Cold Mountain

One of the things I found interesting about this story is the fact that the woman knew that there were people in the mountains that could help her baby, yet the text never states where she got this information from. Why would a woman with a sick baby go into the mountains to seek help unless she was previously told that there would be someone there to help her baby? She mentions that "her husband had been in Salisbury at the same time as Albery Richardson, and had escaped [...] These people might have saved him from death" (262). Does that imply that her husband ran away from the army, was helped by this family and told his wife to take their sick child to the mountains to be saved? We know so little of Mrs. Denby's background except that she's from New York, has a sick baby and a dead husband, and yet knows where to seek just the kind of help her baby needs. I found the whole thing rather odd.

I also found it interesting that the Yares family lives a in-the-middle-of-the-road life. They chose not to pick a side during the war because they didn’t feel that they could “argy or jedge whether slavery war wholesomest or not. It was out of our sight” (260) yet because they decided to stay out of the war, it only made them more of a target. With the Union hunting the Yares men “jest as if they war wolves” (261) and the Confederates thinking “the best use to make of the whole lot is to order them out to be shot” (266) it seems like it would have been more peaceful for the Yares if they had simply joined the war effort.

Newsies

I believe that the main difference between little girls and boys depicted in the nineteenth century has to do with their temperament. For example, we pride Ellen on her toast making abilities, willingness to try and form a relationship with God, the love that she displays for her mother and her docile nature. In essence, Ellen is the very picture of ‘good’ and the example of what every young girl at that time should be. Young boys on the other hand, are supposed to be a little rougher around the edges. We pride Dick on his ability to make money, on his witty nature, and adventurous attitude.

For example, one big difference that I noticed was the fact that if a young girl was to lie (such as Gerty) it’s seen as a dishonest and wrongful thing to do, however when a young boy is to lie, it’s seen as merely a funny joke. When Dick is trying to win over a customer and the man asks why Dick charges so much, his reply is, “I have to pay such a big rent for my manshun up on Fifth Avenoo” (Alger 253). We know that Dick does not live in a mansion on Fifth Avenue, yet instead of feeling like he’s dishonest, we only see it as a joke. Dick continues to lie to everyone saying such things as “This coat once belonged to General Washington” (253), his pants were “a gift from Lewis Napoleon” (254) and “I’m a gov’ment officer sent by the mayor to collect your taxes” (287). Not much has changed since the nineteenth century as this sort of gender expectation split is still present, although not to this extreme. We allow and expect boys to be loud, dirty and energetic while little girls to be quiet, clean and thoughtful.

A Beautiful Mind

Whatever the medium may be, as soon as insanity is placed on the table anything we’ve previously been shown or told is brought into question. How do we know that the side of the story we’ve been is the truth and not just the creativity of someone quite out of their mind? In the context of our story, Sybil, the narrator has been known to be very spirited and speak her mind on such matters as freedom and liberty. This is quite revolutionary for a woman of this time period, and for being so outspoken, Sybil makes herself out to be a target. Therefore when someone as spirited as her is locked away, it makes us want to fight for her more than if she was more docile and submissive. It also leads us to question what is going on and if what we’re told is going on is the truth.

There was only one point in the story where I questioned Sybil’s credibility as our narrator. When she looks upon the body of her mother and thinks that she’s seeing herself for the likeliness is stunning, she questions her own sanity and whether she is merely a spirit and that is her body or is she is still in fact alive, “I had plotted death, and with the waywardness of a shattered mind, I recalled legends of spirits returning to behold the bodies they had left” (Alcott 243). This sends the reader into his or her own tunnel of confusion. What exactly is going on? Is she really dead and that’s her spirit? At what point did she finally give in to insanity?

Every domestic novel we’re read thus far seems to glorify the mother/daughter relationship, however not one single main character has a stable relationship with their mother. Capitola is taken away from her mother at birth, Gerty’s mother died shortly after she was born, and even Ellen is left alone after her mother is sent away for her health and never returns. The idea has been reinforced in many didactic lessons that a young girl needs a powerful female role model (her mother) in order to lead a ‘good’ life. In the case of Sybil and her mother, the mother is thought to be insane and taken to an insane asylum. If Sybil was left to grow up around her mother, it probably wouldn’t have been very healthy environment for a young child, however without the strong female example, Sybil relies on her powers of manipulation to get what she wants and desires and gets sent to the asylum herself. In this case, it seems to me that the emphasis of the mother/daughter relationship is somewhat lessened. Yes, Sybil needs a mother figure and is at a loss without one, however if she was to have her own mother, wouldn't she still be at a loss?