The Malignant American in Surfacing Essay -- Atwood Surfacing Essays

The malignant American in Surfacing Before traveling through Europe last summer, friends advised me to avoid universe identified as an American. Throughout Europe, the landmark American connotes arrogance and insensitivity to local culture. In line with the foregoing stereotype, the unnamed narrators use of the term American in Margaret Atwoods Surfacing is used to attain individuals of any nationality who are unempathetic and thus destructive. The narrator, however, uses the word in the context of her guilt over her abortion and consequent stirred up impassiveness. The narrators vituperative definition of American as an individual who is unempathetic and destructive is macroscopically attributable to the narrators projection of her suffer feelings of emotional dysfunction and guilt. Consider an individual who is incapable(p) of empathy. Such a person has the probable to be enormously destructive to their surroundings. Without the ability to identify with others, it beco mes a matter of indifference whether others experience pain or joy. The narrator rapidly begins to define an American as just such a psychopath. As the narrator is fishing in a canoe, two Americans and a local guide pull up in their power boat proudly flying the Stars and Stripes fore and aft, rocking the canoe. During the conversation in which one of the Americans is couthie as a shark, the other American throws his cigar in the water and threatens to take his business elsewhere (66). Of the Americans, the narrator comments, if they dont get anything in fifteen minutes theyll blast off and scream well-nigh the lake in their souped-up boat, deafening the fish. Theyre the kind that catch more than they can eat and theyd do it with dynamite if they c... ...st people I spoke to were cognisant of how dangerous it is to blindly apply stereotypes and labels. In Margaret Atwoods Surfacing, the narrator freely applies the label American to those who are incapable of empathy and destructi ve. Her use of the label, however, is to a large extent an expression of the emotional numbness and guilt she feels as a consequence of her abortion. At the end of the novel, there is hope that the narrator may gain in reuniting her head and body by reconciling with the events and emotions haunting her past. Perhaps as the narrator heals herself, her conception of the term American will undergo its own healing process, allowing the word to shed the qualities of insensitivity and destructiveness which were in fact always the narrators own. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. Surfacing. Toronto McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1972. The Malignant American in Surfacing Essay -- Atwood Surfacing EssaysThe Malignant American in Surfacing Before traveling through Europe last summer, friends advised me to avoid being identified as an American. Throughout Europe, the term American connotes arrogance and insensitivity to local culture. In line with the foregoing stereotype, the unnam ed narrators use of the term American in Margaret Atwoods Surfacing is used to describe individuals of any nationality who are unempathetic and thus destructive. The narrator, however, uses the word in the context of her guilt over her abortion and consequent emotional numbness. The narrators vituperative definition of American as an individual who is unempathetic and destructive is largely attributable to the narrators projection of her own feelings of emotional dysfunction and guilt. Consider an individual who is incapable of empathy. Such a person has the potential to be enormously destructive to their surroundings. Without the ability to identify with others, it becomes a matter of indifference whether others experience pain or joy. The narrator rapidly begins to define an American as just such a psychopath. As the narrator is fishing in a canoe, two Americans and a local guide pull up in their power boat proudly flying the Stars and Stripes fore and aft, rocking the canoe. Dur ing the conversation in which one of the Americans is friendly as a shark, the other American throws his cigar in the water and threatens to take his business elsewhere (66). Of the Americans, the narrator comments, if they dont get anything in fifteen minutes theyll blast off and scream around the lake in their souped-up boat, deafening the fish. Theyre the kind that catch more than they can eat and theyd do it with dynamite if they c... ...st people I spoke to were cognisant of how dangerous it is to blindly apply stereotypes and labels. In Margaret Atwoods Surfacing, the narrator freely applies the label American to those who are incapable of empathy and destructive. Her use of the label, however, is to a large extent an expression of the emotional numbness and guilt she feels as a consequence of her abortion. At the end of the novel, there is hope that the narrator may succeed in reuniting her head and body by reconciling with the events and emotions haunting her past. Perhaps as the narrator heals herself, her conception of the term American will undergo its own healing process, allowing the word to shed the qualities of insensitivity and destructiveness which were in fact always the narrators own. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. Surfacing. Toronto McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1972.