"Sophistication"

In the short story "Sophistication", George looks back for the first time on his childhood, and as Anderson writes, this moment could be referred to as a "moment when he crosses the line into manhood" (Anderson 234). As people usually say, once you reach adulthood, you begin to wish you were young again. I believe this is what happens to George and Helen in this story. George walks around the fair, and begins to remember moments with Helen. He wishes for “someone to understand the feeling that had taken possession of him after his mother’s death” (Anderson 234). All the sudden he has an urge to “touch someone with his hands, be touched by the hand of another” (Anderson 235). The symbol of hands helps point out the theme of inability to communicate and isolation, which takes possession of numerous characters throughout the novel. He longs for Helen, in hopes that she will be able to understand his needs and he will fill that emptiness inside of him up. Meanwhile, Helen, returns from college and walks around with an instructor from college. She feels as if he is boring and Helen then seeks out to spend time with George. When they finally encounter each other, they have this sudden urge to go run around in the darkness, like "excited little animals" (Anderson 242). I believe that this chapter of the novel, portrays the fact that George and Helen needed to once more feel young and for the last time have their wild, youthful night as 'animals' before they separated and left to live their different lives in adulthood. This moment allows for both of them to be in “touch” with one another and fulfill that emptiness and isolation, which they feel. “The presence of Helen renewed and refreshed him. It was as though her woman’s hand was assisting him to make some minute readjustment of the machinery of his life” (Anderson 241). She made him better, but the word ‘machinery’ implies that he looked at his life as a boring, job. As if it is something routine and pre-made. Does he feel that leaving town will allow him to full express himself? Become more real and alive? Perhaps they don’t really love each other, they are just using each other to fulfill their desires of the night. “I have come to this lonely place and here is this other” (Anderson 241). The quote implies that George is only using Helen merely to have someone who understands his strong desire to express his final, youthful urges, before he steps into manhood. At the end, both of them received what they so strongly desired and a moment of communication, a bond between man  or boy and woman or girl was finally formed.

"Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?"

As I was reading this short story, the whole time I kept freaking out thinking of how much this “Arnold Friend” guy is a pedophile. Okay, I mean he keeps telling Connie to get in the car and go for a ride…creepy. Then he does not let her get to the phone. That is when you scream “RAPIST”. But now that we had a few discussions in class about the literary meaning behind this weird story, I can see that there are some interesting aspects to take note of.

First of all, I’d like to take note of the author’s reason for brining rock n roll into the story. Perhaps the author tries to get the audience to realize the importance of rock n roll in the 1960’s and the affect it has on society as a whole. Maybe a simple theme to come out of this would be that rock n roll is taking your children and everything they know. That rock n roll is Evil. This is depicted through the way Arnold dresses and how he speaks to Connie. He is a symbol for rock n roll. Therefore, we can say that rock n roll does all the things he does. “We ain’t leaving until you come with us” (Oates). This way Arnold tries to persuade Connie to leave her family and come with him for a ride. Through his bad manner and persuasion in a way he represents a loss of innocence. And since he is a symbol of rock n roll, Connie is being turned away from her youth of innocence into a bad adulthood, through the use of Arnold as influence.

Moreover, I think the door in a way seems as two options for Connie to take. She can either run and grab the phone to make a call, or she can step through the door. Making a phone call could symbolize her sense of youth and her wanting to get help from adults. This would represent that she is still an innocent child and is not ready to go into the real world where there is danger. If she was to step through the door (as she does at the very end), this would symbolize her loss of innocence. She would be ultimately defeated by Arnold and her morals would be changed. She would transition into adulthood.

With his deceptive looks and charming speech, Arnold persuades her to step through the door. “I’m your new lover honey” (Oates). As we can see, lyrics of traditional rock n roll songs are depicted in his speech. When he ultimately gets her to come with him, at that point Connie is transitioned into an adult woman. She gives up and is persuaded by Arnold to move on in her life. In a way this is a good thing because I guess at one point or another she needs to grow up. Perhaps she wanted to gain all this freedom all along and be out on her own.

"Hairball"

Having read the short story "Hairball" by Margaret Atwood, I must say even though it started out gross, it turned out into one of the most interesting pieces I have ever read. The story can be analyzed from beginning to end with very descriptive details. I loved how the story brought about the role of society and how women were to be treated and viewed in the 80's and 90's. The main character, Kat, struggles to have her voice heard in a room full of men. She tries to 'run' throughout her career in order to not suffocate from the expectation that society has set up for her and other women. She strives for female superiority and having the upper 'free-hand', but ultimately is shut down and all her credit is taken by her boss, Gerald, who is ironically enough a man. Kat desires to be independent and not like the rest of the females in the society who are in a 'class'. Kat has her 'own class'. Society expects male dominance, and all women to be housewives. Kat mocks Cheryl for being closed-minded and organized. Basically, fit just how society has set her up to be. “Her mind was room-by-room Laura Ashley wallpaper tiny, unopened pastel buds arranged in straight rows”(Atwood). Here Kat mocks the fact that Cheryl only knows what she is provided and doesn’t know how to apply the knowledge elsewhere. However, she is seduced by his manly features and becomes 'powerless'. This shows that men seduce women and women fall to society’s expectations to be completely dependent upon men. "I knew you'd prefer someone who could, well, sort of build on your foundations...she looks at his neck. She longs for him, hates herself for it, and is powerless" (Atwood).

Another reason why Kat stands out from the rest of the society is that she is constantly curious about new things and aspects. “She was terrified but also she was curious. Curiosity has got her through a lot”(Atwood). Kat was afraid to find out the results from the doctor, but she requested to take a look at the cyst due to her curious personality. This kept her on a positive note when going into the doctor’s office. Moreover, she begins to describe the features of Gerald that attracted her to him. “But he was eager, he was tractable, he was blank paper”(Atwood). Meaning that she picked him so that she could create her own masterpiece likewise, you can make just about anything with a sheet of blank paper. Since, she would get bored of things easily, she would always want something to work on and do. Her curiosity accepted the challenge and she decided to transform Gerald into a new man. “He’s a money man who lusted after art, and now he’s got some, now he is some. Body art. Her art. She’s done her job well; he’s finally sexy”(Atwood). However, her curiosity ultimately leads to her downfall and she soon wished he was his old self again, and that she was in that “silver frame”.