Sometimes in life people choose material objects to represent something emotionally in their lives. Some material objects can make someone feel so many emotions that the object feels like a real thing or person in their lives. In the story Janus by Ann Beattie readers see how the main character uses a bowl to symbolize emotions and memories felt. Andrea the main character of this story uses this bowl to feel confident and love. Ann Beattie did a wonderful job using an inanimate object as a symbolization for deeper feelings. Thesis
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Andrea, a real estate agent finds herself having weird feelings for a specific bowl that she uses while showing houses to potential buyers. Ann Beattie begins this story by describing a bowl. “Perhaps …show more content…
The memories of this bowl makes her feel like she is still in the relationship with the lover while she is, in reality with her husband now. The success that she feels from this bowl means more than just setting the bowl out on a table and getting offers on houses, it is a form of her confidence. Possibly this secret lover of Andrea’s past gave her the confidence that the bowl gives her. This bowl is a symbol for confidence and her old memories of success with this secret lover, perhaps Andrea felt that being with her current husband she is not successful. The author states “he was more impatient and dismissive when matters became many sided or unclear… but she never talked to him about the bowl” (Beattie 597). This quote sways the reader to think that the relationship Andrea is in does not give her the feeling of acceptance, it makes the reader feel that Andrea cannot tell her husband things without feeling like he is judging her, this could be an example of an unsuccessful …show more content…
The author does a really good job making it obvious to readers that the deeper feelings Andrea has about the bowl really are about the old lover that bought her the bowl. The old lover knew that Andrea wanted that bowl, he saw her deep stare and her admiration for the bowl so he did what any good man would and bought his girl the bowl to make her happy. Andrea feels that happiness each time she looks at the bowl, the love she once felt for this man and the successful relationship that the two of them must have had at one point. The author uses sensory detail to describe the bowl, and the love that Andrea once felt. The relationship that she once had is reflected every time that she looks at the beautiful bowl. The bowl also brings Andrea confidence, confidence that she has the ability to make the sale of the house. The confidence that she knows she is a great realtor with a little