The Flowers Final

Leon Louis

English 1b

Instructor Knapp

Sociological Critique

The novel The Flowers By Dagoberto Gilb is a captivating story about a young man called Sonny growing up in the city, he is faced with many challenges on his path to manhood. Sonny’s solution to these challenges help shape him into the man he wants to become. Sonny’s personality and attitude are greatly influences by the environment he lives in. The lives of his mother Sylvia and his friend Nica are also effected by the harsh city environment.  In order for sonny to become a man he has to endure many challenges of life by himself which is difficult because of the temptations of the city and the lack of support from a father, and full time mother.

In the beginning of the novel Sonny is sneaking into houses to get the feeling of what it is like to live someone else’s life. This shows that sonny is unhappy with his life, possibly because of the lack of a father. This is apparent because he craves to see what a normal family is like by looking at pictures and other personal items in the houses he trespasses in. It also shows that from the beginning Sonny is willing to push the limits of the law. Sonny says “I never took nothing… I was more watching how the people lived” (1). This aspect of Sonnys character has a great effect on him when Sylvia moves them into the city with Cloyd, because Sonny already has the will to commit crime and the city environment can in many cases enforce that will.

Also in the rising action of the novel Sonny is attacked by one of his mom’s crazy ex boyfriends. This scene is life changing for Sonny, he realizes how powerless he is against a grown man. This scene is one of the major events that make’s Sonny realize he will not be taken advantage of; it gives him a drive to stand up for himself. This drive will also be a major asset for Sonny in his new city life.

When Sonny and his mother get settled into Cloyds apartment Sonny sees all the decorations of stuffed animals and rifles, he seems to resent Cloyd for having such a vast collection of dead things. This is one of the first times sonny can say for sure that Cloyd is not right for him, “all you had to do was look around the apartment to know this Cloyd wasn’t right for either of us” (19). Sonny starts off his new life with a pessimistic attitude about where he’s living. This attitude makes it easy for Sonny to find trouble because he doesn’t care about leaving Cloyds house. This is an example of Cloyds home environment effecting Sonny’s attitude. Another character changing factor is the twins.

Sonny first meets the twins on the way home from school. Sonny thinks their funny and makes them his “walking-home friends” (21). The twins are very important in this novel because they are Sonny’s character foil. Their character is the opposite of Sonnys because they are used to having the nerd persona. The twins are scared of the city and of any confrontation. To Sonny this is odd because when he shows the twins that he’s not afraid of confrontation they treat him like a hero of sorts, however this gives Sonny a big ego boost and makes him feel like a badass for doing some of the negative things that he does, for example sleeping with Cindy. This is a good example of how meeting new people can alter an otherwise wholesome person’s personality.

When Sonny Sleeps with Cindy it opens a door of emotions in Sonny that to that point in the novel has been unseen. He feels like a man, but his dilemma is that he doesn’t feel like a good man. Up to this point Sonny has been on a character quest trying to find out what type of man he is becoming. When he has sex with Cindy he realizes he did something wrong when he sees a picture of Cindy’s husband “I couldn’t look straight at him, into his photographed eyes” (124-125). After being an accessory to adultery Sonny leaves Cindy’s apartment in a rush because he is afraid of Cindy’s husband and he is ashamed of what he did. Sonny leaves the apartment thinking, “I felt danger like I’d just felt the pleasure, only it hurt higher up, in the stomach. I felt the confusion like I wasn’t on my own feet” (125).  Sonny is feeling unsure of his actions as he settles into his new lifestyle. He isn’t sure if this is the man that he wants to be, however with the admiration of the twins and not having a dad to talk to makes it tough for Sonny to see the negatives of his actions. This is how the city environment is turning Sonny into someone that he doesn’t want to become. The only person that makes Sonny feel like a good person is Nica.

When Sonny is with Nica he acts like himself. He isn’t trying to impress or put on a show. This is especially exemplified when Sonny resists the urge to steal because Nica is with him, however Sonny’s urge to steal doesn’t subside. Nica’s personality is kind and humble, Sonny feels that stealing around her would show a side of him that Nica wouldn’t like.

The low point in Sonny’s life is when he Mugs an old man, and steals cloyds money.  These actions show a dramatic change in Sonny’s personality because in the beginning of the novel Sonny says “I could’ve stole lots of shit in those houses, except that’s not what I was going in there for… I never took nothing… I didn’t want to” (1). This shows how sonny has changed from a kid who sneaks into houses but doesn’t steal anything into a man who mugs old men, destroys relationships, steals money, and is in love with the girl of his dreams.  When Sonny realizes he doesn’t like what his new environment has turned him into he becomes upset with himself and goes on somewhat of a rampage when he throws his rock at the pervert who follows him on the way to school.

Finally Sonny’s frustrations with his new life and his new self erupt when he gets into an altercation with Bud. This fight does however calm Sonny because the action of defending himself and his mother makes Sonny feel like he is doing right finally. This fight brings Sonny back because he thought he would become a man by defending himself in times of need like when he first was attacked. Sonny feels better after the fight because after straying away from his good nature with Cindy, Cloyd, and Bud he is finally back on track defending his mother and being with Nica as much as possible.

After the fight with Bud and the fight with the pervert Sonny realizes that he has lost sight of the thing that he finds most important, which is Nica. In the end of the book Sonny narrowly escapes being arrested. He then runs back to the apartment to find Nica sitting at her door crying. He then realizes that he has to help her so he grabs Cloyd’s money, steals the Bel Air and takes Nica to the bus station. At this point Sonny is more sure of himself than he has ever been. He lost his was in the big city for a while however he makes it up to himself in the end when he rescues Nica.

The Flowers Rough Draft

Leon Louis

English 1b

Instructor Knapp

The Flowers Sociological Critique

In the novel The Flowers By Dagoberto Gilb sonny’s personality and attitude are greatly influences by the environment he lives in. The lives of his mother Sylvia and his friend Nica are also both effected by the harsh city environment.  In order for sonny to become a man he has to endure many challenges of life by himself which is difficult because of the temptations of the city and the lack of support from a father, and full time mother.

In the beginning of the novel Sonny is sneaking into houses to get the feeling of what it is like to live someone else’s life. This shows that sonny is unhappy with his life, possibly because of the lack of a father. It also shows that from the beginning Sonny is willing to push the limits of the law. Sonny says “I never took nothing… I was more watching how the people lived” (1). This aspect of Sonnys character has a great effect on him when Sylvia moves them into the city with Cloyd, because Sonny already has the will to commit crime and the city environment can in many cases enforce that will.

Also in the rising action of the novel Sonny is attacked by one of his mom’s crazy ex boyfriends. This scene is life changing for Sonny, he realizes how powerless he is against a grown man. This scene is one of the major events that make’s Sonny realize he will not be taken advantage of; it gives him a drive to stand up for himself. This drive will also be a major asset for Sonny in his new city life.

When Sonny and his mother get settled into Cloyds apartment Sonny sees all the decorations of stuffed animals and rifles, he seems to resent Cloyd for having such a vast collection of dead things. This is one of the first times sonny can say for sure that Cloyd is not right for him, “all you had to do was look around the apartment to know this Cloyd wasn’t right for either of us” (19). Sonny starts off his new life with a pessimistic attitude about where he’s living. This attitude makes it easy for Sonny to find trouble because he doesn’t care about leaving Cloyds house. This is an example of Cloyds home environment effecting Sonny’s attitude. Another character changing factor is the twins.

Sonny first meets the twins on the way home from school. Sonny thinks their funny and makes them his “walking-home friends” (21). The twins are very important in this novel because they are Sonny’s character foil.  The twins are scared of the city and of any confrontation. To Sonny this is odd because when he shows the twins  that he’s not afraid of confrontation they treat him like a hero of sorts. This gives Sonny a big ego boost and makes him feel like a badass for doing some of the negative things that he does, for example sleeping with Cindy.

When Sonny Sleeps with Cindy it opens a door of emotions in Sonny that to that point in the novel has been unseen. He feels like a man, but his dilemma is that he dosnt feel like a good man. Up to this point Sonny has been on a character quest trying to find out what type of man he is becoming. When he has sex with cindy he realizes he did something wrong when he sees a picture of Cindy’s husband “I couldn’t look straight at him, into his photographed eyes” (124-125). After being an accessory to adultery Sonny leaves Cindy’s apartment in a rush because he is afraid of Cindy’s husband and he is ashamed of what he did. Sonny leaves the apartment thinking, “I felt danger like I’d just felt the pleasure, only it hurt higher up, in the stomach. I felt the confusion like I wasn’t on my own feet” (125).  Sonny is feeling unsure of his actions as he settles into his new lifestyle. He isn’t sure if this is the man that he wants to be, however with the admiration of the twins and not having a dad to talk to makes it tough for Sonny to see the negatives of his actions. This is how the city environment is turning Sonny into someone that he doesn’t want to become. The only person that makes Sonny feel like a good person is Nica.

When Sonny is with Nica he acts like himself. He isn’t trying to impress or put on a show. This is especially exemplified when Sonny resists the urge to steal because Nica is with him. This urge to steal doesn’t go away however.

The low point in Sonny’s life is when he Mugs an old man, and steals cloyds money.  These actions show a dramatic change in Sonny’s personality because in the beginning of the novel Sonny says “I could’ve stole lots of shit in those houses, except that’s not what I was going in there for… I never took nothing… I didn’t want to” (1). This shows how sonny has changed from a kid who sneaks into houses but doesn’t steal anything into a man who mugs old men, destroys relationships, steals money, and is in love with the girl of his dreams.  When Sonny realizes he doesn’t like what his new environment has turned him into he becomes upset with himself and goes on somewhat of a rampage when he throws his rock at the pervert who follows him on the way to school.

Finally Sonny’s frustrations with his new life and his new self erupt when he gets into an altercation with bud. This fight does however calm Sonny because the action of defending himself and his mother makes Sonny feel like he is doing right finally. This fight brings Sonny back because he thought he would become a man by defending himself in times of need like when he first was attacked. Sonny feels better after the fight because after straying away from his good nature with Cindy, Cloyd, and Bud he is finally back on track defending his mother and being with Nica as much as possible.

After the fight with bud and the fight with the pervert Sonny realizes that he has lost sight of the thing that he finds most important, which is Nica. In the end of the book sonny narrowly escapes being arrested. He then runs back to the apartment to find Nica sitting at her door crying. He then realizes that he has to help her so he grabs Cloyd’s money, steals the Bel Air and takes Nica to the bus station. At this point Sonny is surer of himself than he has ever been. He lost his was in the big city for a while however he makes it up to himself in the end when he rescues Nica.

"The Yellow Wallpaper" Critical Overview

               The short story The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is an epic tale of an isolated housewife who becomes schizophrenia due to many factors in her new house, including the wallpaper in her bedroom. I will analyze this story from the feminist prospective because it is an older story (1899) and back then there was no such thing as women's rights. This type of story interests me because it is interesting to hear and understand how different life was for women in the 19th century.
               In the beginning of the story a woman and her husband john move into a rental mansion for a few months while their house is being renovated. John is a physician who works full time to support his wife and sister. noticing that John is the only one working is very important because men were the only ones who worked in that time. Not only is john the only one working, he rarely lets his wife do anything. He forces her to lay in bed and doesn't even let her write in her spare time. This is upsetting because it is terrible to see how much power a man had over his wife.
                After a few months the wife is starting to become accepting of their new house, and of the terrible yellow wallpaper with a "torturing" pattern. As the wife starts to stay in bed more and more often she becomes enthralled in the pattern. day after day as her husband leaves for work she is left alone to ponder the wallpaper. Before long the woman becomes delirious and fantasizes that there is a woman trapped behind the pattern on the wallpaper. The woman that she sees trapped behind the wallpaper is actually her, her mind is revealing to her the truth of her situation. Although she is outwardly content with her husbands demands and neglect, inside she is starved for attention and to be spoken to as an equal, she is tired of being talked down upon.
               As her visions of this woman behind the paper continue they become stranger. The wife sees invisible women creeping around the yard hiding here and there so as not to bee seen. Although this is just a vision, it is also an inwardly expression of how the poor woman feels. She feels as though she cannot do anything unless she does it covertly without John noticing.
                In the end  the woman goes mad and rips up all the wallpaper, which is a symbol for the prison bars that she feels she has been behind since they have lived in their rental house. This for the woman is the moment where she frees herself from the grip of her neglectful husband.
                Overall the story is for me is a little saddening because almost all women were treated in the same way back in the 1800's. This was probably not the first time a neglected women became depressed and eventually delirious and resentful to the men who metaphorically lock them behind the bars of under minding and disrespect.

Ideas ,Sociological POV

          For My formal writing assignment i have decided to write in the Sociological point of view because to me the story fits a sociological's prospective best. My favorite development in the novel The Flowers is the development of sonny's character from a boy to a man. There are many things and people in Sonny's new environment that help him find himself. This city environment is different from the previous environment because there are alot more temptations.
          Some things in Sonnys new life are good influences buy some others are somewhat of character hurdles that sonny has to jump on the path of maturity. When Sonny moves into Cloyds house he feels like the last thing he wants to do is stay home all day, So he gets out to see what he can. The fact Sonny doesn't like being home lets his environment play a big role in his life. He sees many things in the city that he would have never had the opportunity to see in the past. For example he steals the adult magazines, has sex with Cindy, gets a car from Pink, meets a girl (Nica) who is neglected, has encounters with gangsters, participates in a riot, steals cloyds money, mugs a man, and punches bud in the face. all these things play a huge role in Sonnys character developing into a man. many of these things would have never happened if Sonny didn't live in the city environment in which he does.
            In my essay i will write about how the things that sonny does are greatly effected by his environment, i will back up my claim with quotes from the novel and supporting evidence from the text.

Journal #4 Freewrite

            In the beginning the novel The Flowers by Dagoberto Gilb i was feeling anticipation as i was waiting for the story to develop into the climax. As i read on the feeling of anticipation stayed with me until i was entirely done with the book. This was a letdown for me because the end of the novel leaves alot of questions unanswered.
            The aspects of the story that i feel were left unanswered were what happened with Sonnny's mom and Cloyd, what happened to Pink, Cindy, The Twins, and Mr Jospeh. The only problem that got resolved in the book was Nicas, and even Sonny's solution to Nica's problem left me asking questions. Hopefully the author has an exciting sequel that will answer some of my lingering questions.
            The Author does however do a great job painting a vivid picture of how the main character Sonny changes thought the book. I especially like the scene in which Sonny is deciding weather or not to take Cloyd's money. this scene to me, shows the dramatic change in Sonny's character as he matures from a young scared boy who does what he is told into a young man who does what he thinks is best for himself.
              I also think that Sonny's stealing has alot to do with the environment he lives in. He sees what is going on in the city around him and feels like the things he steals are minute compared to the evils in the city. He also feels that he appreciates money more than those he takes from.
Overall my favorite part of The Flowers was seeing the transformation of Sonny from a kid who likes sneaking into houses into a man that rescues the neglected love of his life Nica. The thing i didn't enjoy about the book was its vague ending.