Relationship Between Toph and Dave Redraft - AHWOSG

How does Eggers present the relationship between him and Toph in chapters 1-5 of  AHWOSG?

Redraft 

Eggers uses imagery of protection, displays of immaturity and flashes of insecurity in order to present the dysfunctional dynamic between Toph and Dave’s younger self.

Eggers presents Dave’s feeble attempts at responsibility and protection over Toph with the symbolic imagery of painting superheroes on Toph’s bedroom wall “ for decoration and protection”. The concept of combining those nouns is childish, but the abstract noun “protection” inspires connotations of familial instincts, affection and care - a concept that might resonate with a parental reader. A younger audience might respond in a more reluctantly sentimental way, as the gaudy gesture is a rather embarrassing - thus resonating more with Toph.

This concept of guardianship is developed by Dave’s propensity for segregating Toph and himself apart from other families, as exemplified by the declarative sentence “We are orphans.As orphans, we are celebrities.”. The inclusive pronoun “we” separates Toph and Dave from the others, setting them apart in a distinct categorical way.Meanwhile, the nouns “orphans” and “celebrities” are almost oxymoronic in terms of contrasting status, which in and of itself contradicts the sentiment Dave is attempting to convey. Eggers uses this contrast in order to present Dave’s desperate attempts to portray his and Toph’s significance - he believes that their tragic circumstances elevate their status, an example of Dave’s sense of entitlement for Toph and himself. Eggers first introduced the concept Dave’s sense of entitlement for Toph and himself at the beginning of chapter 2, with the declarative “we are owed”, which gives connotations of significance and rewards with the verb “owed”, whilst again grouping Toph and himself into the inclusive pronoun “we”.

In contrast to Dave’s brazen ideas of self-importance, Eggers often presents the entropic state of their living arrangements in order to reflect the state of their dysfunctional relationship, specifically with the idea of Dave “converting Toph to [his] slovenly ways.” The lexical choice of the gerund verb “converting” brings forth concepts of manipulation and corruption whilst the adjective “slovenly” inspires connotations of lazy unkemptness and languid nonchalance. The negative connotations of this lexis might concern the reader and motivate them to see Dave as an unfit role model who is detrimental to Toph’s development.

This underlying negative perception of the way Dave parents Toph is frequent and rather alarming to the reader in some cases. For example, Dave describes a roleplay game in the second chapter entailing Dave as an abusive father and Toph as the child victim; “Our best trick, it to pretend, for the benefit of the neighbours, that I’m beating Toph with a belt.” Eggers uses the lexical phrase “best trick” to summarise Dave’s perception of the act, with the noun “trick” already giving connotations of ill-mannered schemes, and the pre-modifying adjective “best” allowing the reader to understand that Dave is clearly proud of such misconduct. The sarcastic declarative “for the benefit of the neighbours” displays Dave’s selfish disregard for others comfort at the expense of his own amusement.

Perhaps the most alarming of all is Dave’s own spiel of paranoid thoughts about Toph, ranging from the relatively mild fear of social services in response to their state of entropy to the rather disconcerting flight of fancy in chapter 5, wherein Dave describes graphic depictions of Toph’s torture and murder during his absence. During a debate with himself, Dave shows the reader his indecisive nature when faced with the uncertainty of Toph’s wellbeing; “There is no risk.But there is risk. But the risk is worth it.” The repetitive use of the conjunction “but” shows Dave’s  conflicting viewpoints, presenting Dave as ill-equipped in dealing with a dilemma concerning Toph’s safety with any stability or rationality.The reiterative use of verb “risk” inspires the feeling of a constant threat for the reader, as it is the focus for each statement. The fact that the statements are simple sentences hastens the pace, adding to the hyper vigilant back and forth of Dave’s scatterbrained thoughts and creates impact with each declarative. 

In conclusion, Eggers often presents Dave as bad role model of Toph, sometimes to the point of risking Toph’s wellbeing. Dave is manipulative in his intentions towards Toph, immature in his search of entertainment and insecure in the face of making the right decisions to Toph’s best interest. Despite this, Dave’s overprotective nature, brotherly affection and loneliness in the absence of Toph makes their dynamic, although dysfunctional, rather unconventionally charming and sentimental.Although the more rational, parental figures of the audience may be more reluctant to allow Dave’s guardianship of Toph, other, perhaps younger, members of the audience might be reluctant to see them separate. 

Women Essay

How Does Eggers Present Women in AHWOSG?

Eggers presents Dave's view of women in very distinctive categories, often valuing them based on physical or practical use rather than any personal or emotional aspects. Anyone not falling within these parameters is deemed inadequate to Dave and are often ridiculed in terms of age or appearance, and Eggers uses this to present Dave's constant dehumanisation of women and inability to perceive them as equal.

For example, Dave's apparent ageism becomes clear with his statement "by and large they're ugly - old enough to have mothered me." The collective phrase 'by and large' segregates the mothers apart from Dave, and by grouping them as such, he dehumanises the women - taking away their individuality and labelling them 'ugly', a derogative adjective that gives connotations of ghastly unattractiveness."Old enough to have mothered me" expresses the concept that age is linked with responsibility and parenthood - something Dave identifies as boring and outdated ad evidenced by the  quote "they are the old model and we are the new" when referring to the older generation whilst on the beach with Toph. The metaphor gives the connotations that, in the general scheme of things, the mothers are rapidly becoming unnecessary and replaced by Dave's generation, which he feels is superior.

In terms of appearance, Eggers presents Dave as having a particularity for perfection. He often associates stereotypically 'normal' physical standards with health and happiness, as expressed by the quote "taller than her parents, heavier than me - I want Toph to make her happy" assuming that because of her 'abnormal' height and weight she is unhappy. The comparative phrase 'heavier than me' is egocentric, as it focusses on Dave as the comparative standard, and the overall statement is offensive and degrading. This concept of perfection is further developed by the quote "Marney's breasts...are uneven. June is normal - with everything perfectly in place." The contrasting adjectives 'uneven' and 'perfect' express his strict intransigent view of body standards, which further dehumanises women, in terms of the fact that he is unforgiving in the face of anything that diverts from his perception of 'normal'.

This obsession with perfection follows through to his objectification of women, best expressed by his statement "for 10 dollars, there had better be some very impressive nude women down there." The imperative statement "had better be" expresses his sense entitlement and expectation, solidified by the quote " I expected single mothers ad flirting." The personal pronoun 'I' followed by the stative verb 'expected' exemplifies his egocentric behaviour ands misguided sense of entitlement in reference to how he is supposedly 'owed' attractive women.

Eggers is fully aware of his presentation of Dave's objectification and naivety in his pursuits of women, shown by the retrospective statement "I honestly thought" in reference to ow he though his advances/ fantasies of women would play out. The adverb 'honestly' expresses his sincere naivety, and in hindsight, he realises he was mistaken. Eggers constantly refers back to Dave's obsession with making a family with each reasonably acceptable woman he finds. For example, upon meeting the interviewer, Dave states "I want to settle down with her, raise a family with her." These cliched phrases are twisted imitations of romantic overtures found in more lighthearted situations, commonly found in romance genre novels, not in the memoirs of a manic depressive man desperate to stabilise his life with the semblance of a family.

In conclusion, Eggers present Dave as having a rather utilitarian approach to women, categorised by their use, best expressed by the quote " She is my mother, my girlfriend, my wife" which rather encapsulates Dave's view of women: a familiar comfort of a mother - which he is attempting to separate himself from in his new generation style of raising Toph - the sexual intimacy of a girlfriend, and the stability of a wife - a role which Dave is constantly looking for in a woman, desperate for the security that comes with the concept.

Home Essay - AHWOSG

Examine the presentation of the theme of ‘home’ in (the first 104 pages of) AHWOSG

The theme of home is often presented in a way that alludes to the darker, more depressive concepts of AHWOSG. With the segregation from the neighbours, attempts at decor, poor living conditions and games involving the pretence of parent-child relationships, Eggers uses the concept of home to express Dave’s detachment from standard living arrangements and inability to adapt in order to provide Toph with a functional home environment.

Eggers presents the concept of neighbours in a distrustful light, as anyone looking in to their home or passing by are outsiders, grouped into the collective noun in the ominous statement “people know” when referring to the state of the family’s disrepair, more specifically his mothers illness. The repeated phrase sets a clear line between the Eggers’ family and outsiders, and continues as a theme throughout the book.For example, upon moving into their second home, Dave expresses that he and Toph “do very little in the way of mingling with the community.”, showing that they have made a habit of voluntarily isolating themselves from neighbours in order to avoid scrutiny at their unfortunate circumstances.

In terms of interior decoration, Eggers describes his family’s taste as being “inconsistent”, an adjective that inspires connotations of mismatched designs and homely charm. Although Eggers statement that “it could not be uglier”, the overall description of his childhood home gives a sense of fondness and familiarity, specifically with the metaphor of the ‘aesthetically disenfranchised furniture’ as being “troubled children and refugees from around the world” which the family has adopted, having seen the “beauty within” and being unable to turn it away. The description insights a feeling of attachment and vaguely begrudging affection, but this imagery is shortly dashed by the following descriptions of the homes various cases of dereliction and the phrase “The family room is usually dark.” The lexical choice of ‘dark’ encourages connotations of gloom and despair, adding to the image of the house as a “factory”, a place of monotonous labour and plumes of pollution.

The presentation of decoration as a device of pathetic fallacy follows through to the second home that Dave and Toph move into, when they attempt to “repaint the entire house”, an activity commonly associated with new beginnings, for example, the tradition of painting a baby’s room.

However, in Eggers description, he portrays the idea that Dave and Toph leave gaps, “skipping the corners” and leaving the job largely unfinished - this alludes to the idea that the activity is slapdash, an imitation of lovingly decorating a home for aestheticism and pride. The statement that the half-hearted job leaves the rooms “loose, fuzzy and Rothkoesque” perfectly summarises the image for the reader, with the lexical choices “loose” - giving connotations of languid strokes - “fuzzy” - inspiring connotations of blurred hurriedness - and “Rothkoesque” giving the allusion of grandiosity and tastefulness, all coming together to give the impression of metaphorically covering up the lack of familiarity and comfort of home. The pretence of a fully-functional family, able to thoughtfully decorate their home is deserted most pointedly with Dave painting superheroes on Toph’s bedroom wall for “decoration and protection” - the concept is desperate and pitiful to the reader, despite its sweet sentimentality. The idea seems forced in order to emulate the security and safeness proffered by a home.

The poor attempts at functionality is furthered by the entropy of living conditions, and Dave’s power play in order to appear as a stable parental figure for Toph. When they come to the realisation that “the place is ours, but its a mess”, Dave attempts to employ some stereotypical motivation for Toph to do the chores, with Eggers presenting the conversation as if it were a business transaction (“$2 a week in tax-free allowance”) in order to make a mockery of the semblance power imbalance that should be present in a parent-child relationship.The reader gets the impression of a childish interaction, which further weakens the idea of Dave as a responsible parental figure. 

By describing Dave’s behaviour with the adjective “slovenly”, and the family room as being in a “perpetual state of disrepair” the reader is given the imagery of a slobbish environment, unfit for living in. Dave is aware of this, and his realisation is followed by a hyper-vigilant spiel of Toph being taken away - “to a house which is kept clean - where the laundry is done properly and with a parental figure that can cook” a line that encapsulates each of the dysfunctional aspects of their current living arrangements.

Dave’s attempts to act like a responsible adult is further diminished by the crude role-play of a father and son Dave and Toph often play at the expense of their neighbours, and as an act is rather alarming when taken out of context.The sarcastic tone conveyed by the statement “our best trick is to pretend, for the benefit of the neighbours, that I’m beating Toph with a belt.” shows that Dave is rather proud of the game and see’s the act as amusing rather than inappropriate and  

immature.The fact that the reader knows of their fathers alcoholism and volatile violence destabilises the humour of the act and makes the concept rather dark and disconcerting for the reader.

In conclusion, the theme of home is often presented as a mode of pathetic fallacy, alluding to the stability of the Eggers family. It is an important device, used to show the true extent of the the destabilisation of functionality in the living arrangements of Dave and Toph in their second home. The concept is most accurately summed up by the statement “we feel temporary here, like house-sitters, vacationers” the lexical terms associated with provisional circumstances showing the instability and detachment from reality, as if they are merely on a holiday and allowed to act however they please, both lacking responsibility and sense of decorum with the lack of a stable home.