Seems About Right

Kafka's The Trial had a rather interesting ending.  K. is taken by two men and led to a place in a courtyard.  These men then pull out a knife and engage in an interesting game.  They pass themselves between themselves and K., making it clear the K. was going to be stabbed.  K. comes to the conclusion that he must stab himself, and his mind wanders to a watcher.  He then finds himself being stabbed and choked
by the men.  "'Like a dog!' [The man] said, it was as if the shame of it should outlive him," (Kafka, 165).  The men are clearly angry as K. made it clear he was refusing to stab himself.  This was the first act of defiance against the courts throughout the whole book.  K. shows that the courts can be defied and they do not dictate every aspect of life.

An Unfortunate Insight

In Franz Kafka's The Trial, the courts seem to take a very interesting role.  Throughout the book, K. has been completely unaware of his supposed offense.  The courts and everyone related to them have been very unhelpful.  They usually tell him that it is better to simply wait and that nothing can be done at that particular point.  The court seems to be an overbearing figure that cannot be challenged.  A man K. encounters says "you don't need to accept everything as true, you only have to accept it as necessary," (Kafka, 159).  The court system has so much control that nobody seems to be able to even go against it or questioning it.  It operates without actually answering to anyone who is higher up.  Many people lower in the courts don't even understand how they work.  This oppressive court could symbolize the overbearing government that was in effect when this book was written.  Kafka could have been saying that the government should be more accessible, instead of focused on controlling the people.

A Very Kafkaesque Situation

Franz Kafka has a very well known style of writing.  Most of his characters have some event happen that complicates their lives.  They become obsessed with it, and eventual their entire lives revolve around it until their inevitable death.  The Trial is no different than his other books.  K. finds himself on trial, which seems to not be a very big deal.  However, K. becomes obsessed with it, and toward the later parts of the story finds he can't focus on anything else.  He has already lost his normal life by allowing thoughts about his trial to completely consume him.  "Every hour that he could not be in the office was a cause of concern for him, he was no longer able to make use of his time in the office anything like as well as he had previously..." (Kafka, 143).  K. actually appears to have gone insane.  The level-headed, calculating, smooth-talking man that was introduced at the beginning of the book has now turned into a maniac.  He only thinks of the trial and what he should be doing instead of thinking about the trial.  He is no longer able to have normal conversations, and instead is rather curt with people with whom he is familiar.  This entity in his life has now become completely central, and it has paralyzed him to all other tasks and relationships.

Foreshadowing

In Franz Kafka's The Trial, the character seems to be growing weary of the situation.  K. was been on trial for several months now, but still seems to have not made any progress.  He doesn't seem to be able to help his case in any way.  Furthermore, there is little he actually knows about the court system.  They are kept very secretive and even people in the system are sometimes unaware of whose higher up.  He constantly finds himself unable to focus on anything but the trial.  K. encounters a man at his lawyer's office, and discussing their trial the man says "Probably, my trial's been going on much longer than that, it started soon after the death of my wife, and that's been more than five and a half years now," (Kafka, 124).  This quote foreshadows K.'s life for the next couple of years.  He will be bound to his trial, for which he cannot help, waiting and obsessing until they eventually decide what to do.  It appears that he will lose everything in his life that makes him happy, and instead only choose to focus on the trial for which he still does not know the reason.

A Guilty Conscience?

K., the main character of The Trial by Franz Kafka, has an interesting aspect about him.  He claims to be an innocent man.  He was repeatedly said he doesn't even know why he is on trial.  However, anytime he ventures into the court area, a strange thing happens to him.  He begins having trouble breathing, and desires to be removed from the situation.  He said "'So please, be so kind as to help me on my way a little, I'm feeling dizzy, you see, and it'll make me ill if I stand up by myself,'" (Kafka, 50).  The dust in the air nearly cause him to pass out, and nothing seems to be able to help.  Yet, upon leaving the area, he finds himself feeling better almost immediately.  This strange phenomenon could be due to a guilty conscience.  It could be a below understanding rejection to the area his subconscious thinks will make him be punished for his crime. His strange behavior and reaction likely symbolizes at least some guilty for whatever crime he allegedly committed.

Quite the Tiger Woods

The main character of Franz Kafka's The Trial has an interesting knack.  It seems that whenever K. encounters a woman, they tend to throw themselves at him.  His landlady strangely crazes his approval and desires that all his wishes are filled.  Many women have offered to help him with his trial after encountering his charm.  However, this quality makes him a less likable character to the reader, as he already has a woman.  It seems that he and a woman named Elsa have some kind of relationship, which K. consistently disregards to enjoy other women.  His charm is evident at one point, when a woman he just met says about Elsa, "...but you wouldn't miss her much if you lost her or if you exchanged her for somebody else, me for instance," (Kafka, 79).  While this is not a very likable attribute to a reader, it may prove helpful to K. during his trial.  He is charismatic, and has the ability to make people like him immediately.  If he is able to continue to be offered help, he may be able to find a way to avoid conviction of whatever crime he has been accused of.  K.'s personality is truly an odd one, as he tends to either make people gravitate to him, or completely isolate them.

Mrs. Grubach??

The main character, K., of Kafka's The Trial has interactions with many weird people.  He interacted with strange is deceiving policemen, and explainable judge, and various other people.  But no relationship is more curious than that of K. and Mrs. Grubach.  She is K.'s landlady, but there seems to be more than that.  K. is very comfortable with going to her room in the middle of the night and talking with her, which she also does not object to.  Mrs. Grubach gossips as one point to K. about another tenet who they were discussing.  But this seemingly familiar relationship is at the same time a rather distant one.  K. feels uncomfortable calling Mrs. Grubach by her first name, as she does about him.  Mrs. Grubach's mood also seems to hang in the balance of K. attitude.  It is said that K. could ruin her entire night with one comment.  "K. ... then looked back at the shocked Mrs. Grubach in a way that was almost contemptuous " (Kafka, 56).  For what ever reason, it appears that Mrs. Grubach's mood is closely related with the way K. treats her, and how he is feeling.  This strange relationship adds to the atmosphere of the reader not knowing very much already, as it is a very curious relationship.

An Interesting Way to Tell the Story

Franz Kafka's The Trial is written in a very unique manner.  The structure of the story is similar to a court manuscript.  It has very long paragraphs, and there are very few of them.  The dialogue of the story is also very similar to a manuscript.  One similarity with a manuscript is the unedited style of the story.  "'...it is better if that is done without delay.'  'I thank you,'" (Kafka, 58).  With quotes that are often directly beside each other, it feels as if this were a real court case.  The dialogue of the story is often factual as well, which further implies this is the be written as a court manuscript.  This style adds to the effect of the story.  It makes the reader feel as if they are actually reading the account of a man on trial.  This is helpful for the reader, as the actual trial and legal proceedings around the trial are very strange, confusing, and rather unknown.

Sorting Laundry was Never So Important

In Elisavietta Ritche's Sorting Laundry, there is great symbolic meaning.  This metaphor is shown at the very beginning, when the speaker says "Folding clothes, I think of folding you into my life," (Ritche, 841).  She uses the laundry to show that the couple has a good relationship.  They don't claim to be perfect, and they have their quirks.  But overall, they are very close and love each other greatly.  She soon stumbles upon a shirt she has kept from a past lover.  She thinks of her fear that her current relationship could become nothing more than a piece of laundry.  She fears that her love may leave her, and that obviously terrifies her.  She fears that sorting only her own laundry would not fulfill her.  She would be lonely and constantly reminded that the other side of the bed is empty.

A Weird Message

John Donne poses an interesting request in Batter my heart, three-personed God.  He desires to give himself fully to God.  He tells God to "Batter [his] heart... for you as yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend," (Donne, 840).  He wants God to save him from sin.  The speaker believes he cannot escape the world of sin.  He claims to be married to the devil and his ways, and can only be saved by being taken from him.  This poem has a rather sexual undertone.  It basically says that God needs to seduce the speaker in order for the speaker to be saved from sin.  It also says that the speaker in bound the sin and evil.  The speaker has the greatest of intentions to escape a world of sin, but knows that he is unable to do so.

A Natural High

Emily Dickinson expresses a love of nature in her poem I taste a liquor never brewed.  She begins by saying that she is enjoying an alcoholic beverage that has never been brewed.  She goes on to say "not all the vats upon the Rhine yield such an Alcohol!" (Dickinson, 797).  She now claims that her special drink is better than any beverage that could be produced by a brewery.  She later explains that she is actually drunk on the strong beauty of nature.  She uses many alcoholic references throughout the poem, while pairing them with natural things, like the air and morning dew.  This reveals that she has a strong connection to the outdoors.  She believes that the beauty of nature is stronger than anything man could produce.  She further states that she doesn't care if she is drunk on nature, she desires to continue to enjoy it.  She shows how strongly she loves nature by saying that even when nature is done being happy, she will continue to admire its beauty.

Everything Grows Old

Thomas Hardy's The Convergence of the Twain has a very obvious theme.  The poem tells about some of the nice objects that were on board the Titanic.  The imagery the author uses emphasizes the beauty and eloquence of some of the objects.  But immediately following his original description, a new one is introduced.  This one shows how the previously nice items are now in ruin.  He does this by saying, "Jewels in joy designed to ravish the sensuous mind lie lightless, all their sparkles bleared and black and blind," (Hardy, 778).  This passage also reveals that the vanity we as humans have will eventually lead us to death.  These small items also symbolize the bigger item.  The Titanic was originally a beautiful ship that many people thought to be unsinkable.  However, it was this very arrogance that led to the destruction of the ship and the deaths of many people on board.

Sad Irony

In Marge Piercy's Barbie Doll, there is quite a bit of sad irony and gender roles.  It begins with a girl who is, as many are, brought up to be beautiful.  She matured as many girls did, having typical girl toys, wearing makeup, and desiring to look pretty.  Yet, everyone saw her as an ugly being with "a great big nose and fat legs," (Piercy, 835).  This girl was smart, healthy, and had a great sex drive.  Seemingly having every important aspect, people still only saw her as ugly.  She tried desperately to become what people perceived as beautiful, but was unable to meet there expectations.  The poem culminates with her suicide.  It is sadly ironic that only here, after her death, do people begin to say she looks nice.  This poem exemplifies the society of today, in which a girl can be smart, charismatic, and nice, yet still not be wanted because she does not fit the mold of a woman today.  It is a reality that this poem seems to urge the reader to change in any way they can.

We've All Been There

In Andrew Marvell's To His coy Mistress, the speaker seems to be a lovesick man.  He shows that he cares for this woman very much, and she has been rather uninterested in his advances.  He opens by saying, "Had we but world enough, and time, this coyness, lady, were no crime," (Marvell, 803).  He says if they could live forever, he would admire her for just as long.  He then shows his fear or death, and how much he wishes life was not as short as it is.  He feels scared that they are wasting time being apart.  This leads to frustration because the woman is uninterested in the man's sexual advances.  He ends with his thoughts about death.  He fears that death is absolutely final, and that there will be no embraces after death.  This furthers his feeling of urgency.  This is a common fear for many people in the world.  They fear that their conscious soul will cease to exist with death.  In response to this, according to the man in the poem, people should not waste their time on earth, and instead use it to the very fullest.

What a Thriller

A Jury of Her Peers, by Susan Glaspell, is a classic mystery thriller.  It portrays the women standing in the kitchen while men run around a house looking for clues as to why a wife possibly murdered her husband.  The men mock the women multiple times with sexist remarks, including that they are simply admiring the state of the kitchen and looking at clothing and quilts while the men are working.  At one point, the women "were so engaged with the quilt that they did not hear the footsteps on the stairs.  Just as the stair door opened Mrs. Hale was saying: 'Do you suppose she was going to quilt it or just knot it?'  The sheriff threw up his hand.  'They wonder whether she was going to quilt it or just knot it!'" (Glaspell, 417).  This and other sexist comments of his ultimately prove to be ironic, as this pointless womanly fiddling solves the mystery.  Once they go through her sowing supplies, they realize that Minnie Foster, the woman who may have killed her husband, only had a bird to love, and her husband killed in like he killed Minnie's good spirit.  As revenge  Minnie strangled her husband.  Another example of irony comes at the conclusion, when although the sheriff's wife is called "married to the law," she helps cover up the murder.  They view this murder as justified, and thus outside the jurisdiction of the law.

Boys Being Boys

In Tobias Wolff's Hunters in the Snow, three fools set out on a hunting trip.  These three men behave in typical fashion as one would think men do on a hunting trip.  They search the woods and tease one another.  Their findings for the day are dismal at best and after stopping to ask permission to hunt on a man's land, things take a turn.  One of the men, Kenny, seems to turn homicidal when he begins to shoot things, culminating with the murder of the dog.  It is later revealed that he was asked to kill the dog, but Tub subsequently shot Kenny, as he felt threatened.  As they journeyed to the hospital, Tub and their other friend, Frank, made several stops.  They leave their bleeding friend laying in the back of the truck each time.  On these stops, Tub and Frank talk.  They talk about their new loves and their weight problems.  This contradicts the idea that men don't need anyone.  At one point, Frank says, "'The way I look at it, Tub, no man is an island.  You've got to trust someone,'" (Wolff, 199).  Those shows that although these men seem like normal, hardened men, they have problems too and it feels good to be able to discuss them.  This again defeats the general stereotype of men being creatures that don't have or deal with feelings.

Quite a Shakespearean Finish

Othello, the Moor of Venice, written by none other than William Shakespeare, ends in tragedy.  Only two guilty lives were lost at the end of the play.  The accomplice of Iago, Rodrigo, was killed by Iago in order to avoid payment.  This action characterized Iago has a truly heartless fiend.  Iago was also eventually killed, although not before many innocent deaths and excruciating torture.  Othello delivers a long speech, saying "... beat a Venetian and traduced the state, I took by the throat the circumcised dog and smote him, thus," (Sheakspeare, 1460).  After he concludes, he proceeds to stab himself out of guilt for the murder of the innocent Desdemona.  As the story concludes, Cassio appears to be the only character that will make it out alive.  Cassio represented the middle ground, as he was not the most noble or most wicked of characters.  Shakespeare could be insinuating the neither extreme is the one that succeeds.  Rather, the winners are those who come from the middle.

Asides

William Shakespeare's Othello, the Moor of Venice asides frequently.  They are useful  as they provide and unbiased insight into the thoughts of the characters.  Since they are simply addressing themselves or the audience, they have no reason to lie.  Shakespeare uses them to convey the thought process of the characters.  Iago is easily the character that uses it the most.  He frequently reveals his evil plot in solitude, letting the audience know what his plan is.  He reveals the role of a pawn in his plan, and often explains where the plot will go next.  He also commonly says how a recent event was part of the plot.  In Act 5, Iago says to himself, "This is the night that either makes me or fordoes me quite," (Shakespeare, 1449).  This shows that Iago has realized that his plan is complete.  He knows that he will either succeed with his evil plot, or be destroyed by it.

Irony

William Shakespeare's Othello, the Moor of Venice features a great deal of irony.  Throughout the entire story, dramatic irony has been present.  This is due to the fact that the story is told as it follows the antagonist, and unique aspect.  In Act 4, this trend continues.  In one scene, Desdemona calls Iago into the room, with Emilia present, to discuss why Othello is behaving in a jealous manner.  While they are talking about the situation, Emilia becomes angry with whoever corrupted Othello's mind.  She subsequently says, "I will be hanged if some eternal villain, some busy and insinuating rogue, some cogging, cozening slave, to get some office, have not devised the slander.  I'll be hanged else," (Shakespeare, 1439).  This quote is humorous to the audience as they are aware that the man she is curing is the man she is married to.  Iago attempts to quite her by claiming there is no such man in Othello's ear.  This simply adds to the humor, as now Iago is saying the slanderer doesn't exist, when it is himself.  The dramatic irony throughout the story has been very strong, and it is likely to only get stronger as the plot of Iago progresses.

Foil Characters

Othello, the Moor of Venice, by William Shakespeare, features two characters that are near opposites.  These characters, Desdemona and Emilia, act as foil characters to each other, complimenting and accentuating the features of the other.  Their situations seem to reverse each other too.  Desdemona was in a caring relationship with a kind man who loved her, but has since become a jealous beast.  Emilia was never in an actually emotional relationship, her significant other consistently mocking and verbally abusing her.  Desdemona is strong and not willing to tolerate Othello's mistreatment, while Emilia shows no sign of desiring to leave Iago.  Emilia is a weak individual, who seems to want to get back at somebody with silent revenge.  When Desdemona claims she would not cheat on Othello for the world, Emilia responds with, "The world's a huge thing.  It is a great price for a small vice," (Shakespeare, 1444).  These characters, though constantly pulling each other, have remained good friends throughout the story.  There conflicting viewpoints and positions on most every situation and circumstance makes the reader easily notice the features of the other in contrast.

The Evil Genius

William Shakespeare created one of the most sly villains of all time in his story, Othello, the Moor of Venice.  The villain, Iago, has a public reputation that is nearly spotless, with every character introduced thinking he is an honest and loyal friend.  This reputation proves to be his greatest weapon, as he frequently uses his good standing to advance his plot.  He has very manipulative methods, and is able to anticipate a person's reaction to something and prepare for it.  His charisma also proves to be another weapon of his.  He is able to talk Othello into a jealous mindset in one conversation without any proof at all.  He then is able to make up a complete lie and have Othello accept it as complete reality.  When Othello finally confronted him about having real, visible proof, he said, "To be direct and honest is not safe.  I thank you for this profit, and from hence I'll love no friend, sith love breeds such offense," (Shakespeare, 1416).  When Othello comes at him in an accusing manner, Iago turns the conversation around so the Moor actually feels like the jerk.  This high level of social skill will only lead to more manipulations, and eventually the likely conclusion to Iago's master plan for revenge.

A Different Point of View

Many stories throughout popular culture have a similar point of view.  While the situations, outcomes, and styles can vary greatly, most stories follow the tale of the protagonist, while the antagonist appears periodically to oppose him.  William Shakespeare's Othello, the Moor of Venice strays greatly from this rule.  Most of the story has been told as the audience follows the actions of the antagonist, Iago.  Through Iago's dialogue, the audience knows very early on his basic plan, along with some modes he may use to accomplish it.  Iago says at the end of Act II, "His soul is so enfettered to her love that she may make, unmake, do what she list, even as her appetite shall play the god with his weak function.  How am I then a villain to counsel Cassio to this parallel course..." (Shakespeare, 1401).  This shows that Iago is aware that what he is doing is villainous and questionable.  Furthermore, since Iago is actually a friend of Othello, the fact that Iago is evil would be a twist if this were told in the traditional manner.  Since the audience is aware to what the actual situation is, it will be surprising to see the characters trust Iago as readily as they do.  The trust they have given to Iago will prove to be his greatest weapon against them.

Dangerous Irony

Othello, the Moor of Venice by William Shakespeare features, as all great stories do, a great villain.  This villain, Iago, is manipulative and is using people close to him to exact revenge on Othello.  He has revealed to the audience many times that he is a rather dishonest and cunning man.  His will to get revenge against a man he only mildly sure has wronged him is driving him to interfere with many people's lives.  Considering this, dramatic irony is present in a great amount in this story.  Characters, many of whom Iago is either using or trying to destroy, refer to him as trustworthy.  After getting into a fight that Iago caused, Cassio said, "Good night, honest Iago," (Shakespeare, 1401).  The subject of Iago's immense hatred, Othello, considers Iago to be a close friend.  Othello even left his wife under the watch and protection of Iago while Othello was off fighting a war.  Iago seems to be extremely skilled in the art of manipulating people, and will likely consider nothing of limits in his master plan to find revenge against Othello.

An Eerie Warning

In William Shakespeare's classic Othello, the Moor of Venice, conflict is revealed very early.  The villain, Iago, secretly has a deep hatred for Othello, and has sworn to bring revenge on the Moor.  Out of a rumor about Othello having sex with Iago's wife, which may or may not be true, Iago has formed a vendetta toward Othello.  Iago has chosen to make it appear as if a friend of Othello's, Cassio, has had sexual relations with Othello's new wife.  With various subtle and obvious slurs about Othello's race, Iago says that Othello's bride is actually being held against her will.  Othello, showing how mild-mannered and kind-hearted he is, reacts calmly to the accusations, asks for his bride to tell the herself what the situation actually was.  Upon hearing her testimony, it became clear that she was simply a girl who had fallen in love with a Moor.  The wife's father, Brabantio say, "Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see.  She has deceived her father, and may thee." (Shakespeare, 1380).  This a a foreshadowing statement that likely could mean trouble with Othello and his wife, Desdemona.  Having the villain's perspective, the reader knows that this is indeed consistent with the evil plans of Iago.

Painfully Awkward

In You're Ugly, Too by Lorrie Moore, the main character is a rather interesting woman.  She is from Maryland, and has relocated to the Midwest for work, currently residing along the border between Indiana and Illinois.  Her entire way about her is tired and worn out.  She is distant from the present and often unable to hold a meaningful conversation because she makes strange and random comments.  The most noticeable characteristic is her loneliness.  According to her frequent student reviews, she creates a very personal relationship with her students, "singing them songs, letting them call her at home, even, and ask personal questions," (Moore, 354).  It is as if she is making her students her outlet, as a friend would be.  When set up on a date with a man by her sister, Zoe, the main character, is awkward and has an extremely difficult time holding the conversation.  She finds defense in jokes, and even those are rather strained and painful.  Her best friend appears to be her sister, from whom she still keeps major secrets.  Her pattern is to automatically look at how poorly a situation could turn out, assume that is how reality will be, and protect herself by removing herself from potential involvement in any kind of situation.

More Weird Irony

In Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour, the reader follows the thought process of a woman who is finding out she has lost her husband.  She is described as a delicate woman, even having heart problems, who was handled with care when told the news.  Upon hearing her husband is gone, she reacts in a way that is not entirely unpredictable.  She loses concentration, seems to stare off into space.  She then retreats to her room, where she sits in front of a large window and thinks about her life.  Initially she felt very depressed, thinking she is alone in the world and will have nobody to live for except herself.  But after a few minutes, she begins to feel as if she is now free from anybody's desires but her own.  The speaker said, "And yet she had loved him- sometimes.  Often she had not.  What did it matter!" (Chopin).  She composes herself, and goes back out into the world, now with a new enthusiasm for her freedom.  Yet as she comes downstairs, her husband walks through the front door, making it apparent that his death had been a mistake.  The very shock of seeing him made his wife heart give out, and she passed away.  The irony is that after gaining closure on his death and deciding life may be better without him, the wife is granted another chance at a relationship with her husband, which in turn kills her.

Tragically Ironic

In Raymond Carver's Popular Mechanics, irony is used in one of the most tragic ways.  The story starts with a man packing his things, when a woman who appears to be his wife walks in.  It becomes very obvious from their dialogue that they are lovers who are splitting up, and it has become very bitter between the two.  But as the husband is packing, a picture of the couple child is seen by the wife.  After they both go downstairs  the husband states that he is going to take his child with him.  The father attempts to take the child while the mother is holding it, and a near wrestling match ensues with the baby in hand.  The solution was: "But he would not let go.  He felt the baby slipping out of his hands and he pulled back very hard.  In this manner, the issue was decided," (Carver).  It is ironic that while this couple was splitting up, the only thing they both really cared about was their child.  Yet they were not able to love the child more than they hated each other, and the poor baby paid the ultimate price.  In this way, both members of this couple seem to ultimately destroy the most important thing in the world to them.  This could be symbolic about how sometimes a bitter divorce can hurt many people outside the marriage.

A Sad Situation

In Margaret Atwood's February, the speaker has a bitter and sad view of love.  He sees it more as a death sentence, and a foolish act we perform as humans.  He shows his disdain for love when he says, "If we wise hominids were sensible, we'd do that too, or eat our young, like sharks.  But it's love that does us in," (Atwood).  His diction throughout the entire story seems to reflect emotional inactivity.  The scene of sitting alone with one's cat during winter is an extremely lonely one.  He reflects on the social interactions of the cat far more than of himself.  This man seems to be nothing more than a hermit that shy's away from any form of human interaction.  But at the end, this man alludes to possibly just being depressed at the moment.  throughout the entire poem, he reflects on how bleak love is, which could be compared to winter.  However, at the end he wishes for it to become spring.  This could mean he wishes to rise out of the hopeless and depressive state that he is currently trapped. 

An Interesting Outlook

In A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning, John Donne writes through the perspective of a dying man.  The man tells his love to not mourn because of his death.  He says that death is how we will grow, and they will never truly be apart if they truly love each other.  He said, "Our two souls therefore, which are one, though I must go, endure not yet a breach, but an expansion, like gold to airy thinness beat," (Donne, 802).  He says they can only be separated by there own power.  It will be difficult to maintain this state of mind, with the friends being sad constantly.  But the man strongly advises the woman to think of death as an advancement of life.  It is simply a means of waiting until the woman meets her fate, and they are united again.  The man may not be excited about death, but he is able to believe it will be a good thing.  He eventually leaves his love in his current life, and advances onto the next stage of existence.

Variety in a Small Space

In Wendy Cope's Lonely Hearts, there is an underlying theme.  Although all these advertisements are from people in North London, there appears to he a wide variety of people in the region.  There are ads for a "gay vegetarian whose friends are few" and someone who is "successful, straight, and solvent," (Cope, 973).  This exaggerates the differences in some people.  Humans are an interesting species, because they have such diversity in their behaviors and desires.  Yet throughout the ads, there remains one phrase, and one desire.  "Can Someone make my simple wish come true?  Do you live in North London?  It it you?"  All the people, no matter how unique there true desires are, are seeking happiness and love.  Most all humans are eternally in the pursuit of true happiness.  The one true desire of a person is companionship and happiness.

Spiritual Paralysis

James Joyce uses an overall theme in his short story Eveline.  He admits that this and many of his other works featuring Dublin dealt with the spiritual paralysis of its citizens.  The subject of the story exemplifies this theme.  The title character seems to have to tough life with a particularly cold father.  Pertaining to money the narrator said, "She always gave her entire wages-seven shillings- and Harry always sent up what he could but the trouble was to get any money from her father.  He said she used to squander the money, that she had no head, that he wasn't going to give her his hard-earned money to throw in the streets..." (Joyce, 219).  She wishes she was able to go somewhere else and live a better life.  She actually seems to have found a way out, in the form of a rich man.  They made plans to escape this fate by going to Buenos Aires, a vastly different environment than Dublin.  Yet at the very last second, she decides to stay in her hometown, although she resents some parts of it.  This shows that although she desires to leave, she is unable to move on spiritually or emotionally.

Oh the Suspense

Alice Munro uses the effects of suspense masterfully in her short story: How I Met My Husband.  The reader is initially finds the narrator to be a hard-working and quite girl.  She seems to not be very privileged, often finding the needs of her employers to be ridiculous.  Soon a handsome looking pilot shows up and befriends the family.  The pilot, Chris, is always very polite and kind to the narrator, which ultimately proved to be simple manipulation.  After kissing the narrator in his private tent, he flies off without his fiancee, leaving the narrator to wait for a letter from him letting her know where to come visit.  Despite being called very offensive names by Chris' fiancee, the narrator continues to meet the mailman everyday in hopes of receiving the letter.  The reader finally gets the resolution to this love story in the closing words.  "So I stopped meeting the mail.  If there were women all through life waiting, and women busy and not waiting, I knew which I had to be. (Munro, 146).  This courtship is built up heavily throughout the story, and it receives a rather shocking turn.  This twist certainly outlines the evil and manipulative characteristics of Chris.