Theft by joyce carol oates
"There was a moment when an item passed over from belonging to another person to belonging to Marya; that moment interested her greatly." It was interesting how Marya could lose the difference between reality and theft. She seemed to believe that an object that she touched became hers and had almost had no previous owner, she felt that she deserved it. Marya was so afraid of failure that, being a perfectionist by nature that she would do almost anything to keep her perfect grades. Marya is very insecure about herself and she has a tough time with friendships because she believes they are a "waste of time." Marya attends Port Oriskany College on scholarships that pay for her tuition only. She is responsible for her room and board, she lives in Maynard House in the top "cubby hole" that used to be the maids quarters. All of the other girls in the house are also on scholarships to be attending Port Oriskany. There are three types of theft to Marya. While reading which is usually at night she steals the author's ideas and feelings making them her own, in friendships she steals popularity and being accepted while giving nothing back and the physical aspect of actually stealing and breaking the law, when she sees an object, g
Marya is an avid reader, when she reads she loses herself completely and becomes engrossed in the authors thoughts as if they were her own, it is like a secret process she goes through, that gives her the rush of stealing but is legal and not banned. In this kind of theft she risks no punishment or harm. She becomes almost a split personality "slipping out of her consciousness and into that of the author." Reading for her was something that she loved to do at night because she loved the feeling of being mysterious and secretive. The later in the evening the easier it was for her to lose herself and steal the authors mind. The process of reading was electrifying to Marya; it opened herself up to feelings of excitement and acceptance she never experienced in reality. She felt like the author's imagination was more life-like than his real life, so, for Marya, reading their works was her way of getting into their minds. Due to Marya's personality, she has a tough time dealing with reality and discerning what is hers and what isn't hers. She had questions throughout whether she was having a "breakdown" or "cracking up." Marya would in one sense see herself in the third person, she would see her hand reach out and grab the object, but not remember taking it. She would spend time pondering in class about stealing objects she didn't even want, but somehow her eyes would always be set upon them. It ap
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 947
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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