“Little things seem nothing, but they give peace, like those meadow flowers which individually seem odourless but all together perfume the air.” -Georges Bernanos
Beauty is defined in many different ways. It has varied throughout time, various cultures and can be described through pictures or concepts that penetrate in our minds. Beauty is a trait that is often misunderstood and is sought by society, rather than us looking beyond what we see. Georges Bernanos meaning behind this quote is, we often don’t see the beauty and the meaning behind the little things although everything in our world has meaning and is connected. Let's take a look at the short story “The Shining Houses” by Alice Munro. Mrs Fullerton, an old lady who has lived in an old farmhouse for 50 years is being disturbed by her selfish neighbors whose only goal is to modernize and better the community. In the end Mary defends Mrs Fullerton’s right to keep the house standing after attentively listening to Mrs Fullerton’s experiences that lie under this roof. The rundown old farmhouse’s sole purpose is not to stand high and scare away those in the community, but it is there for its valuable history and the experiences that tie together seamlessly into a blanket of Mrs Fullerton's version of beauty. Similarly, in the short story “The Large Aunt” by Hallie Gallaher, Mr Morgan learns a valuable lesson. He learns the aunt he discovered represents something more than a horrendous terrifying looking creature. Once it was dissected in the museum, the aunts tiny instruments as well as its various compartments that shape the insect, represents something beautiful and exceptionally fascinating. Unfortunately, we as humans don’t take the time to realize this. That the “little things” we observe in our world don't portray beautiful qualities but really what they signify and the moments they create is where the real beauty comes from.
1 Comment
Catherine Hubbard
5/16/2017 07:22:53 am
Your introduction to this paragraph is heavily enticing. I agree that humans often look past the beauty of many things but your blog failed to entirely convince me that this was the connection between the two short stories. Rather than a connection of beauty, I felt there was a clear distinction of human error. However, your blog definitely opened my eyes to a new perspective. When reading the stories I clearly only found the bad but you managed to find some good! I absolutely loved your last line "That the 'little things' we observe in our world don't portray beautiful qualities but really what they signify and the moments they create is where the real beauty comes from". This line tied up all your points and your overall thought on the two short stories. Good Job Dana!
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