Sarah Reese
Professor Jordan
English Composition 1101
3 September 2009
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Are we shaped by our parents, or is everyone predestined to become a specific way? Are
one’s actions a result of how he or she was raised? Are one’s actions a result of how one was
brought up, or is it that humans are capable of thinking for themselves with little or no influence
from parents or parental figures? Joyce Carole Oates uses the lack of influence to shape
characters within the stories. Despite parental figures throughout her stories being somewhat less
than ideal, the offspring seem to learn despite their parents actions. Lessons were often not
learned because of good parenting; it was despite of good parenting that children became the
way they did.
In “Four Summers” Sissie’s parents are neglectful when it comes to caring for their
children. It is clear that the father, Harry, and the mother care more about having fun for
themselves and not their children. This neglect becomes most apparent when Sissie’s mother
says “Well, nobody wanted you, kid,” (Oates 296). By her mother stating this, Sissie begins to
realize that her mother really does not care about her younger sister; moreover she does not care
about any of her children. Sissie also see’s that she does not want to become like her mother.
One can see this change when Sissie is nineteen, in the fourth summer of the story, when she is
speaking about how much she loves her life, husband, and unborn child. This is clearly a very
different view from her mother who could only manage to focus on herself. Sissie’s parents
were not role models, they did not show her how to be a parent or how to care, they showed her
how not to care, yet Sissie made her own choices on how to live her life.
In “Spider Boy” Philip is thrown into a situation that was created by a very dishonest
father, and also a somewhat dishonest mother. Philip’s father, Roy Szaara, is a crooked politician
who lies to most everyone in his life, there is only one person who knows a sliver of truth, his
son. His mother and tries to cover up not only her children’s ties to their father, but most of all
her own. In spite of Roy Szaara’s dishonesty in Philip’s life, Philip knows it is not right to lie. In
this case, not telling the truth is the same as lying. How is it that Philip knew right from wrong,
even when his parents were not the one to show him? One can see Mr. Szaara’s dishonesty when
he explains to Philip how he “…convinced them to return to their homes. He’d given them
money to return by bus…” (Oates 12). It becomes apparent that these actions never occurred and
Philip knows this is not true. When approached by the police detectives, Philip is hesitant at first,
yet in the end he knows what he must do because it is the right thing to do. Even though his
parents did not teach him to always tell the truth, he did so anyway.
As seen in “In Hot May” the reader can see the harshness of Kileen Zaller’s parents
especially when the reader witnesses the ruthless beating of Kileen’s mom, Erma, by her father.
One can see the abusive relationship causes harm to not only the leaders of the family but also to
their daughter. Not only do they have a very toxic environment in which to raise a daughter, this
family lacks unity, and also it lacks the essential tender care that one family member should have
for the others. This is evident when Joyce Carole Oates mentions how the family only spends
time together after a falling out. This is not representative of caring home. Yet, with a mother
who abuses her daughter verbally, and a father who abuses his wife, Kileen manages to see
through this. One can tell that Kileen is not suffering ill effects of her mother’s ranting when it is
stated “Kileen knew not to take more than half of what Erma said seriously” (Oates 125). This
shows that even though Kileen is being subjected to extreme situations, she knows that what is
happening is not right and is able to see above it.
A.J. Riser
Melanie Jordan
English 1101
04 September 2009
Analysis: “Golden Gloves”
Boxing is a sport that takes a tremendous amount of talent, speed,
and
thought. Not everyone can be a boxer or has the natural ability that it
takes to become a good or even great boxer. There have been many great
boxers such as: Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, Jack Dempsey, and the
list goes on. In Joyce Carol Oates “Golden Gloves,” there was a
boy(unnamed), who from the time he was little wanted to be a great
boxer. The story shows that boxing transformed him from a “cripple,
freak” to a very good boxer before giving up his career, and becoming a
functioning part of society. It also shows how boxing changed his
relationships with his family, more specifically his father, and his
wife, Annemarie, who he can't even be completely honest with about his
past.
Ever since the boy was young he was crippled. He could walk but not
very well. He could “crawl on his hands faster than he could
walk”(Oates 506). When he was eight he finally had his feet operated on
and they Promised him “he'd be able to walk now like any other boy as
soon as the cast were removed... and: he'd be able to run”(Oates 506).
After his feet were operated on his dad would take him to local boxing
matches. He feel in love. “He told himself he would be a boxer,”(Oates
506) and he used this as his motivation to get his feet better and
learn how to walk and run, because of boxing. Boxing had changed his
life. By the time he was sixteen he started to learn the art of boxing
and “He was good at boxing and he knew he was good, everyone
acknowledged it.”(Oates 507) “He was ready,”(Oates 507) and he began to
fight, fight and win. He then entered the Golden Gloves boxing
tournament. Boxing had been his best friend, his whole life until this
point. “It happened midway in the first round of a Golden Gloves
semifinal lightweight match in Buffalo, New York.”(Oates 513) He had
lost. He was knocked out and it ended his career as an amateur boxer.
After boxing he got a “professional career,”(Oates 512) and married
Annemarie at twenty-nine. Boxing had changed him physically and
socially, from the kid that got made fun of in school, to a operated on
very good boxer, to a married man with a profession.
Like the boy, “His father wanted to be a boxer,”(Oates 507) but
wasn't
very good. His son on the other hand did have what it takes. “His
father had bought him a pair of child's boxing gloves,”(Oates 506) and
is the one that introduced his son to boxing by buying him his first
gloves and taking him to his first boxing matches, as well as getting
him into the gym. He was no longer ashamed, unlike when he was young as
“His parents watched him in pity and despair.”(Oates 504) It is obvious
that this created a strong bond between his father and himself, “His
father adored him, his father was so happy for him.”(Oates 510) The
relationship with his father and his boxing career go parallel
together, the better he became at boxing, the stronger there
relationship became. Even as far as his father “placing bets on
him.”(Oates 510) Boxing changed the relationship with his father
tremendously. It brought them closer together without him really even
knowing it.
Tharushi Samaraweera
In Joyce Carol Oates’s short story, “Life After High School”, Oates introduces several
characters who face challenges and strive to maintain a certain reputation in a need to satisfy
others. Throughout “Life After High School”, Barbara Burhman, nicknamed “Sunny”, confronts
a series of subconscious beliefs and desires that contrast with her established friendly and
lighthearted reputation in life. The nickname “Sunny” ultimately plays a crucial role throughout
the story as Sunny’s reputation proves to conflict with her inner feelings about Zachery Graff
and her own social status in high school. In “Life After High School”, Sunny attempts to retain
her optimistic personality and abide to her own subconscious desires in life; however struggles to
understand the meaning of her own view of life and how her nickname truly defies the person
she really is.
Throughout Sunny’s high school career, she begins to realize that her parents, friends,
Zachery Graff, and even teachers have each placed different expectations for her actions and
beliefs. As Sunny thinks back to when her teacher gave her the nickname, she believes that she
must play the role and person whom others have expected of her. After she describes how her
teacher came to call her Sunny, she recalls back to her relationship with Zachary thinking, “It
was impossible to avoid him, she had to allow him to drive her home. Though she was beginning
to feel panic, like darting tongues of flame, at the prospect of Zachery Graff always
there”(p.635). Sunny’s role of fulfilling others’ expectations ultimately pitfalls into conflict as
she struggles to reveal her true feelings about Zachery Graff. As her parents and friends both
place academic and social pressures on her, Sunny finds that she can no longer play “Sunny” and
also stay true to her subconscious desires by continuing to express misleading feelings toward
others. The nickname “Sunny” in the story later reveals that other’s expectations and beliefs
eventually harm her own outlook towards herself.
Barbara Burhman’s nickname, Sunny, highlights several characteristics about her
personality, including the fact that she is most likely to be friendly, optimistic, and sociable to
those around her. Despite having a positive reputation, Sunny continuously struggles to maintain
her given reputation. Before her friend’s death, Sunny strives to please almost everyone, mainly
including Zachary Graff. She remains friends and later rejects his marriage proposal; thus
revealing that she could not handle the social pressure of being “Sunny”. She also accepts others’
expectations and remains loyal to her friends and family. After Zachary’s death however; Sunny
completely alters her persona and withdraws from her friends and society. For example, Oates
describes Sunny the following week, saying, “She was out of school for a full week following
Zachary’s death, and, when she returned, conspicuously paler, more subdued, in all ways less
sunny, she did not speak, even with her closes friends, of the tragedy; nor did anyone bring up
the subject with her”.(p.649) Sunny’s personality significantly changes as she realizes she was at
fault for Zachery’s death and that her nickname was not an accurate perception of her true
identity. The symbol in the story, her nickname, ultimately reveals that at the end of the story,
she chooses to be called by her real name, Barbara Burhman. The nickname “Sunny” signifies
that although many believed her to be friendly and outgoing throughout life, she preferred to be
called by her real name, in way that truly identifies her real personality in life.