The Emulation of Art ; Life

In all walks of everyday life, lessons and experiences atomic number 18 collected in hopes to use them in emerging scenarios. Many writers throughout history suck up said they have used these occurrences in their work. At miscellaneous point in life situations arise in which decisions must be made and at a time the select is being carried out, there comes a point when one piece of tailnot go back and change course. This inability to drive off ones path is called the Point of No Return. In other instances the use of geography may not only be viewed literally further also serve as a metaphor.There are also periods when isolation has an effect on the behavior of an individual. Point of no return, use of geographic purlieu and isolation are concepts used in all of the following works Francis Ford Coppolas manifestation Now (Now), William Faulkners A Rose for Emily (A Rose), and Tim OBriens The Things They Carried (Things). In these three pieces one shall recognise not only the ideas of Point of No Return (PNR), geographic surroundings, and isolation, but the notion of art imitating life. Foremost, PNR comes in a variety of ways for individually of the many characters we encounter in these adventures.In Now, we see Willards PNR towards the break of the film after he has arrived at Kurtzs compound. As he sits in the darkness, Chefs decapitated head is thrust into his lap. Without Chef to aid him, Willard realizes he is truly on his own. In order to escape Kurtzs world intact, he must complete his mission alone. In the case of Emilys manservant in A Rose, the PNR is depicted after the death of Emily. The negro met the first of the ladies at the front door and let them in, with their hushed, sibilant voices and their quick, curious glances, and then he disappeared.He walked right through the house and out the back and was not seen again. (Faulkner, pg. 7) The manservant is witting of the truth of Emilys dark life which shall soon be exposed to all an d does not compulsion to be in the vicinity when it happens. For Lt. Cross in Things, the PNR occurs following Ted Lavender being shot and killed. It wouldnt help Lavender, he knew that, but from this point on he would comport himself as a soldier. (OBrien, 13) after(prenominal) this tragic in timet, a transformation in the Lt. s attitude towards the remaining custody occurs. On the forenoon after Ted Lavender died, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross crouched at the bottom of his foxhole and burn down Marthas letters. (OBrien, 12) His feelings of love for Martha have also been replaced by an emotion resembling anger. Given these examples, PNR is present in each(prenominal) one of these accounts. The use of geography can be interpreted in numerous ways. As the men in Now make their way into the depths of the jungle, the Nyung River gradually becomes narrow. Slowly the soldiers are picked off one by one. The group begins to diminish, as does the width of the waterway.Another use of geographic surroundings is found in Faulkners work. His comment of Emilys home and its location demonstrate the similarity in her temperament. But garages and cotton gins had encroached and obliterated even the august names of that neighborhood only Miss Emilys house was left, lifting its stubborn and coquettish molder above the cotton wagons and the gasoline pumps- -an eyesore among eyesores. (Faulkner, pg. 1) Although modern technology is progressing all around her traditional neighborhood, and the South for that matter, she obdurately refuses to adapt.The geography is split into both literal and metaphoric ways in Things. They carried the land itself. Vietnam, the place, the sod- a powdered orange-red dust that covered their boots and fatigues and faces. They carried the sky. The whole atmosphere, they carried it, the humidity, the monsoons, the stink of fungus and decay, all of it, they carried gravity. (OBrien, pg. 7) Not only did the soldiers carry the smear of Vietna m on their boots but they carried the experiences of Vietnam in their minds. All of the tangible and idealistic aspects of being in a war-worn country are what these souls carried.Geography used by these storytellers create a world which not only can be seen but be felt deep within. Lastly, the third concept found in each of these works is isolation. A wise man once said, The true character of a person is revealed once they think no one is watching. (A. Mancha) This becomes evident in NOW when the three remaining men have reached Kurtzs dwelling. In front of the natives, Kurtz is God- manage in his demeanor. However, inside the temple and away from his worshipers, Willard sees what lies beneath Kurtz, a man. A man who poetically writes the horrors of what he has seen, done and become.Willard becomes conscious of Kurtzs desire and anticipation of his own death. Everybody cherished me to do it, him most of all. I felt like he was up there, waiting for me to take the incommode away . He just wanted to go out like a soldier, standing up, not like some poor, wasted, rag-assed renegade. Even the jungle wanted him dead, and thats who he really took his orders from anyway. Kurtz is aware of Willards mission and welcomes it. In A Rose, the segregation of Emily from society, enforced by her father clutching a horsewhip (Faulkner, pg3), played a major(ip) role in Emilys lack of emotional and mental development. On a tarnished gilt easel before the fireplace stood a crayon portrait of Miss Emilys father. (Faulkner, pg. 2) Although Emily is of adult age she still frame much like a child as she uses crayons to create her fathers portrait. The isolation seen in Things comes in form of the deployment of the soldiers.These men are stripped from everything they know, from the families they love to the climates they are familiar with. The things they carried were largely impelled by necessity. (OBrien, pg. ) The men have replaced these elements with items each soldier de ems essential for survival. This is not limited to weapons and food but also pictures, books and other mementos from home. As one can see, Coppola, Faulkner, and OBriens works reflect cabbage and concrete notions of art imitating life. By using PNR, geography and isolation, these men were able to illustrate their points on a deep and abysmal level. The impact these works have had on society are invaluable and because of their perpetual nature will continue to influence artists throughout the years.