Short Stories Essay Essay, Research Paper

ENGLISH ESSAY

The short story “Debut” by Kristin Hunter and “Manhood” by John Wain both explore central issues like masculinity and femininity. Through the use of narrative conventions, such as point of view, characterisation, selection of detail, conflict, descriptive language and symbolisation, the authors present issues more effectively. By using social, cultural and gender expectations in the context, the authors give a better understanding throughout the text, considering the different time frames.

At the time frame when “Debut” was written, in the sixties, society was changing dramatically. The woman’s movement had a strong impact on social and cultural expectations at the time. Women were having sex and not being married changing the culture into a disimpowered culture. Wives were usually being the stereotypical mothers, staying at home, looking after the children and doing the housework. The time frame between now and the sixties has altered the reading of “Debut”, letting the readers accept the changing cultural and social expectations of the time. Both Mrs Simmons and Mr Willison try to pressure their view on gender and social expectations as what they perceive as a better lifestyle. For instance, “No son of mine is going to grow up with the same wretched physical heritage that I…” Mrs Simmons has a certain opinion in which she tries to bring up her daughter. This is more accepted considering the social and gender expectations of the time. For example, “It is a battle… The battle to hold your head up and get someplace and be somebody.” She tries to express how her daughters debut is a battle and could have to live with her partner for the rest of her life.

“Manhood” and “Debut” takes on a battle to try and live through their only child, in which it creates an unstable and unhealthy relationship. Through this relationship both children are unable to build their own personal identity. From this relationship, Judy transforms into a product of her mother because she overheard the discussion from the boys. Both Rob and Judy can not build their own personal identity because of being pressurised and pushed so much from their parents. The relationship between both Mr Willison and Rob is not authenticated because Rob deceives his father to help build his masculinity. This is mainly because Rob wants to please his Dad like most teenagers would, thus he has to mislead his Dad to keep him happy and congenial. This forces Rob to go to great lengths to prove his masculinity in which he does not succeed because he was emotionally crippled by his father.

Both parents, Mr Willison and Mrs Simmons, are very self-determined to prove their child’s femininity and masculinity. Mrs Simmons, being the over-caring mother, tries to help her daughter become more responsible and mature. While Mr Willison also dictates his own ambitions and desires, Rob is unable to build his own level of masculinity due to the fact Mr Willison believes distinctly that the aspects of masculinity are expected as a gender expectation. For example, “D’you think their mothers are sitting about crying and kicking up a fuss? No – they’re proud to have strong, masculine sons who can stand up in the ring and take a few punches.” Mrs Simmons tries to push her daughter into finding a marriage partner from an affluent family at the ball, considering the debut is her first public appearance and is a perfect opportunity to find a partner. For instance, Mrs Simmons supposibly lived life the hard way without a rich husband, “… taking all sorts of humiliation from the better-dressed, better-off, lighter-skinned women…” While Judy manages to transform the hard way from “a poised princess” to a powerful and manipulating woman, she turns into a product of her mother from her experience with the boys. For example. “…I do believe she’s learned what I’ve been trying to teach her, after all.” Her experiences relate to the symbolisation of the wall, which protects and keeps her innocent. When the boys cross the wall, it seperates between her fantasy and real life. This experience alters her view on gender expectations also changing her view on culture. For instance, “…she knew better than to settle for a mere pack of cigarettes.” Gender expectations arise in both cases, which creates the view of the parent-child relationship as a battle. For example, “You make it sound like a battle I’m going to instead of just a dance.” Rob is only thirteen and he can not accept his father s expectations because he is a boy and not a man yet. In this perspective, Rob is a victim of his fathers obsession. For instance, “Rob lay like a sullen corpse by the roadside.” Mr Willison is defeated because he did not take on the mothers role and does not realise how his portrayal as a father influences him as much.

The author applies a different name for Rob at the start of the test, thus it gives more sympathy for Rob at certain times of conflict and battle. Thus, the author used certain selection of detail when editing the text to create more of a climax and atmosphere at times. For example, Rob is pushed to exhaustion and is called “the boy” to sympathise his dreaded pain at the start of the short story, were he is mainly referred to as Rob during the rest of the text. The author tends to leave out Mr Simmons and to give more sympathy towards him while examining in more detail the relationship between Mrs Simmons and her daughter, which explores the issues that arise from the relationship in greater detail.

Both the texts are presented in a third point of view to identify a stronger view on the way that the characters are constructed. If the author used a first person point of view, it could not persuade the readers as strongly about the central issues demonstrated by the short story. From having more speaking, the dialogue supports issues giving a better concept of the text. Without this point of view you can not recognise the directed transformation of Judy from the naive girl to the arrogant woman. For example, “She had what they wanted, and the knowledge replaced her shame with a strange, calm feeling of power.” The author engages with the reader intensively, especially by using a prodigious amount of descriptive language, by using a form of imagery style in this point of view. For instance, “…with spaghetti straps that bared her round brown shoulders and a floating skirt and a wide sash that cascaded in a butterfly effect behind.” The author ends with a climax which built an atmosphere at the end of both short stories to make readers think about what the future would really be like considering the influence of teenagers parents.

The short stories analyse and explore the ways central issues might or should have portrayed depending on the reader’s context. Narrative conventions help state issues like gender, race and social class. Without having narrative conventions and the context we would not sucessfully be able to interpret our issues, thus these are the main elements in effictively exploring a short story.