Month: October 2019

What do you make of the fact that we learn a great deal about Gretta’s youth at the end of the story? How does this change your view of Gretta and her relationship with Gabriel?

When I started reading the story I thought Gretta and Gabrial were in love with each other. However, by the end of the story, I realized that she seems as if she was with Gabrial all this time so she could forget her past memorize. When she started telling Gabrial about Michael Furey while crying it means that she still has feelings for Micheal and that’s what made Gabrial sad. It made me think as a reader if Micheal was still alive she will leave Gabrial and go to Micheal. While Gretta was telling Gabrial about Micheal he tries to hold himself and not do anything that will make her sad. That tells a lot about that Gabrial is trying to not lose Gretta, he still wants to give a chance for Gretta to make their relationships better. 

Chekhov chooses to depict these two people meeting each other but not much more because it places an emphasis on how someone can encounter a change so small in their life but can affect it greatly. In Gurov’s perspective, he usually goes around dispising women and calling them “the lower race” and disrespecting everything about them. However, once he meets Anna Sergeyevna, everything changes for him. He limits his story to represent the huge amount of change one person can make in another’s life. Gurov has gone throughout his life shaming women’s actions and living his life with a dull perspective using women for momentary bliss. However, the one moment where he met Anna changes his life, his thoughts, and influences his future actions. At the end of the story, Chekhov expands on Gurov’s view on life, adding on to the impact Anna had on his life. He questions the cruel world for bringing someone he truly loved at the worst time. Although they bring hardship and grey hair, Gurov and Anna have a moment to reflect on their current relationship, one that actually makes them happy.

How does Joyce change your expectations as a reader throughout the story? e.g. your idea of what the story is about and what kind of story you are reading might have changed at a few points throughout the story.

In the short story The Dead, the author, James Joyce, changed my expectations as a reader. For example, Joyce started the story by introducing a character, Lily, and describing her. By doing so, Joyce has caused me to assume that Lily will be the protagonist of the story. Therefore, I expected the story to be about how Lily’s character is developed and how her life changed. However, that was not the case. As I continued reading, I tend to notice that the majority of the story is revolving around another character, Gabriel. Lily was mentioned often at the beginning of the story; however, as the story progresses, the focus tends to shift to Gabriel. After realizing that Gabriel might be the real protagonist of the story, I expected the story to be about Gabriel’s life and how Lily helped develop his character. However, I noticed Gabriel’s wife, Gretta, played a more significant role because of the song The Lass of Aughrim that caused her to remember what happened in the past.

Consider the symbolism (or various symbolisms or meanings or emotional or psychological values) of the gilded coin​ in the story.

In the story “The Gilded Six-Bits,” the gilded coin represent deceit. In the beginning, Joe and Missie May were exposed to Otis D. Slemmons’ wealth and were awestruck by his “five-dollar gold piece for a stickpin”, “ten-dollar gold piece on his watch chain” and his mouth filled with “gold teeths” (3). At this point, the gold present status and wealth that is not attainable for Joe and Missie May. They are in the working middle class and based on the description of their life, Joe and Missie May’s life could be described as not lacking. They have a house and Joe is able to provide enough to live a humble life with enough to fill the table. However, Missie May mentions that the only way for them to get to Slemmons’ level of wealth is only by chance of finding it on the streets. By establishing that Slemmons’ wealth is unattainable for them, it becomes enticing for Missie May to sleep with Slemmons in exchange for the golden watch charm, which I dont think it’s because of greed. However, the golden watch charm was simply fake (gilded coin) and all Slemmons’ wealth was a lie. The gilded coin is a symbol of how money does not necessarily lead to happiness or make life more satisfying. Joe and Missie May’s life was pretty good before Slemmons came into the picture. They would rely on making the marriage fun and enjoyable rather than focusing on the materialistic factor. They would banter with each other and have these personal games to keep their marriage authentic. Joe was also doing decent in providing for the family. Towards the end of the story, it was stated that they were able to save up a decent amount of money for a child as well as being able to indulge in gifts and ice cream every week. In the end, what saved their marriage was not money but rather the small gifts that Joe and Missie May indulged in before the affair. 

What do you make of the fact that we learn a great deal about Gretta’s youth at the end of the story? How does this change your view of Gretta and her relationship with Gabriel?