blog




  • Essay / Jemmy's personality transition in Jon Hassler's novel

    All people go through changes during their lives, some quickly, some slowly, for better or for worse. Often, youth events can be attributed to the origin of such a change in direction. In many cases, adolescence is the catalyst for beliefs carried into adulthood. This certainly seems to be the case with Jemmy. In Jon Hassler's novel, the protagonist, seventeen-year-old Gemstone Opal Stott or "Jemmy", is going through a major transition between two personalities. The central question of this story is why is she changing and how should we interpret this change? What does this transformation mean? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayAt the beginning of the novel, Jemmy is providentially rescued by a couple, Otis and Ann Chapman, during a massive snowstorm and is chosen by Otis, an artist, as the basis for The Maiden, a public mural located in downtown Minneapolis. According to local legend, the girl was an Indian girl who committed suicide by jumping off a cliff known as Eagle Rock because she had fallen in love with someone from a rival tribe and 'she could not bear the burden of living a life without her lover or without suffering. the shame of his family. At first, Jemmy seems to happily embrace The Maiden's persona. This can be attributed to his heritage. Jemmy is half Chippewa, although she thinks of being “two halves of people” (Hassler 23). she definitely feels more Indian than white. Jemmy is the Chippewa-Irish daughter of a deceased mother and an alcoholic father who neglects her and the other two children. Having been described as the quintessential representative of this legendary Native American heroine, Jemmy feels infinitely more in touch with her “Indian half,” and she is clearly proud of it. When Jemmy visits Otis for his first modeling job, Otis begins to paint Jemmy on a canvas. Jemmy quickly becomes confused and surprised, “she was fascinated by the reply” (56). as if “Otis’s skill with shadow and color had given shape to his soul.” » (56). “It looks so real that it gives me chills to watch.”(56). she said. “Never in a photo, not even in a mirror, had Jemmy seen herself so clearly.”(57). Jemmy is stunned, wide-eyed and impressed by the painting and by this new vision of herself. Jemmy seems to fully accept and become The Maiden. She adapted The Maiden as herself and feels it gave her a new identity. The character of Maiden also appeals to Jemmy because of her quality of life. She can understand the desperation that reigned over The Maiden. Coming from extreme poverty, his alcoholic Irish father tells Jemmy to quit school to care for his motherless younger brother and sister. Given that most Indians leave school much younger, Jemmy has few concerns, although this was expected, it still means the end of any advancement beyond one's current status, even at a school whose White principal equates ill-fitting clothes and poverty with a lack of response. to the precepts taught in health classes. After several painting sessions, Jemmy and his siblings attend a party thrown by Otis and Ann, so they can show Jemmy to friends and other artists, to see and admire the girl he has chosen for wall painting. . Here, Jemmy enthusiastically takes on the role of an important exhibition piece acting as the model of the beautiful artist, the main attraction of the event. Jemmy shows signs of vanity like..