are most certainly not definite and to say that the Jamaica is unappreciative of her mother’s counsel is to be a close minded reader who expects the author to share his or her same feelings. The tension in this relationship is not in the mere commandment of household chores, though some readers may only scratch the surface and reach this conclusion. Rather the tension is in the natural imperfect state of the daughter to not fulfill every segment of advice. Her mother ends with the rhetorical question of “... you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won’t let near the bread?” (720), meaning the mother knows she is likely to be that type of woman, an avant child of feminism who challenges the constricting chains of repression guarded by men with keys to the imposed locks. Therefore, is an expected tension in which the initial force moves in sync with the returning force really conflict at all? After all in such a situation there would be no friction, and thus no tension.
ReplyDeleteChekhov provides another relationship, yet this one has definite tension from societal morals and expectations. As Ana and Dmitry continue their clandestine affair unbeknownst to their spouses and in Dmitry’s case, children. He is faced with how to hold onto his “... [true] love, really, truly - for the first time in his life” (Chekhov 245) when the societal expectations, manifested by Ana’s guilty tears of shame, pulls them apart. These imposed morals are blatant tension in their relationship and seem to perpetuate the idea that, “... they were a pair of migratory birds, male and female, caught and forced to live in different cages” (245). They both long to be free of the choices they have made and forsake the inevitable consequences, but the baby chicks in Dmitry’s cage and egg in Ana’s plead for them to surrender to the life they have chosen, for to abandon their caged companions would be to break the heart of some for the union of another heart, thus sacrificing one tension for an even greater one.
McLeod: Your quote supporting the conflict in “The Lady with the Pet Dog” is great. It shows the connection that Dmitry and Anna share yet “outside this room” there are “things that had nothing to do with them.” It demonstrates how secret their affair is, and that they cannot truly express their true love for one other with this disjointed relationship. Also, your analysis of “Girl” correctly portrays the tension the mother creates in the daughter’s life and how the daughter’s resentment increases towards her mother.
ReplyDeleteTyler: Even though the original question asked for an analysis of Chekov, I like that you interpreted Oates version, which is similar. Your quote is ironic in portraying the contradiction that Anna feels towards her husband. Mentioning a “male dominated society” and “harsh, sexist society” in “Girl” is an excellent way of comprehending why the mother constantly gives her daughter orders.
Anna Cait: Your analysis of the word “love” for Dmitry and Anna shows your full understanding of this important theme in “The Lady with the Pet Dog.” Using an abundant amount of textual evidence, you further your comprehension of the tension between these two lover’s relationship and how their loneliness creates more challenges for one another. In addition, the use of tone is very important in “Girl,” which you seem to have a strong grasp on. As the short story progresses, the mother’s orders change from a caring perspective to judgmental. Overall, a great blog post.
Taylor: Good job on your introduction. It is a strong paragraph leading up towards your main points. In “The Lady with the Pet Dog,” guilt plays an important part in their love for each other, and your quote supports this tension in their relationship because of their silence. Your analysis of the short story “Girl” shows the mood the mother and daughter experience towards one another. These “life lessons” only create more conflicts, as the daughter questions the amount of respect she is given.
Outstanding job, Caroline, and G Bell in general. You all continue to "wow" me with your in-depth analysis and strong textual evidence. Your comprehension of both stories is top notch. Thank you, Caroline, for all your hard work in making this BLOG a success!
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