Introduction to Literature

In developing a theme, a writer narrows this idea and shapes it in a unique way, creating and underlying message in the story. In other words, the theme in a story is a representation of the idea behind the story. To identify a story’s theme or sometimes multiple themes it is necessary to look beyond the plot. The plot tells you what happens in a story, but the theme tells you what the story is about: What is the underlying message? What is driving the action? Why did the author choose this tone? Why are these characters behaving this way? Why should we care? (Clugston, 2014). The” Welcome Table” by Alice Walker and “Country Lovers” by Nadine Gordimer are literary works that have similarities and differences. These two pieces are similar in that they are both written in third person and they both have an effect of social and racial discrimination related in each work.

The authors of both literary works intentions are to show the audience that separation of color was illegal when these stories were written, but they were not written to destroy lives or relationships. These literary works can cause one to gain a better understanding of what many people have experienced in the days when discrimination caused so much adversity. Both of these literary works are similar because they both involve racial discrimination. They are very different in their style, character and format. I think the most common thing that these two literary poems share is they both have a strong and excellent characterization. “Country Lovers” has events and circumstances of behavior and situations that “The Welcome Table does not have. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast two literary stories, “The Welcome Table” by Alice Walker and “Country Lovers” by Nadine Gordimer.

Literature is writing that sets the tone to evoke one’s mind by compelling to the senses through sight, hearing, touch and smell. Alice Walker’s literary
writing is captivating in that it draws you in by setting a tone that makes you feel for the African American woman character in her story “The Welcome Table.” The tone sets up literary elements to the theme of racism, life, death, and religion. The theme is the overall idea behind the story. Sometimes the theme is hidden, and we see it depict in faint clues divulged by characters. The first paragraph of “The Welcome Table” describes an old woman stood with eyes uplifted in her Sunday-go-to-meeting clothes: high shoes polished about the tops and toes, a long rusty dress adorned with an old corsage, long withered, and the remnants of an elegant silk scarf as head rag stained with grease from the many oily pigtails underneath. Perhaps she had known suffering. There was a dazed and sleepy look in her aged blue-brown eyes. But for those who searched hastily for “reasons” in that old tight face, shut now like an ancient door, there was nothing to be read. And so they gazed nakedly upon their own fear transferred; a fear of the black and the old, a terror of the unknown as well as of the deeply known.

Some of those who saw her there on the church steps spoke words about her that were hardly fit to be heard, others held their pious peace; and some felt vague stirrings of pity, small and persistent and hazy, as if she were an old collie turned out to die. (Walker, 1993). An example of how the theme is defined is the idea that the character a (elderly, African American woman) had been looking for Jesus her whole life and after being thrown out of a church of white people she sees Jesus walking down the road. The theme here is the story about the life and death of an elderly African American woman who looked for Jesus her whole life and finally, he came for her to take her home. (The Theme in a story is defined as the idea behind the story.) (Clugston, 2014) I chose this poem because of how the setting of this story takes place and holds my imagination. Walker’s over all themes of racism and religion are presented in how the people within the church treated the elderly African American woman when she stepped into their church.

Walker uses symbolism in the description of the elderly African American woman in the fact the woman lived poorly to be close to Jesus. Walker also describes the elderly African American Woman as having blue-brown eyes showing symbolism that blue in her eyes was peace. When looking for symbolism I believe we can look at metaphors how Walker description in the sentence “But for those who searched hastily for “reasons” in that old tight face, shut down now like an ancient door, there was nothing to be read.” I get from this sentence that the years this African Woman lived where hard on her and this sentence symbolizes this. Imagery also can be a source for symbolism as used by Walker in her description of the they elderly African Woman in the words “The old woman stood with eyes uplifted in her Sunday-go-to meeting clothes symbolizing they were her best clothes. Symbolism can be used within many terms of writing literature and it is my opinion Alice Walker did this in “The Welcome Table.”

The description of the African American woman wearing her Sunday-go-meet clothes represents that she was wearing her best attire yet the clothing was old, withered, stained with grease, this compels to us the image or sight of the African American woman’s clothing. This shows imagery of what the character of the story is wearing and how she is portrayed to the people in the church. A metaphor would be the sentence but for those who searched hastily for “reasons” in that old tight face, shut now like an ancient door, there was nothing to be read. The shut now like an ancient door compels us to hear a door shutting. An example of the tone and expression of a touch would be fear in the sentence and so they gazed nakedly upon their own fear transferred; a fear of the black and the old, a terror of the unknown as well as of the deeply known. A simile would be the phrase, as if she were an old collie turned out to die. It is comparing the elderly African American woman to an old collie to evoke an image within your mind. Literature makes many contributes to our lives, six contributions are particularly important: Literature restores the past, stimulates the imagination, glorifies the common place, evokes emotion and links feeling to thinking, upholds a vision of the ideal, and reveals human nature by exploring significant human questions.

The writing process is driven by a human impulse to give form to something abstract-an idea, a feeling, and a speculation. Literature, therefore, grows out of creative activity that begins in the writers’ experiences and imaginings; their finished work captures and represents the abstract. The extent to which a work’s intrinsic ideas are recognizable and memorable will determine its ultimate value. (Clugston, 2014.) The selected literary elements affect the narrative themes of “The Welcome Table” plot, point of view, tone, setting, character, and symbolism by contributing to the imagination evoking our mind to feeling. Our thinking to see the vision of the elderly African American woman being thrown out of the church by so called Christians. Walker’s writing draws us to connect with her character by human impulse to feel her ideas in the story are recognizable and memorable thus creating the themes of racism, life, death, and religion. Emphasizing the similarities in an essay defines its comparison and when you emphasize the differences in an essay you are defining the contrast.

You will note that there are some similarities but they are totally different in “Country Lovers” by Nadine Gordimer. Gordimer’s “concentrates on the many forms of suffering humankind instigates and endures within calamitous and transforming moments” (Seaman, 2010). Gordimer’s “Country Lovers” is a perfect example of Gordimer’s ability to tell a highly emotional story contained to just a few pages. Within this story, she details the struggles of an African woman in a difficult era with heartbreak, confusion, and prejudices. “Country Lovers” tells the story of a Caucasian boy named Paulus Esyndyck who becomes friends with Thebedi the daughter of the black skinned help on his parents’ farm. Paulus and Thebedi become close and feelings begin to develop. Paulus and Thebedi were very careful not to disclose their relationship out of fear of being discovered Nadine Gordimer writes, “The trouble was Paulus Eysendyck did not seem to realize that Thebedi was now simply one of the crowds of farm children down at the kraal, recognizable in his sister’s old clothes” (Clugston, 2014). Paulus cared for Thebedi, in a way that was not accepted within their society; “The schoolgirls he went swimming with at dams or pools on neighboring farms wore bikinis but the sight of their dazzling bellies and thighs in the sunlight had never made him feel what he felt now when the girl came… During their adolescent years, Paulus and Thebedi were no longer allowed to spend time together due to segregation.

They continued their sexual relationship secretly because interracial relationships were illegal and they did not want anyone to find out. Gordimer writes, “There was a risk someone would discover her or traces of her presence if he took her to his own bedroom”, ( Clugston, 2014). Eventually, Thebedi gets pregnant with Paulus child without Paulus knowing about it. Paulus comes home from college to find out that Thebedi is unhappily married to Njabulo who has accepted the child as his own. Paulus is overcome with fear upon discovering the child is his and takes matters into his own hands by doing something to the child. The very next day, the child dies mysteriously. The selected literary elements affect the narrative themes of “Country Lovers” plot, point of view, tone, setting, character, and symbolism by contributing to the imagination evoking our mind to feeling.

Our thinking to see the vision of characters Paulus, Thebedi, Njabulo, and the child. Gordimer’s writing draws us to connect with her character by human impulse to feel her ideas in the story are recognizable and memorable thus creating the themes of racism, life, and death, “The Country Lovers” by Nadine Gordimer has a similar ending to some people in that of “The Welcome Table” by Alice Walker. Both end with death over racism issues. Alice Walker works” The Welcome Table “does have a different ending though it ends pleasant as the elderly African American woman encounters Jesus after being thrown out of the white’s church. “The Country Lovers” by Nadine Gordimer has a totally different ending Thebedi, the poor black girl, married a poor farm worker named Njabulo who she is not happy to be with and Thebedi child has been murdered. As we see in both literary pieces, they both revel similarities of racial discrimination and one story has jubilant ending and the other one ends dispiritedly. (Celean, 2009)

Resource:

1. Walker, A. (1993) The Welcome Table. In Love and Trouble: Stories of Chicago Walker, Alice. “The Welcome Table.” In Love and Trouble: Stories of (1993) 2. Clugston, R. W. (2014). Journey into Literature (2nded.) San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. 3. Country Lovers Theme. StudyMode.com. Retrieved 12, 2013, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Country-Lovers-Theme-45878901.html 4. (2012,5)Compare And Contrast Researchomatic Retrieved 5,2012 from http://www.researchomatic.com/Compare-And-Contrast-127559.html 5. Hawthorne W. (2010) Gorge: An African Seaman and his Flights from ‘Freedom’back to ‘Slavery’ in the Early Nineteenth Century. Slavery&Abolition, 31(3) 411-428.doi:101080/0144039×2010.504534 6. McLeod, A.L (2004). Town and Country Lovers. Master plots II : Story Series, 1-3