John Updike

Essay 1: Close Reading Blood Money Anyone with even a modicum of experience with writing has experienced the struggle of formulating an introduction and conclusion for their work. Stronger writers will ensure both the beginning and end add significance to a composition; neglecting to do so will often lead the reader to feel dissatisfied, confused, or critical. Articles are still being written about the controversial ending of the acclaimed television series The Sopranos, despite concluding nine…

Response Paper on James Joyce’s “Araby” Something interesting about “Araby”, by James Joyce, is that it usually takes the reader on an inward journey, where what is not said is usually more important than what is said directly. In this reading, the writer plays with the words turning this story into a metaphor almost in its entirety. As the story is written literally, this story would deal with a child who lives in a monotonous environment and embarks on a trip to buy a gift that promised to his…

In the second paragraph of John Updike’s “A&P”, Sammy describes the three girls entering the store in such a manner that reveals more about himself than the young women. The way in which he fantasizes Queenie shows narcissistic and sociopathic tendencies where he sees himself as far more unique than everyone else and his superior attitude towards women. Sammy views Queenie as a perfect example of how a woman should be: outspoken, beautiful, confident, and non conforming. His description of the…

Response to Disney Movie – Up The Pixar production movie – Up have all the necessary quality to be considered a quest narrative story. The story is about Carl Fredrickson, a boy dreaming about becoming a great explorer and his future wife Ellie who is also adventure-spirited. They had a dream of building a house at the lost land of South America. But 73 years later, Ellie have died. Carl Fredrickson inadvertently injured a construction worker and faces the fact that he’s about to lose his…

Longing for the Forbidden: Desire, a Swayed Powerful Force Existing within the Human In James Joyce’s coming-of-age short story Araby, a young Catholic Irish boy becomes strongly attracted to his friend’s sister. She asks whether he is going to Araby, an oriental bazaar, which she is unable to attend because of a retreat in her convent. To the narrator, she symbolizes the tempting idea of pleasure and change from his ordinary life. He is determined to seek her affection; therefore, he offers to…

The story of “Eveline,” by James Joyce and, “The Story of An Hour,” by Kate Chopin compare in similar ways. The female protagonist, the theme of obtaining freedom as a young woman who is otherwise oppressed, settings and imagery are alike. Eveline and Louise are two young women that lived in the late 1800’s when men played an authoritative role over women. Eveline and Louise are similar because they crave freedom and their own individuality in a world dominated by men. Eveline and Louise are…

On its least difficult level, "Araby" is a tale around a kid's first love. On a deeper level, then again, it is an anecdote about the world in which he carries on a world unfriendly to goals and dreams. This deeper level is presented and created in a few scenes: the opening depiction of the kid's road, his home, his relationship to his close relative and uncle, the data about the minister and his tangibles, the kid's two excursions his strolls through Dublin shopping and his resulting ride to…

In Joyce Oates "In the Region of Ice" a curtain of regret is revealed. The reader is first introduced to Sister Irene, discovering that she is an ice cold women who gave her love and soul to God many years ago. Although the reader was firstly introduced to Sister Irene, it is quickly established that she is going to have a decision to make. After Allen Weinstein, a troubled man with good intentions, introduces himself by way of forcing himself into Irene's classroom it is estimated that she felt…

A Comparison of “Araby” and “A&P” In the short stories “Araby” and “A&P”, both Joyce and Updike deal with the familiar theme of loss of innocence in a coming of age in a similar vein with a few major disparities. To begin with, both works share a multitude of similarities, from the choice of narrator to the handling of the thematic conclusion. When viewed objectively, the plot points in both stories almost perfectly mirror each other; the exposition follows a young teenage boy, the conflict…

German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.” This quote is exactly what “3 A.M. and the Stars Were Out” is about; going through life, suffering, and moving on. “3 AM and the Stars Were Out” is part of Something Rich and Strange, a short story collection written by Ron Rash. This collection has many stories about hope, but also stories about characters who are struggling to find ways past their melancholy present.…