Thoughts

The first time I read through “A Rose for Emily” I was very surprised to find that Emily had killed Homer Baron; I had not taken note of all of the foreshadowing clues throughout the story that led to the climactic ending. I remembered reading that she was mentally ill but had not realized how sick she really was until the ending. I feel as though Faulkner purposely hid the clues so that he could hopefully surprise the reader at the end. I remember reading about Emily buying arsenic, the house’s strange smell, and Homer’s mysterious disappearance, but Faulkner strategically placed all of these key clues so that I was not able to connect the dots before the ending. After reading through the story a second time however, I was able to see just how many clues Faulkner had given the reader.

By the end of “Everyday Use,” I pitied Dee. The way she treated Mama and Maggie, her own family, was so disrespectful. I was very pleased to see that Mama finally stood up for Maggie at the end of the story and put Dee in her place by refusing to give her the quilts. It was obvious that Dee only wanted to use the quilts for materialistic purposes. She said herself that the quilts could be worth a lot of money. In the story, it said that every time Dee took a picture of her family, she would make sure the house was in it too. I came away with the feeling that Dee liked to show people where she came from, but not in a proud manner. I think that she wanted to commend herself on how far she has come on her own—torn down, lower class house to flashy, high money objects. She automatically places herself on a pedestal high above Mama and Maggie, and has no shame in putting down her family.

In “Teenage Wasteland,” it was apparent that Donny had problems. The problems began once Amanda was born, which Daisy tells us; Daisy says that the baby was a lot to handle, and she couldn't give Donny as much attention as she did before Amanda was born. I think the underlying reason that Donny had so many problems—drinking, smoking, cutting class, etc. was due to the fact that he was trying to get back at his mother and show her how he felt when he was growing up. Donny ended up taking it to the extreme however, by running away, but I think that he wanted Daisy to feel the pain that he felt when he was younger.

I thought Cal was one of the more interesting characters in “Teenage Wasteland.” I find it odd that he came so well recommended by Donny’s school, because every time Donny was at Cal’s house, it seemed the only thing they were doing was messing around. As the story moves on, Cal and Donny become closer, while Donny and his mother grow further apart. I thought it was interesting that Cal had already been divorced at his young age, because his wife was too “controlling.” I think that Cal sees a little bit of himself in Donny and tries to live through him. I think Cal feels as though he was being suppressed for so long under his wife that when he saw a young boy (Donny) going through the same thing, he wanted to save him (Donny) from the pain that he (Cal) went through. At the end of the story, when Daisy finally listens to her heart and stands up to Donny, I think Cal believes that he has lost the game. I think his goal was to completely separate Daisy and Donny, so when Daisy finally takes control of the situation, Cal thinks Donny is a lost cause and gives up on him by saying Donny is emotionally ill.

One thing that I have constantly seen throughout the stories that we have read this week is that many of the characters wish they led different lives. So many of them—Daisy, Mama, Donny, Mr. Kapasi, Mrs. Das—wish they could change themselves, or those around them. Both Daisy and Mama are self-conscious and wish their lives turned out differently. Daisy is constantly second guessing herself and never follows what her heart tells her. She does not like the way she looks and worries too much about what others think about her. Mama, in the beginning of “Everyday Use,” talks about how she wishes she were skinnier and more feminine. Donny wishes that he could get his mom to trust him and pretty much just stay out of his life. Mr. Kapasi fantasizes about his future with Mrs. Das, and how he would rather be with her than his own wife. Finally, Mrs. Das confesses that she doesn’t even love her husband and children anymore. She wishes that she could leave them and start over with her life. No one is happy with the way they live. I think the purpose of making the characters appear this way is to have the reader sympathize with them. (853)