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Katelin Lucine Ms. Gardner English 10 Per. 0 19 November 2013 Sneak Peek at The Member of the Wedding Kort, Carol. "McCullers, Carson." A to Z of American Women Writers, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Carson McCullers was a prominent, controversial, southern gothic writer who wrote many plays, novels and short stories and was friends with Tennessee Williams. She married Reeves McCullers then fell in love with Annamarie ClaracSchwarzenbach. She divorced Reeves, who was bisexual like her, and married Annamarie Clarac-Schwarzenbach then divorced her and re-married Reeves. McCullers suffered from a stroke, which left her partially blind and paralyzed; she had breast cancer and pneumonia, which lead her to attempt suicide, but failed, then five years later, Reeves committed suicide and she eventually died at the age of fifty.

This article clearly informs the readers about Carson McCullers life from the day she was born to the day she died. Carol Kort, the author of this article, organizes the events of McCullers life in sequential order. This article explains many things Carson McCullers had to fight through to get to where she wanted to be, an astounding writer. The events of her life lead her to write The Member of the

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Wedding. Reading about Carson McCullerss life can make one understand who she is as a person and not just as an author. Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "McCullers, Carson." Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 27. Nov. 2013 Carson McCullers began writing books about lonely, emotionally unstable people while enrolled in Columbia University. McCullers was a victim of failed marriage, rheumatic fever, blindness, stroke, bisexuality and isolation, which showed through many of her novels. Carson McCullers and Tennessee Williams teamed up in his home for mutual writing and creative support. Her writing style has influenced many other authors such as Alice Munro and Barbara Kingsolver.

Mary Ellen Snodgrass, unlike Carol Kort in the previous article, only explains McCullers education and writing achievements. McCullers has written many books, short stories, and plays. She writes about isolated people because as a child, she felt isolated and she could relate to what she was writing, which made her books heartfelt and easy to relate with. She acquainted herself with tomboys and cross-dressers and her books are about isolation and people not knowing how to fit in. Her novels have received many awards and some have been made into films.

McKinnie, Betty E., and Carlos D. Dews. "The Delayed Entrance of Lily Mae Jenkins: Queer

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Identity, Gender Ambiguity, and Southern Ambivalence in Carson McCullers's The Member of the Wedding." In Southern Women Playwrights: New Essays in Literary History and Criticism, edited by Robert L. McDonald and Rohrer Paige, Linda, 61 72. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2002. Quoted as "The Delayed Entrance of Lily Mae Jenkins: Queer Identity, Gender Ambiguity, and Southern Ambivalence in Carson McCullers's The Member of the Wedding" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Carson McCullers, New Edition, Bloom's, Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2009. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc.

This article describes each of Carson McCullers novels in detail. One of the authors writes, the play The Member of the Wedding can be seen as an anomaly in the corpus of her work. During a summer with Tennessee Williams, McCullers decided to make the book a play. McCullers did not see herself as a playwright because she had very little experience with writing plays. The Member of the Wedding expresses the sexual maturity of a twelve-year-old girl, much like McCullers life.

This novel is one of her most unique books. This article can help the reader to assess the novel because of its rich detail and criticism. The novel itself is rich in detail but getting a perspective by someone other than the author of the book helps the reader to understand who the author is and why she wrote the book. The

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brief summary of the novel in this article and knowing that McCullers was bisexual ties together why she wrote the novel in the first place.

Stafford, Tony J. "Gray Eyes Is Glass: Image and Theme in The Member of the Wedding. American Drama (Fall 1993): 54 66. Quoted as "Gray Eyes Is Glass: Image and Theme in The Member of the Wedding" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Carson McCullers, New Edition, Bloom's, Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2009. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc.

Throughout the novel eyes are a symbol that comes up many times not only in conversation but also as a physical description and characteristic. McCullers herself has said [that eyes are] moral isolation and the will to belong. Berences glass eye plays a broader significance in the novel as well. Eyes are important in ones relationships with others. One can tell many things of a person by their eyes. Sight allusions come up throughout the novel in support of the symbol: eye.

There are many instances in the novel where eyes mean more than just looking at something. Tony J. Stafford explains the many instances from the book in his article, from Frankie seeing something with her eyes to Frankie looking into

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someones eyes and feeling what they feel. The article describes the many times throughout the novel that eyes are brought up and there significance to the deeper meaning behind them.

Trebra, Connor. "coming of age in The Member of the Wedding." McClintonTemple, Jennifer ed. Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. This article written by Connor Trebra is a summary of The Member of the Wedding. The most evident theme in the book is coming of age. Frankie Addams is a twelve-year-old girl who only thinks about leaving her little town that she has lived in all her life. Her brother Jarvis and his fianc Janices wedding is coming up and all she wants is for her brother and fianc to take her with them on their honeymoon. Doing this is an escape from her monotonous life. She changes her name from Frankie to F. Jasmine because she wants to feel a part of their life.

Trebra summarizes the book in this article to show that the whole book is about the coming of age of Frankie Addams. Reading this article helps the readers realize the life that Frankie lived as an outcast. The coming of age is an important part of any childs childhood; however, growing up and going through puberty is especially hard for Frankie. From this article, the reader can comprehend that

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everybody becomes an adult in different ways: one being to try to fit into the world that one cannot understand. By summarizing the book, the readers can see that one of many themes in The Member of the Wedding is coming of age and that Frankie struggles with this part of life.

Trebra, Conner. "abandonment in The Member of the Wedding." McClinton-Temple, Jennifer ed. Encyclopedia of Themes in Literature. New York: Infobase Publishing, 2011. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc.

Every character has been abandoned in some way throughout the book. Berenice, the Addams house keeper, lost four husbands to illness, alcohol, and abuse. After the loss of her first husband, she felt isolated and alone. John Henry, Frankies cousin has no connection to his parents. Royal Quincy Addams, Frankies father, lost his wife at the birth of his daughter and he drinks to drown his sorrows. Frankie lost her mother, and her father provides no emotional support for her. She tries to find something or someone who understands her and will make her feel like she belongs to something.

Abandonment is one of the worst things the characters go through in the book. This article explains each character and what has abandoned them in life. Reading this article helps readers understand what abandonment is and how it affects

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people in different ways. The book is clearer now that one can understand the truth behind abandonment. The reader can now understand the many concepts of The member of the Wedding.