The Curse Of Halie

Throughout the story, it is overtly shown how guilt can play a powerful role in one’s actions, which is fundamentally shown through our protagonist, Duncan. Duncan is a teen who suffers from a phenomenon known as survivor’s guilt as a result of him being unable to save Maya from drowning. Being tormented by his guilt for over a year, Duncan sees the discovery of Roach’s journal as an opportunity to redeem himself as he subconsciously cannot bare the thought of being accountable for another death. (McNamee 104) After the killer dies, he is able to find closure as he no longer feels responsible and vindicates himself for Maya’s death. Through this, readers are able to perceive how the redemption of guilt can be a pivotal factor to lead to a person’s gallant actions while they recuperate from their guilt, thus showing how the redemption of guilt can empower heroic actions.

Coming from a lonely and abusive home Mary had to find happiness outside of her house. Her mom made a friend from their church and she happened to have a three month year old baby. Mary always occupied the Richardson’s by helping with baby Alyssa, while also distracting herself from reality. Meeting the Richardson’s ended up being Mary’s worst nightmare. One night the Richardson’s went out and asked Mary and her mother to watch Alyssa.

During the weeks Molly spends with Vivian, she learns a lot from Vivian. Most important, she realizes that Vivian also had a difficult childhood but was able to overcome her bad experiences and lead a happy life. Molly’s realization reflects the theme of the book: learning about the experiences

Cornelia is watching as her brave and independent woman is slowly fading away, mentally and physically. "She was never like this, never like this" (Porter, 517). Cornelia tells the doctor worried as she sees her mother's capacity diminishing. Granny hears this and is spiteful towards Cornelia. Granny has had a hard life and that has made her very independent. For eighty years Granny has taken care of herself, she remembers, and tells herself, "I pay my own bills, and I don't throw my money away on nonsense" (516) and now to have people coming in her room checking in on her, taking about her is unfamiliar and condescending to her. Granny is a very reserved woman one who is almost embarrassed or ashamed of allowing people to know her thoughts, "no use to let them, the kids, knows how silly she had once been" (517).

7. How does the description of Mrs. Flower’s house and possessions help communicate Angelous childhood reverence for this woman? Why were the cookies and lemonade so important?

She describes her daughter’s attire- “her blue jacket unzipped and her socks rolled down” in which one can infer that she is a carefree younger girl. She says “‘Where do I want her to hurry to?’ ‘Her grave?’ ‘To mine?’” (6).

Stamp Paid, a former slave who ferries Sethe and Denver across the Ohio River, tried to take Beloved’s corpse from the mother’s clinging hands and give Denver to her. A mother killing her own child is an act that subverts the natural order of the world. A mother is expected to create life, not destroy it, but with Sethe’s case, she was insane and out of control at that specific moment when she imagined that her child might face the same assault in future. Thus, she prefers to put an end to this situation. On the other hand, we notice that she was very anxious about the feeling of Beloved, her murdered child. She stated, “Do you forgive me? Will you stay? You safe here now”

The fact that she depends so heavily upon her son reveals the numerous insecurities she has about herself. It is the character and the name of Milkman Dead that enlighten readers of these highly significannot

Because she begins recalling her childhood, the attachment that she feels towards her brother causes her to dismiss her brother’s disorderly conduct. So even when her brother was out committing crimes, getting drunk, and more, she did not feel that it was important to brood over, because the image does not fit with the perception that she has of him.

Firstly, Every hardship and obstacles she endured throughout her childhood helped Jeannette to become a successful adult.Jeannette’s parent were very unpredictable, her mother was self absorbed in her hobbies, and her father was an interminable alcoholic. Even though her parent neglected and gave less attention to Jeannette,

Jeannette’s personality shows the most with her independence and maturity at such a young age. An early example of this is when she tried to cook a hot dog on the stove and accidently burned herself when she was only three years old. As Jeannette ages, she begins to see the world in brand new perspectives because of her experiences with different lifestyles and environments, such as living in the desert with hot temperatures, to living in the poorest neighborhood of Welch, to finally living in the ever-moving city life of New York City.

She had done nothing wrong in her entire 14 years of life. Yet she was put into a position for nine months where she was punished, abused, starved, and dehydrated every day. “But Mitchell’s face filled my mind like a monster in a dream. I heard his voice. It was the devil,” (275).

The mother begins to rebel against tradition by taking an active role in educating and freeing herself. Through her radio, telephone and trips out with her sons she develops her own opinions about the world, the war, and the domination and seclusion of woman. She loses her innocence as a result to her new knowledge and experience.

She grieves for her husband a very short time. She then begins to feel a sense of freedom. This initially makes her feel guilty and

Vianne’s childhood and her bohemian mother has affected her greatly and created her fears of the black man and settling down. The flashbacks foreshadow and show her mother’s death and give a glimpse off the struggles she faced due to being a child of a single mother who travelled around. Seeing the struggles makes the audience sympathise with Vianne as they have seen what she has lived through and the lifestyle’s effect on her attitudes and behaviour. They also provide background for her dislike towards the church due to her experience with condescending church members. This parallels the response to Vianne raising Anouk alone that makes the reader further sympathetic as she is experiencing what her mother went through.