Essay on Bastard Out of Carolina - 1209 Words

One of the most complex and elaborate characters in Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison is Bone. Throughout the story Bone has to live a life where she thinks that she is the leading mystery of the trouble being caused. She has numerous unhappy situations and is in no way self-satisfied with herself. She doesn’t appreciate who she is physically. She constantly thinks she is the most homely and dull person who causes the most inconvenience in the family. This sense of selflessness is mainly due to the physical and sexual abuse brought upon by Daddy Glen, Bone’s stepfather. Unfortunately, the assaults were stretched out over a long period of time, leaving little chance for Bone to recover as an adult if any at all. I decided to take†¦show more content†¦The development of a sense of self is thought to be one of the earliest developmental tasks of an infant and young child, typically unfolding in the context of early relationships. Bone’s maltreatmen t influenced her growing self-awareness interfering with her development of her sense of self. Without such an internal base, she may lack the ability to soothe or comfort herself adequately, leading to what appears to be overreactions to stress or painful effects. This impairment can also cause difficulties in separating herself from others. Avoidant behavior among victims of sexual abuse may be understood as attempts to cope with the chronic trauma. Among the dysfunctional activities associated with avoidance of abuse-specific memories and feelings are dissociation, substance abuse and various tension-reducing activities. Unfortunately, although sometimes immediately effective in reducing distress, avoidance and self-destructive methods of coping with child abuse experiences may lead ultimately to higher levels of lower self-esteem and greater feelings of guilt and anger. It has been observed that sexually abused children tend to be less socially competent, more aggressive, and more socially withdrawn than non-abused children. A specific interpersonal effect of sexual abuse among children is that of increased sexual behavior. This is prominent when we wereShow MoreRelatedThe Bastard Out Of Carolina2645 Words   |  11 PagesBastard out of Carolina is a novel which examines the expectation of a mother-child relationship, child maltreatment and gender roles. It is based on the narrative of Ruth Anne â€Å"Bone† Boatright who grows up in rural Greenville County, South Carolina in the 1950’s and 60’s. Bone’s 15 year old mother, Anney Boatright, conceived Bone out of wedlock after being injured in a car accident which ultimately led to an â€Å"illegitimate† stamp on Bones’ birth certificate. Bone was raised in a very disadvantagedRead More Bastard Out Of Carolina Essay1812 Words   |  8 PagesBastard Out Of Car olina â€Å"Pay Attention to Detail† ========================= One must consider a little history on Dorothy Allison in order to see how the directions that she takes the novel add up. When she was 24, Allison lived in a lesbian-feminist collective. The women there gave her the confidence she needed and the ability to see the value in her own writing (Amazon.com). During this time, she also found someone who seemed normal, yet she had experienced the same â€Å"incest† (Megan Read MorePsychological Analysis Of Bastard Out Of Carolina 1829 Words   |  8 Pages Psychological Analysis: The effects of an Id driven personality in â€Å"Bastard out of Carolina† Psychology, the science of the behaviour and the mind of a person, tries to give us a reason as to how someone thinks, works, or treats others. Sigmund Freud, a well-known psychologist during the early 20th century created his own interpretation as to how people think. Freud explains that the mind is separated into three different parts the Id, the Superego, and the Ego. The Id which controls the irrationalRead MoreAn Analysis of Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison1217 Words   |  5 PagesOne of the most complex and elaborate characters in Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison is Bone. Throughout the story Bone has to live a life where she thinks that she is the leading mystery of the trouble being caused. She has numerous unhappy situations and is in no way self-satisfied with herself. She doesn t appreciate who she is physically. She constantly thinks she is the most homely and dull person who causes the most inconvenience in the family. This sense of selflessness is mainlyRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Bastard Out Of Carolina By Dorothy Allison2114 Words   |  9 PagesTaking Out the Trash Socioeconomic status in conjunction with the lack of a nuclear family can influence the use of stereotypes and feelings of shame throughout American literature. In the novel, Bastard Out of Carolina, by Dorothy Allison, the feeling of shame and the identification as â€Å"trash† are noted within Bone’s family. Critics J. Brooks Bouson and Natalie Carter argue that these feelings were created by Bone’s mother, Anney, and passed down to Bone. Both would argue that the feelings of shameRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Bastard Out Of Carolina By Dorothy Allison1505 Words   |  7 PagesThe book, Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison, is about relationships between family members, the social class, â€Å"white trash†, and abuse. In the book, there is a young girl by the name of Ruth Anne Boatwright, but goes by the name of Bone. Bone’s mother had her at the young age of 17 years old. Her whole life, Bone, didn’t have a steady father figur e. Anney Boatwright, Bone’s mother, married a man and out of that relationship, her sister was born. Soon after Anney married him, he diedRead MoreAnalysis Of Dorothy Allison s Bastards Out Of Carolina1757 Words   |  8 Pagesmaking generalizations to describe or differentiate a group. Stereotypes are harmful to women and their experiences, because they can cause bad decision making that can lead to negative outcomes. Anney Boatwright in Dorothy Allison’s novel Bastards Out of Carolina is heavily burdened by the stereotype of being identified as ‘white trash,’ which leads her to making unorthodox decisions regarding her family in hope of breaking free of this white trash stereotype. Stereotypes are destructive in the shapingRead MoreChild Abuse and its Role in Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison1533 Words   |  7 Pages While reading the semi-autobiographical, Bastard Out of Carolina, by Dorothy Allison, I was stunned by the explicit nature o f the novel. We were introduced to a young narrator and protagonist named, Ruth Anne â€Å"Bone† Boatwright. Bones family, like that of the author, experienced a impoverished life, all the while she tried to find her place in a society that had literally labeled her â€Å"illegitimate.† Merriam-Webster defines illegitimate as being: (1) not recognized as lawful offspring; specifically:Read MoreThe Family Bond Between Bone And Her Mother Dorothy Allison s Bastard Out Of Carolina939 Words   |  4 Pagesformation of identity, such as class, ethnicity, and social norms, familial influence is the most evidenced factor in Dorothy Allison s Bastard out of Carolina. The core identity of the main character and narrator of the book, Bone, is largely influenced through the slow breaking of the maternal bond and the horrid abuse by Daddy Glen. When Bastard out of Carolina first begins Bone is narrating the story; however, the book is not yet seen from her viewpoint, but rather from varied perspectives orRead MoreThe Southern Gothic Is A Subgenre Of Gothic Fiction. The1722 Words   |  7 Pagesliterary work. In the novel by Dorothy Allison titled Bastard Out of Carolina which was published in 1922, nearly every factor that plays a role in the Southern Gothic can be found within, specifically the southern setting, social settings, outsiders, the grotesque, and violence. In Bastard Out of Carolina, the setting in which the characters reside in is a small town of Greenville County, South Carolina. One important thing to know about South Carolina is that is was the first state to secede during