The Red Dress By Alice Munro And The Lesson By Toni Cade Bambara
540 Words3 Pages
In the stories, "The Red Dress" by Alice Munro and "The Lesson" by Toni Cade Bambara, there is a nature of loneliness presented. The characters and their actions of each story support the idea of loneliness by one way or another. Each of these stories bring attention to how loneliness has a connection to being of middle class. Relationships are a way shown in both stories to prove a certain kind of loneliness. The dependence of a character is crucial to understanding this theory. For example, Sylvia is dependent on Sugar, as well as the mother on her daughter. Both relationships seek approval of one another. Being of middle class usually indicates unstable relationships. In this instance, it is shown as one of the characters trying to please the other. This may be so in order for the characters to feel satisfied with…show more content… This applies to the mother, in "The Red Dress", and Miss Moore, from "The Lesson". Both these characters base their time of others. When reading both stories, it is seen that both these characters depend on children to occupy their time. Not once do these characters do something for themselves. In both stories it is mentioned that a male presence is absent. There's an assumption that being of middle class means that males are not present. For example, a dad not present or a partner. The absence of a male connects to why both these characters occupy their time, perhaps to not have to deal with their own loneliness. Sylvia and the daughter are similar in the way they act. Both characters have a act of defiance. They both seem to stand up to a higher authority. Their actions are rebellious. Both their actions aren't necessarily beneficial to their well being. Independence is a reason why they do what they do. Independence is associated with loneliness. Both characters want to feel like they are independent therefore they challenge their morals to accomplish