One Day in the Life of Doug Graves

Like every other night, it was dark. Doug woke up to the distinct sound of coyotes yelping in the background, his nightly alarm clock. He turned to face his brother who was sound asleep on his back, with his hands lying across her chest in a delicate position, as if he were dead. He shuddered and climbed out of bed and down the ladder. Mice scurried across the floor with bread crumbs held protectively in their hands and disappeared into the darkness. Doug sighed and shook his head. He cautiously opened the front door and stepped outside into yet another humid night. He kicked off his slippers and sat on the front step, took out a cigarette and moved it skillfully between his fingers, not intending to smoke it at all. A light fog swam across the star-studded sky over the local graveyard. As Doug began to fantasize about life in the countryside with a farm full of animals and abundant crops, a station wagon rumbled across the uneven pavement to the graveyard’s gates. Doug stood up and groped for his worn-leather boots underneath the porch. He pulled them on in a swift motion and began to walk across the grass to the wooden shed on top of the hill.

The shed cast a lengthy shadow that blocked the graveyard lights from reaching Doug’s house. After he reached the top of the hill he approached the shed and pulled out a small key from inside of his shirt. He had sewn a little pocket in his shirt to keep his key in so he would not lose it, and to make it harder to steal (grave robbers crept stealthily about in the middle of the night). He put the gold key into the keyhole and turned it slowly, as if the key was fragile and would snap at any moment. The door creaked open and he went inside to grab his shovel. The station wagon pulled up a few feet away from him and two hefty looking men hopped out of the wagon. Doug came out of the shed holding an old, worn shovel and a pair of rubber gloves. Four body sacks came sliding out of the back of the wagon. Doug’s face lightened up.

He would not have to work hard tonight, and he could go back to sleep before school started. He was glad this was his last year of high school, for all he wanted to do was live on the countryside with his brother for the rest of his life. For now, Doug was stuck digging graves in order to keep him and his brother alive. Since his nightly routine became monotonous, he did not complain about it anymore. Doug had no aspirations for going to college like the other kids in his class did. In fact, he was the only one in his entire high school that lived in the middle of nowhere and had nothing going for him. He did not care. His only concern was his brother and his little house that he proudly built with his father before his father had past away. Despite all of his troubles and anxieties, Doug still considered himself a normal teenager with normal responsibilities, even though his
responsibilities were different from his friends. He thought nothing of it.

He dragged the shovel behind his as he walked towards the bodies. He stopped at what seemed like a good spot and drove the shovel into the ground. After he was done digging four holes in the ground he cast the shovel aside and tossed the bodies into the freshly dug holes. Even after he was completely done packing the soil back into the holes he did not break a sweat. The two guys from the station wagon tossed silver and gold coins through the air and Doug caught them swiftly in his hands. He slipped the coins into his pocket and waved goodbye as the men hopped back into the station wagon and rattled off. After he had put his shovel back into the shed and locked it up, he put his hands back into his pocket and pulled out the shiny coins he had received for his nightly effort. Although he had buried fewer bodies than usual, he had received more money for his work. He cocked his eyebrows and shrugged; the two men made this mistake occasionally, and today was once again one of his lucky days. He waltzed back to his home and kicked off his shoes in front of the patio.

He walked inside to find his brother already up and doing the homework he had neglected until now. Doug smiled and climbed up the ladder to his bedroom. He plopped down on his bed and heard an awful noise that sounded like someone was scraping his or her nails on a chalkboard. Confused and startled, he put his hand underneath his bed and dug out a handful of copper coins. His face lit up as he remembered saving them for his brother’s present. He grinned as he shoved his findings in his pocket with the rest of the coins and climbed down the ladder to eat. To his surprise, his brother had already set the table and prepared a delicious meal of tomato soup and bread; he only did so when he was in an excellent mood. Doug silently thanked God for such a bright start to a dark night and picked up his spoon to enjoy the meal, and the day to come. (922)

I Once Had a Doll House...

I had a dollhouse once. It looked pretty big, but that was probably because I was pretty small. Inside of my dollhouse lived what I played out to be the perfect family: a husband, a wife, and two young children and a newborn baby. It was fun playing with my dollhouse. Everyone played along nicely. The mother took care of the children like she was supposed to, and the father worked and held his family together, like he was supposed to. Perfect little world with a perfect little family in a perfect little house…literally. However, now that I look back on my childhood and my dollhouse playing days, I realized that the mother had no responsibilities except for maintaining the household and looking after her children. She did not work. She did not have a job. Kind of like the main character in the short story A Doll’s House.
What was the role of a middle class woman during the nineteenth century? A woman cannot be herself in a modern society…but why? What is it with the masculine dominance that causes women to be homebound and dependent on her husband’s income? The social status in society during the 19th century required women to play more of a motherly role than a financial stability and independent one. Women are depicted as adjuncts, completely dependent on their husbands for a comfortable home and family. Even Mrs. Linden, who loved Krogstad but could not marry him because of his financial situation, ended up marrying another man who could evidently support her, because women were not allowed to work. After her husband died, however, she was only allowed to work because she was a widow and needed to support herself. Under specific conditions, women were allowed to work, but only because it was necessary to make a living.
Since Nora was already living in a comfortable home with a surplus of money just recently added to her husband’s bank account, there was absolutely no reason for her to work. Still, she made money in secret, in fear of being caught for she had to pay back Krogstad. She even had to forge her father’s signature on a loan because it was illegal for women to ask for loans without her husband’s or father’s permission. What is the point I am trying to get at here? That it is completely unfair that women should have to depend on the money of their husband and live at home for the rest of their lives. Too bad I can’t go back in time and fix it…

Antigone's Fate

The final speech by Antigone is filled with courage and strength. Her final words are filled with insight as to why her execution is an honorable death instead of an act of injustice. She knows that the illegal act she committed by burying her brother, Polynices, was the right thing to do and if she should die as a reward, she knows in her heart that the people of Thebes would know that her death was unjust. Antigone accepts the fact that her death denies her the chance to get married and raise of family of her own. She is saddened by the fact that no one has openly sympathized her fate as she says “no loved one mourns my death.” She sees her death as an opportunity to take another path and start anew; “the road lies open, waiting.” She also sees her death as a chance to prove to the King that her actions were just and punishments from the Gods will ensue once the King realizes his mistake. Antigone takes a step back for a moment and tells herself that she would also be punished if she herself is false in her accusations. This shows us that Antigone is courageous and not afraid to accept punishment if the Gods believe she deserves it.

The Role of Women in an Islamic Society

The heart-rending novel A Thousand Splendid Suns focuses on the lives of Muslim women in Afghanistan when the Taliban took over Middle Eastern terrain. The novel follows the unanticipated lives of two young women who initially grow up in dissimilar worlds, but end up playing a crucial role in one another’s lives as they begin to realize the circumstance they are situated in. The way women are depicted in the novel shows the different degrees of cultural and religious tolerance in the Islamic world. While some live a more privileged and healthy lifestyle, others are forced to devote their time to religion and their husbands. The novel exemplifies the extremes of commitment to religious practice and hierarchical authority.
The story unfolds primarily with the introduction of a young girl named Mariam who is forced into marriage by her father and his many wives. Although the child is too young to even take care of herself, she has already been propelled into a situation where she now has to care for her husband and a house. At other places around the world, girls would be attending school, or learning how to become a woman from her mother. With no mother, a helpless father, and a demanding husband, Mariam learns the principals of womanhood at an astonishingly young age. While young girls in other parts of the world do not experience the full meaning of responsibility, others begin to deal with it at a very young age. The different cultural and religious views, especially pertaining to feminism, change subtly or drastically from continent to continent.
The concept of men being the hierarchical authority is shown in many religions around the world. While the men work during the day, the women are required to make dinner, keep the house clean, and make sure her husband has a comfortable environment to return to after working all day. Although male dominance is a reoccurring theme throughout the novel, female weakness is the presiding focus. The novel leaves the reader feeling desolate and irritated at the ignorance of feminism in the Islamic culture. Even when the children are at a very young age, the sons are preferred over the daughters, spoiled with unconditional love and expensive gifts. Girls are essentially seen as worthless, incapable human beings that are present just to take and administer orders. By allowing the readers to experience first hand what life in Afghanistan was like during the Taliban rule opens up a new perspective on the concept of feminism.
The novel’s main focus on the corruption in Afghanistan during the Taliban rule invites readers to learn about culture and religion from a different part of the world. As ignorant as we may be once in a while, the novel provides a refresher for those who live in an enclosed society, knowing only the culture they live in. The atrocities concerning the treatment of women in A Thousand Splendid Suns is an eye-opener, a reminder, a wake-up call to the world that while you may be living a privileged life, there are plenty of others who are running a household before they even turn sixteen.