Revenge

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 * Ellen Gilchrist was born near Vicksburg, Mississippi on February 20, 1935. She has been declared “a national treasure” by the //Washington Post// for various works and was the winner of the 1984 National Book Award for Fiction due to her collection of short stories in //Victory over Japan.// She earned her Bachelor of Arts in philosophy at the University of Vanderbilt in Tennessee and went on to receive another Bachelor of Arts from Millsaps College under the guidance of Eudora Welty. She served as a contributing editor for New Orleans’s //Vieux Carre Courier// until her first book of poems was published, //The Land Surveyor’s Daughter.// It was through her work //The Land of Dreamy Dreams (1981)// which made her reputation, selling 10,000 copies in its first ten months and attracting critical acclaim.**=====

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 * Gilchrist has made Fayetteville her home, even though she still maintains a house in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Her other works include her memoir //The Writing Life (2005),// a novel //A Dangerous Age (2008), The Anna Papers// (1988), //Net of Jewels// (1992), //I, Rhoda Manning, Go Hunting with My Daddy, and other Stories (2002),// etc. Certain characters reappear in different works overtime and seem to create a connected body of her work overtime.**=====

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 * “Revenge” takes place in America during World War II and is spoken through the eyes of a ten year old girl named Rhoda. She is sent to live with her grandmother during the summer and is the only girl among her brother and cousins. Rhoda is fascinated with the Broad Jump Pit, which her brother and cousins practice vaulting and pole jumping every day hoping to become athletes and take part in the Olympics. Yet, Rhoda is shunned from any chance of trying to pole-jump from her entire family. This causes anger and bitterness to build up within her, while her Grandmother and Calvin, the cook, cross it off as a typical child’s temperament.During Rhoda’s stay at her grandmother’s, Lauralee, her cousin, arrives to inform the family of her recent engagement. Rhoda is swept up in the planning and excitement but never does she forget her exclusion from the training. With her mind set on proving the boys wrong, Rhoda will do anything to be able to pole vault through the air just to show them that she can. During the reception, she decides to test out the Broad Jump Pit, knowing that no one will be there to guard her from it.**=====

__“Revenge” Feminist Analysis__

 * In the story, women are expected to be gentle and delicate, doing things that are in the house and don’t require physical exertion. This can be seen through the fact that only the boys are allowed to train for the Olympics while Rhoda’s brother, Dudley, is also expected to “take good care of [Rhoda]” because she’s her “father’s own dear sweet little girl” (Gilchrist 208). When Rhoda tries to participate in the training, she is shot down and rejected by the group of boys, leading her to feel bitter and angry. She believes that she can train just as well as the boys and that she should be allowed to pole vault with them even though she’s a girl. **


 * Like Simone de Beauvoir suggested in her writings, Rhoda has become the “Other” – she is defined and interpreted by the boys. Because she is not a boy, she cannot train with them or be treated equally. She is marginalized because she is not the same sex; she is defined by what she is not. This is a clear reflection of the patriarchal society of the time. **


 * In the end, Rhoda overcomes this and triumphantly succeeds in sending herself flying through the air, proving that girls can be just as strong and physically gifted as boys. Her experience in pole vaulting represents a woman’s ability to stop, evaluate her situation, and overcome any obstacles facing her. **


 * The portrayal of women in the story is also interesting to note. The protagonist is, of course, Rhoda – a young girl whose dream is to move to New York City and to become a successful lawyer, a profession that is not expected for women. There is also the character of Lauralee, the beautiful cousin whose wedding is the main event in the story. Lauralee appears to meet society’s standards for women, coming across as a true lady, but even she defies those expectations in the scene when she takes Rhoda on a picnic – but stops at a bootlegger to buy some whiskey and cigarettes. Both characters receive the most character development, too. Since Rhoda is the main character and narrator, we get her point of view, thoughts, and emotions. Lauralee also gets the chance to have an emotionally compelling backstory. **


 * The boys of the story are also portrayed as flat characters. Readers are likely not going to view them as positively due to their rough exteriors and lack of manners (as seen when the family is eating dinner and the boys open their mouths so Rhoda can “see their half-chewed food” and “burping loudly in [her] direction” (210). The only male character that readers might like is Lauralee’s groom, who encourages and flatters Rhoda upon first meeting her. However, even he lacks any real development when compared to Rhoda and Lauralee. **


 * Overall, “Revenge” is an empowering story of a young girl quite literally leaping over obstacles. Rhoda represents a woman’s ability to overcome male opposition and oppression. **