Analysis Of Jeanette Winterson s The Green Man

Sarah DeCarlo, What It Means To Be Green [SE #1, Group 2] Definitions of what a green man is have changed drastically throughout the years. Traditionally green men are seen as figures of fertility and honour, however, in Jeanette Winterson’s The Green Man it is evident that the protagonist is far from this traditional role. A man’s sexuality is very much a large defining factor of his worth but in this text our main male role is stripped of it. His fertile abilities are lost on his lawn as his own wife refuses to copulate with him. This leaves his daughter to be his greatest achievement infertility, but even her creation results in the ultimate demise of his beloved lawn. It is true that the protagonist is a sacrifice from the beginning without a chance to change his predetermined destiny. After fulfilling his duty to sacrifice, fertilize and unfortunately die for the sake of others the green man emerges from the ashes. Being green is not something that can simply be described with adjectives but has rather become a modern day lifestyle in this text. In Jeanette Winterson’s The Green Man, the protagonist creates a modern green man archetype through his oppressed sexuality, his sacrifice and his life’s role in the rebirth cycle. The green men of the world are seen as subordinates to their wives. Our main character does not follow the traditional alpha male but is rather conserved and feminine. In fact, as his wife and he do not hold hands as they walk and he states,Show MoreRelatedLiterary Criticism : The Free Encyclopedia 7351 Words   |  30 Pagesnovel is sometimes used interchangeably with Bildungsroman, but its use is usually wider and less technical. The birth of the Bildungsroman is normally dated to the publication of Wilhelm Meister s Apprenticeship by Johann Wolfgang Goethe in 1795–96,[8] or, sometimes, to Christoph Martin Wieland s Geschichte des Agathon of 1767.[9] Although the Bildungsroman arose in Germany, it has had extensive influence first in Europe and later throughout the world. Thomas Carlyle translated Goethe’s novelRead MoreStarbucks Corporation12076 Words   |  49 Pagesincreased at a compounded annual growth rate of 20%, to $3.3 billion in fiscal 2002. Net earnings have grown at an annual compounded growth rate of 30% to $218 million in fiscal 2002, which is the highest reported net earnings figure in the company s history (See Exhibit 1). As Business Week tells it: On Wall Street, Starbucks is the last great growth story. Its stock, including four splits, has soared more than 2,200% over the past decade, surpassing Wal-Mart, General Electric, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola