Cheng 1

Sijia Cheng
Prof. Patterson
WRT 102. 29
23 March, 2014
Abse !n The "a#e $f %o&e'
Char(otte Per)ins *i(#an+s ,The -e((o. Wa((/a/er, an0 Ca(&in Tri((in+s ,!t+s 1st Too %ate,
2o. absr0 is sa3ing ,the roa0 to he(( is /a&e0 .ith goo0 intentions4, *oo0 intentions
are essentia( for a ha//3 en0ing, ho.e&er o&er contro( can be 0etri#enta( to the re(ationshi/. !n
,The -e((o. Wa((/a/er, b3 Char(otte Per)ins *i(#an an0 ,!t+s 1st Too %ate, b3 Ca(&in Tri((in,
e&en thogh /rotagonists recei&e (o&e an0 care fro# their fa#i(ies, the trage0ies are sti(( 0estine0
n0er the ne5a( re(ationshi/s. The st3(e of the t.o stories is 5ite 0ifferent. Throgh the ses
of s3#bo(is#, #eta/hor, an0 foresha0o.ing, *i(#an gra0a((3 re&ea(s the .o#an+s o//ressi&e
con0ition n0er her hsban0+s contro(. $n the other han0, Tri((in ses an objecti&e /oint of &ie.
to narrate6inco#/(ete7. Throgh e8hibiting the bac)gron0 of the #ain characters, he 0e/icts a
tragic stor3 abot a gir( .ho rebe(s against her /erfectionistic /arents. 2o.e&er, both athors
ses characteri9ation to i((strate the re(ationshi/ bet.een an athorit3, sch as father or
hsban0. Therefore, the tragic en0ings of the stories estab(ish the i0ea that an ne5a(
re(ationshi/ can be e8tre#e(3 har#f( e&en it is ot of fi((e0 (o&e. ::! fee( o//resse0
!n ,The -e((o. Wa((/a/er,, *i(#an ses s3#bo(is#, #eta/hor, an0 foresha0o.ing, to
i#/(icate narrator+s 0isa0&antage0 an0 o//ressi&e ro(e in her #arriage. As the stor3 0e&e(o/s, the
narrator an0 her hsban0 #o&e into a roo# that has .ith barre0 .in0o.s. The barsre0 roo#
s3#bo(i9es the narrator+s (ac) of free0o#, .hich is /ro&en b3 her con0ition as a /atient as .e((
as her hsban0+s strict reg(ation. !n a00ition, the nrser3::hi rain ;3 s3#bo(i9es her .ea)ness
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an0 &(nerab(e con0ition. The 5ote ,There co#es 1ohn, an0 ! #st /t this a.a3,<he hates to
ha&e #e .rite a .or0,61=>7 sho.s that narrator .as forbi00en to .rite. Ths, she has to
0isse#b(e in front of her hsban0. The (ac) of .riting a//arent(3 is not goo0 for the
narrator."$::The narrator fee(s the (ac) of .riting is 0a#aging to her i#agination, a(ong .ith
the 0(( en&iron#ent.:: 6e8/(ain .h3 this is not goo0. Ma3 be connecting these t.o sentences.7
2er i#agination .as ot of contro( in this 0(( en&iron#ent. Then, she fin0s ot that ,At night
in an3 )in0 of (ight, in t.i(ight, can0(e (ight, (a#/(ight, an0 .orst of a(( b3 #oon(ight, it beco#es
bars? The otsi0e /attern ! #ean, an0 the .o#an behin0 it is as /(ain as can be,61>37. The
.o#an behin0 bars on the .a((/a/er is a #eta/hor for narrator+s inner .or(0 .ith the si#i(arit3
of barre0 roo# an0 bars that confine0 the .o#an. With this #eta/hor, the cree/ing of the
.o#an on the .a((/a/er foresha0o.s narrator+s cree/ing in the en0 of the stor3. @3 cr3ing ot
,I've got out at last...in spite of you and Jane. And I've pulled off most of the paper, so you can't
put me back,61>A7, narrator retreats to her inner .or(0 for free0o# an0 in0i&i0a(is#.
$//osite to *i(#an+s stor3 of s/oo)3 fantas3, the creati&e nonfiction ,!t+s 1st Too %ate,
b3 Ca(&in Tri((in is serios an0 rea(istic b3 #ere(3 0is/(a3ing bac)gron0s an0 testi#onies fro#
a(( the re(ate0 /erson. The /rotagonist, na#e0 Ba"ee, is an ,i0ea( chi(0, raise0 b3 her
/erfectionistic /arents. Then there are so#e conf(icts raise0 bet.een Ba"ee an0 her /arents. Birst
her #other 0enies her b3 sa3ing, ,Ba"ee .as sch a /erfect chi(0 before that,6317 after fin0ing
cigarette in her roo#. Secon0 is that after her gran0#other+s 0eath, Ba"ee ta)es so#e )ee/sa)es
fro# gran0#other+s hose bt her /arents or0er her to retrn the#. She joine0 the ,Brea)s, gro/
in her high schoo( an0 starts to se #arijana an0 Ca(i#. 2er frien0 sggest the reason behin0
this change, ,! gess she figre0 ot she co(0n+t be the best... so she 0eci0e0 she #ight as .e((
be the .orst,6337. Bina((3 she 0ies in an car acci0ent .hich she an0 her frien0s are tr3ing to
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esca/e her father fro# chasing after the# .hen the3 .ent #issing for .ho(e night.
*i(#an an0 Tri((in both se characteri9ation to /ortra3 the athoritati&e figres .hich the
/rotagonists faces 0irect(3 in the stor3. Bor ,The -e((o. Wa((/a/er,, in s/ite of the athoritati&e
figre+s ro(e as a hsban0, *i(#an frther gi&es the hi# the i0entit3 of being a /h3sician of high
stan0ing, .hich #eans he .as 5a(ifie0 to s/ea) on narrator+s #enta( /rob(e#. As e8/(aine0 in
5ote ,!f a /h3sician of high stan0ing, an0 one+s o.n hsban0, assres frien0s an0 re(ati&es that
there is rea((3 nothing the #atter .ith one bt te#/orar3 ner&os 0e/ression<a s(ight h3sterica(
ten0enc3<.hat is one to 0o,61=DE1==74 Bo((o.ing his athoritati&e i0entit3, athor /ortra3s his
o/inionate0 /ersona(it3 as .e((. When narrator /ore0 ot her trob(es abot her i((sion of
cree/ing .o#en an0 her .orse #enta( con0ition, hsban0 ho(0 his o/inion that narrator+s
/h3sica( con0ition .as getting better an0 referring to his /rofession, ,!t is a fa(se an0 foo(ish
fanc3. Can 3o not trst #e as a /h3sician .hen ! te(( 3o so4,61>37. "otab(3, the .a3 he coa8e0
narrator .ith chi(0ish ta() for #ost of the con&ersations re&ea(s that he 0i0n+t treat narrator
res/ectf((3 as an a0(t in0i&i0a(. *i&en these /oints, narrator+s restraine0 an0 ne5a( sitation
in her #arriage .as case0 b3 her hsban0+s s/erior attit0e. @3 the sa#e to)en, hsban0+s
arrogance #a0e he ignore0 narrator+s a//ea( an0 (ost the chance to sa&e her.
!n the sa#e 0egree, Tri((in e#/hasi9es on father+s bri((iant gro.th e8/erience an0 his /rofession
as a high schoo( /rinci/a(. Therefore it is reasonab(e that the father has e8/ecte0 #ore of his
0aghter both 0e to his e0cating /rofession an0 his o.n sccess in gro.th. This e8/ectation
#ight /t too #ch /ressre on Ba"ee .hich #a0e her trn to an o//osite .a3. 2er frien0
Marcia (ater sai0, ,! gess she figre0 she co(0n+t be the best ... So she 0eci0e0 she #ight as
.e(( be the .orst,6337. Tri((in hinte0 to the a0iences the inf(e8ib(e attit0e Ba"ee+s /arents ha0
to.ar0 Ba"ee throgh t.o anec0otes. Birst Ba"ee+s #other sai0 0irect(3 ,Ba"ee .as sch a
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/erfect chi(0 before that,6317 after she fon0 cigarette in Ba"ee+s roo#. 2er fon0 #ight in&a0e
Ba"ee+s /ri&ac3 .hi(e her .or0s hrt Ba"ee+s fee(ing. Secon0(3, Ba"ee+s /arents or0ere0
Ban"ee to retrn the )ee/sa)es she too) fro# gran0#other+s hose after her gran0#other /ast
a.a3 regar0(ess of her sorro.. As can be seen, Ba"ee+s /arents re#aine0 in athorit3 an0 (ac)e0
the incenti&e to n0erstan0 Ba"ee+s rea( thoghts. The 5ote ,She fon0 it eas3 to te(( her /arents
that she (o&e0 the# bt 0iffic(t to confi0e in the#,6307 re&ea(s there .as a (ac) of
co##nication bet.een the#. 2o.e&er, the /osition of the t.o si0es are i##tab(3. 2er father
(ater sai0 after the acci0ent, ,! can+t te(( an3 a(ternati&e for a father. ! si#/(3 .ante0 her ot of
that car. i+0 ha&e 0one the sa#e thing again, e&en at the ris) of (osing her,63>7. @3 focsing on
the hsban0 an0 father+s athorit3 o&er /rotagonists, it (ea0 to a reasonab(e sggestion abot the
case of /rotagonists+ inhibitions.
!nteresting(3, to ha&e better effects in stor3 te((ing, *i(#an an0 Tri((in ses 5ite 0ifferent /oint
of &ie. to 0e#onstrate the ne5a( re(ationshi/s either sbjecti&e(3 or objecti&e(3. *i(#an+s ses
first /erson narration in her fiction to (et a0iences c(ear(3 see .hat n0ergoes in narrator+s #in0,
therefore the a0iences .o(0 0e&e(o/ e#/ath3 bet.een narrator an0 the#se(&es. !0entica((3, the
narrator+s na#e is #issing throghot the te8t, her hsban0 on(3 ca((e0 her ,0ear,, ,0ar(ing,, or
,(itt(e gir(., The #issing of na#e e8/oses narrator+s (ac) of in0i&i0a(it3 in the #arriage. As the
stor3 goes on, narrator #ista)e herse(f as the cree/ing .o#an on the .a((/a/er i((strates her
see)ing of se(fEi0entit3 in her inner .or(0. $n the other han0, Tri((in ses thir0 /erson /oint of
&ie. to .rite his creati&e nonfiction in an objecti&e .a3 .ithot #a)ing an3 j0ge#ents or
sho.ing an3 ten0encies. 2e gi&es ot the infor#ation in an organi9e0 .a3 an0 (ea&es he
n0er(3ing corre(ations for a0iences to figre ot. Mean.hi(e, he raises 5estions for a0iences
to thin) abot. @3 as)ing ,Was there a .a3 that %eo an0 1oAnn Coo/er co(0 ha&e /re&ente0
Cheng D
Ba"ee fro# choosing the /ath she chose,63A7 an0 /tting the /oe# .ritten b3 Ba"ee a .ee)
before her 0eath .hich sa3s ,! thin) !+# going to 0ie an0 ! rea((3 0on+t )no. .h3,6397,
a0iences co(0 #a)e the sggestion that Ba"ee+s trage03 ca#e fro# the fai(re in fa#i(3
e0cation fro# her athoritati&e /arents.
Throgh sing of characteri9ation an0 /oint of &ie., *i(#an an0 Tri((in te((s the tragic se5ence
fo((o.s fro# a ne5a( re(ationshi/. Fsa((3 the 0o#ination of one si0e in a re(ationshi/ .o(0
(ea0s to ine5a(it3 an0 arbitrar3 0ee0s b3 &ie.ing the other si0e as a sbor0inate. The trage03
#ight be a&oi0e0 if the3 (istene0 to the .ea)+s rea( a//ea( or ga&e enogh res/ect on their
.i((ing.
Wor)s Cite0
*i(#an, Char(otte Per)ins. ,The -e((o. Wa((/a/er.G Life Studies: Readings for Writers. H0.
2gh Patterson. 1st e0. @e0for0ISt. MartinJs' 2013. 1=DE1>A. Print.
Cheng =
Tri((in, Ca(&in. , !t+s 1st Too %ate.G Life Studies: Readings for Writers. H0. 2gh Patterson. 1st
e0. @e0for0ISt. MartinJs' 2013. 30E39. Print.