"To Hell with Dying"

Paper Summary:

The paper attempts to demonstrate Alice Walker's use of magical realism in "To Hell with Dying," by focusing on the character Susan and her ability to embrace the passing of time by acknowledging its physical signs, and coming to grips with changes in life. The paper discusses how Walker brings forth the Southerners' connection to the land through magical realism which is not merely her writing style but is a deeper extension of the southern imagination.

From the Paper:

"The South has often been associated, with a love of the land, a salt of the earth mentality where you are part of the land form which you grow up. There is an individual and personal connection to the land that stretches back in time, and is based on tradition and love, a bonding if you will with the land thereof. The expression of this bonding can come in many forms; it is dependent on the past and the means by which the past has come to symbolize the land for each person, but in its expression it takes on an even more personal tone. It is the subjective expression of the sensibilities of the individual in the south according to their specific personal characteristics. In the case of Walker, this expression of the southern imagination comes through her sense of a need for empowerment as a woman."

Sample of Sources Used:

• American Prose, 1945-1990: Realism and Experimentation. 2008: http://www.america.gov/st/arts-english/2008/May/20080516131730eaifas0.2487146.html
• Christian, Barbara. "Novel for Everyday Use: The Novels of Alice Walker." In Black Women Novelists: The Development of a Tradition, 1892-1976. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1980.
• Gates, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Appiah K. A. Appiah, eds. Alice Walker: Critical Perspectives Past and Present. New York: Amistad, 1993.
• Gentry, Tony Gentry. Alice Walker. New York: Chelsea, 1993.
• Kennedy, XJ and Gioia, Dana. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama, Ninthe edition. Peason Longman New York 2008.

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• Analytical Essay # 60677 : "To an Athlete Dying Young"

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