The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Benjamin Button is born as an old man. At the hospital where he was born, he is just thrown aside in the back of the room in basically a box. In the time period when this story was written it was common to just cast aside people society deemed useless. Back in that time, they often sent people, more specifically women and the elderly, to asylums. Before depression was well known and understood like it is today, people with it (once again mostly women) were put into asylums never to be released. Even now in modern times, the elderly are just dropped off at a nursing home and left there until they die. Why do we treat our elderly like this?
In the middle of the story when Benjamin is actually a “younger” man, he is well respected and admired. He does well in society. I think that this shows the emphasis American culture puts on the youth. As Benjamin became younger, the people took care of him without asking questions. His son was not happy about it but Benjamin was taken care of by a nanny and went to kindergarten and it was ok for him to be helpless, as we think it is for all babies. Yet, we do not think it ok for the elderly to be so helpless. I think of the part in the story where Benjamin receives a letter asking him to go back into the war, but when he goes he is rejected because he appears too young. It is devastating to him. The youth are looked upon with such an emphasis because they still have a future and things to experience, but the elderly are looked upon less appreciatively because they have already gone through their “best days” and reached all that they could be so now they are just living what is left of their lives. Its really sad to think about.
Reputation is a big part of the story as well. Benjamin’s father and his son are both embarrassed by him and do not want Benjamin to ruin the family reputation. I think there is a connection between this and how the elderly are viewed. A person’s reputation could be damaged if someone in the family is seen as useless by society. So, by being burdened by the elderly family member rather then going out and socializing with your peers could be viewed negatively by those peers in society. Appearance was very important in the time periods in which this was written and supposedly took place.

Ice in Sonny's Blues

In the beginning of the story Sonny’s Blues, the narrator says that he feels like he has an ice block in his stomach. “A great block of ice got settled in my belly and kept melting slowly all day long…it was a special kind of ice. It kept melting, sending trickles of ice water all up and down my veins, but it never got less.” (Baldwin) Ice is symbolic for coldness, rigidity, and the absence of love among other. In the story, the narrator had not talked to his brother for a while and he was a very rigid character. I do not think that there was an absence of love between him and Sonny but he was definitely hurt and disappointed in and by his brother. I think the “ice” in his stomach is a result of that. He is cold towards his brother and does not seem to show any signs of remorse for what is happening to his brother. He tries to remain indifferent and uncaring. It is as if the ice or the coldness is running through his veins. It reminds me of the expression “you are so cold you have ice water running through your veins.”
I think the narrator is so cold because he chooses not to show emotion. Even in the story when his daughter dies, he shows no emotion. It is not until the very end that he shows any emotion other then anger. It seems as though he learned to hide emotion, possibly from his father, so that is how he has dealt with everything, but Sonny needed him to show emotion-most likely compassion or love. That probably contributes to the gap between the two brothers and Sonny’s drug habits make it worse. It appears that the narrator wants everyone to cope with suffering as he does and Sonny can not do that. I think the ice is also a representative of his holding his emotions in and unexpressed.

What Do I Want to be Remembered For?

I want to be remembered for being a loving person. I care a lot about other people and I love being there for my friends when they need me. I have been told by many close friends and acquaintances that I am a trustworthy person who is good at listening. My best friend Ashley became my best friend during our freshman year of a high school as we walked from the library building to the main building on our high school campus. We had talked a little before then but not much, when she suddenly turned to me and asked if I would keep a secret. She then told me about this crush she had on a guy a few years older then us and she also told me that she had not even told her best friend Leesha about this crush. I was the only one. I asked her years later why she told me this and she replied that she could see in my eyes that I was trustworthy and she noticed that I was a good listener. Those were two qualities she respected and wanted in a best friend. If I am remembered for nothing else, then I just want to be remembered as the one my friends could go to in their times of need to just talk or to find support.