"Two Words" by Isabel Allende

"Two Words" by Isabel Allende

In the beginning I automatically felt a connection to title of the story and name the main female character's name that she was given at baptismal. Belisa Crepusculario, the main character was famous for her first and last name, which people often made a point to call her by. The two words automatically stood out to me for some unknown reason. I believe the two words that she shared with The Colonel were perhaps the translation in what her name meant, "beauty" and "twilight”. It stated later in the story that these words meant just for him, so this made me assume that maybe, not very many other people knew the actual translation to her name.

As I analyzed the story, I begin to pounder if maybe the words she whispered to him "love you" but nothing seems quite right. I think the main goal the author tried to accomplish with the title of the story was to make us wonder what the actual words were. The story did state that that the words were mean just for him, perhaps the author intended it to stay what way. The author’s goal with the main character Belisa Crepusculario was to have her remain a mystery. This finally drew me to connection that the title, the two words and Belisa are all connected in the same way. They are never to really be known or discovered. Much like woman, they are not meant to be figured out, just accepted for what they are – a complete enigma.

Formalism (new criticism) – “Araby”

I believe that the story “Araby” is solely based on the signification of a young boy’s painful translation into adulthood. I believe this because; often a passage into adulthood usually signifies an important (sometimes traumatic) event or circumstance in a young person’s life. In this case, the young boy makes the transition into adulthood by experiencing heart break, something many, (if not all of us) will experience in our life time. Although, the major reason why this is such a significant moment in this boy’s life is because forces him to detach himself from the crazed fantasy world he adapted too, and deemed reality.

This boy had an unusual obsession with a girl that seemed a tad unhealthy. His emotions controlled his every action, which is a very dangerous and destructive path to follow. The heartbreak that the boy experienced allowed him to see the world in clear focus for the first time, in the eyes of a mature young man. Sometimes life is not everything you expected, and sometimes the love of your life does slip though your fingers, and I believe the boy finally saw that for the first time in his young life. I believe it was a very shocking and life altering pain that snapped him back into reality, and allowed him to finally deal with his emotions and feeling for this young girl in more healthy way.

touching bottom by kari strutt - feminist literary critism

The narrator in touching bottom strongly experiences feminist awakening. She experiences this from a very young age, always trying to prove herself to a male figure, even if it may be her father. The author displays many examples of feminism and stereotypes throughout the short story. She makes it to be that a male figure had authority in this world and the women must follow his lead.

The narrator walks into a marriage where she feels lonely and afraid. Why would she want to take part in a marriage that would leave her feeling this way? To me this displays that a women feels the need to be married by a certain age. Has the society put pressure on creating a family? and is there a certain age where this has to happen?

It seems that the narrator has a stronger relationship with her step son then her husband, I believe this could be because she does not feel the pressure to fill the needs to be his mother or wife, he already has a mother who has made it clear that she can not be replaced, and he is simply a young boy.

A great example from this short story is when the son and narrator are drowning. The husband is too occupied to notice that his "loved" ones are desperately struggling. He instead his observing a stereotypical blonde beach volleyball player. Men are grouped in many different stereotypical groups some as protectors and others as pigs. The narrator had doubts about her marriage in the first place, why did she have to experience this before she knew she was better off without him, and she didn't need a man's protection to save her life.

The Shining houses by Alice Munro - Marxist Literary Criticism

In the short story The shining houses I believe Mary is the greater victim. At first I thought it was Mrs.Fullerton because she was the elderly women, with the run down house, that was having trouble selling eggs therefore had a low income. Whereas Mary lived in the new well kept houses with the people who wanted Mrs. Fullerton's house to be demolished.

Throughout the story you get to know a bit of Mrs. Fullerton's past. We experience her husband leaving her abruptly. To me she seems to be a very strong optimistic women. After her husband leaving she didn't think of the worst thing possible, she had refreshing thoughts such as change being good for her egg sales, or his possibly memory loss and he would wind up coming home again some day. She wasn't dependent on anyone, it seemed as long has she had a familiar place to live she was fine. It also shows her independence through her egg selling company, her fight against the supermarkets.

Mrs. Fullerton shared her story with Mary. With Mrs Fullerton living in the new well kept houses, she had many friends which did too. These were the people who wanted to have Mrs. Fullerton's house demolished. Mary did not agree with this although she refused to sign the petition, she was unable to express herself to her family and friends. Mary being the only one who knew Mrs. Fullerton's story was the only one who could potentially change the mind of those who were against Mrs. Fullerton. She gave up, she had the perfect chance to stand up for the old house but was unable to and walked away, escaping from the problem.

Touching Bottom by Kari Strutt - Feminist Literary Criticism

The narrator in Kari Strutt’s short story, Touching Bottom, experiences a strong feminine awakening. Through her back story, it becomes clear that the majority of the narrator’s actions are to please men. She takes up swimming, and remains committed to it, to make her father happy. Later on in life, she marries into a relationship she knows she will be unhappy with. However, it is this moment that we first get some idea of the “seeing with fresh eyes” as described by Adrienne Rich. For the first time in the story, the narrator is defying her father. Even though he too warns her of the doubts of her marriage, she decides to follow suit, partially to spite her father.

Adhering to dominant male ideas of her dad, the marriage is rocky. Even at the beginning, the narrator states, “the day I got married I felt lonely and afraid.” She hides in unhappiness, repressed by her husband. Fearful of the male dominated world, she refuses to express her emotions, and instead puts up with her miserable relationship. Later on in the story, however, the narrator is given hope, and realizes that as a female, she can be just as much of a hero as a man. While saving her step-son from drowning in the sea, her husband ironically flirts with young, attractive, bikini clad women on the shore. As horrible as the event may seem, it is this act that allows the narrator to acknowledge her power as a woman. This feminist awakening occurs through her understanding of not needing a man, and that she could do things any man could, if not better. Confident, she leaves her husband.

Touching Bottom is filled with feminist qualities. The female in the story is presented as meek, repressed, and taken advantage of, while her husband comes across as objectifying and chauvinistic. Overall, the man is painted as a villain, and the woman a hero. It is this blatant gender comparison that gives Touching Bottom its feminist power. Classic stereotypes, such as the negligent father and the caring, savior mother are used to further reiterate this idea, and ultimately, re-enforce the narrator’s feminist awakening.

The Two Words by Isabel Allende - readers response

In my opinion the two words Belisa Crepusculario gives to the colonel are her names she was given when she was baptized. Throughout the short story her name has great significance to all that know her, she is constantly being referred to with her first and last name.

In my opinion her name increases it's significance when she is approached by a man who she describes as the loneliest man in the world, the colonel. She the seller of words, gives him two words. She informs him that these are for him and him alone. To me this signifies that she is giving herself to him and him alone. He informs her that he wants to be president, and she wrote him a speech that not only captured a nations heart but the colonels.

While he is away from her sharing his speech across the nation, he is obsessively thinking of these two words, he murmurs them in his sleep, carries them on horseback, repeats them before his speech, and thinks of them in his leisure time. To me this is the act of infatuation, he is not repeating the words he is constantly thinking of Belisa Crepuscarlio's feral scent, her fiercy heat, the whisper of her hair and her sweet mint breath in his ear. The thought of him being with her is cemented in his mind.

It was clear to the colonel's opponents that he was in a fog and they must do something to erase these two words. El Mulato set out to find her. Once they brought Belisa Crepuscarlio to the colonel she could see his eyes soften, he was no longer the loneliest man in the world, she had given herself to him to cure his loneliness.

The Shining Houses by Alice Munro - Marxist Literary Criticism

In The Shining Houses by Alice Munro, the greater victim between Mrs. Fullerton and Mary is Mrs. Fullerton. In Marx’s social hierarchy, Mrs. Fullerton represents the poor, hard working, lower class proletariat, while Mary is a member of the rich bourgeoisie. Granted, Mary may not be truly rich per-se, more-so a middle class suburban, in the context of The Shining Houses she most definitely is a portrayal of the powerful bourgeoisie.

Mrs. Fullerton is constantly resisting the economically well off upper class. Her livelihood, made through selling eggs, is being threatened by the development of low-cost, high-volume consumer centric centers such as the grocery store. Her very own home is also in danger, which becomes the central plot-line of the story, regardless of the fact that “the house and its surroundings were so self-sufficient,” implying it was naturally a part of the land. The suburban families, in their perfect, colourful, shining, ‘tiny-box’ houses that sardonically seem “to shrink at night into the raw black mountainside” are concerned solely with money, and maintaining their high social status. Mrs. Fullerton is the opposite, and resists these common bourgeoisie values. Still, Mrs. Fullerton is ostracized, and victimized when her neighbours decide to petition to have her house bulldozed, claiming its poor conditions defaces the beauty of the street, and ultimately, “is bringing down the resale value of every house on the street.” Ironically, the group tries to rationalize their actions by claiming “it’s the law” and that they “have to think about the community” when in actuality they are doing the exact opposite - thinking purely about themselves, and their ideology. They also try to mask their villainous ways by noting that she “has money in the bank” and that she will be paid “more than [the house] is worth.” Munro, however, contradicts this ideal, with an earlier line by Mrs. Fullerton, who claims “husbands may come and go, but a place you’ve lived for fifty years is something else” further emphasizing Fullerton’s victimization.

Mary on the other hand, is unable to resist the popular bourgeoisie ideologies. Though she refuses to sign the petition, the effect of high-class ideology is evident, albeit subconsciously, when Mary replies to Mrs. Fullerton’s egg price by saying, “That’s too much ... They’re cheaper than that at the supermarket.” Mary is a symbol of futile hope, but is not a vicitm. She shows the repression of capitalism, yet ultimately, caves into her common way of life. It is Mrs. Fullerton whose life would be destroyed by her economic and social standings, and is attacked by the bourgeoisie.

Munro cynically presents the idea of keeping “a disaffected heart.” Though Mary and the others are able to do this, the reader is not, and ultimately, questions their own ideologies and the victimization of Mrs. Fullerton.

Two Words by Isabel Allende - Reader Response Theory

In my opinion, the two words that Belisa whispers to the Colonel in Isabel Allende’s short story, Two Words, are irrelevant to the overall story, as it is Belisa’s charm and power over the Colonel that gives the words meaning. In the social hierarchy, the Colonel is clearly far above Belisa. He is a powerful and revered mercenary, planning on running for a position within the government. Belisa on the other hand, is a poor, likely poverty-stricken lower class vendor. "Belisa Crepusculario had been born into a family so poor they did not even have names to give their children." Such immense poverty leads one to question the validity of Belisa’s name - whether it is her real name, stage name, or simply a fabrication that she changes from story to story. The reiteration of Belisa’s low class further establishes her as a character that is below the Colonel, and not even a part of his world. However, it is this dynamic that ironically gives Belisa power over the Colonel. He longs for her, seeks her out, and uses violent methods to gain her services. After finding her at the market, the Colonel “bound her hand and foot, and threw her like a sea bag across the rump of El Mulato's mount,” proving he will do anything and everything for Belisa. This strong need for the woman shows a desperation in the Colonel, which weakens his character, and puts him in a position to be used by Belisa. Belisa, having been defined as a highly intellectual character (through her occupation alone) obviously takes advantage of this situation.

I feel as though Belisa’s illusion and prowess over the Colonel lead him to revere her as an almost Goddess-like being. For once, the Colonel is faced with an enigma he cannot solve, and Belisa’s decision to “give [him] two secret words,” and tell him to “use them as much as you please,” adds another layer to the puzzle. It is this sheer confusion that plummets the Colonel into his Hamlet-eque pit of despair.

To me, I think it is never intended for the reader to know what the two words are. Speculation is bound to happen, however, there is no solid evidence in the text to support any two words over others. I believe that Allende has consciously made the decision to not tell the reader the two words to emphasize the character of Belisa Crepusculario. By doing this, the reader can identify with the Colonel’s mystification, and ultimately, respect Belisa as a passionate, alluring, strategic and powerful woman.

Araby by James Joyce - Formalist Criticism

The boy in Araby is clearly an emotional character. His epiphany only comes as a result of detaching himself from his idilic dreamworld. Throughout Araby, the boy is focused solely on the woman. All of his thoughts and actions indicate a pure infatuation. The boy would “lay on the floor in the front parlour watching her door” and “[keep] he brown figure always in [his] eye,” yet when she emerged from the door, his “heart leaped.” A clear nervousness is established through all of his actions within the story, providing a link between love and courage. His pure devotion to her is evident when he exclaims, “Her image accompanied me even in places the most hostile to romance.” As his love for the woman grows, his relationship with his family, faith and city are dissipating, as he falls further into his disillusion.

Believing that it would impress her, the boy decides to bring the girl back a gift from the Araby in order to impress her, and hopefully win her heart. By the time he arrives at the bazaar, the streets are empty and many of the stalls are closed. Having expected a lavish and wondrous bazaar, the boy is extremely disappointed. His epiphany is now realized as a saleswoman tries half-heartedly to get him to buy something. Registering her lack of effort, the emptiness of the bazaar, and his ludicrous trip to the Araby, the boy now understands that he was unable to see reality for what it is because he allows his emotions to overwhelm him.

The elements of the story (character, theme, setting and plot) all validate this statement. The text has fully supported the boy’s lack of reality, and one can tell it has been crushed when he decides not to by anything for the girl he loves.