The Glass Roses Analysis

The Glass Roses Essay
Everybody possesses the ability to show kindness; although some refuse to ration off their kindness to others, holding it hostage and keeping it pushed down in their minds. Kindness or lack thereof is a topic largely present in The Glass Roses by Alden Nowlan. Stephen, the protagonist of this story, has had his destiny shaped by his father's lack of kindness, suddenly the outcast Leka exposes him to the beauty of kindness, all of these new ideas lead Stephen to reconsidering what he thinks of kindness and questioning his predetermined destiny. All of these points in the story help push the idea that through the character of Stephen, Alden Nowlan says that if destiny has been determined without any kindness present, then …show more content…
Leka had grown up in different surroundings than the other men at the pulpmill; therefore Leka understood kindness and was able to share it with others around him. In the forest Stephen fails at cutting down the tree, while he felt like he was a useless man Leka shared with Stephen the story of his past that was filled with the beauty of a different life. When Stephen had grown frustrated other men at the mill would have told him to resume and cease the childishness,“there aint no room for kids in the pulp woods”. Leka understood how he felt, and he had never been taught that acts of kindness are wrong. So Leka took the time to tell him a story of his past. This act of kindness was exactly what the ‘stronger’ men at the pulp mill would have frowned upon; Leka didn’t fit in with the main group of men because he didn’t want to let them hear his kind thoughts. The other men would have removed the kindness out of Leka’s personality if given the chance. Stephen's first experience to kindness from another was with Leka, he was able to see the world through different eyes for the first time. When Leka first tells Stephen a story he includes the glass roses, which represent the beauty of the world, but during the story Leka also talks of their destruction. Beauty; this was a concept that Stephen had never been familiar with. His world was harsh and sharp, but Leka presents him with the idea of the roses. Leka sharing this small form of beauty from his life with Stephen, was something that Stephen had never experienced. It lets Stephen see what could be if he was not stuck within the confines of the pulp mill. Leka was also able to show him how beauty gets destroyed everywhere, not just in Stephens jail of trees. Leka and Stephen's father parallel one another, this allows us to understand