To Hell With Dying as an Autobiography Essay - 781 Words

To Hell With Dying as an Autobiography When reading fiction, one can begin to wonder how much of a gap there is between the story the narrator is telling and the actual events that occurred to make the author decide to write the story. In Alice Walker’s To Hell With Dying, one could say that this story is basically auto- biographical. Although some people may have thought that To Hell With Dying was completely fiction, evidence from the story and other sources suggest otherwise. The love the narrator feels towards Mr. Sweet parallels with actual events that took place in Alice Walker’s life. In the preface of Donna Haisty Winchell’s book Alice Walker, it is revealed that Alice Walker was blinded in one eye at age†¦show more content†¦This part of the story may be a symbol showing how Mr. Sweet made Walker feel good in real life just as he makes the narrator feel good in the story. Walker admired the things that Mr. Sweet stood for. In the story and, most likely, in real life, Mr. Sweet had ambitions that were not possible to achieve because black men fare better if they are not [ambitious](1143). This did not discourage Mr. Sweet from becoming an artist. Mr. Sweet continued to sing, and it was through this singing that Walker realized that she wanted to become an artist 148). The memory of Mr. Sweet’s continuous singing also saved Walker’s life. In Alice Walker Winchell writes that Walker credits an old artist in Georgia with turning her attention to life at a time when death was much on her mind (12). Walker loves Mr. Sweet for saving her from death. Although there are differences between Mr. Sweet’s death in the story and in real life, there is still a parallel between the events. In real life. Walker couldn’t make it home when Mr. Sweet died because she was too poor. In the story she races home to see Mr. Sweet for the last time. Mr., Sweet gives his guitar to the narrator to remember him. Mr. Sweet’s gift of the guitar in the story symbolizes the gift of creativity he gave Walker in real life. Winchell writes, The seed of creativity was Mr. Sweet’s legacy to Walker. In the story the gift of creativity is passed onShow MoreRelatedDante Alighieri868 Words   |  4 PagesFlorence 3. on a comprehensive level, it’s an allegory about a journey through hell, purgatory, and paradise. 4. Rhyme scheme is terza rima (aba, bcb, cdc, etc.) 5. Plot: i. a man (Dante) is enabled to undertake a journey which leads him to visit souls in Hell, Puragatory, and Paradise. ii. he has two guides- Virgil who leads him through Hell and Puragatory and Beatrice- who leads him to Paradise iii. takes placeRead MoreMy First Lesson About Gambling1194 Words   |  5 Pageshe is just by living and dealing drugs. 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