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.