Alice Howland Analysis

Have you ever forgotten something like where you are, or what you need to do? This has happened to Alice Howland multiple times. They are becoming more frequent and its beginning the frighten Alice majorly, which led to her diagnosis of Alzheimer’s. In this journal I will be identifying three objects that have a meaning to this story. The first object is Alice’s notepad. Alice always has stuff going on like teaching a course, going to a meeting, and revising papers written by her students. Alice has an everyday to-list that she refers to constantly: “The task completed, Alice referred to her to-do list, written on a yellow Post-it note stuck to the hanging cabinet just above her desktop screen” (Genova 29). Even though Alice is omniscient, she still needs that daily reminder to do things. But now with Alice’s dwindling memory, her post-it reminders are …show more content…
Alice is a runner; she runs almost every day. “She spotted her running shoes on the floor next to the back door. A run would make her feel better. That was what she needed (Genova 19). While running, Alice gets a clear mind as if nothing matters and she is free from all her troubles. Everyone has their finites, but to Alice running is a way to forget all about them for a short period of time. Letting go of your problems and trying to remember a stress free time is what the running shoes symbolize in this story. Alice has lots of stress being a college professor, but running lets her relieve most of it. The also represent something deeper within the story; you are free to do what you want. I feel like this meaning is meant for everyone because you are able to choose what you do. The reason why tennis shoes represent this meaning is because when you put them on and go for a run, you go wherever you feel like it. You can go for a short run, or a long run; you can run to the store, or even around the block. You can go wherever your heart and feet take