Literary Research Paper Final Draft
Bone 1
Nixon Bone
Dr. Speller
English 2
04 April 2021
What Will Be the Change?
Change is a constant factor in our lives that we have to accept to deal with it whenever it comes. Change begins from the moment one is born, and he/she matures to become an adult. We meet people at different stages of life and leave others as we progress. Change is also evident in other aspects of life, especially ones that we cannot control. The COVID-19 pandemic is an example of an external factor that has forced most people to change their social lives. However, not everything can be changed. Factors like character and behavior are difficult to change, and people find it hard to accept changing who they are. The story St. Lucy home for girls raised by wolfs shows that change is a personal decision, and society cannot force one to change despite having support from environmental factors.
Change is uncomfortable, and most people do not accept it, but it is inevitable, and it is going to happen several times in our lives. Russel introduces us to the lives of three young immigrant girls who take refuge in a nunnery. They did not expect the sudden change in their lives, but it has come, and they have to accept it. They lived their lives with their families before being brought to America, and they did not expect change. However, their parents had different ideas about their lives and made the girls go to a foreign land. They have to play the hand they have been dealt with by adapting to the new environment that they may call home for the rest of their lives. Therefore, Russel shows that some change occurs whether we like it or not, and we have to deal with it.
It is essential to accept the concept that change can happen at any time. Some people want to change different aspects of their lives, like who they are related to or their friends. However, making such a change is difficult, and most people have to accept who they are to continue with life. The lives of the girls show a similar trend as they would like to change who they are, but they are in a new country and have to accept the facts before them. The primary character in the story states that “We didn’t know at the time that our parents were sending us away for good. Neither did they say.” (Russell 227). The girls find themselves in a predicament because they have to accept their parents made this life-changing decision, and they are supposed to accept it.
Some changes come as a necessity in our lives, and most people are open to such change. Life presents people with various situations that demand appropriate reactions from those involved. In this story, the author presents three girls from foreign countries who have to adapt to the new country. They come from different cultures that have different expectations of them. In America, they meet people who expect them to be civilized and capable of joining the new society and fit in. “The nuns, they said, would make us naturalize citizens of human society” (Russell 227). Most immigrants go to America with the expectation that they will have better opportunities to improve their lives and that of their relatives. However, they forget that the English language is not common to them and the culture is different. Most people realize this and become depressed. “The whole pack was irritated bewildered, depressed” (Russell 229). The girls realize that they have to study the ways of the modern people crowding them so they can feel some sense of belonging in the new community to be able to speak with them and create careers to help themselves and their families.
Change is difficult and takes time, especially when the change is big. Major changes in our lives require time to adapt and accept the new way of life. It also demands that individuals invest in the new concept to become successful. Russell shows this through the story of the immigrant girls. Their realization that they have to undergo significant change before they become civilized makes them irritable and bewildered that they had to change who they were. It also came with depression because understanding the reasons for the change became increasingly difficult for them. They were forced to get new names, learn a new culture, and adjust their behavior to that of a new culture. It took them time, and it was difficult for them to complete the whole process. The outcomes of their investment are evident when they learn the ways of the new culture and how to conduct themselves when they are with the new culture. Therefore, the inevitable change that everyone is supposed to adapt to requires individuals to invest a lot before they become successful.
Some aspects of life cannot be changed despite the inevitability of changes in society. People can change various aspects of their lives when they decide. The decision is usually difficult and can a lot of controversies when others do not agree with the change. However, we must remember that some factors like nature cannot be changed and forcing such change can have consequences. The girls learn that they have to support each other to become successful in adopting the new culture and language. Therefore, they support each other in the initial stages and manage to achieve significant success. However, the natural instinct of competition gets in their way, and they begin looking out for their individual interests rather than that of the pack. The competitiveness of the girls leads to hatred among them because they see betrayal in those who get ahead. “The pack hated Jeanette, but we hated Mirabella more.” (Russell 233). They move from the pack and focus on their individual interests.
Competitiveness is human nature, and one cannot change this fact due to the different characters and perceptions of people. Human nature has been subject to change for thousands of years. Humans have had to compete for survival with animals and have evolved into competing against themselves. The competition is natural because most people want to get ahead. The competition creates discomfort and can make some people feel alienated. This is evident for people who choose to go for success. Such decisions make them feel alienated because no one strives to achieve the same goals as them. It also causes discomfort among their friends because they feel left out or behind. In some cases, individuals can experience stress because of the alienation and loneliness from the adopted change.
Russell manages to show this by showing the various stages that the girls have achieved in their stay with the nuns. The fourth stage reveals their differences, which were not that evident at the beginning of the story. Jeanette is the most ambitious and puts a lot of effort into getting out of the nunnery. On the other hand, Mirabella is the youngest and most stubborn. The differences between the pack members cause some disagreements because Jeanette is hated for her ambition while Mirabella makes the others hate her for her stubbornness. Eventually, we see the narrator and Jeanette pity Mirabella because they do not think that she will manage to survive the new world. “Whatever will become of Mirabella?” (Russell 233). Therefore, competition is a factor that human beings cannot change, and it comes with consequences for everyone involved.
Forcing change among individuals has several repercussions due to the resistance it is bound to experience. Accepting change is a difficult process and a decision that most people do not accept. History shows several cases of resistance to change and their impacts on people. One of the forced changes includes the forceful teaching of Africans to accept Christianity for their beliefs. The missionaries used several methods to force Africans to accept the religion. They offered special favors to Africans who accepted the new faith. Some of the favors included positions in government and church, teaching them to read and write, and even sponsoring conflict between communities. The outcomes of the forced religion were the division between Africans as those who accepted Christianity formed groups against those who maintained their traditional beliefs. A similar trend is evidenced in the story through the role of nuns and ladies who sought asylum. The nuns insisted that the ladies had to learn the American culture and language to manage to navigate the new environment successfully. They made it into a competition in which those with the highest points are perceived to be the ones with the capability to achieve success. This creates rivalry in the pack, as Jeanette becomes the most aggressive while Mirabella refuses to conform to the requirements. The rivalry also causes conflict between them, a factor that they had never thought would happen.
Some factors and people cannot change despite needing the change. The change that some factors of life demand are not acceptable by everyone. Some people believe that change is not that necessary and will refuse to change. Mirabella is the most stubborn in the pack, and she worries the other girls. They fear that she will fail to adopt the new society. “We’d heard rumors about former wolf-girls who never adapted to their new culture” (Russell 233). Refusing change could cause challenges for her in the new culture because she would be different.
Change is an inevitable factor in life, and we are mandated to accept it at all times. The inevitability of change requires that we make compromises to facilitate the new norms. Change can take time and present difficulties that we have to accept as part of our lives. Russell presents a story of immigrant girls who have to change their lifestyle to align with the new culture. The initial stages of change are always difficult for those undergoing change, and this is evident among the girls who depend on each other to get through stages. However, change also presents challenges like competition to survive and get ahead. Finally, not everyone will accept change no matter how much the change is necessary.
Work Cited
Mays, Kelly J. The Norton Introduction to Literature. Shorter 13th Edition. Russell, Karen. St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. pp. 265-276.