The Luck of Roaring Camp

I wanted to compare how the term and idea of "luck was presented in "The Luck of Roaring Camp" verses other stories we read this semester. In "The Luck of Roaring Camp" it seemed that luck just happened. In this case the town just got lucky with a little boy who changed everything for the town. The town was all of a sudden blessed with a little boy and everything seemed better. "The men had suddenly awakened to the fact that there were beauty and significance in these trifles which they had so long trodden and carelessly beneath their feet". (p 388) All of a sudden every ones attitude changed and circumstances for the town were better. In past stories luck did not just appear and always came at a price to the characters. Gerty and Trueman were not wealthy and had to work hard everyday to make ends meet. Ellen Montgomery is lucky enough to be given a bible, and all sorts of supplies; however these gifts came at a price because she lost her mother and father. In the "Yellow wallpaper" the main character is provided shelter and a husband that's a doctor, yet she is never allowed to leave her room and eventually goes crazy.
Although luck never seems to just appear for characters there is a theme that runs through all these stories and is highlighted in "The Luck of Roaring Camp". The idea that luck leaves as quickly as it comes. "Higher up the gulch they found the body of its unlucky owner; but the pride, the hope, the joy, The Luck of Roaring Camp had disappeared." Whether luck just appears as it did for Roaring camp, or given at a price like in "The Wide Wide World" Luck doesn't last forever. This is a common theme because it applies to reality. Authors during the nineteenth century were well aware that whether you stumbled into luck or worked really hard, luck did not last forever.

The Yellow Wallpaper

I felt Perkins Gilman was attempting to change the way woman were treated, especially those with a mental illness or depression. In the Yellow Wallpaper the main character is kept locked away in their summer home while her husband goes out and works. John also refuses to get her treatment, which part of it was because he was a doctor but i also wondered if maybe that was because it would be looked down upon. Admitting to society that your wife has an illness was probably not good for societal status. "If a physician of high standing, and one’s own husband, assures friends and relatives that there is really nothing the matter with one but temporary nervous depression-what is one to do?" (p.355)
This story also points out how the man of the house usually has the last say in what happens. As i pointed out John decided that his wife did not need to seek help. In the Wide Wide World Ellen's father decided she would leave early in the morning and that Ellen was not to find out ahead of time. In Desiree's baby Armon made the decision that his wife was unworthy and that she should go to her mothers. In the Hidden Hand, Capitola was always being controlled by men, because she was living in a man’s world.

It seems that all the stories we have read, whether the man is a crucial character or hardly seen at all, he always has the final word on what’s going to happen. Perkins Gilman really emphasized this point in The Yellow Wallpaper.

Tom Sawyer

I felt one of the interesting aspects we talked about in class was the interaction Tom had with other children. In most of the prior stories none of the main characters had any interaction with children. I feel like maybe the children only interacted with adults because in the nineteenth century children were treated and expected to act like little adults. Tom is the first one to interact with children, but also children of both sexes.
I feel like because Tom was able to hang out with children his own age and do activities that many children would normally do readers are able to relate to him. I know as a child I did not pick out bibles and make toast; however I did hate doing chores and would look for ways to get out of them. Even Tom’s interaction with his friends is something that most readers would relate to. Basically because Tom did hangout with other children his character was less like an adult and therefore more enjoyable

Tom is also one of the first characters in our stories to have encounters with children of the opposite sex. None of the other stories really talked about a child’s first crush or even the general norm for children in dealing with gender differences. Tom acts how you would expect a young boy to act around his crush. “And thus he would die—out in the cold world, with no shelter…would she drop one little tear upon his poor, lifeless form,”(p 27) It is very typical for children in love to want as well as wonder what kind of attention they can get from the opposite gender. Tom’s reaction was different from Gerty when she encounters a boy for the first time. Gerty was very shy and unsure of how to act. Because Tom had had other interactions with children he was comfortable enough with him-self that he just did what it took to get the girls attention.

The Yares of the Black Mountain

One of the quotes that really struck me while reading this story is talking about how the widow find a strong connection and takes an instant liking to the Yare family. “These were the first beings whom the widow had ever met between who and herself there came absolutely no bar of accident….they were the first who could go straight to something beneath…” (p 22) I wanted to focus this blog on how the Yares and the widow are similar and what allowed them to make such an instant connection.
One of the more obvious similarities is how both have had to deal with death and grief. The Widow lost her husband and is dealing with losing her baby. The Yare family spent much time during the war worrying about family and even lost several members after standing up for what they believed in. In the story (and also in life) people tend to need some form of hope to keep them going through tough times. In the story both the Yares and the widow turned to the Mt. and/or scenery for comfort or that beacon of hope. “The mountains and they were company for each other” (p 268) The Yars had lived on those mountains for four generations and even stuck it out during the civil war. The widow took her sick baby up to the mountains even though everyone thought she was crazy for doing so. I’m not sure the mountains actually symbolize anything but I feel they helped the widows baby pull through and they helped the Yares continue to live on and prosper.
I felt another reason the two related so well is because both knew what it was like to have almost nothing as well as not fitting in with society. The widow had her baby and the Yares had enough to get by on. It makes sense that both families would need some form of comfort, and were then able to find that comfort within the mountains. At the end of the story it seemed that by having an instant connection the two families were able to find hope within each other. Coming from such similar situations of hardship it was easy to find comfort and acceptance. Up until the end of the story The widow had never really felt like she belonged anywhere. She did not fit in NY and traveling all that way never really felt comfortable. The Yares had always been in hiding because they were on the “wrong” side during the war. It seems like both families were able to accept each other and with that acceptance cam the ability to prosper.

Ragged Dick

Since Ragged Dick is only the first story we have read that deals with a male main character it is hard to suggest how males and females are represented differently in nineteenth century literature. One difference that I did notice was that it felt like the boy s emitted more intelligence than the girls in prior stories. As Ragged dick is walking around the city he is able to state facts about different buildings as is Frank. “that is the new York hospital…They’re a rich institution, and take care of sick people on very reasonable terms.” (p. 297) There are other examples throughout the text that have the similar premise. Then there is a point in the story where the boys begin discussing investments. This topic alone seems like it would be more common amongst an older crowd. “No, said dick; I manage my property myself” “And I presume your dividends have not been large?” (p. 60) That just seems like an advanced conversation for such young boys. The girls in the prior novels really only talked about making toast and other household chores. I feel like authors are trying to suggest that boys have higher intelligence than girls do. Ragged Dick didn’t even go to school, yet he knew about dividends and property values.
Another difference I noticed was that boys seem to be more appreciated and respected. For instance Ragged Dick went out every day and polished shoes. Every day he made money and was able to feed, clothe and find shelter for himself; yet Capitola was forced to dress as a boy in order to work and care for herself. Nobody is willing to hire an orphan unless it’s a boy.
One other point I saw was when Ragged Dick was accused of giving a counterfeit bill. “He stood his ground bravely. Then give me back my bill” (p. 29) The text suggests that Dick is brave for defending his name and for arguing back with the gentleman. In The Wide Wide World when Ellen is given a hard time in the store she does not try to defend herself but rather breaks into tears and is helped by the older gentleman. Now realizing there is a significant age difference between Dick and Ellen I still feel that authors are suggesting boys are brave and defend themselves and that girls are unable to protect themselves.
As I stated in the beginning this is only the first story we have read about boys, but so far it seems that authors portray boys as being stronger and more capable of work.

A Whisper In The Dark

A Whisper in the Dark starts off a little strange due to the relation between Sybil and her uncle and then it became confusing as to the mental stability and reliability of Sybil. There were multiple factors to take into consideration. I felt it was hard to distinguish between her need to rebel and go against authority verses insanity. There was also many times where she was ill for whatever reason which also made it hard as a reader to judge if she was insane or just delusional due to being sick.
“For many weeks I lay burning in a fever, fitfully conscious of Dr. Karnac and the woman’s presence” (p 239) This is not the only time where Sybil is ill, but even in this situation she claims she is conscious and aware of her surroundings. There are some special cases but most people are not very aware when they are as sick as Sybil was. Then there was also the fact that she is drugged through the wine that her uncle provides her. Being ill as well as being drugged would have major effects on a person that could be confused for insanity.
Then the author also includes phrases like “sleepless nights” and having crazy nightmares. These could be signs of insanity, but it could also be circumstance. Being in a creepy house and hearing constant noises would mess with anyone. Plus sleep deprivation will further worsen the situation. My point with all these examples is that whether Sybil was mentally insane or just under poor circumstances it was hard to see her as a reliable narrator. At the end of the novel when it says “but over all these years, serenely prosperous, still hangs for me the shadow of the past, still rises that dead image of my mother...” (p 247) As a reader you almost question if all that really happened. Did Sybil’s mom really whisper to her and save her life, or did Sybil manage to save herself.
After having finished A Whisper in the Dark I think anytime you bring insanity into a novel the reader does lose some reliability in the message as well as relationships. For example, the mother daughter relationship between Sybil and her mother is left in question because the author suggests the mother was also insane. Reliability is lost because it’s hard to believe what is true and what is from a mental breakdown.

The hidden hand

I wanted to focus on the relationship between Capitola and Old Hurricane because I felt the relationship between two strong and distinct characters is important within this story, but also within the other stories we have read this semester.
As soon as Old Hurricane decided to take responsibility for Capitola you feel an instant connection between the two. It felt like both characters were able to bring happiness to the other. Old Hurricane was able to provide food as well as a father figure for Capitola. As Capitola states in the story “how much happier from the contrast of her previous wretchedness, to be suddenly freed from want, toil, fear and all the evils of destitute orphanage…”(p.188)Capitola gains so much from Old Hurricane who seems to have everything. Even though he is wealthy, up until Capitola enters his life the author portrays him as a grumpy old man who typically does not treat others well. Once Capitola enters the story all of a sudden you get Old Hurricane laughing and taking pity on the poor child. “How soft those gray eyes looked when praying” (p. 189) All of a sudden the man who seemed so unpleasant and terrible isn’t so bad. I felt the change seen in Old Hurricane reflects part of the role of children in literature. We talked in class about how if you hear about a child being mistreated or living in horrible conditions you instantly feel terrible and want to help, and it seems the same feelings occur in literature. Not only as the reader, does your heart go out to poor Capitola, but the characters with in the story also feel terrible for children. Old Hurricane has been grumpy and bitter for years and all it took was a little girl to bring about a subtle change in his character.
We have seen this occur in the other stories as well. True Flinn instantly feels sorry for Gerty after seeing her cry and begins to make life changes in order to keep and assist her. There is something about the innocence of a child that makes characters want to change and take on that parenting role. Something else that was interesting about the relationship is that like Gerty and True it was like a father daughter relationship; however, neither girl would call the man father but rather uncle. In Wide Wide World the father plays almost no role in Ellen’s life, and in the next two stories the men who could play father roles don’t want to be called father. The minute Capitola days “Yes father” Uncle Hurricane says “ No, no you needn’t call me father, you know, because it isn’t true. Call me uncle.” (p.188) I just found it interesting because He is taking on the fatherly role, as well as changing his attitude, but does not want the title of father.