Secret Codes

A person’s identity is something that changes all the time. Because one’s identity is unique to those that sees them or knows them, it can take on many outlines and can be written on anything. The novel, “Written on the Body” by Jeanette Winterson illustrates a story of lovers, love gain and love loss. The narrator reveals a secret code that he/she has written on its lover’s body; this secret code is only visible to the narrator; as the narrator is the one who wrote the code, and its meanings is understood as a message of love, which helps the narrator to reflect on its lover and the special moments they shared together.         

The body can hold many secret codes; these codes are secrets because they have been written secretly on one’s body by either a love one or by the person themselves. I will use for example my children, because I have five, I am sure when they see me, that each one  sees me (my body) as having their own personal secret code written on it, so to know me as my children know me, you would have to understand the secret codes they have written on my body. I have noticed on several occasions my children staring at me for long periods of time; when I ask them what they are looking at, they often would say, “Oh nothing.” They are probably writing more secret codes on my body for that particular moment. On occasions when I felt a certain urge to suffocate them with my love, I would secretly write things on their body that only I could see; the secret codes that I write on their bodies helps me to identify them with a special moment in my life that will forever be memorable and special to me.

A secret code can be written anywhere on the body; I have codes that I have secretly written on my body. I have several scars some visible and some invisible that acts as codes to help identify me, and there is a story behind every scar. For instants, I have a scar on my leg that has faded; it is not noticeable to anyone, but I know it is still there; therefore, I can call my scar a secret code that is written on my body. There is a message written on my leg that tells a story of a bike ride. My eyes at time tells a story of my life; I have once been told I have sad eyes, or that I have happy eyes, but the truth of the matter is that there are many secret codes written on my corneas that identifies me as having many stories to tell of being a daughter, sister, wife, mother, employer, and student. Each secret codes written on them is identifiable only to those who know me as such, or to others whom I have chosen to reveal my identity to. Furthermore, my hands tell many stories; they are soft, other times they are dry and chapped, and on occasions I have used them to speak for me. I have written secret codes in their palms as well as on the backs of them, because my hands have assisted me in my life’s ventures, they help to identify me though secret codes that I only know and see when I look at them.

The novel Written on the Body shows how the body can be used to hold secret codes, theses codes were messages of love, and they were written on the body by a lover. These secret codes are—a secret—not visible to anyone, but to the person who wrote them and understands their meanings and significants.

Life as Art

The novel “The Hours” by Michael Cunningham was a very interesting novel, which won him a Pulitzer Prize, and it was also created into a movie. Because the “The Hours” is about searching for the meaning of life, I will decide if either the novel or the movie more effectively explores the dominate themes, which are duty vs. individuality, reflections on mortality, constructive social roles, and life as art as well as how it was achieved.

First, the move was dominant in how the main characters roles were illustrated and reinforced by other characters in the movie. Kitty and Richie both verbally reinforced Mrs. Brown’s role as a house wife by mentioning baking a cake should not be so difficult, which happens to be just one of the domestic roles of a housewife. In the novel, there is no one reinforcing her role. Clarissa the socialite’s role was reinforced by Richard as he describes her role to that of the character in his novel, Mrs. Dalloway, who always throws parties. Mrs. Woolf’s role was enforced by her servant’s attitude toward her and how they mocked her; Nellie felt like she was in charge of the kitchen because Mrs. Woolf shines away from her role being authoritative. Still, the novel and the movie both effectively shown dominance when they portrayed the individuality of how each woman refused to accept their ordinary life, which was view and described similarly in the movie as well as in the novel.

Next, the reflections on mortality was definitely more effective in the movie than it was in the novel because of it was visual; the scene of the dead bird, and Mrs. Woolf thinking about kill off Mrs. Dalloway in her novel; she looks into the dying birds eyes and changes her mind about killing Mrs. Dalloway. The scene of Mrs. Brown in the hotel laying on the bed, and she dreams of it being submerged by water, which represents her taking her life; that scene was also a pivotal moment in  the movie because she changed her mind about committing suicide. The water scene represented life and death; life for Mrs. Brown and death for Mrs. Woolf who happens to have committed suicide by drowning. Richard believed if he was dead Clarissa would be able to focus on her life with Sally. The visual references of the reflections on mortality were clearly dominant in the movie vs. reading and tying to visualize it in the novel.

Furthermore, the constructive social roles of the main characters were equally displayed in both the movie and in the novel. Mrs. Woolf and Richard were novelist, Clarissa was an editor, and Mrs. Brown took pleasure in reading book, so all their social roles had something to do with literature.

Finally, life as art was equally represented in both the movie and in the novel; they both gave their audience an insight into the creation of life evolving into art. In the movie, I was able to view and connect the scenes, which helped me to understand the art of each of the characters life and what they were trying to accomplish; similarly, the novel’s rendition of life as art came to life as I was reading through its pages and trying to understand why each of the main characters were unhappy with their life and the journey their thoughts and feelings took them on while searching for happiness.

Clarissa Vaughan (Dalloway)

In the novel “The Hours” by Michael Cunningham, Clarissa Vaughan (Dalloway) ventures out to buy flowers for a celebration party she is giving for, Richard, her closes friend. During the course of her day, she has many thoughts and feeling, which are triggered by locations and people. She wonders if she made the right decision in her life and thinks about the paths she could have taken. I will decide if her feelings are simply personal or a product of the time in which she lives.

A beautiful June day, flowers to buy, and a party to prepare for her dearest close friend, Richard, has given her purpose for the day. She is feeling lively not at all for a woman of 52. She reflects back when she was 18 when she and Richard spent a romantic time at Wellfleet. Her feelings were personal because it was a romantic moment that they shared together; her feelings were also a product of time; her age is 52 and she also reflecting back on her youth.

Running into Walter on the streets causes her to think about Richard.  I believe the feeling she had at that moment were a product of time. She feels if she had been with Richard and they ran into Walter, they would be in disagreement about Walter and what he depicts.

She was standing on a corner on her way to see Richard, the exact corner, and she starts to reminisce about when he was 19 and tried to kiss her; she remembers that it was the argument about a kiss that caused them to part ways and seeking their freedom. I believe that her feelings were both personal and a product of time; the argument they had touched her and it was personal, and that same corner, which brought about her memory is a product of time.

Richard’s ill health causes her to think about Evan who also has Aids, and she questions herself; why didn’t Richard get his medication in time? Her feelings were personal as well as a product of time. She cares deeply for Richard and wants him to get well, but on the other hand, the timing for him to have started taking the drugs for Aids were proven to be very imperative to his health.

Richard reminds her about the romance they had at Wellfleet, the kiss by the pond, the night they spent in bed, and tells her he only his one regrets, she tell him he should have no regrets. The word regrets triggers her to start thinking about her own life, the choices she made, and the life she shares with her significant other, Sally. Her feelings are personal.

A visit from Louis, who was once Richard’s lover, also ignites feeling when all three of them enjoyed a lustful time at Wellfleet, and she remembers how they both loved Richard. Again her feelings were personal because they all shared a time of love and because it was in the past, her feelings were also a product of time; it was something that happened 30 years ago.

Clarissa’s daughter, Julia, has been acting differently toward her mother; her behavior has prompt Clarissa into thinking about her daughter never knowing who her father is, because she used a sperm donor to get pregnant. I believe Clarissa’s feelings about the changes in her daughter were personal as well as a product of time, because over time it is natural for a child to wonder who their father is if he has never been around.

 After reading “The Hours” I feel the celebration party Clarissa was given for Richard was not only to celebrate his life’s work as a poet, but a party to celebrate the life they shared together as friends, and lovers. I believe she knew he was dying from Aids.