Honors American Literature (E)

Voltaire, a wise man once said, “Don’t think money does everything or you are going to end up doing everything for money.” In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Ftizgerald, there are many characters who are too corrupt for words, there is one in particular that really strikes the audience. This is Daisy Buchanon who is the wife of Tom Buchanon, a woman abuser, stuck up, wealthy man. Daisy fell in love with Jay Gatsby and when he went to war, she went behind his back and married Tom, the wealthy businessman almost solely for his money. She is the most corrupt character in this novel because she ran over Myrtle who was the mistress of her husband, lying to say that she will wait for Gatsby when she didn’t, and using Gatsby for an escape from her brutal and fake life. 

When Daisy had found out that Tom had been cheating on her, which she had already had felt that he was, but when she learned he did, she was mightily mad. Obviously she had every right to be extremely mad and emotional about Tom cheating, but what she did was morally wrong. She took another person’s life and that is always the worst thing to possibly do. Daisy ran over Myrtle because when Myrtle saw the car, it was the same one she saw Tom in and figured it was Tom, and came out to the street. But instead, it was Daisy and daisy ran her over and according to her, “The second my hand reached the wheel I felt smoke — it must have killed her instantly”(Fitgerald 136). It wasn’t really understood why she went and killed Myrtle because she was doing the same thing as Tom: having an affair. Daisy is described as being a symbol of femininity and also a symbol of destroyed womanhood because of how she was verbally and physically abused by Tom so often for so long and the choices she has made in her life like killing myrtle. Even though this event should be enough to define Daisy’s character, there is even more to define how corrupt and appalling she really is. 

Daisy also strung Gatsby along for the wrong reasons. She told him before he went to war that she was going to wait for him and that they will be together when Gatsby comes home. She also told him that she loves him so much, but she didn’t lie about that because she cried on the night before her wedding to Tom because she still loved Gatsby. Gatsby, while in the war, was expecting her to wait for him as that is what he looked forward to everyday and couldn’t wait to go home to her. Daisy couldn’t wait that long for him, but also didn’t want to be with him because Tom’s money and wealth was more attractive to her than Gatsby was and she couldn’t resist because she likes money more and status more than anything else.Daisy, in a letter sent to Gatsby when he was in the war, told him that, “We can’t lose each other. And let all this glorious love end in nothing. Come home. I will be here waiting for every long dream of you to come home”(Fitzgerald 71).  Obviously Gatsby would be so excited to come home to see her after reading that letter, but Daisy would for Tom when Gatsby was away just for the money. It deeply hurt Gatsby to a point where he would only do things to impress Daisy. Daisy basically set him up to be hurt, but she wasn’t done playing with him and hurting him emotionally. 

“I hope she’ll be a fool, that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful fool”(Fitzgerald 17).

Another reason that Daisy is the most corrupt character in this novel is because even when she was married to Tom, she still used Gatsby and played with him just to get an escape from her life which was brutal. She was married to Tom who abused her mentally and physically, and  cheated on her with no remorse. She obviously knew that she had made a mistake with who she married, but she wasn’t going to divorce him because of all the money and status he had. She just used Gatsby to have a break from the reality of the situation she was in with Tom. Daisy even said to herself that, “I hope she’ll be a fool, that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful fool”(Fitzgerald 17). She has been a beautiful fool towards Gatsby because again, she has led Gatsby on to thinking they will be together, and doing the same thing she did before and picking Tom just because of his money. That is the type of person Daisy is and Gatsby just never will realize it and even took a bullet for her, but Daisy only ever cared about the money and status. 

Daisy is notably the most corrupt and shoddy person in this novel because of the way she mainly treated Gatsby, and how she killed another person in cold blood. Gatsby never could get over her and sadly, Daisy is the ultimate reason he died, even though she didn’t actually kill him. She killed him long before when she was with Tom because Gatsby couldn’t bear the sight of them together. Daisy had Gatsby wrapped around her finger and she could do whatever she wanted with him and gatsby just followed her. Ultimately, Daisy led him to his own death and is the reason for his tragic downfall.

Although the cross chain that I wear around my neck looks like a normal chain to everyone else, to me, it is much deeper than that. My chain is gold, shiny, and a very appealing  chain that has a lot of history. The chain used to belong to my grandfather, who died from lung cancer in two thousand and twelve when I was younger. I remember when I got his chain because I told my grandmother that I wanted to look at some chains to buy and she told me she had just found my grandfather’s. It was almost too perfect because the one time I was looking at buying a chain, my grandfather’s chain was found. It was almost like he wanted me to have that chain, although it could never be proven.  My grandmother said she had just found it after a while because she was looking for something else and she came across it. 

This chain means so much to me that I am able to wear it. The first reason why it is so special is because it serves as a remembrance of my grandfather. I always want to remember my grandfather because he did everything for me when I was younger and was also always there for me. He would always babysit after school when I was younger and I will always remember it. Every morning, I get the pleasure to look at the chain in the mirror and I remember him, which could be thought of as a bad thing because it could show that I’m sad about it. Obviously I miss him, but it means so much to me that I can remember him everyday and I would rather do that than never think of him. He was such a good man, and the fact that I get to wear something that he wore everyday is such a blessing to me. 

This chain, even though it is an inanimate and intangible object, has definitely shaped me into the person I am today.

The second reason that this chain means so much to me is that everything my grandfather ever stood for, I think that I should carry that on as I am wearing his chain now. He was such a good person and would do anything for anybody like taking care of his grandkids whenever they needed something. When he was here, he was such an important part of my life and if I could be partially like him, that is exactly what I would want. My grandfather was also a family first man. Whenever something happened in the family, he would always drop what he was doing to be there. I’ve thought for a while and couldn’t think of a time when he wasn’t there for me or another family member, like when he would always take care of us and put everything he was doing aside when my mom or dad needed to work or couldn’t be home with us. 

This chain, even though it is an inanimate and intangible object, has definitely shaped me into the person I am today. Just knowing that I wear something that my grandfather did makes me feel so special and also afraid. It scares me because I feel that I have to live up to his expectations, and I don’t want to disappoint him. Me wearing this chain is basically, in the way i think, carrying around my grandfather everywhere. I would never want to disappoint him and I always get scared because everyone always makes mistakes, but I don’t want to disappoint him. I wear this chain everywhere and never take it off. It is my lucky charm and I wear it for every hockey game. If I don’t, I feel I will not play well in that game. It is also a good thing for me that I get to wear this chain because I can represent him everyday, and even though no one knows that, I will always know that. Even though representing him can be a bit sad, exciting, and also scary, it is so worth it. Even though I am afraid of disappointing him, I don’t think I will because to my family,  he was never forgotten and every time someone asks me about my chain, I get to bring him which makes me the most happy. If I didn’t have my grandfather in my life, even though I was younger, I would most definitely be a different person than I am today. Even though he isn’t with us anymore, he will always have shaped me into the person I am today.

Brene Brown once said, “Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.” This is seen multiple times in the novel The Thing They Carried by Tim O’Brien through characters with rough pasts. This embarrassment or shame is reinforced by the guilt of not being “masculine” enough or not being brave, heroic, and patriotic enough. The war, especially the Vietnam War, was very traumatic for most soldiers because their enemies weren’t clear and the land was very unknown to them. Also, due to the draft, many “kids” had to grow up in the war as they were sent when they were merely eighteen years old. Shame affects many different characters in this novel in many different ways like Norman Bowker, Jimmy Cross, and Curt Lemon. 

Norman Bowker was definitely one of the characters who felt the most shame and guilt.  He carried so much with him throughout the war, that when he came home, he couldn’t do it. Norman feels the most shame when he didn’t receive the Silver Star of Valor because he didn’t save Kiowa from dying. He hides the shame of not saving Kiowa under not winning the Silver Star of Valor because it made the death of kiowa seem less like his fault in his head. He also wanted to show his dad and impress his dad but he couldn’t when he said, “‘I almost won the Silver Star,’”he would have said. ‘How’s that? Just a story. So tell me,’ his father would have said (O’Brien 135). He really wanted to tell his dad about all the medals he got, but they were common medals that many got. He wished that he had got that Silver Star to impress his dad, but since he didn’t save Kiowa’s life, he didn’t earn it. He also felt solely responsible for Kiowa’s death and it was very hard for him to deal with the shame and guilt when he got home. He couldn’t adjust back to normal life after the war. This shame pushed Norman to end up doing the worst thing he could possible do: commit suicide by hanging himself. He was too ashamed to talk with dad also because Norman thought his dad expected more from him. 

Another character who is affected by shame is Jimmy Cross. Jimmy Cross was the lieutenant and he felt responsible for many things. The greatest shame that affected him the most was the death of Kiowa. That night, he was warned by a local that the land was dangerous , but he didn’t listen. In the end, Kiowa ended up dying from drowning in feces and Jimmy Cross felt very responsible and his men assigned him this shame when Saunders said, “‘Better tell the LT.’ ‘Screw him.’ ‘Yeah but—some lieutenant’, Saunders said. ‘Camps us in a toilet. Man doesn’t know shit”’(O’Brien 159). Saunders says, and some agree, that Kiowa’s death was all Jimmy Crosses fault and that affected him a lot. Jimmy Cross carries this shame with him of not being a good enough leader but debates if it is the war’s fault or his fault. But after his own team is blaming him, he ends up blaming himself over the death of Kiowa. He wanted to write a letter to Kiowa’s dad out of guilt and shame, but was deciding based on if he thought it was his fault or the war’s fault. His shame of Kiowas death made him want to write that letter and also, live with that shame for a long time which is practically torture and could lead to horrific things like what happened to Norman Bowker. 

“‘Better tell the LT.’ ‘Screw him.’ ‘Yeah but—some lieutenant’, Saunders said. ‘Camps us in a toilet. Man doesn’t know shit”’(O’Brien 159).

The last character that dealt with a great amount of shame was Curt Lemon. Curt Lemon was exactly what you would think of a male soldier. He put on this front that he was tough, brave, and not to be messed with, and acted like an alpha male. When a dentist came to help the team with their teeth, Curt Lemon got very scared. He had a fear of dentists since he was a kid and when he was being treated by the dentist, he fainted and was afraid he would be made fun of when, according to O’Brien, “It was over fast. He fainted even before the man touched him”(O’Brien 82). He was shameful and humiliated because he is this tough soldier who kills people,  puts his life on the line and nothing scares him. He felt a great deal of shame when his team found out and had to prove to himself, but more importantly his team, that he wasn’t considered soft and was in fact, an alpha. In the middle of the night, he went to the dentist’s tent and demanded that his healthy tooth get pulled. That is what the shame drives him to do. Get a perfectly healthy tooth pulled just to prove he is a brave and tough soldier. 

Shame drives these characters to do crazy things like Norman Bowker commiting suicide, Jimmy Cross living with the shame the rest of his life, and Curt Lemon getting a perfectly healthy tooth pulled. Shame is one of the biggest roles in this book because almost every character has some shame about something. Also in the world, everyone has something they are ashamed of, no matter the vastness of it. This novel shows how hard it was for these characters to live and push through the shame, no matter how hard they tried. The shame in these characters changed their lives forever and changed the outcome of their life.

My dog makes my life so much happier and funny when I am with him. His name is Max but most of my family and all of my friends call him Scoobs because he looks like the dog from Scooby Doo and is also the dog from Sandlot : a mastiff. Scoobs is probably the most stubborn dog there is because he sometimes doesn’t like to listen but after a while he always comes around to it. My dog is definitely just the greatest joy I have in my life because who else is going to be wagging their tail and jumping from excitement every time you get home. It feels really amazing knowing, even on a long day, that someone will be really excited to see you and it also really helps after a long day to have that joy in your life. Scoobs is also so special to me because he’s always there for me whenever I’m feeling sick, bored, or lonely. He’s always there either laying down next to me or stuffing his slobbery toy or stuffed animal to play. 

After he was done with his business, we were walking very slowly, and he just decided he was going to sit down and not get up.

A special story of Scoobs and I is when one day I was in a huge rush to get to hockey in the summer and he didn’t really care. I had to take him outside to do his business on a very hot day with zero breeze outside so it was pretty hard to be outside. After he was done with his business, we were walking very slowly, and he just decided he was going to sit down and not get up. My dog is around one hundred and seventy pounds so once he sits down, there is no way of getting him up. Remember I said that Scoobs was very stubborn! So obviously I was in a rush and he just wasn’t getting up and I was trying to get treats and trying tricks like that and he wasn’t budging. I was trying everything I could think of to get him inside and I couldn’t. I was also freaking out because I was in a huge rush and I couldn’t be late. 

He was just enjoying having a good time while I was freaking out. Then after like fifteen minutes of trying to get him in I thought of an idea. What if I just walk inside the house and leave him alone because Scoobs can’t be alone at all. He then ran to the door and I ended up getting him in the house. I felt so dumb that I couldn’t think of that at first but at thet point, i was just happy that I had got him in the house. He was just chilling out relaxing out there and I had thought it was the funniest thing afterm, but not in the moment. In the moment I was extremely annoyed and losing my patience with him. 

At the end of every day, he is the first person to ever greet me and say hi to me. It always makes my day seeing him and he has no clue what he does for me. He is definitely the most goofy dog I will ever have. He has huge jowls so whenever he drinks water, you have to run to wipe his mouth or he will wipe it either all over the floor, wall, or you. He is also so sweet, only to the people he knows because every single person, dog, or cat that walks by our house, he goes berserk barking at them. He loves us so much and he always shows by giving me his paw all the time, coming up and cuddling with me, or “protecting” me from people walking by or people working on the house next door. I will always be thankful for Scoobs for everything he does for me and even though he doesn’t know it, it doesn’t bother me because he knows he is extremely loved by my family and I.

A picture that is worth one thousand words to me is the day we went to Camp Kieve at the beginning of September of this year, 2021. The day started off as a warm morning, blue sky, and a good breakfast. As soon as we got on the bus with the junior class, it was a long ride. It was about a two hour ride and it felt very long to get there. Me and Ryan Teehan were sitting together, and my legs were starting to feel cramped up from the long ride. When we got there, they separated every class which I wasn’t too happy about because a lot of my friends were in the senior class. So, we ended up splitting into groups and Ryan Teehan, Anthony Lonbardo, Spyro Hamzeh, and I ended up getting in the same group, which to me, I was very happy and excited about. 

The current went against us the whole ride to that island and Ryan and I kept tipping the boat over as a joke and almost sank it in the middle of the lake. 

The first activity we did was canoeing, which none of us had experience with. We started by changing into our bathing suits and then putting life jackets on. We then picked out the canoe that we wanted and all four of us carried it to the water, which was pretty heavy. We then got the oars ready and started to go out on the lake. We weren’t supposed to, but we decided all together that we would go out to the far island, which was around a mile from the campsite, which we weren’t supposed to do. We started going out and it went pretty slow because none of us really knew how to paddle with the oars in sync. We started to pick up the pace on the canoe and were going pretty fast, considering the conditions. 

The conditions were windy, especially as we got further out. When we got to the island, we realized there was a house and that we couldn’t go there. So instead, we saw another island we could go to which was about another mile and half away. We wanted to go on an adventure , which we knew we weren’t allowed to, but we realized we were already out pretty far and wanted to explore. When we got to the next island, we were absolutely gassed and out of breath. The current went against us the whole irde to that island and Ryan and I kept tipping the boat over as a joke and almost sank it in the middle of the lake. 

When we got to the island, Ryan and I had actually sunk the boat and we had to drag it to the island and tip it back on top, which was very hard. One of the staff workers had gone out to search for us because we were so far away from the camp. The staff worker, Will, was a really cool dude. When we had finally started to get going after tipping the canoe back on top, we ended up sinking it again, which was solely due to Ryan and I. Syro and Anothony weren’t the happiest because it took around twenty five minutes to get all the water out the boat the first time. We ended up doing the same thing and got the canoe back into place. The staff worker Will had found it pretty comical and was laughing for a while. On our way back, we were doing well with paddling, which was unusual for us. 

When we had gotten around halfway back to the camp, I was tipping the boat over as a joke and it ended up sinking, for the third time! We found it so funny at first, but we soon realized that it was a very far way back still and figured out we would have to drag the canoe back. I’m not going to lie, I did very little in efforts to drag the canoe back. After I stopped helping and went ahead and started swimming, Ryan did the same thing and we left Spyro and Anthony to do the towing. They weren’t very happy about it, but Ryan and I thought it was funny and to this day, we both don’t regret a thing. When we had finally got back, they had held back lunch for us, since we were out on that lake for two and half hours and the other staff workers were happy at all. They kept looking at us and whispering, giving us dirty looks. We found it funny and didn’t regret a thing we did that day. That was the first experience of Spyro and Anthony meeting Ryan and I, so I bet they had started to love us! We then went on to do a bunch of fun activities and grew closer as friends. I don’t regret a thing we did that day and I honestly don’t think Ryan, Spyro, Anthony, and I regret a single thing we did that day because we made so many amazing memories out of that day.

It may seem abnormally crude that, even with today’s education systems-and every single resource available to humans in a society where finding information is at the tip of a finger, and the brains of millions exist in a digital cloud-certain individuals belittle others for irrelevant reasons causing ignominy to the victims of these disgraceful actions-it may seem perplexing how acts of hate such as racism, sexism, and homophobia haven’t ceased to exist as they are as useless as whispering into the ear of a dead corpse. But, there is an invading feeling felt by all when surrounded by those cruel but credible muses who spread their hypocrisy and grim opinions like a wildfire during a dry season to the naive minds of this world. Racists, sexists, and every other feeble minded being must assume this reality of peer pressure and unrighteous beliefs spread by unfortunately ignorant and vacuous persons. It is as if, a blinding and evil source of light introduced these beings to an alternate dimension where such acts were mandated and justifiable since they serve no good to anyone in the present reality. Their reality originates from an immoral belief where a virus containing thoughts of irrelevant hate infects the most naive and unenlightened individuals.

It might be, too-obviously feeble minded and unscholared individuals, but moreover persuaded and self justified mindsets creating mal intentioned false truths like suicide bombers killing the innocent in the name of God-it may be another irrelevant motive distorting the mind of these ignorant people.  People chasing revenge and personally attacking the nonconformity of these victims may seek revenge, denying any wrong, though destroying peoples lives, by aiming their guns at the unconformity of the victims. Throughout time, revenge has been an intermittent feeling imposed to all by the tempter of souls, and those strong enough to resist its invasion may seek to help others, but only those who are motivated to be their righteous selves can truly avoid delusion; this is the truth that the ignorant must accept in order to live unadulterated. This notion is not often grasped by the ignorant and revenge fogs up the truth behind their condescending mentalities. What compels them the most-the reason they rationalize unimaginably unjustified cruelties-is a sad verity. And so, humans may hold inner feelings that are never released and are perchance turned into negativity; it is this burden of feelings that causes people to explode in the form of anger and jealousy that fundamentally fuels these malicious and scornful intentions.

Egotism is a flaw that every human must learn to shake off as we grow into socially acceptable beings. However, every human is innately egoistic and inevitably inclined to act in this manner rather than the morally accepted altruistic behavior. An egoistic behavior is heavily backed up by the interactions between characters of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, the sins carried by the men in Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, and the embodiment of egoism by Daisy in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

To start off, McCarthy’s novel titled The Road displays many instances where egoism is prevalent. A first instance where this immoral behavior could be seen is during the story about how the boy’s mother left him and his father: “She was gone and the coldness of it was her final gift. She would do it with a flake of obsidian. He’d taught her himself. Sharper than steel. The edge an atom thick. And she was right. There was no argument. The hundred nights they’d sat up arguing the pros and cons of self destruction with the earnestness of philosophers chained to a madhouse wall. In the morning the boy said nothing at all and when they were packed and ready to set out upon the road he turned and looked back at their campsite and he said: She’s gone isn’t she? And he said: Yes, she is”(McCarthy 58). The harshness of her suicide and the pain and ‘coldness’ it left behind further emphasizes egotism. Symbolism is implied where her final gift is the suffering the man and the boy will endure as a loved one has taken the easy way out. The mother decides that the post-apocalyptic world is truly unbearable and shows greater concern for herself as she abandons her family at an extremely low point. This relates to the theme of loss and suffering as the mother’s egoism is essentially what inspires painful memories in both the man and the boy. Her suicide created an unfillable void in their lives. 

Following this, the boy and the father both abandon a man for the sake of their own survival and create a void for him as he is left with nothing. They discuss,“No. We cant help him. There’s nothing to be done for him. They went on. The boy was crying. He kept looking back. When they got to the bottom of the hill the man stopped and looked at him and looked back up the road. The burned man had fallen over and at that distance you couldn’t even tell what it was. I’m sorry, he said. But we have nothing to give him. We have no way to help him. I’m sorry for what happened to him but we can’t fix it. You know that, don’t you? The boy stood looking down. He nodded his head. Then they went on and he didn’t look back again”(McCarthy 50). The narrator uses effective word choice by saying that you couldn’t even tell what the burned man was in order to create an image of how horrible the man’s death was. This further demonstrates that even though an old man suffered immensely at the moment of his death as he literally burned to nothing, the man explains to his son that helping him in any way would lead to disaster for them. He reassures the boy by explaining that they can’t fix the situation, implying that they only had enough resources for themselves. This relates to the idea of egoism and comes back to the major theme of death present all throughout the novel. Their self-interest keeps them alive as ‘they went on and he didn’t look back again’.

Towards the end of the novel, the man and the boy encounter the man that stole from them, and the desperate thief explains how he only took from them in effort to also stay alive. They exchange words:  “You tried to kill us. I’m starving, man. You’d have done the same. You took everything. Come on, man. I’ll die. I’m going to leave you the way you left us. Come on. I’m begging you”(McCarthy 257). Once again, effective word choice is used as the man exclaims that he stole everything from them. Though they did not have much physically, the old man stole weeks of effort and any hope they had of surviving. This further demonstrates egotism as he would have destroyed a family’s chance of survival for his own benefit. This also goes the other way as the old man explains how they would have also ‘done the same’ for the sake of survival which is certainly not altruistic. This relates to the theme of desperation because the man and the boy steal from homes countless times at low points in order to survive(further proving the old man’s point).

Furthermore, the Vietnam war is a low point portrayed as a horrific and traumatic experience for soldiers involved. In O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, the stories allow readers to visualize how egotistical behavior is essential and almost normal during a time such as this one. After Curt Lemon’s death, some of the men torture a buffalo and realize how cruel people have become: “Mitchell Sanders took out his yo-yo. ‘Well, that’s Nam,’he said. ‘Garden of Evil. Over here, man, every sin’s real fresh and original.’”(O’Brien 76). A biblical allusion is presented where the Garden of evil is a reference to the Bible’s Garden of Eden and the original sin. This further emphasizes egoism as it explains why all humans are baptized: all humans are born sinners and must be cleansed in order to be faithful to Jesus. It also creates the image of Vietnam as a place where sin/violence is almost a normal occurrence and egoism is expressed frequently because someone else will kill you if you don’t kill them first. The theme of death and traumatism is prevalent as they are both the result of the sins and egotistical behavior.

Last, the central character of Daisy Buchanan in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby could be seen as the literal embodiment of egotistical behavior and sin which consequently leads to the protagonist’s fall. After murdering Myrtle, Daisy takes advantage of Gatsby who is love struck and lets him take the blame for the death of the woman. “‘Was Daisy driving?’ ‘Yes,’ he said after a moment, ‘but of course I’ll say I was. You see, when we left New York she was very nervous and she thought it would steady her to drive — and this woman rushed out at us just as we were passing a car coming the other way. It all happened in a minute, but it seemed to me that she wanted to speak to us, thought we were somebody she knew. Well, first Daisy turned away from the woman toward the other car, and then she lost her nerve and turned back. The second my hand reached the wheel I felt the shock — it must have killed her instantly’”(Fitzgerald 143-144). This whole passage foreshadows Gatsby’s inevitable downfall/death. The fact that he is so love struck makes him vulnerable, and Daisy certainly wouldn’t want to take the blame for her own actions. This display of egotism later leads to Gatsby’s death as he is murdered by Myrtle’s furious husband who came to seek revenge for his wife’s death. If altruism was expressed, perhaps Gatsby’s death could have been avoided and he wouldn’t have been shot for a woman who was more affectionate about the only person more egotistical than her in the novel(her husband). This relates to the theme of selfishness because egotism takes control of Daisy, and she lets an innocent man die for her mistake.

In essence, the interactions between the characters in The Road, the sins of all the men in Vietnam in The Things They Carried, and the character Daisy in The Great Gatsby all prove that humans are innately egotistic. The novels, though very distinct from one another, all reveal the fact that humans will always choose their own personal gain even if it means the detriment of others. How could most societies continue to thrive despite a majorly egoistic world ?

Work Cited

McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. Alfred A. Knopf, 2020.

Lathbury, Roger. The Great Gatsby. Gale Group, 2000.

Bloom, Harold. Tim O’Brien’s the Things They Carried. Bloom’s Literary Criticism, 2011.

The inevitability of loss of innocence as humans grow up has been proven throughout generations. The boy in Cormac McCarthy’s novel titled The Road demonstrates loss of innocence as he witnesses the harshness and gruesome brutality of a post-apocalyptic reality. The boy’s character shift is proven as he throws away his flute and wonders if they have any hope of surviving, and this signifies his understanding that he will never truly be able to live in this previous world along with the father slowly losing hold of his son.

    First, the boy is obviously innocent at the start of the novel as he is naive and described as a being from another world. “seemed some sad and solitary changeling child announcing the arrival of a traveling spectacle in shire and village who does not know that behind him the players have all been carried off by the wolves”(McCarthy 78). As he plays his flute, the boy is compared to a ‘child announcing the arrival of a traveling spectate in shire and village’ with the use of a simile which further implies that he is completely new and unaware of the past. The fact that he does not know that ‘the players have all been carried off by wolves’ also proves that he does not fathom the fact that many have died and he is truly one of the lone survivors that does not know of a previous world. This relates to the theme of innocence. The boy plays a flute while not comprehending the horrific differences between the world he knows and what used to be.

    Later on, the boy mentions that he threw away this flute and begins to demonstrate a loss of innocence. As he talks to his father about a crane being able to see light, the man asks his son where his flute is. “If you were a crow could you fly up high enough to see the sun? Yes you could. I thought so. That would be really neat. Yes it would. Are you ready? Yes. He stopped. What happened to your flute? I threw it away”(McCarthy 159). The boy wonders if a crow could reach the sun and shows first signs of understanding. Symbolism is used as the crow signifies hope and something from a past world. It emphasizes the fact that the boy could only dream of such things as he will never be able to live a “normal life”. The Fact that the boy throws away his flute(another thing from the past world) demonstrates that he does not want to hold on to anything that is meaningless and understands that the crow flying ‘up high enough to see the sun’ is only fantasy. This relates to the theme of loss of innocence as the boy begins to understand and accept the fact that he will never be able to enjoy all that has previously existed in a world he was never truly a part of. The man who had shielded him from the disasters slowly loses grip of his son as he begins comprehending this reality.

    In essence, the boy loses innocence as he throws away his flute and demonstrates understanding of the fact that he will never be able to enjoy the realities of a past world. Could this foreshadow death as the man slowly loses hold of his son?

A positive influence can quite literally push a being forward without ever physically moving them. It is not only symbolically, but also in the form of his legacy that my grandfather has always been the helping hand available at my lowest points. The chain I received from him as a toddler and have always carried since acts as not only a solution for every dark cave I get lost, but also a hand that pushes me forward and has essentially shaped my life by emphasizing the importance of righteousness.

    A while back, I was a very naive and nonchalant toddler. I would almost say I was the physical embodiment of carelessness and procrastination, only in it for the fun ride. An obvious flaw of mine inspired fear in the eyes of my family as my path towards any type of success wasn’t exactly shaped perfectly. My grandfather in particular expressed his worry as he’d basically devoted the moments we had together towards seeking for my well being. The diligent man relentlessly explained how hard work and great values would be the key to my desires. Despite my ignorance, he truly understood me and never doubted my capabilities and potential once in his life. Shortly before he passed away, my grandfather gifted me a gold cross that was far more powerful than I could have ever imagined. Turns out, my grandfather never left me, and his preaching I will never forget.

    First, the cross has been a constant reminder that motivation and willingness to hammer away will always dig me out of any dark cave that entraps me. Though a very metaphoric statement, it quite literally does push me through any challenge I may encounter. For example, exams may be one of the most stressful periods of time one may endure. However, my cross never fails to keep me calm and remind myself how simple this may be(even if it requires lots of effort). My grandfather is always there whispering in my ear that my hard work only makes my path towards my desires shorter which essentially serves as immense motivation. Distractions simply fade away as I envision success which becomes more and more defined as my effort level increases. Quite honestly, my gold chain is basically a cheat sheet for any exam.

    Though a hand pushing me forward may be advantageous, I have always resented cheating as my grandfather constantly emphasized the necessity of displaying righteousness. Being morally right serves as not only self satisfaction, but also helps me maintain a sane mind and eyes that see the world clearly. Any malevolent actions have only hurt my grandfather in the past as he’s told me countless times about the one time he lied. The man worked like an animal as an immigrant in Montreal, and for that he treated himself to some extra food from the bakery where he worked. Some mornings, the manager would be perplexed as my grandfather would fake a surprised look when realizing the food has magically vanished. The smart scheme was ripped apart one day costing him his job and basically the only form of support he had for his family. But how could such a simple and basically harmless act cost him years of pain as he searched every little corner of the city for a job that would hire a thief? A complex question that could only be solved by a moral mind. A realization such as this one could only help me in every aspect of life. Though it may not be stealing, any immoral action could have larger consequences than expected. In fact, they are identical to illusions in the sense that the true outcome is never obvious. Whenever I meet someone for the first time or acquire a deeper relationship with an individual, my grandfather is never shy to remind me that being empathetic and polite will only benefit my relationships and therefore, my life. 

    The entirety of my life has been positively impacted by the morals he preached. My relationship with a certain individual was created thanks to my grandfather reminding me to be a virtuous person. A while back, I witnessed an act of bullying on a hockey team I had just been introduced to. Kids taunted and teased a particular boy and were pleased by the sight of his face filled with tears. Like imps, they would not stop and enjoyed every second of it. As an outsider, I felt it was necessary to join in order to be a part of the team. However, something held me back before I even had the chance to follow through with my malicious intentions. My grandfather, of course, enlightened me and allowed me to display empathy as I helped the young boy and chose to remain an outsider. The kid I helped is now my best friend.

    Essentially, the gold cross, though tangible, represents my grandfather preaching the importance of diligence and righteousness as I grow to accomplish a fulfilling life. Could a cross such as mine perhaps clear the minds of criminals or ignorant beings as they attempt redemption?

Whether it has to do with the creation of everlasting memories, or their presence being powerful enough to inspire a warm sensation in our heart, everyone thinks of a special one when the word love is mentioned. Many may imagine a human when thinking of a friendship or shared love throughout a lifetime. Others may smile at the idea of their furry one jumping at their feet or having a moment of spontaneous hyperactivity. This is the case for myself. 

    I recall being only a toddler when a fuzzy ball of fur ran sporadically around my living room yapping at what seemed to be every particle of dust that inhabited the space. As a confused youngster, the screeching sound sounded like a jump scare at a movie theater which inspired distress in me despite realizing how tiny and cute my new friend was. This could have been due to me recalling his mother that was one bark away from bursting my ears as we’d taken her son. A couple of days passed before I truly felt comfortable around my new companion. Tiger was his name. A black Labrador with chocolate eyes usually munching anything in sight to be exact. My dog was surprisingly keen when it came to food. Dogs have an incredible sense of smell; they could basically smell their favorite treat even if it was hidden in the largest vault halfway across the Earth. Basically, Tiger always had a way of finding food as he curiously looked around for his next snack like a detective and somehow opened doors that prevented him from finding his glorious treasure! Here’s the catch: this such expertise seemed to only be activated by food. My fuzzy friend’s brain most definitely took a nap when the glorious smell of a potential meal was absent. In fact, it seemed as though Tiger actually became the puppy he once was when he first sprinted through the hallway for the first time when his treasure quests took a pause.

    As I spent more time with my fuzzy friend and had the pleasure of dealing with his great quests, I grew more and more attached to his nonsense and truly considered him a best friend. The same feeling seemed  to be reciprocated as Tiger jumped up and basically hit the ceiling with his head every time he’d tackle me and smother me in dog saliva after I returned from whatever my quest was for the day. 

    A year and a lot of destruction resulting from my dog’s famous adventures later, I found myself going through my usual routine almost systematically. My dog, being as spontaneous and ecstatic as he always was, did just the opposite. My dad had always warned me about being careful when it comes to my friend, he does have teeth and could sometimes turn playing into attacking quickly. I always chose to ignore this message as my best friend would never do anything to hurt me, in fact he would protect me from any harm. The same day, my dog was fed as usual and the treasure to his quest was handed to him without cost. His tail wagging basically hypersonically hit everything around him as he swallowed down dinner. Seeing him in such a playful mood, I approached him and gave him some of my own taps of love. In a half second, my best friend spun 180 degrees and chewed half way through my hand. Blood rushed out of my palm and created a trail behind me like footsteps as I cried frantically for help. Maybe Tiger wasn’t so playful after all.

    Long story short, I survived with a bandage and a waterfall of tears later. My buddy was overly excited at the moment but had returned to being his normal self, or so I thought. Shortly after the accident, my dad explained how my little friend might have a bug in his heart. I wasn’t worried as I already knew his heart was filled with love and he regretted what he had done. Unfortunately, Tiger died of a heart disease the following week.

    I was frankly devastated. My best friend had been taken away from me in what seemed like a flash. How could such a compassionate and good-hearted dog leave so quickly. Without even saying goodbye, I had to endure pain a thousand times greater than the accident. 

    Today, I look back on the incident and realize how gullible I may have been. I was honestly careless in my actions and may have been the reason for the loss of my fuzzy friend. Parents will always care for their children more than anything and protect them at all costs. Tiger’s mom would do everything possible to keep her son away from danger as she violently attacked the workers when we took her son. Well, I realize my parents, though completely different to dogs, may have the same reasoning. I guess my best friend is alive after all.