"A Summer Tragedy"

Paper Summary:

This paper explores the two main characters, Jeff and Jennie, in Arna Bontemps' "A Summer Tragedy." The author shows how the perception of weakness in Jennie might actually be an illusion and that she may very well be the stronger of the two, despite Jeff's attempts to protect her.

From the Paper:

"Clearly, Jeff has relied on Jennie to be strong and sure for both of them. When her certainty fails, Jeff is deeply shaken. He forces himself to keep going for the moment, but at the crucial moment, his resolve buckles. His voice breaks "pitifully" as he tells Jennie he can't go through with it. By that time, though, Jennie has worked through her own anguish and is calm again. Drawing comfort from her, Jeff says his own goodbyes to the world he is leaving behind and reaffirms their decision, though he still cannot acknowledge Jennie's strength to himself. ("Another paralytic stroke like the one he had already suffered would put him on his back for keeps. In that condition, with a frail blind woman to look after him, he would be worse off than if he were dead.")"

More papers on "A Summer Tragedy":

• Analytical Essay # 66390 : "After Many a Summer Dies the Swan"
• Analytical Essay # 146341 : "MacBeth" - A Timeless Tragedy"
• Comparison Essay # 48496 : "Death in Literature"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: