Thursday, May 15, 2008

Morning Sun Compared with Soldier's Home

Hopper's first painting, Morning Sun, reminds me a lot of Krebs in "Soldier's Home. As the girl sits on her bed in the protective fetal position she gazes out into the daylight where she yearns to be but cannot force herself to go. Her pose balled up with the crossing of her arms represent a form of shield that she is trying to create for herself, but this in contrasted by the position of her body which is leaning forward showing the internal struggle to break out into the world. The girl's clothing makes her appear very vulnerable with her delicate pink dress and bare legs. These factors create an even greater sense of fear the girl has towards the outside because it seems like she could easily be taken advantage of. Also the fact that her room seems to be very stark and orderly with its blank walls and crisply made bed show her need for perfectionism, which is distrurbed by the sunlight casting in through the window. The girl's seeming need to have order adds to her sense of fear of the outside because she is not able to control the factors outside the four walls of her room.

The girl's want of control parallels that of Kreb's when he says that he does not want any girls because he does not want to go through the courting process. Krebs appears to be lazy in his search for women, but he could actually fear the lack of control he has over their emotions. He is afraid of rejection which is shown through his insesant lying about his war stories. Krebs cannot allow himself to fall below the expectations of others and when he does he pulls away from the world. Krebs even turns away from religion denying being in God's kingdom, which shows his rejection of the uncontrollable. He finds it easier to disconnect from society than have to face daily hassels. Krebs shows this when he tells his mother he does not love her or anyone. After seeing her cry he most again lie which he feels is worse than just departing from the grace of society.

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