American

No: I. In “ A & P,” discuss the protagonist and the antagonist.  The protagonist of the story is Sammy who works at A & P in checkout line while Lengel is the antagonist because he reprimands Queenie, the girl with whom Sammy develops liking on seeing her entering A & P in bathing suit. The story revolves around Sammy’s thoughts about the girl and his life at the store.
(2) What is learned about their lives, values, actions?
Sammy’s life seems restricted as he likes the girls entering in an unconventional attire breaking the norms. His wants to live a free life by following untraditional concepts. His actions also justify his personality as he resigns from A & P on the basis of embarrassment felt by the girls who ignore him thoroughly. However, Lengel is a prudishly conventional man and reproofs the girls’ bathing attires. He leads a life as per the norms of society.
(3) Is there an epiphany in any of the characters?
Yes, Sammy has a moment of epiphany when he realizes that his resignation has no impact on the girls and they have not even stopped to thank him. He realizes that he has to lead his life as per conventions of society.
(4) Is there a moment of insight, discovery, or revelation?
Yes, Sammy is able to go through a moment of insight or discovery when he comes to know that there is no existence without pragmatic approach towards life. A person should act and live as per the demands of society and Sammy becomes aware of this fact when the three girls ignore his resignation and his unconventional attitude.
II. Compare Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO to “ A Rose for Emily.”  Choose what points you want to discuss.
Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner, both share a number of points such as themes in the stories, protagonists’ actions and beliefs and much more. The protagonists of both the works are depressed and socially deprived souls. Both Norman and Emily are controlled by their parents (Norman by his mother and Emily by his father). Both stories show ending with murders. Both the protagonists are isolated and dependent on their parents.
1.   Explore Mrs. Mallard’s character and her relationship to her husband in “ The Story of an Hour.”
Mrs. Mallard seems to have a restricted relationship with her husband as she feels herself free and liberated when she hears the news of her husband’s death. She regards herself light hearted and free from marital chains. She becomes so happy and pleased when she is without a patriarch. Her life ends with so much excitement and pleasure to visualize her coming life without her husband. All these feelings show that Mrs. Mallard was unhappy in her relationship.
III. (a) Briefly discuss the theme of “ A & P.”
There are various themes in A & P such as theme of conventional society, practicality, love and ignorance. Sammy being a part of society rejects the conventions by resigning his job for disapproving Queenie’s reprimanding. Later on, he realizes that he has to survive with the society. He gains practicality. He comes to know that the person who was infatuating for him ignored him as nobody.
(b)Briefly discuss the theme of “ A Rose for Emily.”
Many themes are there in the story such as theme of loneliness, oppression, mental disturbance and parental attachment. Emily being brought up by a patriarchal father is always under her father’s control. She is a solitary character and is oppressed by her father, who is unable to give her due rights of freedom. She gets mentally disturbed because of her isolation. We can find parental attachment in the story as Emily is unable to get rid of her father.
IV. (a) Discuss what you think is the theme of TRIFLES by Susan Glaspell.
The major theme of Trifles is negation of female identity and male autocracy towards women. All the female characters are named with their husband’s names and their efforts towards leading a successful life are considered a lunacy. Revenge is also an important theme of the story as Mrs. Wright murders her husband because she was unhappy in her married life due to her despotic husband who deprived her of her rights.
(b) Discuss some of the conflicts (both old and new) that you find in TRIFLES.
There are a number of conflicts in the story such as Mrs. Wright’s conflict with her husband due to which, she kills her husband. Her husband kills the pet bird of Mrs. Wright and she unable to control her anger, kills him. Her husband regards her submissive and subservient. Like Mr. Wright, other male characters regarded Women’s issues as trifles causing women to resent them, which the second conflict of the story. A third conflict is when Mrs. Peters considers herself restricted because of her marriage with a law enforcement professional.
(c) Discuss some examples of RISING ACTION in TRIFLES.
The rising action in Trifles is when the ladies found the bird in Mr. Wright’s pocket and gained awareness that Mrs. Wright actually murdered her husband as a revenge for killing her pet bird. We can also say that the rising action in the story is when the men left the women in kitchen without giving importance to their trifles. The rising action can also be found when men regarded all the collected evidences of women as trifles. At the end, the women concealed their discovery of the bird as an important evidence of the murder as sympathy for Mrs. Wright.
Works Cited
Booth, Allison & Mays, Kelly J. Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th Ed. New York: W. W. Norton Company, 2011.
Fowler, H. Ramsey & Aaron, Jane E. The Little Brown Handbook. 12th Ed. New York: Longman, 2003.