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A "Made for TV" Family

  In Sag Harbor’s chapter “To Prevent Flare-Ups,” Benji describes his family as “Made for TV,” and as a “Cosby Family.” Both of these phrases have double meanings in the narrative–one is intentional, while the duality of the other was only added years after the book was published.  The intentional hidden meaning comes in with the title, “Made for TV Family.” The upfront interpretation of this is that Benji’s family is the perfect sitcom formula–working upper-middle class parents, three kids, and respectable reputations. To the outside eye, they seem perfectly pleasant and harmonious. However–now the second meaning of a “Made for TV Family” comes into play–in reality, Benji’s family is highly dysfunctional. Their interactions are charged and tense, as they constantly teeter on the edge of the dad having a flare-up due to his alcoholism and mercurial moods. They don’t talk about their feelings with each other, they don’t spend time together, and the most physical contact they share is a
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The Role of Perspective in Jason's Coming of Age

At the beginning of Black Swan Green, Jason’s world is narrow. The title of this book being Black Swan Green –the name of Jason’s childhood town–emphasizes how Jason’s small marshy town in the middle of rural England is his all-encompassing universe. He refers to a lake nearby his house as “THE lake,” he knows all of his neighbors by name, and the social structure among his school peers consumes him.  His world is not only physically small, but mentally as well. He accepts what he’s been told by the limited number of people in his life–that writing poetry is gay, that it’s weird to have a stutter, that England is the best and most honorable country, and that Romani people are polluting his civilized neighborhood with their savagery.  To me, one of the main arcs of Black Swan Green is Jason becoming aware of different perspectives and growing out of his town, both physically and mentally. While following the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina, Jason is initially completely gung
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Alison's Mother and Identity Performance

  Bruce Bechdel and his relationship with his daughter, Alison Bechdel– is the main focal point of Fun Home– written by Alison. While Bruce’s life story and Alison’s, as well as the similarities and differences between them, are the most prevalent thread in the novel, the other members of Alison’s family (her mother and brothers) fall to the wayside. However, I think the limited information we learn about Alison’s mother actually represents one of the biggest themes in the book.  The mother is an actor, and was highly invested in it during college (in fact, she met Bruce during a college production of Taming of the Shrew ). During the summer of Nixon’s resignation, the novel follows the mother learning her role for an Oscar Wilde play. She dedicates her entire being to inhabiting the part, described by Alison as becoming an “empty shell” in the process. Because her life is consumed by the play and she loses herself in it, she does incredibly well in the performances. That motif of perf
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How Esther’s Womanhood Drives Her to Suicide

  A main cause of Esther’s depression is her feeling of being trapped. Even the title of the book alludes to it; She lives under a bell jar, where the rest of the world is monstrously obscured and out of reach, and she’s stuck in her own cloud of emotions. Only after she undergoes therapy with Dr. Nolan does Esther start to feel the bell jar lift and her freedom return to her, yet she still fears the bell jar will trap her again without warning.  I think the concept of the bell jar isn’t just related to depression or mental illness. The isolation she experiences is also a result of her identifying as a woman. Throughout the novel, Esther feels severely discontented with her prospects that pertain to her gender. She is a highly successful student and earns many scholarships, one of which is a New York program that we first meet Esther in. However, in this special scholarship opportunity with other hardworking young women, they are still patronized by the people around them, which is sho
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The Museum of Natural History and its Symbolism

 Hola,  This is Clara! Today I am going to discuss the Museum of Natural History and its role in The Catcher in the Rye. At several points in The Catcher in the Rye, Holden reminisces on his time at the Museum of Natural History. He recounts his memories of the exhibits from when he visited frequently as a young boy–-the mummies, the historical people, and the firm but kind security guards.  Holden retells his time at the museum fondly, and he frames it as a highly nostalgic and romanticized motif of his early life. However, the museum plays an even larger and symbolic role in the novel, as it clearly represents Holden’s values.  Holden loves the unchanged nature of the Natural History Museum in his visits. Regardless of how many times he came with his school, how old he was, or what the weather was like outside, the exhibits would remain exactly where he last saw them. Though he could not control the ever-dynamic nature of his life and the world around him, the museum represented a pl
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