After reading the complete story, the main focus I want to think about is why the Yares will not move out of their desolate country. Nancy directly tells Denby that "it wouldn't do to kerry [them] down into towns"(267). The Yares are completely content in their mountains and do not see the point in living "with nothing but people about you" (267). The most I can guess from them is that the mountains are simply home, as a specific house we live in or town we come from is what we consider "home". 

I think in a way that Denby understands this because as she travels towards the Yares' home, she comments on the forest by saying that "she felt the friendliness and welcome of the hills, just as she used to be comforted and lifted nearer to God by distant church music" (255). So even though this was definitely not her classification of home, she still felt the warm presence that the forest brought. Readers can also see by these comments that it would be hard to leave this beautiful area once you have visited because of how inviting it is. 

I want to take a stab at what the mountains and nature could symbolize. Perhaps the mountains represent God, because God is known to have created this world and everything beautiful in it. Denby also talks about how she can appreciate God's work through creatures: "Long habit of grief had left her heart tender and its senses keen: these things, which were but game or specimens for the naturalist, were God's creatures to her, and came close to her" (255). We see a religious undertone in this remark because she is referring to herself as a Christian or believer of God. Maybe we are supposed to take the examples of the Yares never wanting to leave and Denby feeling so comfortable in the mountains and forests as how a Christian should feel close to his/her God.

When thinking about 19th century boys in American Literature, I keep thinking about how Ragged Dick supports himself and is very independent. In contrast, we see girl characters such as Ellen from The Wide, Wide World and Gerty in The Lamplighter that greatly depend on their caregivers to protect them and financially support them. 

One exception to this dependence girls tend to have on other people is Capitola in The Hidden Hand. For one, she is "but a bit of a poor, friendless,motherless, fatherless child" that has to rely on her own income to survive (THH page 179). Later we find out that in order to be self-reliant, Capitola has taken it upon herself to dress as a boy so she can take care of herself: "Oh! but I took care of myself, sir! I did, indeed, your honor!" (THH page 184). Horatio Alger informs us in Ragged Dick that Dick "would not steal, or cheat, or impose upon younger boys, but was frank and straight-forward, manly and self-reliant" (RD page 258). Both characters have very strong qualities that make them able to handle the hard times of life, yet one is a girl and one is a boy. Beyond Capitola, most of the time young girls are supposed to learn to how to cook and know they can depend on others.

We see very obvious changes in Dick than the other little girls in the other American literature stories. The author informs us that Dick is a great boy, yet has some vices. Dick tends to be quite the cigar connoisseur "and wouldn't smoke the cheapest" brand of cigars (RD page 257). Another fault that is mentioned is Dick's inability to save money because he "stray[s] into [the gambling-house], and play[s] with the rest," forgetting to invest the money that he makes to get him out of homelessness (RD page 257). Lastly is the large difference between girls and Dick in the aspect of his wording. Horatio Alger tells us that "[Dick] swore sometimes" and was never punished for what he said because of his lack of having parents or someone to tell him that is not the way to speak to others (page 255). All of these aspects of a boy that Dick has brought into the story greatly varies from that of a girl's behavior. 

Young boys seem to symbolize completely different things than girls do, where as girls symbolize "sugar and spice and everything nice" while boys might symbolize independence, rebellion and some bad, habitual habits. This could make a huge difference in how we study 19th century American Literature for the rest of the semester in class. We no longer will be reading stories of how nice and cute little girls can be, but how strong and courageous young boys can be. 

A Whisper In The Dark

At first we believe Sybil to be completely sane and in control of her emotions. She goes so far to even try and manipulate her Uncle and her cousin, Guy, later experiencing failure and being completely aware of her actions: "I felt perfectly powerless. All my little arts had failed, and for the first time I was mastered" (page 218). Sybil learns that "[she] can win [Uncle's] heart by obedience, and [can] soon grow quite at ease with him," if she plays her little game of being in love with him (page 223). These manipulative qualities that Sybil takes on are very healthy and are normal human behavioral characteristics. Because she has "had [her] own way all [her] life," she will do what it takes to get what she wants (page 218). These also tend to be traits of children without parents, because manipulative behavior is all they know to get what they want. They do not have the parents or guardians telling them what is acceptable behavior in achieving what they want and what is not acceptable. As discussed in class, there is a correlation between girls that do have mothers and care for them and girls that do not. We also know that despite the lack of a compatible relationship, mothers always tend to pull through for their children.

As the story goes on, Sybil is treated as a mentally ill girl and is put to solitary confinement. As all nineteenth century domestic novels were written, I feel this, in its own gothic way, makes a statement about the relationships of mothers and daughters. It is a known phenomenon that mothers and daughters do indeed have an underlying wavelength shared between them, whether or not they know each other on a personal level. For Sybil to find the letters written by "The Whisperer in the Dark," there has to have been some unknown fate for her mother to at last be able to help her. Although Sybil did not know why she "still carried in [her] bosom the warnings [her mother] had sent [her], prompted by the unerring instinct of a mother's heart" (page 246). This proves that although Sybil's mother was driven "mad since that unhappy rumor of [her] father's death," Sybil still shares a mystical bond with her mother (page 246). A mother seems to always sense when their child is hurting or upset, and will do whatever they can to help them when their child has fallen to the complete bottom. Sybil might have been insane for a short while, because there is no real evidence that Sybil did hear a whisperer tell her things such as "The dog--a lock of hair--there is yet time" (page 243). These statements sound outlandish, but in the end help Sybil escape the infinite death of insanity. Because of Sybil's mother being insane, the only thing that made sense was for her to warn Sybil and help her find the key to escaping: "Find it! For God's sake find it before it is too late" (page 241)! 

This obscure ending made me realize that although Alcott puts a dark twist in "A Whisper in the Dark," she still brings around the importance of the mother and daughter relationship. I think although Sybil barely touched the "fire" of insanity, Sybil's mother initially "pulled her out." We still see how nothing can come between mother and daughter, despite how impersonal their earthly relationship is.