Lahiri's The Namesake

Characters
Ashoke Ganguli: Gogol's father who is nearly killed in a train accident.
Ashima: Ashoke's wife who arrives in New York after their arranged marriage.
Gogol/Nikhil: Main character who struggles with his Indo-American identity.
Sonia: Gogol's younger sister who marries Ben.
Ruth: Gogol's college sweetheart. They separate after she studies abroad.
Maxine: Gogol's first love. Break up due to Gogol's struggles after father's death.
Moushumi: Gogol's wife. Marriage ends with her affair with Dimitri.

1. In the first three chapters, we learn of Ashoke's train accident, Gogol is born, and then Gogol starts kindergarten. After reading these chapters, some emerging themes are the importance of names and establishing a new identity.

2. The Namesake opens with an excerpt from Gogol’s “The Overcoat” but the parallels do not end there. Allusions to “The Overcoat” can be found everywhere throughout the novel. The most important similarity between the two writings is the way that Gogol Ganguli changes his name just as Akaky Akakievich changes his overcoat. Both Gogol and Akaky are born without a name picked out. As a child, the resistance Gogol shows to being called by a new name is similar to Akaky’s opposition to getting a new overcoat. In “The Overcoat”, Akaky retreats back into the defenseless person he used to be after his overcoat was stolen. In contrast, Gogol never truly converts back to his old self, except when he is with his family. Gogol wears his name like Akaky wears his overcoat. Both things give them a new sense of confidence and allows them to recreate themselves.

3. Chapter 7- Ashoke dies
    Chapter 8- Gogol meets Moushumi
    Chapter 9- Gogol and Moushumi get married

4. The last time Gogol saw his father was when he was with Maxine. It is a ritual for men to shave their heads when they are in mourning.

5. I think it was a terrible decision for Moushumi to call Dimitri. She knew exactly what she was getting herself in to and she wanted to prove to herself that she was still an independent woman.

6. The train represents change in many instances throughout the novel. It signifies traveling to the next stage in life. Almost every life-changing moment takes place on a train. In the beginning, Ashoke nearly loses his life in a train accident. As a college student, Gogol meets his first girlfriend, Ruth, on a train. Also, Gogol is at a train station when he learns of Moushumi’s affair.

Marquez's "A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings"

Characters
Old Man/Angel: A mysterious man with wings that is discovered by Pelayo and Elisenda who keep him in a chicken coop. He becomes a local attraction and is mistreated by some of the visitors. His purpose for showing up is never revealed.

Pelayo: Husband of Elisenda. He seems concerned about the old man at first. Although he goes against the neighbor's suggestion to kill him, he puts the old man in the chicken coop. He becomes rich from the old man's arrival.

Elisenda: Wife of Pelayo. She came up with the idea to charge admission to see the angel. Once the angel is no longer of use to her, she looks at him as a nuisance. She is relieved when the angel flies our of their life.

Father Gonzaga: He doesn't believe the old man is an angel. He tries to be the voice of reason by insisting that the people treat the old man with respect.

Neighbor Woman: A friend of Pelayo and Elisenda who apparently knows everything about life and death. She believes the old man is an angel who has come for their sick child.

Spider Girl: A girl who was turned into a spider by the heavens for sneaking out of the house. She becomes a carnival attraction and takes the attention away from the old man.

A prominent theme in this story is Human Nature. Marquez is suggesting that if you are different or unique, then you aren't accepted by our judgmental society. This is why Marquez referred to the visitor as "a very old man with enormous wings" rather than "an angel". The old man doesn't fit the normal description of an angel and Marquez wanted us to him the character as an outcast. The reactions of the different townspeople also reveal more about human nature. Most of the people don't care who he is or represents, which shows how narrow-minded people are. The story proves that people are always looking for the next best thing. Once the Spider Girl came to town, they no longer paid attention to the old man. Spider Girl was even more intriguing because she had an explanation of why she was there.

Silko's "Yellow Woman"

1. Silko's "Yellow Woman" is a simple story of a young woman's brief romantic adventure with a handsome, mysterious stranger names Silva. Although the events may have actually taken place, the narrator only fantasizes that she is the Yellow Woman and that Silva is a ka'tsina (a spirit). If Silva was a ka'tsina, he wouldn't steal and kill the innocent rancher. The narrator only wanted to believe that she was the Yellow Woman. She obeys Silva even though she doesn't know him because she wanted to be a part of the Yellow Woman story. This portrays a theme of desire in the story because the narrator desired to be more than what she was. Silva also goes along with the story and makes her question her sense of what is real.

2. The characters in "Yellow Woman" possess both the roles of male and female archetypes. In Laguna Pueblo culture, the Yellow Woman was both heroic and sexual. Females are portrayed as courageous in the service of their people and usually achieve success through sexuality rather than destruction.  Yellow Woman tales embody male qualities with an aggressive sexuality but with a traditional object of female desire.

3. The story of "Yellow Woman" is about the narrator. Even though we as readers never learn her name, we get an insight to her thoughts that allows her character to develop. The story is about her struggle between a life of fantasy as the Yellow woman or a normal life as a mother and wife.

Guevera's Motorcycle Diaries

Motorcycle Diaries exemplifies to characteristics of a bildungsroman by serving as a "coming of age" story of Ernesto Guevara. During the course of the novel, Guevara transforms from a 22-year-old, sheltered medical student to a mature, serious adult. Guevara grows psychologically, morally and socially throughout various encounters with people and places. One such experience is when he meets the Communist couple in the Chilean desert. Guevara and Granado had been traveling for a long period of time without food, water or rest. Upon meeting the couple, they are relieved. However, they soon realize that the couple is in worse condition than they are. The following day, Ernesto is exposed to poverty of the indigenous peasants who are all searching for work. Guevara is appalled at the treatment of workers. This is the first instance that makes a noticeable change in Guevara. Furthermore, Guevara is changed psychologically during his visit to Macchu Picchu. He wonders how the highly advanced culture gave way to the urban sprawl of Lima. In addition, Guevara's visit to the leper colony alters his outlook on life most drastically. He sees the physical and symbolic division of society and strives to close the gap. All of these encounters with social injustice transform the way Guevara sees the world and motivates his later political activities as a revolutionary.

Plan: 8000 km in 4 months
Name of motorcyle: La Ponderosa (The Mighty One)
Travelers: Ernesto Guevara & Alberto Granado
Chichina: Ernesto's Girlfriend

"You gotta fight for every breath, and tell death to go to hell."
-Ernesto says this to Silva (patient at the leper colony)

Achebe's "Things Fall Apart"

As we can see from Part 1 of "Things Fall Apart", the centuries-old Ibo culture was well functioning and civilized before the white Europeans came. We can admire certain aspects of their culture including their marriage rituals, a cash crop to provide for their families, and a way to avoid war. The Ibo culture also had a system of titles, a council of elders, and a court system. This shows that they were self-sustaining and had a way of life that worked for them. However, things began to change from within the culture, even before the arrival of the white man. Some members of the clan started questioning why certain people had to be sacrificed or murdered. Also, some wondered why twins needed to be thrown into the Evil Forest. Even Okonkwo deviates from the expected practices of the clan when he kills the man's son, even though it was accidental. Because of it, he was exiled from his father's land for seven years. In addition, some may have been surprised when he killed Ikemefuna himself. All of these things led Nwoye, Okonkwo's son, to follow the missionaries upon their arrival. Nwoye questioned the actions of his father and the clan, and he saw Christianity as a better option.

So, why did the society fall apart?
1. Christianity
     -The church disproved many of the Igbo superstitions
     -Encouraged the Igbo to break traditions
2. Settlers
     -Killed the village of Abame
     -Attempted to convert the rest, while imposing their power on the land
3. Igbo Tribe
     -Lack of central structure made the tribes easy to separate and convert/conquer
     -Couldn't offer a consolidated defense against invaders and their customs

Ozick's "The Shawl" & Borowski's "Ladies and Gentlemen, To the Gas Chamber"

In "The Shawl," the shawl is considered to be "magic." This is because it keeps the baby from crying and being seen, which saves her life. Although she had no food, the shawl gives her nourishment to magically keep her alive.

Ozick's story shows strengths and weaknesses of human beings. Through the character of Rosa, we see the selfless and caring qualities. She willingly gives up her food to keep Magda alive. On the other hand, Stella shows the cold-hearted and jealous side of human nature. She does not see Magda as an innocent baby, but rather as a piece of food that is going to waste. Starvation has brought out the worst in her and she will do anything for her own survival.

Similarly, "Ladies and Gentlemen, To the Gas Chamber" tells Borowski's own survival story. To save his own life, he must escort others to their deaths. With this idea of "escorting," the politeness of the title mocks the reality of the situation. The fact that the trains are thoroughly cleaned gives people the false impression that they are going to a better place.

This leads to the major themes of the story are death and survival. In aiding the death of others, Borowski and the workers facilitate their own survival. Their physical well-being also depends on the destruction of the Jews because they collect essential items from the prisoners. As Henri says, if the camp "runs out of people" to kill, he and his coworkers will starve to death. Making the connection between death and survival, he says, "All of us live on what they bring." 

Mansfield's "The Fly"

Even with no direct references to World War I, Katherine Mansfield makes it a clear focus of "The Fly"through many details:
1. "...photograph over the table of a grave-looking boy in uniform...It had been there for six years." (page 1) This is the first clue that his son was in the military and possibly had been killed.
2. "The girls were in Belgium last week having a look at poor Reggie's grave, and they happened to come across your boy's." (page 2) The readers now learn that both of their sons were killed in the war.
3. "There's miles of it," (page 2). Woodifield is speaking of the massive graveyard where their sons along with other soldiers are buried.
4. "The boy had been in the office learning the ropes for a year before the war." (page 3). This is the first direct reference to the war, although it does not specifically state which one.

Although "The Fly" can be interpreted in many different ways, there is one theory that makes the most sense to me. After learning about Katherine Mansfield's personal life, I believe that Mansfield herself is the fly and God/fate is the boss. She harbored an unbearable anger about the war and her brother's death. As the fly, she is being crushed by the boss who represents a fate she cannot control. The hardships of her life slowly led to her death, signified by each drop of ink. One of these ink drops was the death of her brother. With each obstacle, she tried to dust herself off and move forward. But eventually, she no longer had the physical and emotional strength to keep going. "The Fly" symbolizes her own struggle.

Various themes are also present throughout the story. Hopelessness and despair appears throughout the story which parallels the devastating aftermath of World War I. Another theme is the notion that time heals all wounds. After six years, the boss finally cannot force himself to mourn over his son's death. On another note, this is why Mansfield wrote the story: she didn't want people to forget those who lost their lives fighting in the war, like her brother. 

Joyce's "The Dead"

Throughout the text, there are many references to the dead, death, and dying. Joyce's repetition of death makes it clear why he chose the title. Here are a few of the most important examples:
1. "He is dead, she said at length. He died when he was only seventeen. Isn't it a terrible thing to die so young as that?" (page 1971). In this quote, Gretta is telling Gabriel about Michael Furey's death. Although his memory is still alive within her, part of Gretta died with him.
2. "The blinds would be drawn down and Aunt Kate would be sitting beside him, crying and blowing her nose and telling him how Julia had died." (page 1973). This reference to dying talks of his Aunt Julia, who at any moment could "be a shade with the shade of Patrick Morkan and his horse."
3. "He was astonished to hear that the monks never spoke, got up at two in the morning and slept in their coffins." (page 1961). In this instance, Joyce brings up the subject of death even during character dialogue. Freddy Malins explained that "the monks were trying to make up for the sins committed by all the sinners in the outside world."

The names Michael and Gabriel have significant meaning because they are angels in the Bible. Michael refers to the archangel who is God's right hand man. Subservient to Michael, Gabriel was a less powerful angel. This parallels who had control over Gretta's heart in the story.

At the end of the story, Gabriel has an epiphany and realizes his wife is in love with her childhood lover. It closes with the vision of snow falling which represents a new beginning for Gabriel. Covering his past relationships, he is given a clean slate.

Kafka's "The Metamorphosis"

Prior to Gregor's transformation, he was the sole provider for his family as a traveling salesman. However, he still was never an authoritative figure and his family took advantage of him. Even though his family was dependent on him, they were unappreciative and self-centered. After his metamorphosis, he lost the only sense of control he had: his job and providing for his family. Through this, he gained a new perspective on his life. He went from being depended on to being completely dependent. While he morphed into a nasty bug, his sister developed into a beautiful woman. I think this change was metaphoric and might be a reflection of the author's own life as an outsider. Just as Gregor slowly lost all of his humanness, the author gradually lost touch with society after years of neglect and abandonment.

Kafka's references to hunger are not literal. Gregor is not hungry for food; he desires love and attention. The only time he has human interaction is when his sister brings him food. He is never satisfied and always longing for more. As the family's sympathy for him diminishes, they stop feeding him.

Theme is the central or dominant idea of a story that extends beyond the text and applies to the world. Neglect, imprisonment, and the ugliness of humanity are all themes presented in this story. Gregor's transformation creates an emotional distance between him and his family. He is obviously a victim of neglect and they stop believing it is even him. Imprisonment is represented by Gregor being helplessly trapped inside the body of a bug. His appearance is completely altered but his mind remains unchanged. The ugliness and self-centered nature of humanity is revealed through the family. The only cared about him when he brought home the money. After he became a bug, he was worthless to them. The ultimately decide to get rid of him because he is too much of a burden.

Ichiyo's "Child's Play"

Nobu secretly liked Midori but he couldn't show his affection because they were rivals. "He heard her walk away...as he looked at it he felt his heart break." (page 1831)

Culture is filled with prostitution, children are losing the freedom they once had.

Coming of age:
"From that day on Midori was a different person." (page 1836)
"The color of his robes would never be the same." (page 1836)
"You've become a real merchant, Shota." (page 1832)

Characters:

Midori- supposed to follow her sister's footsteps into prostitution
Shota
Nobu
Sangoro- rival of Chokichi
Chokichi- rival of Sangoro

Ibsen's "A Doll House"

Plot
Exposition: Kristine Linde comes, Torvald's new job at bank, Dr. Rank comes, relationship dynamics
Complications: Loan, sickness, Torvald's power, letter in mailbox
Climax: Helmer reads letter
Resolution: Nora leaves behind Torvald and kids

Characters
Nora: protagonist and wife of Torvald Helmer. Nora initially seems like a playful, naïve child who lacks knowledge of the world outside her home. She does have some worldly experience, however, and the small acts of rebellion in which she engages indicate that she is not as innocent or happy as she appears. She comes to see her position in her marriage with increasing clarity and finds the strength to free herself from her oppressive situation.


Torvald: Nora’s husband. New position at bank, delights in authority as a husband. He treats Nora like a child, in a manner that is both kind and patronizing. He does not view Nora as an equal but rather as a plaything or doll to be teased and admired. In general, Torvald is overly concerned with his place and status in society, and he allows his emotions to be swayed heavily by the prospect of society’s respect and the fear of society’s scorn.


Krogstad: Holds a subordinate position at Torvald’s bank. Krogstad’s character is contradictory: though his bad deeds seem to stem from a desire to protect his children from scorn, he is perfectly willing to use unethical tactics to achieve his goals. His willingness to allow Nora to suffer is despicable, but his claims to feel sympathy for her and the hard circumstances of his own life compel us to sympathize with him to some degree.


Mrs. Linde: Nora’s childhood friend. Kristine Linde is a practical, down-to-earth woman, and her sensible worldview highlights Nora’s somewhat childlike outlook on life. Mrs. Linde’s account of her life of poverty underscores the privileged nature of the life that Nora leads. Mrs. Linde took responsibility for her sick parent.

Dr. Rank: Torvald’s best friend. Unconcerned with what others think of him. He is notable for his stoic acceptance of his fate. Unlike Torvald and Nora, Dr. Rank admits to the diseased nature (literally, in his case) of his life. For the most part, he avoids talking to Torvald about his imminent death out of respect for Torvald’s distaste for ugliness.


Bob, Emmy, Ivar: Nora and Torvald’s three children. In her brief interaction with her children, Nora shows herself to be a loving mother. When she later refuses to spend time with her children because she fears she may morally corrupt them, Nora acts on her belief that the quality of parenting strongly influences a child’s development.


Themes
Gender Conflict: Ibsen paints a bleak picture of the sacrificial role held by women of all economic classes in his society. In general, the play’s female characters exemplify Nora’s assertion that even though men refuse to sacrifice their integrity, “hundreds of thousands of women have." In order to support her mother and two brothers, Mrs. Linde found it necessary to abandon Krogstad, her true—but penniless—love, and marry a richer man. 


Parent/Child Relationships: Parent is obligated to be honest and upstanding, because a parent’s immorality is passed on to children like a disease. Dr. Rank has a disease that is the result of his father’s many affairs with women—led him to contract a venereal disease that he passed on to his son, causing Dr. Rank to suffer for his father’s misdeeds. Torvald voices the idea that one’s parents determine one’s moral character when he tells Nora, “Nearly all young criminals had lying -mothers.” He also refuses to allow Nora to interact with their children after he learns of her deceit, for fear that she will corrupt them.


Quotes
1. "One day I might, yes. Many years from now, when I’ve lost my looks a little. Don’t laugh. I mean, of course, a time will come when Torvald is not as devoted to me, not quite so happy when I dance for him, and dress for him, and play with him." 
Nora describes to Mrs. Linde the circumstances under which she would consider telling Torvald about the secret loan she took in order to save his life.


2. "Free. To be free, absolutely free. To spend time playing with the children. To have a clean, beautiful house, the way Torvald likes it."
Nora claims that she will be “free” after the New Year—after she has paid off her debt to Krogstad.

3. "Something glorious is going to happen."

Nora speaks these words to Mrs. Linde as she tells her about what will happen when Torvald reads Krogstad’s letter detailing Nora’s secret loan and forgery. She believes that when Torvald learns of the forgery and Krogstad’s blackmail, Torvald will take all the blame on himself and gloriously sacrifice his reputation in order to protect her. 

Key Terms

Tragedy: drama treating a serious subject
Comedy: treats themes & characters with humor and happy endings
Monologue: extended speech by character
Soliloquy: monologue when character expresses private thoughts alone
Aside: brief comments spoken directly to audience
Plot: the way in which a story's events are arranged

Stages of Plot:
1. Exposition- sets story in motion, establishes scene, introduces characters
2. Complication (Rising Action)- crisis situation
3. Climax: point of greatest tension
4. Resolution- final stage of plot that draws action to a close & ties loose ends

In Media Res: "in the midst of things", opens in middle of story, uses flashback to reveal crucial elements
Flashback: examines an event or situation that occurred before time in which story's action is taking place
Foreshadowing: introduction early in a story of situations, events, characters, etc. that hint at things to come
Theme: central or dominant idea of story
Conflict: struggle between opposing forces that emerge as action develops