Hands: ParanoiaPierceEnglish 102 bJan. 28, 1997It seems that in all three of these works there is a sense of paranoia.
In “Hands” a man is fearful of what might happen if he continues to do as he hasdone in the past, touch people.A terrible fear of what a small touch couldlead to. In the story “Eveline” a young woman is confused about what to do withher life. Whether to go with a man she thinks she loves or stay with her father.
In the poem “Summer Solstice, New York City” This man is made crazy andparanoid because of something. That something has driven this man to the pointof casting his body over the edge of a building.
Straight from the text of Hands, a story about a man and his paranoia ofhis own hands. An example of Wing Biddlebaums fear. “Wing Biddlebaum foreverfrightened and beset by a ghostly band of doubts.”(p. 882) Adolf Myers, or Wing,as the town people called him, was a dreamer, he wanted others to dream with himand experience what he did. “Adolf Myers walked into the evening or had sattalking until dusk upon the school steps lost in a dream.”(p. 884)”In a waythe voice and hands, the stroking of shoulders and the touching of hair were apart of the school Master’s effort to carry a dream into the young minds.”(p.
884) This is a man that was run out of a town for something that was not a badthing. Nor was this something intended the wrong way. Mr. Myers did touch onlyto pass on something great, a dream. Mr. Myers was run from a town. “Theyintended to hang the school master.”(p. 885)”As he ran away in the darknessthey repented their weakness and ran after him.”(p. 885) Mr. Myers was soparanoid about touching someone he would do anything to keep his hands fromdoing so. “When he talked to George Willard, Wing Biddlebaum closed his fist andbeat with them upon a table or on the walls of his house.”(p. 882) Once Wing didlet that one thing that he tried so hard not to do happen. He touched someone,when he realized it I feel that the paranoia set in. “For once he forgot hishands. Slowly they stole their way upon George Willard’s shoulders.”(p. 883)”With a conclusive move of his body Wing sprang to his feet and thrust his handsdeep in his pockets.” “Tears came to his eyes.” “I must be getting home, I cantalk no more.” (p. 884) Wing was scarred of something . . .He was paranoid oftouching someone.
The poem “Summer Solstice, New York City”deals with a man threateningsociety to take his own life. This whole play is dealing with paranoia. “Hecould not stand it” “The officer was putting on a bulletproof vest, a blackshell around his own life.” “They all came a little closer, where they squattednear his death.” All of these are examples of either anticipation of death orfear of what will happen depending on what you do next. The officers are afraidof moving to fast. For if so the man may jump. “The tallest cop approached himdirectly, softly, softly, talking to him, talking, talking.” The crowd wasparanoid that what they might do would have an adverse effect on the situation.
“The crowd gathered in the street, silent.” Every person was worried that theman would jump. All people took preparation. “The dark hairy net with it’simplacable grid was unfolded near the curb and spread out and stretched as thesheet is prepared to received birth.” While the man stands at the edge of thebuilding, about to take his life. A cop worried about startling him makes hismove. A cop “came up out of a hold in the top of the neighboring building, likethe gold hole they say is in the top of a head, he began to lurk toward the manwho wanted to die.” Even thought the man wanted to die, it seemed that he wantsto live that much more. The man was scared of stepping down “everything stoppedas his body jerked and he stepped down from the parapet and went toward them andthey closed on him.” The police were happy to see the man had passed on hisdesire to take his life, they had done their job and they had done it well.
“They took him by the arms, and held him up by the chimney and the tall cop lita cigarette in his own mouth, and gave it to the man.”(p. 925)In the story “Eveline” a young girl is paranoid about making the rightdecision. Her mother asked her to promise something before she died that wouldtwist her thoughts till the night her boyfriend left her. Her mother made herpromise to take as much care of the family as she could. Eveline wanted to doso many things that her life at home restricted. “She was about to exploreanother life with frank.” “He took her to see The Bohemian Girl.”(p. 888) “Shewould go away with him by the night-boat to be his wife and to live with him inBuenos Ayres.”(p. 888) Her father refused to let her see him. “I know thesesailor chaps.”(p. 888) “One day he had quarrelled with Frank and after that hadto meet her lover secretly.”(p. 888) One would feel like the reader could tellthat Eveline wanted to go. She would experience things that she had onlydreamed about. She worried so much. Every time it seemed she had a validreason to go she would contradict it with a reason to stay. Her mother seemedto be the biggest factor. Often she made reference to her and times they spenttogether. “Another day their when mother was alive, they had all gone for apicnic to the Hill of Howth.”(p. 889) However so many times when she did findreason to stay she would think of how mean her father had been to her. Oftenwithholding money from her. Then sending her to the store at the last minute toget food and milk. But at that very same time she thought that her father wasreason to stay. “Her father was becoming old lately, she noticed; he would missher.” “Not long before she had been laid up for a day, he had read her a ghoststory and made toast for her at the fire.”(p. 888) Last of all things her heartpoured out to God to help solve her confession, her paranoia of the situation,and her inability to make a decision. “She prayed to God to direct her, to showher what was her duty.” (p. 889)Bibliography”Hands” Sherwood Anderson”Summer Solstice, New York City” Sharon Olds”Eveline” James JoycePhilosophy
