Final exam essay themes Flashcards
Nostalgia/regret
Thesis: Often times, humans and thus characters find themselves either regretting their pasts or feeling nostalgic for a life they once knew. Both of these points, regret and nostalgia, center back to the idea of wishing to go back in time. The ideology of the wish of going back in time to either redo a dilemma or relive an experience can be seen heavily in Jennifer Egan’s A Visit From the Goon Squad and Tobias Wolff’s Bullet in the Brain through the urge to have another chance at life when the realization of an end is nearing.
The Swimmer with how Ned is nostalgic for the woman he had an affair with and remembers how
Egan story with how in safari she speaks about nostalgia of being with her brother on the trip
Bullet in the brain nostalgia about his childhood
Communication/ failure to communicate
Thesis: The importance of communication can be seen through these stories as an example of a failure to communicate…
Hills Like White Elephants cannot say the word “abortion” and not having an honest conversation
Bartleby cannot communicate can just say the words “I would prefer not to”
Good People - lack of communication showing how both Lane and Sherri do not want to recognize that abortion is considered a sin
Betterment/improvement/transformation
Thesis:
The Swimmer
How to become a writer
How I met my husband
Sexuality
Thesis:
The Lesson
Brownies
How to date a brown girl
Admiration/ condescension
Thesis: Their personality is built on how they react to others criticism and how they condescend others.
The Swimmer - Ned has a sense of condescension towards other characters until the end
How To Become a Writer - main character feels condescension when writing from other people
How to date a brown girl - he feel like he would feel condescension if he shows the government cheese and takes them to a certain restaurant
Sadness/joy
Thesis:
The swimmer he becomes sadder as the story goes on
Bartleby at the end
Hunger artist at the end
