Although some may argue that the short story, “Moving On” by Diane Cook, reveals the discrimination against woman’s rights in society, this position limits the significance of the narrator’s defense mechanisms used to cope with the struggle between the classes to maintain power. This class struggle, identified through the narrator’s forced grieving process and defense mechanism of repression, reveals the bourgeoisies’ control over the proletariat in the shelters. Through the resale possibilities of material possessions and the poor people in the shelters, commodification shows the idea that the bourgeoisie believes humans hold the same value as their material possessions. Considering love is chosen by the bourgeoisie and forced on the poor
…show more content…
Coined by Jessica Handler, renewal acts as an extension of the five stages of grief, in that it is a ‘“bridge between who you were and who you have become” and recognition of “the desire to be fully alive”’ (Handler 55). Considering the five stages of grief include anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, renewal is a separate stage that conveys how the person has moved on from their grief, becoming a changed person. Prevalent in the manual that the bourgeoisie promotes, the proletariat is coerced into moving into the renewal stage. As the narrator states, “There are many handouts and packets. We have been given schedules and rules and also suggestions for improving our lives and looks. […] There are bedroom technique potlucks and mandatory “Moving On” seminars” (45). Through the strict rules set in the manual, the bourgeoisie maintain their control over the proletariats’ emotions. If a poor person follows the five stages of grief to mourn their loved one, the bourgeoisie forces them to grieve on the spot to get over their loved one at once. For example, when the narrator was mourning her husband and asks her counselor when she can grieve, the counselor replies, ‘“Now,” she says, as though I have asked what day it is”’ (Cook 53). This eagerness to bypass the grieving process shows the bourgeoisies’ total control over the proletariats emotional actions. Thus, the bourgeoisies’ manipulation of the proletariats’ grieving process shows their complete control over the emotional actions of the people in the
Coined by Jessica Handler, renewal acts as an extension of the five stages of grief, in that it is a ‘“bridge between who you were and who you have become” and recognition of “the desire to be fully alive”’ (Handler 55). Considering the five stages of grief include anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, renewal is a separate stage that conveys how the person has moved on from their grief, becoming a changed person. Prevalent in the manual that the bourgeoisie promotes, the proletariat is coerced into moving into the renewal stage. As the narrator states, “There are many handouts and packets. We have been given schedules and rules and also suggestions for improving our lives and looks. […] There are bedroom technique potlucks and mandatory “Moving On” seminars” (45). Through the strict rules set in the manual, the bourgeoisie maintain their control over the proletariats’ emotions. If a poor person follows the five stages of grief to mourn their loved one, the bourgeoisie forces them to grieve on the spot to get over their loved one at once. For example, when the narrator was mourning her husband and asks her counselor when she can grieve, the counselor replies, ‘“Now,” she says, as though I have asked what day it is”’ (Cook 53). This eagerness to bypass the grieving process shows the bourgeoisies’ total control over the proletariats emotional actions. Thus, the bourgeoisies’ manipulation of the proletariats’ grieving process shows their complete control over the emotional actions of the people in the