The following is a Question 3 sample from 1997. Directions:
- Read the prompt and begin brainstorming what you would use (You may use your novels).
- DO NOT read other classmates' entries before writing your response.
- Write a couple paragraphs about what scene you would use and how it pertains to the overall work. You DO NOT need to write an entire essay. The purpose of the exercise is to review the novels that we have read.
1997 Prompt:
Novels and plays often include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties, and other social occasions. Such scenes may reveal the values of the characters and the society in which they live. Select a novel or play that includes such a scene and, in a focused essay, discuss the contribution the scene makes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
If we were given this Question 3 prompt, I would write about The Awakening by Kate Chopin. The scene I would refer to is in the first chapter of the book when the audience first learns of Leonce's visits to the Kleins' house in New Orleans. These visits involve all of the other high-class men who get together and smoke cigars while their families stay at home and continue their duties. These gatherings show the value of appearance as all the rich men get together to do whatever rich men do. By leaving their wives at home to continue taking care of the children and the home, shows the idea of Victorian women "worshiping" their husbands and children.
ReplyDeleteWhen Leonce leaves Edna to go to the house, she is left with Robert without any questions asked. Leonce doesn't mind leaving her with another man, expressing his feel of possession over her and his lack of emotion towards her. In fact, he instructs her to "send him about" when he begins to bore her, showing his value of control. As a Creole man and a Victorian woman, Edna is supposed to obey her husband. His instructing her, even as he leaves her, shows the sense of control that both he and the Creole society value.
In The Awakening by Kate Chopin the main character Edna hosts a party to celebrate her moving into her “pigeon house”. Edna feels removed from the party and isn't exactly enjoying herself; she creates an illusion on closeness with her guests but doesn't participate in the illusion because at this point in the story she has become more disillusioned with society. I would talk about how this shows/foreshadows how Edna is starting to feel like she doesn't have a place in society despite the happiness and peace of the people around her; this feeling of not having a place in society is what eventually leads Edna to commit suicide (the conclusion of the novel). I’d also mention how Edna is having this party to celebrate her moving into a new house which is her was of escaping/separating herself from society and the life she used to live, these feelings are the moving force of the novel. At the party Robert’s brother is dressed up by one of the women sitting beside him with a scarf and crown of flowers. While everyone’s admiring how good he looks he makes eye contact with Edna and sings her a love song that she associates with Robert. This make Edna fully remember her love for Robert which was the thing that started the whole progression of the novel of Ednas awakening and her realization of the injustices of the roles society forced upon her. By remembering him at the party Ednas dissatisfaction with the man she's having an affair with and her life in general are reinforced to Edna and the reader. Once again this dissatisfaction fuels the conflict Edna has with society, one of the main conflicts of the novel, and drives her toward the climax of the novel (and her death) showing the theme of the oppressive nature of roles informed by society.
ReplyDeleteNext I would focus on the symbolism at the party. Starting with Edna’s dress which is the color of her skin; the idea that it’s skin toned brings about the idea of being naked and symbolizes that Edna is shedding societies constraints but she’s still wearing a cluster of diamonds that her husband gave her with shows that she is not yet completely free from society and its constraints. Everyone is amazed by Edna’s beauty at the party, she appears more beautiful because she is starting to shed the oppressive roles forced on her and is becoming more free and finding herself. One of the reasons for this party is to celebrate her moving into a new house. She is in a sense freeing herself from the oppression of her husband and the wife role society and him force onto her by leaving his house where she was constantly surrounded by the material possessions he bought and prized and where she herself was considered one of those possessed objects. If I felt like I still needed more support at this point I would also talk about the decorations Edna put up at the party. All the candles, flowers and drapes give the party a mysterious and romantic feel instead of a controlled and proper one. This can be looked at a parallel to what Edna is currently feeling and once again reinforce her separation from society as she goes through her awakening and challenges the roles that have been forced into her by society and the people who endorse it.
To answer this prompt, I would use Edna’s last dinner party that she hosted before moving into the pigeon house. Chopin employs an immense amount of detail in describing Edna’s appearance. Her attitude and appearance “suggested the regal woman, the one who rules, who looks on, who stands alone.” In a society where the dependent mother-woman is idolized, Edna provides for a stark (and beautiful) contrast of this ideal. This reveals how Edna values her independence and time away from her controlling husband, Léonce.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the dress Edna wears is a golden, satin gown; it blends into her skin – almost as if she is not wearing anything at all. This exemplifies her uniqueness among other woman in her society in the fact that she is true to herself, not hiding who she truly is behind white gowns and her husband’s shadow. Again, this contributes to not only Edna’s defiance of societal values of her time.
After making her entrance, “hopelessness… assailed her… [and] came upon her like an obsession.” Even among her closest friends, she feels alone. This reiterates that Edna will always feel detached and different from those around her. While they live in a “colorless existence” with “blind contentment”, Edna’s eyes are opened; she is awakened and it is too late to try to go back and live the life she once lived. She realizes she does not belong at a posh dinner party with wine and fancy foods, she does not belong in her own world. The hopelessness she feels, leads to her suicide.
Edna’s dinner party scene parallels the Last Supper in Christianity. The Last Supper takes place shortly before Jesus is tried and crucified. This foreshadows Edna’s impending death, although hers is by suicide not crucifixion. But, they are similar in the fact that Jesus was misunderstood by the time and place he physically lived in, same as Edna. Although her death is of her own choice, it resulted from not being who her society expected and wanted her to be.
For this prompt, I would write about the scene at Edna’s birthday dinner, because it reveals the values of multiple guests and therefore the distinctions between individuals all in one time period.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I would discuss the unusual group Edna invites for dinner, who are “selected with discrimination” which reveals Edna’s growing assertion as she “awakens.” The two guests that cannot make it to dinner, Madame Ratignolle and Madame Lebrun, both “send a thousand regrets” indicating their desire to adhere to expected social mannerisms, a direct contrast to Edna’s abandonment of her Tuesday receptions. Mrs. Merriman laughs at every little comment at the dinner and quickly gains the affection of everyone there, which also demonstrates the high pressure to maintain appearances in the Creole society. Even when Mademoiselle Reisz makes a rude comment about symphony concerts, she says it in French to avoid a commotion. Boring topics are avoided and people pretend to be interested. Miss Mayblunt is suspected to write under a pseudonym, perhaps because a female writer would have not been taken seriously during this time, showing the patriarchy at work in the current society. Her guest, a complete stranger, is “quiet and inoffensive” again demonstrating the importance of appearances and perceptions of others.
The physical setting of the dinner is important, especially the way in which Chopin describes it after describing the guests in detail. The table and decor characterize Edna. The “extremely gorgeous” table is Edna’s handiwork but it is also Edna. The decorations are “exactly” what Edna “said there would be.” The “ordinary stiff dining chairs” are replaced with comfortable and “luxurious” furniture. All of this description sheds light on the dynamic of Edna’s complex character. On the surface and to the guests, these beautiful things are seen on a superficial level, appreciated only for their face value of pressure. For Edna, this masterpiece represents something that she planned and executed as a woman with her own dreams, desires, and voice. The guests value the dinner for its materialism, like Miss Mayblunt’s fascination with the colorful drinks, whereas Edna values the dinner as a celebration, not even of a birthday as her guests see it, but as a celebration of her “awakening.”
While the setting characterizes Edna’s internal self, her physical description reveals her new found, or rather newly exposed, values. Her dress is the color of her skin, which illustrates how Edna feels comfortable in her own skin and her courage to expose herself as an independent woman in an unwelcoming world. She is depicted as “the regal woman, the one who rules, who looks on, who stands alone.” When Edna becomes upset at Victor’s singing and covers his mouth, it reveals her audacity to express her raw emotions of anger and desire to be with Robert.
For this prompt, I would write about the scene in The Awakening where Edna hosts a party at the pigeon house on her 29th birthday. It shows how Victorian Era creoles behaved at social events, and through the character's actions, Chopin reveals their values. These sorts of societal values drove Edna to act out the way she did.
ReplyDeleteEdna spoke of the dinner as "a very grand affair," yet it was actually a very small party. This shows how their society at the time valued pompous displays of wealth and grandeur. In the end, all of these expectations, along with society's idea of marriage, seem silly to Edna, which causes her to commit suicide. Throughout this scene, Arobin, Mr. Merriman, and others speak with excessive pompousness instead of stating simply what they wish to say.
Victor Lebrun, the brother of Robert Lebrun whom Edna fell in love with, is asked to sing at Edna's party. He sings a song in French—the same song that Robert sang earlier in the book which "haunted [Edna's] memory." This song immediately reminds Edna of Robert, her lost love, so she smashes her wine glass against the table and demands that Victor stop singing. Victor continues to sing, so Edna freaks out even more, causing the guests to become uncomfortable and leave. This episode shows that Edna is still obsessed with the idea of being with Robert even though societal constraints prevent her from doing so. Her desire to have what she cannot eventually causes Edna to commit suicide. The desire for Robert and her freedom from marriage is so great that she cannot stand even continuing her life.
The scene in The Awakening where Edna throws a party at the Pontellier mansion to celebrate her birthday and her moving to the pigeon house would be a good match for this prompt. The scene if full of symbolism that contrasts Edna's personal values with those of the society that she lives in.
ReplyDeleteThe first paragraph I would write would be about the symbolism that illustrates the values of society. The grandeur of the house, the jewels that Edna is wearing, the rich food that is served, and the conversation that just seems to go in circles without drawing any real conclusions or having any many all reveal the society as wealth-obsessed and rather vapid. Of course, my essay would go further into analysis than this basic outline.
The next paragraph would be about how Edna's values are highlighted. How she sits at the head of the table reveals how powerful she believes her self-discovery to be and also shows how much in control she thinks she is of herself. That none of the chairs matched each other shows that she does not care about fitting into the roles and definitions of society. She is described as almost angelic, showing that she has become something more than she used to be since her awakening. That she is celebrating moving out of wealth, but into her independence, shows her personal value of self-reliance and independence. All these symbols, and more besides, could be used to construct an argument illustrating how the scene highlights her personal values.
For this prompt I would use Edna's birthday dinner party at her new pigeon house because not only does it bring in her "awakening" but exemplifies the societal ideals, and shows the many complex aspects of Edna's life at this point. I would first talk about the pigeon house itself and all the symbolism behind it. I would say that Edna is constantly seen with bird-like features, so living in a pigeon house shows a smaller amount of that freedom associated with birds given to her. Much like an actual pigeon house, Edna has freedom, but still relies on this cramped space for a source of life. The smallness of the apartment and the fact that it is still bought by her husband shows that her little given freedom is not even all the way hers.
ReplyDeleteIn this paragraph, I would talk about all the guests at the party. How they exemplify the Victorian ideals that have actually led to Edna becoming the oppressed and disappointed character she is. Here you can see how Edna is not even fully happy at her own birthday party, this mirrors her dissatisfaction with the societal restrictions imposed upon her.
I would talk about foreshadowing, This scene shows how even with such a lofty party, people, and living space, Edna is still not as free as she wishes. The fact that it is a birthday party, it comes with a sense of renewal and goes along with the theme of "awakening." Instead of celebrating another year of living that has passed, it seems to be celebrating what is to come ahead in a new life. Edna's clothing itself follows a theme. In the start of the book, her husband and others are constantly telling her to cover up. At the party, Edna wears a dress that is the color of her skin. Showing that she is slowing shedding all of these implications and expectations, to become who she wants to be. It even foreshadows that she will be naked soon, completely free of the requests of others.
For this prompt I would write about the book The Awakening by Kate Chopin. The scene I would talk about in this essay would be when Edna throws a dinner party to celebrate her birthday along with her moving into the new "pigeon house."
ReplyDeleteI would start out by including the significance of Edna's move into the pigeon house and how it was a way for Edna to try to escape the harsh and demanding views of society. I would go into detail about how the house allowed Edna to get away from her husband's possessive attitude toward her and allowed her to be seen as a person, not just a piece of property used for show. Another one of Edna's reasons for moving into the pigeon house was to begin developing her relationship with Robert. Since Robert would not pursue a women already taken by a man, Edna felt that moving out of her husband's house would let Robert know that she can be a free woman. Every action made by Edna revolved around what she thought would attract Robert and make him love her. These are very important details that I would include in my essay because they express the craving for freedom that Edna holds. These details also show that Edna is consumed with the love she has for Robert and her determination to be with him.
Once I explained the importance of the pigeon house itself, next I would go into detail about the characteristics of Edna that are shown through her actions and details put into her dinner party. At the party, Edna states that it is her twenty-ninth birthday and that all of her guests should drink to her health. This shows that Edna is very self-absorbed and everything she does has an intended goal of pleasing herself. I would also include the description of Edna's decorations at the party and the fact that the entire room shimmers with gold and yellow accents. The color of yellow and gold is very important in this story because it symbolizes the flame of Edna's awakening. This is very significant at the party because it shows that this is a prime scene in which Edna's awakening is prominent.
To answer this question 3, I would write about Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" and the scene near the end of the book where Edna throws a party for herself for her birthday. There is a juxtaposition of Edna's social status against her personal values. She is partaking the role of the hostess, mirroring to the societal values and roles imposed on women, but she is not only the entertainer but a part of the party herself. The party is about her and her birthday, and by having Edna throw it herself shows her independence and personal values. She is described very materialistically by her dress and appearance, following social conventions. But her actions juxtapose this, highlighting her independence.
ReplyDeleteI would organize this by the two key perceptions of Edna in this scene, her actions as an independent woman for one paragraph, and the other how she was viewed from Victorian social conventions at this party.
For her independence, I would highlight that not only did she throw this party for herself, by herself, but the fact that she sits at the head of the table when they all sit down to eat. This is where the head of the household usually sits, and this shows her independence and the "head" of her own household.
In the perspective of social convention, I would speak about how the guests of the party all act in accordance with the societal mannerisms of both their social class and the time period where this takes place. Edna uses this party so show off her possessions and materialism, which is something she was against in the end.
In the Awakening by Kate Chopin, the character goes through a transition from her grand and very extravagant house to a rather small (ironic) pigeon house. Her she hosts a particular dinner party in which she invites 12 guests to come see the home. Although the party was meant to be formal, they all become rather drunk, Victor in particular begins to sing and act out. This can be seen to be a similar scenario to that of the last supper.
ReplyDeleteIn this scene, Edna is seen to be wearing her Golden dress. It is described to be the same color of her skin. This shows that though Edna is not like most women, she still has qualities that allow her to shine, even if these qualities do not follow the social norm.
The dinner table itself is described a being very extravagant. All of the pieces a large and expensive, belonging to that of the Victorian Creole society in which she lives. It is ironic that she set up such a grand dinner when she is trying to escape this very thing. This parallels the idea that although Edna will try to free herself from society norms, they will always have a presence. Ultimately, Edna realizes this ever cage and decides to free herself.
I would write about Edna's dinner with Leonce, Dr. Mandelet, and her father. It's a very simple yet revealing scene, in which the disparities between Edna and the men in her life become more pronounced. Each story that the guests tell around the table indicate something about their personality: Edna's father recounts his experiences in the war, indicating somewhat of an obsession with masculinity and power, things traditionally associated with war; Leonce tells a rather empty and superficial story about his childhood, reflecting his superficiality as a person in general. Dr. Mandelet tries to low key instruct Edna by telling a story about a woman who returns to her husband after falling in love with another man. Edna responds with a romantic and idealistic story about a couple in love that ran away to the Baratarian Islands and never returned, which highlights her idealistic nature; She fails to consider the consequences of her actions, instead romanticizing life. This theme is prevalent throughout the novel.
ReplyDeleteThe personalities of the men in her life (her father and Leonce) have shaped Edna into the person she is. Her father is a textbook war veteran, with ideals of power and masculinity and strength that have influenced Edna's views growing up. Leonce's superficiality is one of the foundations of Edna's desire to assert herself, causing her "awakening."
I would discuss Edna's going away party because this scene is so symbolic of her awakening.
ReplyDeleteIn the first paragraph I would discuss how the party demonstrates what society deems important. Everything was silver and gold which are valued by the wealthy. Everyone was mingling and having pointless conversation, except Edna. Edna mostly sat and observed. It's almost as if she was a spectator at her own party, but she was much more than a spectator. The way she sat and basked in the success of her party and her glory gave her a queen-like appearance. This shows how she has transcended above the norms of society and that she has been awakened.
I would also discuss the significance of the party being a going away party. It is symbolic of her being completely awakened and abandoning all of her former life. It also demonstrates her independence. She threw the party without the permission of her husband, and she is leaving behind her husbands money and possessions for a house she can call her own. Also, I believe that this "going away" party is foreshadowing for her upcoming suicide. While her suicide may not have been a premeditated act and that may not be the cause of her party, I still think it's foreshadowing. This is the last time she would see a lot of those people. It was like her final farewell. She definitely went out with a bang.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin is the most suitable novel to discuss for this prompt.
ReplyDeleteChapter 38 in my book includes the event of Madame Ratignolle's childbirth. Edna goes to help Adele and keep her company throughout the childbirth, although she dreads it completely. This indicates Edna's dislike for the motherly role women are caged into in the Victorian era. Although childbirth is typically viewed as an amazing and miraculous expereince, this part in the book reveals the painful and agonizing side of it. "She recalled faintly an ecstasy of pain, a heavy odor of chloroform, a stupor which had deadened sensation, and an awakening to find a little new life to which she had given being" As Edna recalls her childbirth of the twins, she sees that it was not a pleasurable experience and refutes all of the creole mother-women's ideas that childbirth is worth the pain.
"Think of the Children, Edna. Oh think of the children! Remember them!" Adele Ratignolle's exclamation to Edna reveals her values along with society's. Life is all about the children and the maternal role to the society. Women must conform to the standards set upon women and be good mothers, despite the unpleasant childbirth process. As a Creole, Adele is complacent with her role as a mother. She does what she "has" to do; give birth to children. Edna, who views this birth as a "scene of torture" is her own independent self. She doesn't want the motherly role, or to even be a mother. She doesn't see the benefits of childbirth as Adele and other Creole women do. This contrubutes to the novel as a whole because it illuminates Edna's stuggle to free herself from society's roles and constrictions.
In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, lavish social events are portrayed in order to create the personalities and values of the characters at hand and are also able to serve as detrimental turning points in the plot.
ReplyDeletePrior to the main character, Edna, committing suicide, she chooses to host a large and extravagant dinner party at the home she has begun to live in own her own. By including the crucial detail that Edna lives alone in a society that perceives any couple living separately as a complete downfall relates to her indifference to societal norms and expectations. Also, the idea that she hosts this party as a sort of farewell goes to depict that she is a character focused solely on her own selfish needs and desires instead of those around her which will lead to a connection and discussion of her choice to abandon her family in order to fulfill what she wants.
By examining the overall extravagance of this dinner and the colors repeatedly used to structure the value of royalty and wealth of the people and Edna alone, a reveal of her independent success would then follow. The exquisite golds included in the color of the flowers and the chandeliers portray the character that she is versus who her culture wants her to be. While the flowers and decorations are golden, she wants those surrounding her to look past the "color" and see Edna Pontellier for the woman she is alone. The usage of these images would also allow for further examination of the value of wealth and image that the people of New Orleans held so dearly at the time at a dinner to say good-bye to the rules they had created.
Based off this prompt, I would choose to discuss a scene from the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin. This scene, depicts Edna, Robert, and other characters from Grand Isle convening at the beach to on August 28th. August 28th is an important date, even prior to the events that occurred, because it was rumored to be that a spirit would appear and seize a soul worth being "exalted". However, Edna learns only of this myth after, and for the first time, swimming in the water which seemed to her as an escape and a way to seize upon a newfound power.
ReplyDeleteThis scene is particularly significant because it illuminates the "awakening" of our protagonist, Edna Pontellier. Additionally, within this scene, or rather leading up to it, Edna listens to a song, which she titled "Solitude", played by Mademoiselle Reisz. As she listened, Edna pictured a naked man on a rock, watching as a bird flies away. Based off my interpretation, I saw this image with the bird representing women and the naked man representing the constraints of society, particularly the men. This image, and the scene altogether, exemplifies the values of Edna and what she wishes to achieve. Furthermore, it contributes to the overall theme of the "awakening", as Edna begins to realize the extent of her oppression from her husband and society.
Based off this prompt, I would focus mostly on the development of the theme that resulted from this scene, but also touch on the illumination of the values of Edna, and I could argue, Robert. Robert could also be an important character within this social gathering because he was with Edna the most, and he seems to be able to identify with her most easily. Through his accompanying of her to the beach and to the gathering, Robert's devotion to Edna is highlighted and his value of her regardless of the bounds of society. Following this point I would reference back to the image created by the song, and how it reflects society's bounds. Edna's swimming steps over and, at the same time, ties into the bounds of Society and therefore, it could be an important focal point within my discussion. Taking it a step further, I could reference the parrot in the cage, mentioned in the opening scene, and parallel it to Edna's situation. Like the parrot, her "wings" have been clipped, only in this case by society, and as a result she is only able to swim to exercise freedom.
For this prompt I would write about the novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin. The scene that I would focus on would be the party Edna throws at the Pontellier mansion celebrating her birthday and her moving into the pigeon house. Not only does this scene portray Edna's personality that contrasts with society's views but is also full of detail.
ReplyDeleteWhile we constantly see Edna trying to act without the constraints of society we see in this scene that she still acts within them. By throwing this extravagant party we see that she still enjoys the things that come with her wealth and her husbands standing as a creole. Not only does this show her faulted attempts at escaping society it also displays Edna's blatant selfishness, she throws this extravagant party to leave behind the society that she hates but still tends to the party to ensure everything will be perfect for her guests.
In this scene Edna is described as wearing her golden dress which is said to be the same color as her skin. By saying this of the dress it reveals that Edna has become almost fully awakened and has come to terms with who she is and who she wants to be in society. Also with the dress being gold rather than white that most women we see in this novel wear displays that she has qualities that make her an individual who cannot be cast into society's ideal mold.
I would also describe the pigeon house that Edna plans to move into and how it is ironic for her to be doing so. Although she believes that by doing this she is freeing herself from society and her husband's "cage" that she has been put in, in reality she is simply moving herself into a smaller cage. The whole reason Edna is moving to this house is to escape her possessive nature and display to Robert that she is free from her husbands control in an attempt to get him to let go of his idea that he couldn't be with her because she is married.
In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna hosts a party in order to celebrate the next stage of her life (moving into the pigeon house). Despite details that suggest towards freedom, readers ultimately discover that Edna’s move is actually doing the opposite.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the party scene, it was important to note Edna’s skin colored dress. The color is important because it represents freedom, a naked body not dressed up in the everyday attire for women. This is an example of a constraint put up by the era that The Awakening took place in. Women were told what to wear, do, and how to act. Despite making an attempt to be free, Edna is still wearing the constraints of clothing even though it is skin colored. The nude dress clearly illustrates how Edna is struggling with freedom and she can’t yet drop all of societies expectations.
The extravagant decor of the dinner party also contributes to showing the society in which the book takes place. Gorgeous dining chairs, and Edna’s diamond jewelry show the great emphasis put on material items at this time. If Edna is striving toward freedom, it should be away from the superficial items that show off your societal class.
If you picture a pigeon house in your head, you will probably see a small, tight fitted box that serves as a confinement. If Edna is pursuing freedom from societies expectations, is moving into the pigeon house taking a step in the right direction? The Awakening often has pictures and scenes of birds because of their symbolism for freedom. However, the birds tend to be in tight cages of oppression, like Edna if she moves into the pigeon house.
I would use the dinner party scene from The Awakening. The dinner party is thrown to celebrate her moving into the pigeon-house. The entire event is filled with irony: she is throwing away society to move into her secluded pigeon-house by hosting a social scene. I believe I would use that to develop how Edna is going through the process of awakening. She has not officially but herself off from the world around her, yet she wants to celebrate being independent.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lot of symbolism around the table between where people sit and who talks. Also, the imagery contributes to much of the symbolism of what Edna values. Specifically, I remember that she was wearing a skin-colored dress. She wants to portray individuality, but she still depends on society to define how she lives. Society is still a sort of reference point for her to judge herself. She is not comfortable wearing herself around life.
In the elaborate decorations on the table to the flowers to every little detail, there is a lie. Edna's only way to communicate with society is by this frivolous appearances. It is the only thing she has ever been taught. This is a desperate attempt to get her friends to understand why she wants to be an individual, breaking free from the pattern she has been wound up in for all her life. This dinner party scene is a representation of Edna's place in society. Yes, she is the host of this event, but her guests come for the extravagance of a womanly show rather than the raw person she hides underneath her skin colored dress. It illuminates the contrast between what she values in sense of individuality and how society expects her to value and maintain her womanly image, and sees nothing else.
I would use the party scene from The Great Gatsby wherein Daisy first comes to one of Gatsby's parties.
ReplyDeleteThe imagery of the yellow car and various gold and yellow decorations throughout Gatsby's house symbolize literal gold, or wealth. This contributes to the image that Gatsby wants so desperately to portray: that he is wealthy enough, therefore worthy enough, to win Daisy's attention and love. However, his wealth turns out to be nothing but superficial; Daisy chooses to stay with Tom's reliable wealth and not Gatsby's "new" wealth.
The party included a band, several dancers, and hundreds of guests that Gatsby did not invite or hardly knew. Alcohol was running from all corners of the house, the music was loud, and the people were louder. The extravagance and gaudiness of the party suggest that exactly: that it is all a show, that these parties really come of no merit. The guests fed off Gatsby because he provided free entertainment and in the end, no one comes to Gatsby's funeral, not a single guest besides Nick.