After Reading "No One's A Mystery" By Elizabeth Tallent ✓ Solved

After reading "No One's a Mystery" by Elizabeth Tallent an

After reading "No One's a Mystery" by Elizabeth Tallent, answer the questions below:

1. When looking at the work from a feminist perspective, what impression do you get of Jack, the female narrator, and their relationship as you read the first paragraph?
2. Discuss TWO literary devices that you think are relevant to the story and why. How do they help communicate the author’s main idea or the theme of the work?

Paper For Above Instructions

In Elizabeth Tallent’s short story “No One’s a Mystery,” the relationship dynamics between Jack and the unnamed female narrator offer a compelling canvas for feminist literary analysis. The first paragraph establishes an atmosphere of intimacy laced with tension, highlighting the power play inherent in their relationship. Through the narrative voice, readers discern a complex mix of awe, dependency, and underlying disillusionment that paints a rich picture of contemporary masculinity and femininity.

Feminist Perspective on Jack and the Narrator

From a feminist perspective, Jack's character embodies a blend of paternalistic affection and manipulative control. The female narrator’s impression of Jack is one of admiration intertwined with an uncomfortable awareness of his dominance. The way he instructs her to stay low in the pickup truck while she listens to Rosanne Cash and reflects on personal insecurities, taps into traditional gender roles where men are often protectors or authority figures, while women remain submissive. The narrator's dependency on Jack for emotional fulfillment also raises questions about the societal expectations placed on women to derive their sense of identity and worth through men.

The opening scene, where the narrator expresses no real agency and relies on Jack’s whims, showcases the conventional portrayal of femininity. His dismissive attitude towards her queries about his wife further highlights the disconnect between them—a quintessential representation of male privilege that feminists critique. The narrative sets a profound stage for ensuing discussions about victimhood and power, consistent themes in feminist literature.

Dual Literary Devices Used in the Story

Tallent utilizes dialogue and symbolism as potent literary devices that reinforce the story's themes. Firstly, the dialogue serves as a window into their relationship dynamic. The conversational exchanges reveal disparity in maturity and emotional intelligence, with Jack often belittling the narrator’s thoughts, indicative of patriarchal dominance. Lines such as “You even sound like a kid” are not merely conversational; they signal a deeper imposition of identity, questioning her maturity and role within their dynamic.

Secondly, Tallent employs symbolism with items like the five-year diary. This seemingly innocuous gift transforms into a powerful motif representing the narrator's evolving perspective on her identity, milestones, and ultimately, societal expectations. The diary serves as a physical manifestation of hope and dreams for the future, while simultaneously foreshadowing a more sobering reality: as time progresses, her perceptions of Jack change, leading to uncertainty in their bond reflected in the narrator’s anticipated future writings about him. The motif reinforces the theme of fleeting youth and the inevitable disillusionment that often accompanies adult relationships.

Conclusion

In “No One’s a Mystery,” Tallent intricately weaves a narrative that critiques traditional gender roles, depicting the nuanced interplay of power through the lens of a complex relationship between Jack and the female narrator. By examining their dialogue and the symbolic use of the diary, readers gain insights into how personal identity is molded by external relationships and societal expectations.

References

• Tallent, Elizabeth. "No One's a Mystery." The New Yorker, 1988.
• Showalter, Elaine. "The Female Malady: Women, Madness and English Culture, 1830-1980." Virago Press, 1985.
• Beauvoir, Simone de. "The Second Sex." Vintage, 2011.
• Gatwood, Alison. "Feminism and the Short Story: A Reassessment." Studies in Short Fiction, vol. 30, no. 1, 1993, pp. 23-29.
• Rich, Adrienne. "Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution." W. W. Norton & Company, 1995.
• McDowell, Linda. "Gender and the Politics of Time." Environment and Planning A, vol. 25, no. 2, 1993, pp. 145-166.
• Woolf, Virginia. "A Room of One's Own." Harvest Books, 1989.
• Barry, Peter. "Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory." Manchester University Press, 2002.
• Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. "Can the Subaltern Speak?" In "Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture," 1988.
• Fetterley, Judith. "The Resisting Reader: A Feminist Approach to American Fiction." Indiana University Press, 1978.