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THE GOOD LIFE - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Accused of selfishness & "egoizing"
      - Sacrifices his own work to perform manual labor.
    - - "he had been fool enough to think that he might bring together two worlds to which he did not belong” (90).
    - - Gives up his Anarresti values and becomes indulgent
      - Realizes Urras is unsafe
      - A-Io has no use for him unless he benefits them
      - Can't undo his Anarresti conditioning
      - "He had not been free from anything: only free to do anything" (116).
      - Link w/ The Reluctant Fundamentalist: Both Shevek & Changez struggle with the reconciliation of two worlds/societies. For Shevek it is both inward and outward reconciliation that he wants. For Changez it is more internal, however both struggle ith identity & belonging. What's more is, both protagonists experience lack of motivation for their work within a capitalist system despite having resources available to them.
  - - - Fitting in is an illusion and the veil is lifted after the events of 9/11 take place. From this point onwards, he becomes increasingly more alienated.
    - - Metaphorical: In order to fit in, he has to shed his own identity.
- - - - • Clashing notions of loyalty
      - • Aristocracy (family) vs. Democracy (polis)
      - • Individual vs. Collective
      - • Divine law vs. State law
    - - Burial as a rejection of democracy & a rebellion against it
  - - - Emma derives her romantic ideals and fantasies from books she's read rather than experience on the ground. Since her expectations are not grounded in reality, they can never be met, no matter what. This is why everything and everyone she encounters loses its appeal, and every experience she has ends with her own disillusionment.
      - Contrary to Emma, Charles' expectations of a wife and life in general are extremely simple to begin with, making him completely oblivious to Emma's dissatisfaction with him. That said, what makes them similar is that their subjective experiences are in direct conflict with the reality of the situation.
        
        "For him the universe did not
        extend beyond the circumference of her petticoat..." (46)
      - Romanticism: Romantic ideals that reveal themselves to be inapplicable to real life. Emma projects these empty ideals onto the men she encounters.
        
        The thrill of being with Rodolphe has nothing to do with Rodolphe himself: “She repeated, ‘I have a lover! a lover!’ delighting at the idea as if a second puberty had come to her. So at last she was to know those joys of love, that fever of happiness of which she had despaired” (214).
    - - Shifting between 'Emma' and 'Madame Bovary' stresses the fact that Charles' conception of her has nothing to do with the reality of who she is.
  - - - “Once upon a time freedom used to be life—now it’s money. I guess the world really do change…” (76)
    - - • Assimilation vs. Anti-Assimilation
      - • Religious vs. Secular
      - • Family vs. Individual
      - • Past vs. Present
      - • Dignity vs. Wealth
    - - Her worldview and values clash with George Murchison, (one of the men she dates) because not only does she find him extremely shallow, but also assimilationist. He's superficial and not interested in conversing with her.
      - Asagai, who is from Nigeria, appeals more to Beneatha than George does, with his intellect and African identity, but they also clash when it comes to their ideas about what a relationship should be. He also criticizes her (though playfully) telling her that American women talk about liberation too much, making them the least liberated.
- - - - Globalization & tourism as an extension of colonialism: Reminding 'the tourist' of his/her privilege; of the fact that Antiguans laugh at him/her.
        
        Antigua suffers from drought, but the "tourist" hopes the weather stays hot and dry for the sake of his/her holiday.
      - Local corruption is a result and consequence of colonialism.
      - Aggressive tone of voice: "...you needn't let that slightly funny feeling you have from time to time about exploitation, oppression, domination develop into full-fledged unease, discomfort; you could ruin your holiday" (10).
        
        "A tourist is an ugly human being" (!4).
        
        Antigua "...settled by human rubbish from Europe..." (80)
      - Link w/ Reluctant Fundamentalist: both texts address the foreigner in second person, express their resentment through telling a story: Kincaid through Antigua's history and Hamid with Changez's tale of his experience in the US. This is in part due to the severe discrimination he faced.
      - "Repairs are pending" (9) sign is symbolic of the struggle of independence after colonialism.