Unacceptance

Unacceptance is a common theme in the three short stories “Paul’s case,” “The Chrysanthemums,” and “Barn Burning.”  In each of the stories the main characters feel unaccepted in society, by their family, or there is an internal battle with themselves.  In “Paul’s case,” the protagonist, Paul, struggles with being himself and expressing himself and he is not quite sure who he is.  Paul wants to be noticed for who he is.  The red carnation is showy so therefore it is basically saying “NOTICE ME.”  He has a fear of his dad, judgment, messing up, himself, and his own conscience.  He feels unaccepted by his dad and society.  In “The Chrysanthemums,” Elisa feels self-value when talking about her flowers.  When the tinker is supposed to drive the chrysanthemums to Elisa’s neighbors house, he keeps the pot and dumps the flowers.  Later Elisa drives past the flowers on the road with no pot.  For a moment, she feels like she has value but when she sees the plants on the road her value is taken away.  The last line, “crying weakly-like an old woman,” is saying she is never going to escape this feeling so like an old woman, she will never escape this life she is living and she is alone for ever.  There is an internal conflict, realization, and dissatisfaction of her life.  There is forever a lack of power due to her sex.  She is unaccepted by society for who she is.  In “Barn Burning,” the father, Abner, goes around burning barns.  He feels unequal so he uses fire to feel equal to others because it is very powerful.  After the first court appearance, Abner was told to leave the countryside.  Therefore, Abner was not accepted by his community and society. 
October 16th, 10:25pm

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