Thirst for Attention
Known for his works in southern literature, Erskine Caldwell depicts the oppressive and burdensome struggles of the great depression in his novel, Tobacco Road. Bounded by the misery of poverty, troublesome family, and superstitious beliefs, Caldwell presents a chaotic family, bearing and struggling to sustain a life in the southern US state of Georgia. Just as the conditions in their lives lack prosperity and fulfillment, so do the marriages throughout the novel. Caldwell presents the idea of unhealthy marriages to symbolize the desired love, lust, and attention one seeks in a relationship, even though such attention cannot be truly satisfied.
Caldwell denotes the unhealthy marriage between Lov and Pearl to illustrate …show more content…
In their unhealthy marriage, Bessie desires physical affection from Dude, even though he’s only sixteen. In chapter Eleven, Caldwell says, Bessie had gone half way up the front steps, and she was trying to attract Dude’s attention. She coughed several times, scraped her feet on the boards, and rapped on the porch with her knuckles . . .I mentioned it, sort of, to Dude, but he was blowing the horn so much he couldn’t hear me” (38). Throughout the chapter, Bessie hints at her want for sex, as she tries to spark Dudes attention. Bessie desires pure lust for his bodily affection, even though she troubles in fulfilling such desire. Bessie craves such lust for sex as she feels it will satisfy herself in the marriage, through her chronic hints. Unhealthy in their marriage, scraping and digging for Dudes attention, such want illustrates Bessie’s pure lust for affection. Kristen Mark gives reasoning for such desire for lust. Mark states, “Sexual desire is associated with romantic love, relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and other important interpersonal phenomena” (2710). Bessie’s desire for lust can be associated with her fulfillment of romantic love, as their relationship is unhealthy in nature. Bessie seeks romantic love through sex, as she craves Dudes body. Bessie’s desire for affection from Dude illustrates the affection …show more content…
Throughout their marriage, Ada seeks attention, as she continuously comments on the status of their relationship, a struggle. In chapter 6, Caldwell represents their unhappy marriage as Ada says, "I ain’t had no new snuff since I don’t know when. And all the meal is gone, and the meat, too. Ain’t nothing in the house to eat." While Jeeter replies saying, "I’m aiming to take a load over there to-morrow or the next day," Jeeter said. "Don’t hurry me, woman. It takes a heap of time to get ready to make a trip over there. I got my own interests to consider. You keep out of it" (24). Ada asks Jeeter to sell the wood in order to be fed, indicating her desire for fulfillment in their relationship as she seeks some kind of attention. However, Jeeter’s defiant role as husband illustrates their unhappy marriage. Because Ada seeks attention, asking for Jeeter to sell the wood, Caldwell presents the desire for happiness in relationship through Ada’s desire for attention and happy marriage. Despite her desire to leave and find happiness elsewhere, Ada continues to stay in return to the broken relationship representing her hope and desire for fulfillment. In the Website named “Violence Against Women”, the author explains reasons for a wife to return to a broken relationship. Halfway through out the website, the author
Known for his works in southern literature, Erskine Caldwell depicts the oppressive and burdensome struggles of the great depression in his novel, Tobacco Road. Bounded by the misery of poverty, troublesome family, and superstitious beliefs, Caldwell presents a chaotic family, bearing and struggling to sustain a life in the southern US state of Georgia. Just as the conditions in their lives lack prosperity and fulfillment, so do the marriages throughout the novel. Caldwell presents the idea of unhealthy marriages to symbolize the desired love, lust, and attention one seeks in a relationship, even though such attention cannot be truly satisfied.
Caldwell denotes the unhealthy marriage between Lov and Pearl to illustrate …show more content…
In their unhealthy marriage, Bessie desires physical affection from Dude, even though he’s only sixteen. In chapter Eleven, Caldwell says, Bessie had gone half way up the front steps, and she was trying to attract Dude’s attention. She coughed several times, scraped her feet on the boards, and rapped on the porch with her knuckles . . .I mentioned it, sort of, to Dude, but he was blowing the horn so much he couldn’t hear me” (38). Throughout the chapter, Bessie hints at her want for sex, as she tries to spark Dudes attention. Bessie desires pure lust for his bodily affection, even though she troubles in fulfilling such desire. Bessie craves such lust for sex as she feels it will satisfy herself in the marriage, through her chronic hints. Unhealthy in their marriage, scraping and digging for Dudes attention, such want illustrates Bessie’s pure lust for affection. Kristen Mark gives reasoning for such desire for lust. Mark states, “Sexual desire is associated with romantic love, relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and other important interpersonal phenomena” (2710). Bessie’s desire for lust can be associated with her fulfillment of romantic love, as their relationship is unhealthy in nature. Bessie seeks romantic love through sex, as she craves Dudes body. Bessie’s desire for affection from Dude illustrates the affection …show more content…
Throughout their marriage, Ada seeks attention, as she continuously comments on the status of their relationship, a struggle. In chapter 6, Caldwell represents their unhappy marriage as Ada says, "I ain’t had no new snuff since I don’t know when. And all the meal is gone, and the meat, too. Ain’t nothing in the house to eat." While Jeeter replies saying, "I’m aiming to take a load over there to-morrow or the next day," Jeeter said. "Don’t hurry me, woman. It takes a heap of time to get ready to make a trip over there. I got my own interests to consider. You keep out of it" (24). Ada asks Jeeter to sell the wood in order to be fed, indicating her desire for fulfillment in their relationship as she seeks some kind of attention. However, Jeeter’s defiant role as husband illustrates their unhappy marriage. Because Ada seeks attention, asking for Jeeter to sell the wood, Caldwell presents the desire for happiness in relationship through Ada’s desire for attention and happy marriage. Despite her desire to leave and find happiness elsewhere, Ada continues to stay in return to the broken relationship representing her hope and desire for fulfillment. In the Website named “Violence Against Women”, the author explains reasons for a wife to return to a broken relationship. Halfway through out the website, the author