Li-Yuen’s Comments (group member since Oct 03, 2015)

Li-Yuen’s comments from the Forms of Literature (Keating's Goodreads Discussion forum) group.

Wendy wrote: "In the stories “Everyday Use” and “I Stand Here Ironing” are narratives stories told by the mother and pointing out general ideas of the family, but in two different perspectives. Both stories have..."

I agree with you that families do often fight amongst each other and are the cause to a lot of problems. I think that although the problems in each of the stories pushed daughters away from their mothers, the children were able to grow and develop in their own way-aside from their parent's expectations.

Jennifer wrote: "Both stories are centered around the value of family and the importance of family bonding. For instance, both stories are told from the mother's perspective. One of the things that both stories sha..."

I agree with you in the fact that in "Everyday Use" the materialistic things held much sentimental value. In my family, there are several treasured objects, but none that surpass the love of a person.

Family isn’t the people you choose to be around you, but they are the people you trust to support you during your development. The short stories “I Stand Here Ironing and “Everyday Use” both deal with mother-daughter relationships and the idea that a person’s fate is inevitable despite a parent’s expectations. In “I Stand Here Ironing”, Emily becomes a funny and gifted comedian much to the audience’s surprise after a rough and neglectful childhood. While this event becomes a positive twist in the story’s plot, that fills us with hope for a brighter future for Emily, it was an event out of her mother’s control. “Everyday Use” shows how education turned Dee into a woman who rejects her mother and all that she gave her. In this case, even with a mother’s presence in the household, it seems that family cannot explain why a person turns out the way they do. Although Emily and Dee are compared to their sister’s who are favored over the other, both of the mothers come to accept Emily and Dee for who have they become. Their support is what allows the family to stay connected together, with or without a strong physical presence, and not their influence as parents in the past.

Maya wrote: "In The Horse Dealer’s Daughter, the cavalcade of horses are symbolic of Joe, Fred Henry, and Malcolm. While the horses outside are physically bridled, the three brothers feel emotionally confined. ..."

The connection between Mabel's three brothers and the horses is really interesting. I hadn't realized that Mabel was the only one that got changed for the better, while everyone else stayed stagnant.

Marco wrote: "In the story, "The Horse Dealer's Daughter" we are shown the three brothers Mabel has. In describing the brothers, we are giving characteristics of them. One symbol I found very interesting is thei..."

I liked how you noticed such a small detail in the story, like the mustache. I didn't recognize how their physical features represented their personalities, but I now see how they relate.

“The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” is a short story written by D. H. Larence with several symbols including the cemetery and pond that supports the overall theme of death and rebirth. The cemetery is a symbol of Mabel’s connection with the dead because, physically, it was apart from the rest of society, it was dark, and it was a dirty place. This setting consoled her dead soul giving much further reason to assume that death played a major role in her life before her transition into a new woman. A symbol that may pertain to this transition from death to rebirth would be the “dead cold pond” that Mabel sinks into during a period of insanity. This action ultimately alters her into a completely different person because she is rescued by Dr. Jack Fergusson. Then, a once silent ghost in her so-called home, Mabel becomes a woman willing to open up to love rather than death.

Moy wrote: "Harold Krebs was a college frat boy before he entered the war in “Soldier’s home” and I can imagine he was quite the rowdy individual. That’s just a usual stereotype of being a college kid in a fra..."
I agree that the author's direct and simple sentences correlated with Krebs's detachment from any social connection. And I do suppose that he may have some qualities of a sociopath, but would for sure say he is experiencing PTSD.

Esmeralda wrote: "I would think that Krebs was a regular person in society that had goals in life and wanted specific things just like the average guy but after the war he changed in to a very simple person who just..."

I agree with you, I believe Krebs wanted to be left alone and deal with his thoughts and problems on his own. I don't think this made him simple, just distressed from what he experienced when coming back from war.

At the beginning of the story, the narrator describes Kreb as a frat boy coming out of a religious college, just like many of his fraternity friends. Kreb was a type of guy who probably wished for the use of his family’s car and the glory of returning back home from the war. However, this idealistic view was shattered when the post traumatic stress of war altered Kreb. While, “nothing [had] changed in the town,” Kreb was transformed into a man who did not care for a girlfriend, or a job, or a family. The author purposely leaves out the details of what happened in the war in order to emphasize Kreb’s solitude and uses simple, straightforward sentences that convey Kreb’s apathy towards his trifling conversations with others. Kreb’s experience in the army taught him that he could be self-sufficient and that he could “live without consequences.” In addition, because no one could understand him, he kept to himself and lived life at a distance. Because of this dramatic change in personality, Kreb is a dynamic character with a strong detachment from the rest of society.

Miguel wrote: "The story sounded really isolated since the beginning. Just the fact that in order to reach the place they had to cross a hill. Mrs. Wrights did not have any children to lighten up the house, makin..."

I like your point of view of the story's isolation, and agree that Mrs. Wright must have greatly suffered. I think she had reached her limit and did in fact change when her canary died.

Emile wrote: "Mary Helen Washington states that the setting in "A Jury of Her Peers" depressing and isolated because the Wright's home is far from any city or neighbor. For example, Mrs. Hale describes the house..."

I agree with you Emile, the isolated setting drove away any possible company and added to Mrs. Wright's depression. I like that you related the isolation to the canary and the fact that it was the only source of comfort given the setting.

The Wrights’ home is a place physically too far for anyone to visit frequently and emotionally detached from anyone who would want to visit. It’s “up a little hill” and down a path the characters visit during March, a place they enter only after a murder has been committed. One of the first descriptions of the house discloses that the characters are under the impression that the house is “lonesome-looking” and “‘never cheerful.’” Mr. Hale had suggested that the residence was in dire need of some linkage to other homes, other than the “lonesome stretch of road” surrounded by “lonesome-looking trees.” The deceased owner of the house, Mr. Wright, was not fond of the idea, “‘saying folks talked too much.’” Mrs. Hale also states that her and Mrs. Wright “live close together, and...live far apart,” adding to the physical and emotional detachment the characters have with the residence. Of course, this separation was an added cause to the crime, maybe if the house seemed more like a home, with visitors and laughter, instead of a disconnected household, the murder might have been averted.

Eunice wrote: "Throughout the story “I Stand Here Ironing” by Tillie Olsen, Emily is described by her mother portraying her as flat or one dimensional. To evaluate Emily’s character in “I Stand Here Ironing” I wo..."

I agree that Emily's character was both flat and round throughout the story, and would also say, that Emily's mother limited the reader's knowledge of Emily's character. Because of this, we must find out Emily's true personality through the memories of her mother-for example, the first time Emily became "somebody."

Leslie wrote: "In the story, "I Stand Here Ironing", Emily is portrayed in her mother's point of view as a flat character. For instance, her mother describes her as "a child seldom smiled at", characterizing her ..."

I agree that Emily's character shifted from flat to round as we learned about her inner comedian. I didn't think that she would change so drastically, so, to me, it was also a surprise.

“I Stand Here Ironing,” begins with Emily’s mother’s inability to account for Emily’s disposition. Because Emily is 19, most of her development happened “outside” and “beyond” her mother. Emily’s mother always “worked or looked for work” to support her family, but was never truly there for Emily. This explains why Emily’s character is flat in the beginning of the short story. For example, unlike her siblings, Emily never directly protested or rebelled, and when she so badly sought her mother’s attention, she created excuses instead of directly asking for the love and attention she desired. Emily is constantly sick and left neglected by her family and teachers, nevering achieving fulfillment. Then, later on in the story, we finally see Emily transforming into a dynamic character as we learn about the amusing personality Emily has. Readers get to know about the “jokes and riddles” her sister Susan steals from her and “shuggily,” a funny word that Emily invents also used by a sibling. Furthermore, after a school performance, Emily truly becomes a round character by finally achieving an audience’s feedback that’s instantaneously awarded to her. And although at the end, Emily’s mother is still focusing on household chores, rather than paying direct attention to the company around her, we are left with the hope that Emily will prosper.