"After this come in here with your shoulders covered"

The short story "A&P" written by John Updike was definitely written by a man. If I was to critique this article as a feminist would, I would definitely not be happy with Mr. Updike. This short story is tasteless, and demeans women in the most terrible of ways. Throughout this story, the main character, a 19 year old male, refers to women in demeaning ways: "There was this chunky one..." "You never know for sure how girls' minds work (do you really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?)..." Only a man would speak so harshly about a women. Another thing I found disturbing was the fact that the three girls, and all the rest of the women in the story, spoke little to no lines. The only time the girls speak, they get shot down by the male manager, who tell them "after this come in here with your shoulders covered." The last thing that really offended me was the fact that the guy, obviously enjoying the fact that three pretty girls came into his place of work in swimsuits, called them out on that fact in his mind. As he's watching them walk down the aisles, he thinks "You know, it's one thing to have a girl in a bathing suit down on the beach...and another thing in the cool of the A&P, under the fluorescent lights..."

This story is a perfect representation of what most men are thinking all the time. Remember ladies: Don't go into a super market, or anywhere that isn't a beach, without properly covering every inch of your body. Can't let the men think we're "impure" or "racy".

Welcome to Facebook Mrs. Mallard!

Hey guys, my name is Louise Mallard. I'm married to Mr. Mallard and we have a great life!
Follow me if you want! :)



Friends and Family:

Married to Bently Mallard
Sister of Josephine
Friend of Richards

Richards posted on Mrs. Mallard's wall:
I have some bad news for you...
         Comments:
Mrs. Mallard: What Richards?
Richards: ....Brently is dead...
Mrs. Mallard: .....

Josephine posted on Mrs.Mallard's wall:I'm so sorry to hear about what happened to your husband! :*(


Mrs. Mallard posted a status:
Running to my room crying isn't how I thought this day would go...

Mrs. Mallard posted a status:
I feel like something is coming to me...but I don't know what this feeling is..Can I go through any mroe pain today...?

Mrs. Mallard shared a picture:

Mrs. Mallard shared a website:
www.sisterhoodofwidows.com


Mrs. Mallard posted a status:
"Free,free,free!"

Mrs. Mallard posted a status:
Maybe this whole single thing is something  I could get used to... ;)

Josephine posted on Mrs. Mallard's Wall:
Louise, open the door! Come on....please!

Mrs. Mallard posted a status:
I'm coming out of my room now, Josephine. I feel a lot better!

Mrs. Mallard posted a status:
What a joyous day!

Mrs. Mallard posted a status:
Who's coming in through my front door....?

Mrs. Mallard's account has closed.










 

Welcome to the Job!

Welcome to your first day on the job!! Working for our office is great job, once that's not too hard or too easy. This is your cubicle. You should make it feel like home. Here is your computer. You'll have to call the Technical Department to get your password to log on to the computer. Once you've logged in, you will go to the website on the piece of paper in your drawer. Once there, you'll use the same password to login as you did to log into your computer. Is everything making sense so far? Good! I left you an instruction sheet on how to use the program. If you have any problems, you can always call my office. My extension is 2339. I'm in and out of my office, so you might have to call a few times or text me on my cell phone. If it’s after 5, I won't be in my office, so always text me.  

The types of calls we make in this office vary. They can be anything from calling first time students and asking them how their first semester is going, all the way to calling prospective students and asking them if they're still interested in our school. I will provide you with a script for each type of call, and I'd like you to stick to that as much as possible. Once you get more comfortable with the job, you can go off script a little. I've given you instructions on how to get around the site, and in your binder there are also helpful hints. Oh, I didn't mention your binder? It’s right over here in the drawer. I'd like to see you completing two sheets an hour, but for now get as many done as possible. This job gets a little boring, so if you want to take a 5 minute break every hour or so, I understand. You can also listen to music while you work.

You have two coworkers. Their names are Anna and Justine. They'll be here later. Justine is 21, and Anna is 19. Justine has worked her a long time, so if you need help ask her. She's from Oregon and is a Radiography student. Anna is from Idaho and is Nursing. Don't be like Erin, the girl before you. She would sit and watch Netflix movies during her shift and not get any work done. I helped her out a lot in getting to school, and it’s a bummer that she did that to me. So, don't be like her. Justine an Anna are good worker, so be like them. Sometimes you'll hear me talk about my husband, John, and our dog Timmy. My husband is 20 years older than I am (I kinda have a thing for older guys). I'm a step mom too, and I love my step daughter. And I love the Seahawks! Go Hawks!

This took a little longer than it should have...so have fun on your first day! :)

A Good Man Is Defintely Hard to Find, especailly in this story.

The story "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" by Flannery O'Connor can be considered in the Southern Grotesque genera for many reasons. This story speaks a lot to the reader about the short coming of this family. In most families, children respect their parents. I've always assumed that the South was more civilized with their southern gentlemen and manors. But this in not the case with the character Bailey. He is rude to not only his mother, the woman who gave him life, but he's also distant and cold towards his wife and children. This is not a family I would have wanted to grow up in. Another good example of how this story is southern grotesque is the setting. As described, the setting of this type of story should be "decayed and or rural". Our setting fits perfectly. Traveling through Georgia, which the boy John Wesley describes as a "lousy state", the reader gets the picture that Georgia is nothing much, other than rolling farm lands and old plantations (contrary to John Wesley, I would actually love to see Georgia some day). This fits the rural setting perfectly, especially once the family makes the fatal turn on to the old abandoned dirt road. The reader starts to feel weary once they turn on to this road, and once the family gets into the car accident and we find out that they see a car coming, our intuition is proved right. 

The final reason why I believe that this short story is grotesque is one specific character: The Misfit. He is a secular grotesque character because as the grandmother pleads with him about Jesus, he simply doesn't care. The Misfit believes that no one can save him now. A grotesque character may posses an exaggerated personality trait or characteristic for the purpose of eliciting both empathy and disgust in the reader, which The Misfit does perfectly. As the reader, we are disgusted by him because he is a murderer. Once he tells Baily and John Wesley are told that they are to go with Bobby Lee, the reader assumes the worst. Once we hear the gun shots, we know what has happened. But we also feel bad for The Misfit. He grammar and speech suggests that he hasn't had much education, and when he tells the grandmother that he can't remember what he did to get locked up, the reader starts to feel pity for the man and his comrades. BOOM BOOM BOOM. Once those shots were made, we no longer feel pity for The Misfit.   

"The Lottery" - A sick and twisted game

In Shirley Jackson's, "The Lottery," one theme is Man's ability (and need) to rationalize generally unacceptable actions.  Murder, murder in the first degree, is what takes place once a year in this village and many others. But the people of the story don’t view it that way. Not once in the story do the villagers, or the narrator, mention that someone will be chosen to die. This ceremony is something that has been practiced for longer than the villagers can remember. Everyone has their role in the ceremony. In the beginning of the story, all the boys collect rocks, which we find out in the end, are used to kill the “winner”. This heinous act is rationalized by the people; it’s even viewed as a burden by some. One woman even says “come on, hurry up” once the winner has been chosen. This story is not the only case of people rationalizing generally unacceptable actions. In our own society murder happens daily. When I read this story, I compared the villagers to gang members. Once their target has been chosen, some take part in the killing, and some just stand around and watch. Murder is rationalized by the gang members, whether it is for territorial rights or power, or simply because their leader told them too. If these gang members couldn’t rationalize murder, one would be safe to say they wouldn’t commit it. "If there's a will, there's a way" especially if behind that will there is a reason or a rationalization to back it up.