Female Characters Struggles in Margaret Atwood's Cat's Eye and Devika by Shauna Singh Baldwin - Assignment Example

UNIT FOUR: LESSON 16: FACING THE PAST, FACING THE FUTURE: FROM "DEVIKA" FROM CATS EYE (ELAINE) KEY POINTS Devika is uncomfortable with her true identity around her new surrounding environment; as she tries to cope with her changes, she create a fictional "mental" character, "Asha". In the end Devika becomes Asha, and it is what helps her survive in Toronto as an immigrant. 1. Devika wants to learn how to drive so that she visits a variety of places in Toronto. 2. Devika starts liking the taste of a variety of English food. 3. Devika tries and learn to dress in western style. 4. Devika’s interest in photography develops. 5. In the end, Devika let go of her true identity and let her imaginary character "Asha" take over. 1. Elaine matches well and fix herself into school, and becomes very fast in following spoken and unspoken rules. 2. Elaine very fast fnds a new friend, Carol. They both play and visit each other. Carol becomes Elaine’s first girlfriend. 3. Elaine is a good learner who discovers quickly when she can talk to her brother and when this cannot happen 4. With time, Elaine begins to realize she is a girl and this makes her want to acquire girl-things. 5. Elaine’s new environment and friend makes her moments begin being enjoyable. She can’t even imagine she’s can leave this new environment even for a trip. QUOTATIONS WITH TEXT REFERENCES 1. " Asha wanted to train as a driver, pay a visit to Niagara Falls and also to train as a pilot at Brampton airport." 2. " Ashas develops an expensive taste where she begins taking Cocoa and Bok Choy marinated artichoke hearts." 3. " Asha’s dressing code changed too where she took up the cowboy jean jackets with high heeled boots." 4. " Asha, with her swollen eye closed, she had a feeling that Davika was drifting away as though she had never been." 5. " Asha wanted to take pictures of the fall which she would send back to India ." 1. " The girls hold hands, the boys dont." 2. "Playing with girls is different and at first I feel strange as I do it, self conscious, as if Im only doing an imitation of a girl." 3. " For me to contact, or even to call him by name, would be disloyal, I understand these things and do my best." 4. " I begin to want things Ive never wanted before: braids, a dressing gown, a purse of my own. Something is unfolding, being revealed to me. I see that theres a whole world of girls and their doings that been unknown to me." 5. " Im being wrenched away from my new life, the life of girls." Introductory Paragraph: "For females of any age, being an outsider makes it incredibly difficult to establish a liveable identity. Only females who stay immersed in their native culture or neighbourhood can find any real happiness." Establishing a comfortable identity for outsider females of any age becomes very difficult. It doesn’t follow that only females who stay immersed in their native culture or neighbourhood do find real happiness. For one to adapt to a new environment at a younger age is really easier than at old age. The younger ones are more likely to absorb well into their surrounding, in comparison to anyone in their older aged females, who are more used and well absorbed into their previous surroundings. Yet, blending in at any age is a possibility. Firstly, in Margaret Atwoods Cats Eye, you see young Elaine Risely, at a young age as she begins to identify herself with girls and starts to want and do "girly" things. Slowly changing her from "tomboyish" to fit in. And in comparison to Devika by Shauna Singh Baldwin, Devika is an immigrant in her early married age, who tries to let go of her culture, where she came from, creating a new mental identity; whom she calls Asha. Using Ashas image she begins to want to explore new things because of her new environment. Secondly, both Elaine and Devika become more materialistic and want things that their new culture demands. Finally, both eventually grow into their new environment. As Elaine becomes very connected to her new self, Devika accepts it when she puts herself in danger, only then she become who she is meant to be. Therefore, assimilation can take place at any age, though there are hurdles that must be faced in order to learn and accept their new surroundings. LESSON 20: BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER: 20. PERSONAL ESSAY: Women of any age must face the yard stick set by other women in a surrounding, culture, or religion in order to conform to their gender. It is all based on the things and people we come across, whether it is how a woman should dress, act, and talk and walk. In the case of Elaine in Cats Eye, she faced difficulty of making friends and necessarily joining a clique of girls, constantly trying to prove herself she could fit in, and personally I would have to do the same thing, if I was placed in her situation. Secondly, she must face the death of her brother, whereas in my case I was dealing with cancer at a young age. Finally, as an adult Elaine, must accept that the relationship between her and Cordelia will never be resolved. In my case, I had moved and there was a new friend I had made and misinterpreted things to my best friend and has us apart, and not being able to resolve any issue or suffering I went through for many years now. Currently left with no choice but to accept it and move on. Personally, I believe girls at any age, colour, race or religion must face similar problems to assimilate into their surroundings. At anytime, when one must join an unfamiliar group of people, there is awkwardness. For Elaine, when she begins to form a group of girls after starting at grade four, when her family had moved into Toronto. She feels uncomfortable and feels the negative side of being in a clique. The toughness of reality begins to kick in, with jealousy and initiation, followed by proving yourself to them can go quite far. Ex; Elaine is told how to walk properly and is teased and gossiped about when she does the wrong things. "Cordelia stands close beside me and whispers into my ear: "Stand up straight! People are looking?"...They comment on the lunch I have, how I hold my sandwich, how I chew. On the way home and school I have to walk in front of them, or behind. In front is worse because they talk about how I am walking or how I look from behind. Dont hunch over," says cordelia. "Dont move your arms like that." (Artwood pg 161) Yet we see that Elaine tries her best not to let this get to her. "But Cordelia is my friend. She likes e, my girl friends, my best friends. I have never had any before and I am terrified of losing them. I want to please them. ( Atwood 162). With these tough experiences we can see Elaine as an adult, is secluded and has trouble making friends with females. Personally, I didnt have the exact taunting experience but similar, I felt as if I students watching every move I make, from early as elementary school. And wasnt able to tell who was true and who wasnt. But by the time I had reached high school, I was able to tell the difference and kept it at a distant. I am a sensitive person, so it did get to me, but I learnt that I was reality and everyone had to deal with this kind of matter at some point, so I let it go as time went by. I believe with experience I had I am a better person, and choose my circle of friends wisely. I believe, I was an easy victim when I had hit puberty and changes and was uncomfortable with myself, and did not know myself well and trust others instead, and to show me the best of the world. Just like in Elaines case whereas she isnt sure of what to do and what not do, therefore she believes what they tell her in hopes to become better at what they tell her she lacks. As life goes, on we will lose those who we hold close to our heart at some point, and leave us with such emptiness that cannot be filled. When Elaines brother Steven had passed away, we see how his death truly impacts her life and those of her parents. Especially, doubting the way he had died, he was pushed out of a plane by terrorists; it is quite hard to know for sure since she wasnt there. Therefore we see the separation of a loved one can affect the way identity shapes up to be and who you become. For me, the loss of my first close friend had hurt me so much. Cause not only she was my best friend but someone who I had shared all my secret as a child, to teen. And cause of ones jealousy had ruined it. I didnt come to know for some time, but when I came to know, I want to confront the person and my friend and get the truth out, but then it was too late. So I just let it be and let it go and moved on from it. I strongly believe these sorts of experiences reflect into our identity like a mirror. As people, we are what we have been or gone through. You are a person and gain identity based on things you go experience. Finally in Cats Eye we see that Elaine, all grown up with a daughter and an ex-husband, is still being­­­ troubled by her past experiences, primarily Cordelia. She longs to close this part of her life in order for her to move on with her life. During the visit to Toronto, she longs for Cordelia to come and to patch up the old wounds. You can identify easily, that Elaines past has impacted her current life heavily as an adult. Her life in a way is shaped by Cordelia, she tends to forget other part of her past except for Cordelia, always stayed and haunted her. She wants things to be better between them so she can let go. Ex; When Elaine is flying back to B.C she is seated next to an old woman who keep her company. And she remembers Cordelia, and longs for their friendship and wishes she had something like that. Personally, over the recent years as I am in my mid 20s, and think about my childhood friend I long to have such friendship, and wish I could have a friendship that last till an old age and have such moment. And the friend I had lost before, due to some misunderstanding tends to haunt me event though, I have forgotten her as a person, the things we had and shared at that times, is with me all as if it was yesterday. But knowing that it isnt going to be changed, or there isnt any way I can change it. I have become a better person and actually happy that I had such experience to show me the true side of others. At times I believe, at some point everyone is trapped into their past, something someone said or did can shape who we are, and how identity shapes are. Especially, when were young it can impact us drastically. In conclusion, identity can be summed up by the good and the bad things we experience in life. Without such experiences we are not able to gain knowledge of necessary requirements in life. As a girl, our identity is formed of women we see on TV, magazine and our surroundings. For some it is their religion or their culture. No matter who or where you are from, all girls must face the goods and the bad while growing up. In the case and Elaine we both we through a time girls put us down, where we had to prove ourselves to gain our identity, we lost our loved ones, and finally came to terms with the fact that not all friendship has a happy ending. Therefore I believe everything good and bad that happens in our lives all happens for a reason. It is in order to gain our own identity is based on what we been through. Read More