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.