Individualism In Nathan

Improved Essays
Nathan the Antagonist
Promising to love and be faithful to someone forever is a beautiful and respectable thing to do, although weddings are not always as simple as that. Wedding traditions are loaded with sexism, from the idea that the groom must buy her from her father, like property, to stripping her of her last name and individualism, weddings can go from “I do” to “I do obey” very quickly if the couple not careful. And why do people continue these traditions even after years of fighting for equality between the sexes? Because traditions are so deeply rooted in culture that people hardly even think about the meanings of what they’re doing. These sexist traditions set the tone of the marriage that will follow. In Barbara Kingsolver’s
…show more content…
By not valuing the thoughts and ideas of the other members of the family, he unintentionally puts his family in danger. Nathan makes his wife totally submissive and unable to protect the family from his mistakes. If Nathan hadn’t made everyone in the village hate them and been there to protect his family, Ruth May would still be alive. Because of Nathan, his other daughters had to witness the dead of their child sister. Because of him “nothing would ever be alright again (367).” While the family is in mourning, Nathan takes this opportunity to try to baptize the village children, as if he could care less that his daughter is dead and that in a way it’s his fault. This last act of selfishness is what finally destroyed the family. His wife and living daughters leave him. Rachel is the best example of the effects of Nathan’s raising. Rachel is a gold digging self-absorbed manipulator who uses her looks as a meal ticket. First she pretends to love a man to get out of the Congo then becomes the wife of a diplomat that she leaves for her third husband who “at least had the decency to die and leave me the Equatorial (461).” Like Nathan Racheal has a goal to and will do anything to reach it, including stepping on others. "Your parents ' marriage affects your own relationships, providing a model for how couples interact and treat each other, (113)" says psychologist Elizabeth S. Thayer, PhD, coauthor of Adult Children of Divorce. "If that marriage falls apart-or was dysfunctional to begin with-it can have a profound effect on your views about love and commitment. (113)" Her father expected for all the women in his life to be dependent on him with no real independence. Racheal does this, but she’s dependent on several men throughout her life and copies the idea that marriage it’s ok that her marriages were loveless because she was reaching her

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Most individuals enter a marriage with certain expectations; they expect to be loved, cared for, cherished and above all, respected. However, this is not always the case. Marriage can quickly transform from a wonderful holy union to a dangerous and oppressive force. In Sandra Cisneros’ “Women Hollering Creek,” and Kate Chopin’s “The Story Of An Hour,” we are told the story of two women whose expectations of marriage failed in comparison to their reality, as well as how drastically this influenced their mental stability and actions during and after their marriage. The stories express how all marriages, even the kindest unions, may be inherently oppressive.…

    • 1644 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    The japanese soldiers captured many soldiers and marched them to a death camp but many of the soldiers were either killed or died of dehydration or starvation. This greatly affected Nathan because he believes that he should have died there with his brothers in arms, and he feels like he owes them everything so he puts that into his work to “save” the people of the congo. In the novel the price family not including nathan want to stay in Bethlehem, Georgia, but Nathans’ stubbornness started a rift between him and his family by ignoring all of their concerns about going to the congo. Nathan believes he was called on by God to go to the congo to help lead the people to the Kingdom of Heaven. After the family is settled in to the congo Nathan decides to plant some crops to help feed the family while they’re there, yet again the stubbornness comes into effect as he ignores the advice of the people of the congo.…

    • 1439 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Response on Dave Barry’s “Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out” Glancing around my bedroom, I observe clean floors and homework assignments sprawled out on the table as my jumbled written thoughts are on the brink of being thrown away. My collection of books is lined up neatly on a shelf along with the stuffed animals my grown-up self does not play with anymore. I can hear down the stairs and I listen to the television playing the Cleveland Brown’s football game and the microwave signaling the finished result of the leftover brisket that was in the refrigerator. In Dave Barry’s essay, “Batting Clean-Up and Striking Out,” he explains that the majority of women fasten their focus on the unimportant aspects of life such as cleaning; yet through the…

    • 1188 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Centuries ago, the marriage of two people was considered a legal agreement rather than an act of love. To marry for love was considered a dishonor toward the family, displaying affection in the public was an unwritten law that would result in shame. However, as centuries passed, times changed. It is now acceptable to marry for love, but the question is, will the couple’s love be able to withstand the hardships of life? The change within marriage can be seen in the article “The Radical Idea of Marrying for Love” by Stephanie Coontz, where she talks about the history of marriage and how different cultures interpret marriage, and the article “Will Your Marriage Last?” by Aviva Patz, is about his opinion on marrying for love, and how it is absurd…

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The failed attempts of baptism, and the harsh African weather drives the Nathan to become even more distant from his family. Finding out that Nathan was the only survivor from his company, because he ran off. Leads him to be very guilty, and become an extremist in his religion.…

    • 1656 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    First, the family travels to Africa to help spread the word about Christianity to the Congolese people. The author, shows the many struggles the Price family goes through because of this. The people of the Congo do not care for Nathan’s lessons, and lectures and want to stick to their beliefs. They believe the Price family and “their god,” will bring them bad luck and misfortune. Nathan then becomes evil, trying to spread the word of God.…

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    While marriage is simply defined as the union of two persons, it is associated with a plethora of additional concepts. In today 's society, marriage is correlated with shopping for an elegant, white dress, dancing at a lively reception and a stunningly designed, delectable cake. However, in the era in which Pride and Prejudice is based, marriage was rather associated and incited by financial stability and social class status. Thus, as the novel begins, “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.”…

    • 1705 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Marriage is one of the most common known traditions that has occurred for over centuries. The views on marriage remain dissimilar among different cultures and have changed over the periods of time. To demonstrate, in the narratives ¨The Story of an Hour¨ and ¨A Jury of Her Peers¨ these short stories give us insight on some perspectives of marriage life back in the day. Both of these deal with women who feel trapped by the ways of marriage, such as by their companion. People marry for different reasons, but the question that society should be asking; is it still an important institution?…

    • 794 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    David Popenoe

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages

    David Popenoe and Barbara Dafoe Whitehead’s article “The State of our Unions” discusses data on marriage and divorce. It suggests that there is a cultural shift happening in America by using this information for support. In the data driven article, Popenoe and Whitehead claim that marriage rates are declining and, despite divorce rates being quite high, they are also on a steady decline. Alternatively, more people are participating in unmarried cohabitation before and in place of marriage.…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Marriage Trap Essay

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In a world in which there are ever increasing rates of divorce, one must wonder: is marriage worth the heartache or is it simply an institution of the past, ready to be chucked out like an outdated phone book? In the article "Marriage Trap", author Meghan O’Rourke argues for the primordial relationship of mankind while responding passionately to Laura Kipnis with great vigor and success. Marriage has been around since the beginning of time. Kipnis, however, wishes to argue the need for marriage in modern society. In her article, "Against Love", Kipnis blames failing marriages on marriage itself, rather than the flaws of man.…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    “Let the wife make the husband glad to come home, and let him make her sorry to see him leave,” Martin Luther emphasizes the portrayal of marriage in the nineteenth century through this quote, and does so by recognizing how women, and men, played their roles in such matrimony of this time period. Marriage and courtship played a large role in the lifestyles of those in the 1850’s, and determined how one’s family would be made, and how one’s heart would be used. In the context of engagement, the complications were quite clear: finding a mate in such a judgemental time period.…

    • 102 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Firstly, the story begins with Maida, one of the main characters not having enough knowledge about her town due to her father’s reluctance to give out information. He believes, “life is something that children should be protected from knowing about for as long as possible” (187), which eventually causes Maida to be more curious about life. Her father’s decision also influences her to be closer to her mom and her uncle, rather than her father. This shows that a man’s decision can affect a woman in different ways. Furthermore, in the story, Nathan, who is Maida’s uncle, makes choices, which heavily impacts several people’s…

    • 105 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While Carol and Howard are engrossed in a naïve struggle to marry efficiently, Gallant is able to provide sophisticated insight on the pitfalls of mistaking business for love. The mention of Carol’s “helpful college lectures on marriage” highlights the true irony of the passage. “The Other Paris” is not the romantic tale of two lovers in the ‘City of Love,’ but rather a humorous take on the idiocrasy which Gallant sees in marriage without genuine love and attraction. Gallant continues with the “pillars of the marriage union,” or, “similar economic backgrounds, financial security, and belonging to the same church” to further clarify her stance on the social issue of marriage.…

    • 615 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nathan In The Congo

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Coming from the first world, economically blessed United States, the Price’s travel to the third world country of the Congo. Amidst all of the dangers; the dark and dreary jungle filled with snakes of animal and human nature, the Congo’s unsafe, unsecure quality of life, and the constant struggling fight for supremacy, the Price’s have come to revive the broken souls of the Congo. They have come to achieve redemption for abolishing the spirits of those who died in the Bataan Death March, by shoving religion down the Congolese’s throats and washing away their sins in a foul smelling, mossy, green decayed, alligator filled river. Life in the Congo, however is similar to the united states in that the men have a feeling of superiority over the…

    • 1095 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Nathan, What a great visual of a court room drama! A judicial system is probably one of the most persuasive situations that each, prosecutor and defender, have to each do on a daily basis. Both have to find the most reputable witnesses and evidence that leaves not a shadow of a doubt in anyone's eyes or beliefs, from the officers to bystander witnesses to the judge and jury. Television news reporters, in conjunction with newspaper journalism, also must strive to find legitimate resources of information; one bad informant and the article is lost on the multitudes, forever questioned in the future…

    • 101 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays

Related Topics