...While suicide is frequently preceded by social isolation (Potter and Perry 358), in Doris Lessing’s “To Room 19” and Willa Cather’s “Paul’s Case,” both protagonists choose to commit suicide after isolating themselves socially from their worlds. More directly, Lessing’s protagonist Susan’s mental health severely declines after discovering her husband’s infidelity. When the freedom she finds amongst her mental chaos is challenged, she sees no other option other than to end her life. Similarly, Cather’s protagonist Paul gets to live the life of affluence he has always desired away from his father, but when his grim reality sets in, he chooses to end his life tragically. Although each of their paths to suicide is different, there is an uncanny similarity between their social isolation, newfound sense of freedom, and subsequent suicides. It is through this analysis that I will compare and contrast the protagonists from “To Room 19” and “Paul’s Case” by suggesting that both Susan and Paul’s social isolation liberates them from their otherwise undesirable social circumstances. Lessing introduces Susan as a practical woman who lives in a beautiful house with four charming children and a marriage that is “grounded in intelligence” (Lessing 868). Objectively, her life appears perfect to the reader: “They had everything they wanted, everything they had planned for” (Lessing 868). However, her husband’s infidelity marks a significant change in her life, which invariably causes a steep...
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...conformity was held in high regard. On the other hand, Igby Goes Down is set in the 1980s -1990’s American era, a time of expanding multi national corporations, materialism and commercialism. Salinger and Steers utilise the characterisation of their young, sardonic and rebellious protagonists, Holden and Igby to epitomise non-conformity. The composers allude to the recurring theme of isolation and alienation in both texts. As a result of their non-conformity, the protagonists experience rejection and depression as they search for their selfhood. Similarly, the national ethos of the American Dream is explored as a mere fallacy, and both composers portray this through their protagonist’s wealthy backgrounds and opulent upbringings and yet money doesn’t bring them happiness. Salinger, through literary devices and Steers, through cinematic techniques effectively convey that youth will always refuse to conform regardless of context because conforming denies individuality. Salinger in his novel The Catcher in The Rye explores the ideas of non-conformity in association with Holden Caulfield’s isolation and alienation. The 1950’s Conservative American context demanded adolescents such as Holden...
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...being cut off from your family, home, and birthplace, can be both enriching and alienating to a person, contributing to the theme of happiness over the truth. Huxley utilizes the character John, also known as the savage, in order to magnify the repercussions of being cut off from your family and to express how being separated from his mother augmented John into a stronger person. Throughout the novel, many characters are shown to choose their happiness, in the form of soma, over the truth of the world. However, because John was different from everyone else, he chose the truth of his suffering over the possibility of false happiness. John’s home was found in his mother and him growing apart from her left him feeling that his life was now hopeless and without meaning. However, unlike his mother and all of London, he chose not to fix this suffering with soma. Instead, John lived in seclusion in his room, mourning what he once had with his mother and imagining what could have been. This estrangement hurt John because he lost the only relationship he ever had, the only home...
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...Pursuit of Happiness As life continues people are always striving to find their own forms of happiness. But what defines happiness? Happiness is found in different ways for different people. Is it achieved through money? Some people find that wealth ultimately makes them happy. Or could it be the feeling of being accepted by your peers? Trends are followed because people want to fit in. Society can consume someone because the feeling of being accepted can create happiness for that individual. Or could happiness be related to your position in class. Some believe that the poor cannot be happy because they are poor and the wealthy upper classes are the happiest of all. What could make someone truly happy? Different questionings of happiness appear in Leo Tolstoy’s books Family Happiness and Death of Ivan Ilyich. Tolstoy portraits the search for happiness in his two books through society, wealth, and social class. In the book Family Happiness, the main character, a young girl named Masha was driven through the acceptance of society. She wanted to be a part of “the normal”, and believed that would make her happy. Ivan Ilyich of The Death of Ivan Ilyich believed he was happy only when he was wealthy and a part of the upper class. Classes have been molded since civilization truly formed. The Greeks, the Romans, and even the present-day United States have classes. The only thing that has changed is the sizes of each class over the centuries. In Leo Tolstoy’s...
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...the connection between nature and the universe. I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud tells the emotional life of William Wordsworth as it reflects his alienation, memory, and healing. Alienation is a terrible feeling of isolation which is healed by solitude or reflection. Solitude allows for floods of memories to remind us of our reason for living. Solitude is our saving grace which is essential for reflection, a time in which we discover things about our past which were previously unknown. Being in a state of solitude brings many memories from our past to the stage, allowing us to celebrate the joys of past experiences once more. Memory is an extremely powerful force which defines us and creates our identity, thus giving us a reason to live. Through a process of solitude and reflection the much needed power of healing can be achieved. Healing can be found in reflection on memories and in the beauty of nature. Nature allows the feelings of alienation and isolation to escape our tranquil minds and therefore rejoining us with society. Wordsworth was a poet of nature and his struggles made him develop a deep connection with the world around him. Healing from the sufferings of the world can be found in reflection, memories, and nature. Alienation, a terrible feeling of isolation, makes people aloof with the world and separates us from the harshness of society. Sometimes alienation is necessary because being separated from the pressures of the world allows for reflection which leads to solitude...
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...and continues until the day we die. There are many different stages of development all depending on the person’s beliefs on how we develop. All theories explain a specific growth and development for a specific time for an individual starting from birth to the time of their death. Not all the theories are agreed on because they are based on different individuals erase each and findings, and the time that the theory was developed. In this paper we will break down three of them. The first one is the infancy part of life and how Erik Erikson viewed the development. The second stage of development we will look at is called the phallic stage of Sigmund Freud’s six stages of development. The last stage we will look at is the intimacy versus isolation this is stage six of eight from Erik Erikson. “Some aspects of infant development seem automatic.” (Berger, 2010, pp. 86) The first period of development is in the infancy part of life typically this is from zero to 0ne years of age. Erik Erikson called this stage trust vs mistrust. This is the stage when humans are 100% dependent on their care givers. If the child receives the care that they need they will develop a sense of hope and caring about the world. On the other hand if the caregiver shows the child inconsistency in the care that they provide then it can lead to mistrust. The care giver needs to give the child a balance in giving them too much time or too much neglect. Erickson “suggests that optimal psychological health...
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...In Franz Kafka’s novel ,The Metamorphosis, the author pertains to his character, Gregor Samsa,with uncontrollable circumstances such as isolation caused by outside forces. Gregor Samsa, upon waking one morning finds himself transformed into what he already feels like, an insect. His parents deem him unworthy of their love and throw him away like the rest of their junk. Gregor’s father chooses a job for him that dismisses all hopes of forming human connections because of its time consuming nature. Experiences such as theses parallel with Kafka. Born into an anti Semitic community, along with a very opinionated father Kafka’s life is filled with people pushing him away. Kafka truly lives through his characters, especially Gregor, in this short...
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...Choose a novel or short story in which the writer explores feelings of rejection, isolation or alienation. Explain how the writer makes you aware of these feelings. Go on to show how this exploration enhances your appreciation of the novel as a whole. In Robin Jenkin’s novel, “The Cone Gatherers” we follow the malevolent character of Duror who goes through an internal struggle to try and control his hatred for deformities. Duror’s mental decline is driven by the presence of Calum, a hunchback who is collecting cones in the forest in the estate where Duror is the gamekeeper. We are exposed to the dark and twisted nature of the tortured gamekeeper’s mind through his fixation with Calum, the sickness of Duror’s wife, Peggy and the isolation he encounters in the forest. Jenkins explores the nature of good versus evil through the development of Duror. Calum’s arrival in the wood had unsettled Duror due to his deformities and the gamekeeper became obsessed with him. Calum as he saw it ‘defiled’ his sanctuary. He was alone in his obsession and he unreasonably felt that if he destroyed Calum, these bad feelings would go and everything would return to normal. Jenkins had told us that Duror was repulsed by anything that had ‘imperfection, deformity or lack’. However there is also a more historic root to his mental state as in Chapter 2 when Dr Matheson encounters Duror and is worried about his state of mind. His wife Peggy was a ‘haunting ‘ figure; a ghost of her former self;...
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...Individualism was the core of Natsume Soseki’s writing. In his renowned novel, “Kokoro”, Natsume explored the constant struggle between personal morality and the selfish aspects of human nature through the life experiences of Sensei, who suffered from sense of guilt and loneliness. “The spirit of Meiji Era” was probably the best footnote for “Kokoro”, as it suggested a free, open and independent mental state that people could pursue happiness at their own will. However, this kind of spirit, Natsume argued in his speech of “My Individualism”, would undermine people’s mental wellness if they did not form the concept of egotism and the conscience for their behaviors. Three negative effects brought by the spirit of Meiji era were: loss of one’s ego, breakdown of personal moral system, and feeling of isolation and loneliness. These backgrounds gave us a better understanding for the tragic fate of the protagonists in “Kokoro”, as well as the formation of Natsume’s ”Individualism”. First, the loss of one’s “self” was a common problem existed in Meiji period. Complete westernization and parochial nationalism let people doubt their traditions and abandon the old learning. Sensei and K both had to face the conflicts between their aspirations and the judgments of society. Though they both had affection for Ojosan, they resort to different actions. K, carrying the traditional merits in mind, had suppressed himself because of his friendship with Sensei. Nevertheless, Sensei chose to follow...
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...of this, but reason has taken a back seat to longing. “I’m trying to make a case for people who don’t have the sense of belonging that they should have, that there is something really worthwhile in having a sense of belonging.” An individual’s interaction with others and the world around them can limit or enrich their experience of belonging. Belonging can emerge from the connections made with people, groups or community. It is something we all feel whether we mean to or not. This belonging gives us an attachment to other people or things and we can gain other certain feelings such as security, happiness, pride, sense of value and acceptance by others as social human beings. It gives us an awareness of identity and builds our self-confidence and self-esteem as we feel part of something bigger. There are also implications for not belonging, our inability to connect can lead to isolation, alienation, vulnerability and dislocated from society. These universal experiences are explored through the poetry of Peter Skrzynecki’s “Immigrant Chronicle”, in particular, Migrant Hostel where barriers limited the migrant’s experience of belonging and Feliks Skrzynecki which portrays the father and son’s contrasting experiences to belonging in a new land. Sean Penn’s 2007 film Into the Wild also examines a person’s quest for a sense of...
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...Introduction Engagement at work was conceptualized by Kahn, (1990) as the µharnessing of organizational members¶ selves to their work roles. In engagement, people employ andexpress themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performances.The second related construct to engagement in organizational behavior is the notion of flow advanced by Csikszentmihalyi (1975, 1990). Csikzentmihalyi (1975) defines flow asthe µholistic sensation¶ that, people feel when they act with total involvement. Flow isthe state in which there is little distinction between the self and environment. Whenindividuals are in Flow State little conscious control is necessary for their actions.Employee engagement is the thus the level of commitment and involvement an employeehas towards their organization and its values. An engaged employee is aware of businesscontext, and works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefitof the organization. The organization must work to develop and nurture engagement,which requires a two-way relationship between employer and employee.¶ Thus Employeeengagement is a barometer that determines the association of a person with theorganizationEngagement is most closely associated with the existing construction of job involvement(Brown 1996) and flow (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). Job involvement is defined as µthedegree to which the job situation is central to the person and his or her identity (Lawler &Hall, 1970). Kanungo (1982) maintained...
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...they are familiar with. The people of Omelas must ask themselves whether it is better for a child to suffer for the city’s happiness and wealth, or should the city suffer, just to give the child a shot at happiness? It is ironic because Omelas is a utopian city however they treat a feeble minded child horribly for the good of their city. The symbols and themes of this story play a huge role of how I interpreted the story, such as the horse, bird/swallow, flute player, and the cellar child acting as a ‘scapegoat’. “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” begins with the narrator describing a beautiful utopian city called Omelas. It is a city with more happiness than can be imagined. The scene shifts from a bright Summer Festival to one of a child locked in a cellar. One reads of the isolation, neglect, abuse, and fear that this child suffers, and all of the citizens are aware of what the child is going through. They have also seen the child and decided that they are helpless. They believe that the child must suffer in order for the city to be happy and prosperous. Some of the people leave town after they see the child and realize that they cannot be truly happy knowing the child is suffering. They walk out the city of Omelas never to go back “The story ends with “The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it...
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...storm in “The Painted Door” serve as a metaphor for Ann’s sense of isolation. Sinclair Ross, the author of the short story, intelligently uses imagery to add atmosphere to the story and enhance the readers understanding of the emotions and mood of the protagonist, Ann. The isolation of the farmland is made abundantly clear as we learn the closest neighboring farm is “five miles away,” and even then it would seem longer as the roads are “impassable.” However, Ann’s isolation is not entirely physical, she also feels very emotionally isolated from the one person who is supposed to be there with her. The emotional setting of Ann is that of the physical environment, isolated, bitter, and cold. Ann cannot seem to surpass the emotional blocks John has put up. Her words are “chilled” as she speaks to John indicating how she has turned cold and indifferent toward her husband. Ann’s geographic isolation eventually intensifies her feelings of loneliness to the point where she feels even alienated from her own husband. Although John knew the they “could expect a storm,” he left Ann alone amongst the “ever-lurking silence” to go help his father. Ann is feeling alienated from John and the storm is representing that alienation physically “isolating her [there] alone.” The earth is entirely “snowswept”. The bareness and simplicity of the surroundings, the “clear pale sun-chilled sky”, serve to “intensify a sense of isolation”. They compare to the lack of emotion John is showing towards Ann and...
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...It is in people’s nature to seek happiness for themselves first and then worry about those around them. It is only the people of the highest character that are able to put the happiness of other people before their own. People will often claim that they are motivated by making other people happy, but this is simply not true. The short story The Painted Door by Sinclair Ross exemplifies this as a young woman, Ann, is exceedingly selfish and has little regard or thankfulness for her kind selfless husband John. Ann is primarily motivated by her own desires and throughout the story she finds ways to justify her egotistical ways. Unfortunately, these kinds of people are always detrimental to societies and will always cause more harm than they do...
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...combination of a great love story with great action and suspense. The main idea of this story thoughts that the author would like to convey is human falling in true love with each other, sacrifice, physical isolation and fear. http://www.fantasybooksandmovies.com/twilight-novel.html Firstly love is one of the main ideas of this book. As example, Isa Bella, who prefers to be known as Bella, is a 17 year old girl. She leaves Phoenix, Arizona, to go living with her father in Forks, Washington, in the ambition of giving her mother the chance to travel with her new husband. She feels attracted to Edward Cullen when she meets him in Forks High School. When she determines that he's a vampire, her attraction blooms into full-fledged first love. Originally, Edward just wanted to eat her, but insufficiently realizes eventually that in fact what he is feeling is true love, and after a few days they start dating. After two or three weeks, Bella is begging Edward to turn her into a vampire because of true love. http://www.shmoop.com/twilight/love-theme.html Beside that love, sacrifice also the main idea of this book. Example, Bella is a selfless character. Not only does she risk her life to keep her mother safe, but she also tolerates a lot of personal discomfort for her parents' happiness. Bella sacrifices her own personal safety for the sake of love, and is even ready to give up her own human life to be with Edward forever as a vampire. Besides...
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