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the meaning of "my mother is a fish" in As I Lay Dying

     In William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying", at page 52, there is a chapter, in the point of view of Vardaman, with only one sentence, which reads "My mother is a fish.". This is the start of a leitmotif that continues for the rest of the story. There are many instances of Vardaman saying, or thinking that his mother is a fish whenever he thinks about his mother. This motif is a part of the story's structure and evolves as the story goes on. This may seem strange, but there is a reason behind why this leitmotif exists.       The reason why Vardaman thinks his mother is a fish, most likely, has to do with trauma. In page 21 and 22, Vardaman is shown holding a fish he caught, which he plans to show to Addie. However, when he does show it to Addie, Addie is nearly dead, and dies 3 pages later. After that, Vardaman has some sort of mental breakdown, repeating the phrase "he kilt her" while running around the barn. This is when Vardaman is clearly chang...
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Representation of the betrayal in Quicksand

Nella Larsen's "Quicksand" is a story that follows the structure of both versions the Heroine's Journey. Specifically, the beginning of the story, where Helga decides to leave Naxos, is a representation of the "betrayal" step in Victoria Lynn Schmidt's version of the Heroine's journey. The story seems to start at the "Betrayal" step as opposed to the "illusion of the perfect world" step, which Victoria's version of the hero's journey usually starts with. Helga seems unsatisfied in the beginning, and the story frequently expresses Helga's dislike for Naxos. The "illusion of the perfect world" step is represented, but only in some anecdotes from when Helga started working at Naxos. Even though the beginning as a whole represents the "Betrayal" step, there is a particular moment that represents the step especially well. "The South. Naxos. Negro education. Suddenly she hated them all. Strange, too,...
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Representation of The Heroine's Journey in Barbie(2023)

Maureen Murdock's version of the Heroine's Journey can be seen in the plot of the 2023 film "Barbie".  The first step, Separation from the Feminine, and the second step, identification with the masculine, are represented by Barbie deciding to go to the real world, with Ken also going with her. The Road of Trials would be traveling to the real world, and Finding the Boon of Success would be actually entering the real world. The Awakening to Feelings of Spiritual Aridity comes almost immediately after, as it is represented by Barbie realizing that the real world was not what she thought it would be (controlled by men, while Barbie's world is controlled by women). Initiation and descent into the goddess would be when Ken starts to take over Barbie's world and Barbie starts to feel hopeless. Urgent Yearning to Reconnect with the Feminine and Healing the Mother/Daughter Split are represented by Barbie taking back her world from Ken. Healing the Wounded Masculine an...
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The hero's journey 17-step model

     The hero's journey is a type of structure that many stories tend to follow. A 17-step model describing various parts of the hero's journey structure, created by Joseph Campbell, is used to identify key parts of a story that would make the story a heros journey narrative. It is split into 3 parts: the separation, the initiation, and the return. In this post, I will critically reflect on the model by explaining the steps and saying what I think of them.        The seperation is the stage in which the main character is in the "normal world" and is going to enter the "other world". It includes 4 of the 17 steps: Call to Adventure, Refusal of the Call, Supernatural Aid, and Crossing the First Threshold. The Call to Adventure is a motivation for the character to start the adventure by entering the other world. The Refusal of the Call is self-explanitory. Supernatural Aid and Crossing the First Threshold represent some supernatural force allowing ...
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