O'Connor, ''A Stroke of Good Fortune'' -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)
"'Ponce de Leon was looking for the fountain of youth'"
I feel like this quote really helps to illustrate Ruby's character. She's really denying the fact that she's getting older, and the stairs represent her aging. The farther up she goes, the harder it is for her to move and the less she can deny to herself that she will end up like all other human beings. It is not just that she doesn't want to have a baby; she doesn't want to die. She watched her mother growing "deader" with each child she had, and she doesn't want to be like that. Like Ponce de Leon, she wants to stay young forever and avoid the responsibility of having to raise a child. However, we all get older, and whether or not we actually have children, none of us can avoid the passage of time and the toll it takes on us physically and emotionally. One way or another, we're going to have to accept the responsibility of what we've done in our lives. As soon as we accept it and stop trying to move on and ignore it like Ruby does by the end of the story, we will have "plenty of time" (79) to mentally prepare ourselves for the next step in our lives.
Comments (2)
Wow, I really liked your blog. It provided a whole new perspective on this story that I didn't see before. I totally understand now how Ruby wasn't afraid of having a baby, she was just afraid of getting older.
Posted by Margaret Jones | March 24, 2007 1:59 PM
Posted on March 24, 2007 13:59
Really good observations Matt! I picked up on the fountain of youth aspect, but I totally didn't think of the stairs in the way that you did! That really makes a lot of sense, especially that it gets harder and harder for her to go up the stairs because she doesn't want to get old. It kind of reminds me of like the stairs to heaven kind of thing. The farther she goes up, the closer to death she gets, like you said. Great job!
Posted by Chera Pupi | March 25, 2007 9:01 PM
Posted on March 25, 2007 21:01