Mavis Gallants Bernadette :: essays research papers

Mavis Gallants BernadetteFear, it has a office of controlling everything that it comes in contact with.As young children we ar introduced to this daunting desire with intrigueand suspicion. As we age, the thoughts of consternations become more like realities,ideas of bleakness and death enter the picture as comprehensible thoughts andviews of the future. These issues make up the foundation of the Mavis Gallant invoice "Bernadette". In this story we are presented with the image of a youngFrench Canadian girl, who finds herself pregnant and without a husband. Thecontext of the story explores the relationships in the midst of the members of thehousehold in a fear associated manner. The relationship between the Knightsand Bernadette is the base of the story. These three people relate to all(prenominal)other in an intimidating fashion and this is what makes Bernadettespredicament so challenging to overcome. As well, the family ties between Noraand Robbie are explored. The ir family relationship is unrivalled based on dependence,and without this one factor the connection between the two results infear of being alone. Fear has a way of attacking our judgment and thisis what makes associations between people an apprehensive and hard act.     The story is set in Quebec during the 1940-1950, when what you were wasthe explanation of who you were. As the story opens we are presented with themain character Bernadette, who is concluding that she is one hundred andtwenty-six days pregnant. At this time in recital it was quit common for youngrural girls to bare children at a young age. However, Bernadette is a singleFrench Canadian girl who is work and living in a urban community, wherethings like that do non take place. We are here introduced to the first fearpresented in the story --How will Bernadette tell the Knights that she ispregnant? -- The answer to the question is what haunts her, and the reaction ofthe Knights is the concern that builds up inside of her. These intimidatingfears places Bernadette in a compromising situation, she is in a position ofabandonment by her family and the shame she thinks she has brought on to theKnights. These fears gather in forced her to react in an unusual fashion.Bernadette is so fearful of what they cleverness think that she tries to hideherself in her work so that she is not set in the position where she willhave to interact with the Knights.     The fear of misfortune and disappointment took control over her mind.When around the Knights she worked as a automaton in order not to arouse ideas of