Introduction and Lead

Personal redemption and liberation happens when an individual falls through the cracks at some point in their life and redeems themselves; thus finding their purpose in life.

She's come undone
She didn't know what she was headed for

A. Lead

In Wally Lamb’s novel, “She’s Come Undone,” a woman named Dolores Price endures many hardships which she copes with by eating food. Turning to food for comfort is a terrible strategy for it’s positive effects are only temporary, and more problems settle in such as obesity. Being obese becomes Dolores’ identity; a shell in which she uses to hide from the world. Comparing a young woman’s struggle to Walt Kowalski, the disgruntled man in the film “Gran Torino,” seems far fetched but their stories relate due to individual redemption and liberation.

Thesis and Blueprint

B. Refined Thesis Statement

Dolores Price and Walt Kowalski both follow a routine consisting of bad habits which ultimately hinders their relationship with others. These two individuals have been taken for granted by people they thought they could rely on, and so they seek friendship in those they would have never approached before abandoning their poor behaviour. In turn, their new found loved ones assist in their personal redemption and liberation, thus allowing them to be at peace.

C. Blueprint

1. Dolores Price and Walt Kowalski both have bad habits which are included in their daily routine.
2. Their loved one use and abuse them causing flawed relationships and trust issues.
3. Both characters seek friendship/acceptance; first step towards redemption/liberation
4. Their stories end with Dolores and Walt being at peace

Bad Habits: Point One

A. Topic Sentence

Both Dolores Price, the young woman with much more than an identity crisis, and Walt Kowalski, the unappreciated veteran are accustomed to their bad habits which are displayed on a day to day basis.

     POINT

Dolores Price felt abandoned when her parents divorced; her father, being the only family member she could talk to, left her alone with a distant mother and a grandmother who just didn’t understand. Turning to her charming neighbour, Jack Speight, Dolores felt like she had a true friend; soon after this vulnerable young woman discovers his true intentions. After her rape, Dolores gradually eats her way into obesity and depression. Eating becomes a shield against the harshness of reality which she uses to isolate herself completely.

     PROOF

“For days I refused to come downstairs for either school or supper, holing up in my room with the goodies Ma still faithfully provided.” (Lamb 118)

     COMMENT
Dolores’ mother refused to not only discuss the rape with her daughter, but she failed to contact the police to have him penalized for such a heinous crime. Ignoring her daughter’s pain created a well of grief within her which she filled by allowing Dolores to miss school and eat junk food. Dolores’ mother instigated her poor eating habits.

Bad Habits: Point Two

     POINT

Perhaps it is due to Walt’s experience in the War that made him so hateful towards mankind, or perhaps it is due to ignorance; the roots of Walt’s racist remarks are unclear but he carries this offensive attitude throughout the entirety of the film, although in the end his comments are of a light hearted manner.

     PROOF

I got one. A Mexican, a Jew and a coloured guy walk into a bar, the bartender looks up at them and says -- ‘get the fuck out.'

The problem is I think you're an overeducated, 27-year-old virgin who holds the hands of superstitious old women and promises them eternity.

     COMMENT

It is evident that Walt does not display a specific hatred for a race but perhaps for all of them except for Americans. Although he is friends with an Irishman (construction worker) and Polack (barber), and he is aware that Americans in this modern day are ignorant; i.e., his children and grandchild, Walt is accustomed to his derogatory comments and jokes. Also, Walt does not surrender to strictly racism, but he also puts people down by their appearance and career choice; i.e., initial attitude toward Father Janovich.

Upon introduction of these two characters, it is understood that they’ve endured many hardships which they muffle with bad habits and routines.

Neglection: Point One

B. Topic Sentence

On Remembrance Day we honour war veterans for their service and the risk they took fighting for their country, and although Walt Kowalski is a Korean War veteran, and a dutiful father of two, he is unappreciated by his family.

    1.    POINT

Walt’s wife passed away and at the funeral, a place where respect is expected, his grandchildren were mocking the ceremony and his sons were discussing how miserable their father looked. Walt’s sons, Mitch and Steve, did not understand that their children should be respectful at this time of mourning, and seem to have forgotten all of what their parents did for them when they were growing up; they should’ve been more respectful as well. Instead of consoling their father, however stern he appeared, they sat unhappily beside their materialistic family.

        PROOF

MITCH: Look at the Old Man glaring at Ashley. He can't even tone it down at Mom's funeral?

STEVE: What do you expect? Dad's still living in the ‘50s. He expects his granddaughter to dress a little more modestly.

        COMMENT

Walt did not expect more than a little respect from his family at his late wife’s funeral. Dressing with a shirt that covers her mid drift is not much to ask of a young woman and it is baffling that Walt’s son could not teach his daughter that. It seems unsettling for Walt to know that he failed to impress values and morals on his sons.

Neglection: Point Two

    2.    POINT

With the divorce of her parents, rape at the age of thirteen followed by the shame her mother and grandmother displayed, a room mate taking her for granted and an unfaithful husband, Dolores Price has a hard time trusting people.

        PROOF

“I remember him as both my fool and my magician: the gullible idiot from whom I withheld information, the powerful wizard who evoked secrets I’d kept even from myself.” (Lamb 258)

        COMMENT

Dr. Shaw, the therapist at the mental institution, helped Dolores see the wrong that others have committed in her life, and to understand that she was not at fault. He allowed her to break out of her shell and understand more about herself. In turn, Dolores lost over a hundred pounds and felt like a new woman. This was the first step towards her personal liberation, unfortunately she did abandon therapy prematurely and wound up in a troubled marriage.

Although it was difficult for Dolores to open up to the therapist, she did benefit greatly from sessions with him, which in turn allowed her to overcome her poor eating habits; however, Walt remained distant from his family and continued to frown upon man kind.

Belonging: Point One

 C. Topic Sentence

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, human beings need to feel a sense of belonging and acceptance, as well as respect.

    1.    POINT

Kowalski killed over thirteen men in Korea and was honoured for it; this thoroughly disgusted him. Although he was a respected war veteran, he failed to receive any sort of respect from his family. After the passing of his wife, Walt distanced himself from others due to his own pain and prejudice. When a Hmong family moved in next door, he was irritated by their traditions and wished them away; soon after, Walt finds himself more connected to people of another race and culture than his own flesh and blood.

         PROOF

Son of a bitch. I've got more in common with these goddamned gooks than my own spoiled-rotten family.

        COMMENT    

Sue invited Walt into her home and although there were many different customs such as: don’t touch a person on their head, staring into a persons eyes isn’t respectful, Walt enjoyed their company. A Shaman, Kor Khue, read Walt and exposed the darkness of his life; he’s disrespected, scared of the past and he’s stopped living years and years ago. The words of the Shaman were a revelation to Walt.

"Hmong people rely heavily on their spiritual belief system to assist them through disease"

Belonging: Point Two

    2.    POINT

Throughout Dolores’ life she’s reached out to people only to be turned away. When her parents divorced, she had to move to her grandmother’s home, leaving her best friend Jeanette behind. The children at her school teased her, and a neighbour that offered advice and a ride home from school took advantage of her. After her mother’s death, Dolores stepped out of her shell briefly when the man installing wallpaper and his wife and daughter slept over; they were kind to Dolores and she felt like she belonged; unfortunately she never saw them again. In college she met an overweight woman like herself, Dottie, but after a lesbian experience, Dolores was upset and killed Dottie’s fish before running away. When she ended up in the mental institution and opened up to her therapist, Dr. Shaw, she became a new woman and sought companionship. Leaving therapy prematurely to pursue her college obsession, Dolores felt at peace - but it was short lived. A failed marriage allowed Dolores to move back to her grandmother’s home where she rekindled friendships with a neighbour and school counsellor; also sparking a romance with a man named Thayer.

        PROOF

“Dr. Shaw was the first parent who hadn’t left me.” (Lamb 271)

        COMMENT

The therapy sessions Dr. Shaw guided Dolores through was essentially rebirth. He became her mother and raised her properly; he turned Dolores into a child and made her into a new woman. Allowing Shaw to do this helped Dolores open up to people and it was the first step in her personal liberation.

 

“Gran Torino” depicted redemption and personal liberation in a simpler manner; an unhappy man limited by his own ignorance is pursued by a Hmong family where he ultimately finds a sense of belonging. However, Wally Lamb portrays his character Dolores in “She’s Come Undone” as a struggling adolescence who endures many trials and tribulations whilst opening up to people and continuously being shut down. Eventually Dolores finds happiness once she learns to love and accept herself.

Self-Esteem: Point One

D. Topic Sentence

Once you have self-esteem and respect it is much easier to accept friends into your life.

    1.    POINT

Referring back to Maslow’s theory, self-esteem is crucial to possess, as well as respect for yourself and others because it allows individuals to be more confident in their surroundings. Walt segregated himself from those outside of his culture but once he got to know the Hmong family next door, specifically Thao and Sue, he finally felt appreciated.

        PROOF

“All humans have a need to be respected and to have self-esteem and self-respect.”


“What a man can be, he must be.”

        COMMENT   

Walt was constantly unappreciated by his family for they cared more for materialistic objects than him. After his wife’s passing, he secluded himself from others because he felt that since his family doesn’t want to be around him, who does? When his neighbours took an interest in him despite his racial slurs and stern face, Walt finally felt respected. He finally had friends; a new family, and when they were attacked by a Hmong gang, Walt knew he had to take action - “What a man can be, he must be.”

Self-Esteem: Point Two

    2.    POINT

It is evident throughout the entire novel that Dolores suffers from low self-esteem but throughout the duration of her therapy, she slowly gained back her lost esteem. Whilst living with Dante, Dolores seems eager to please him, disregarding  her own feelings. After her abortion, Dolores is deeply depressed, and when she finds out that Dante used her savings to buy a van, and was having an affair; she was pushed to her limit. When her grandmother died, and left the house to her, Dolores exposed her past to Dante before leaving him. By taking action, she maintained her self-respect and after reuniting with old friends and acquiring a new one, she even gained back her self-esteem.

         PROOF

“For a second I thought he was going to hit me. But I couldn’t stop. I’d propelled myself in some way that felt both scary and right.” (Lamb 401)

        COMMENT

By standing up to Dante, Dolores was standing up to everyone who has done her wrong in her life.

In conclusion, both Dolores and Walt regained their self-esteem as well as self-respect once they became involved with others and realized their self-worth and potential.

Conclusion

A. Restatement of thesis

Dolores Price and Walt Kowalski both follow a routine consisting of bad habits which ultimately hinders their relationship with others. These two individuals have been taken for granted by people they thought they could rely on, and so they seek friendship in those they would have never approached before abandoning their poor behaviour. In turn, their new found loved ones assist in their personal redemption and liberation, thus allowing them to be at peace.

B. Review the key point

The characters depicted in both texts achieve personal redemption and liberation after overcoming bad habits which they’ve acquired due to neglect from others, and once they meet new people and discover their self-worth, these characters are at peace.  

C. Clincher

Although individuals may choose to live a life of solitude, it is Maslow’s theory that we need to interact with others and feel a sense of acceptance. One may distance themselves but there are many secrets lying beneath the surface; reasons as to why individuals stray from social gatherings or people in general.