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Assignment 1 Rewrite

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129 views3 pages

Assignment 1 Rewrite

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Silberglied 1

Chelsea Silberglied 06 February 2014 English 1102 F8 Overcoming Challenges It is easy for a person to recognize that there is a problem in his or her life, but it is another thing to make a change. Often times, a person will attempt to avoid facing the true issue in his or her life, even if the persons quality of life is suffering. Taking the necessary steps to overcome a challenge is difficult for people, but if they face their hardship, then they will be happier. In A Visit From the Goon Squad, Sasha overcoming her kleptomania and Stephanies divorce are prime examples of how fixing problems leads to a better life. Egan begins the novel by showcasing Sashas struggle with kleptomania. Sasha seems to steal items of sentimental value from other people in the city, such as an encouraging note from a wallet (Egan 11). At this point in her life, Sasha is not able to connect with other people. This is seen when she has sex with Alex even though she is not attracted to him, showing that Sasha will do anything to feel emotions (10). Sashas inability to fell emotions causes her kleptomania. It is evident that Sasha is attempting to overcome her kleptomania though her therapy sessions, but she clearly has trouble overcoming the disorder. In Chapter 11, the audience learns that Sasha has stopped stealing from other people, and finds her husband, Drew, because she can finally connect to others (101). It is later seen that Sasha has a normal life with a husband and two children, a life that was unattainable while she was a kleptomaniac. Sasha needed to face the hardship of getting over her kleptomania and inability to connect in order to have a family that she truly loved.

Silberglied 2

In chapter 7 Bennie and Stephanie join the country club in Crandale, the town that they have just moved to. After some time passes, Stephanie starts playing tennis weekly with Kathy, a snobby member of the country club (62). When Stephanie finds a gold bobby pin, which must have belonged to Kathy, one of Stephanies friends, near Bennies antique table, Stephanie realizes that Bennie is cheating on her. After Stephanie learns of the affair, she does not confront Bennie, but rather she goes outside to avoid an argument with Bennie (71). In chapter 2 the reader learns that Stephanie and Bennie got divorced, and that Stephanie is happy with her life because she was able to overcome the hardship of her husband cheating on her. Stephanie is still part of the country clubs number one doubles team, and has a better relationship with Chris, Bennies and Stephanies son, than Bennie (16). Even though it was difficult for Stephanie to take action when she first learned of Bennies affair, she wound up with a better life once she was able to confront Bennie and to get a divorce. It is clear that once a character identifies a problem in his or her life, if that character makes the effort to change their situation and succeeds, the character will be better off. Figure one shows a person climbing a mountain. I believe that this image is a good representation of Egans message that fighting through a rough patch is worth it in the end. While it is difficult to climb a mountain, once you get to the top, the view is amazing, and it is clear that your hard work paid off. Sasha and Stephanie also overcome hardships in order to attain a better life in A Visit from the Goon Squad.
Figure 1 Mountain Climbing

Silberglied 3

Works Cited Egan, Jennifer. A Visit from the Goon Squad. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2010. Print. "Mountain Climbing." Rodalena. N.p., 05 Oct. 2011. Web. 04 Feb. 2014

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