Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Lizzie Borden - Villain or Victim?
In this unit we will be looking at how evidence is connected to claims. In her short story, The Fall River Ae Murders, Angela Carter weaves facts with fiction to create an argument that Lizzie Borden killed her father and stepmother. What is the most convincing evidence she provides to substantiate her claim? Can you determine whether it is fact or fiction? And, does she succeed in convincing you that Lizzie is an axe murderer?
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16 comments:
Before I read the essay I looked over our blog topic to see what we would be writing about. To look at the mothers case it seems reasonable that Lizzie would kill her due to the lack of affection and the desire to eat her birds. Besides that we didn't hear much about her mother and what she was doing for the good or bad of Lizzie. But from the fathers standpoint it was surprising that she would kill him. This was becasue Angela Carter says, "He would give his Lizzie, anything in the world that lives under the green sign of the dollar." This made it seem that Lizzie wouldn't have killed her father. Also the mentioning of her charity work made the argument that Lizzie is a person capable to harm anyone. But it made it more believable when her father killed her birds. The author spent a lot of time on the subject of her birds showing that it affected her greatly. Also the sequence of her points of Lizzie being messed up made it seem more realistic. For example the mentioning of having weird dreams, her imagining to be blind, seeing people in the peach tree field, then the bird incident. All of this is info for the innocent and the guilty makes it hard to make a judgment but I believe she did it.
The most convincing evidence that Angela Carter provides is presnted towards the end of the short story. The evidence states that Mr. Borden, after killing Lizzie's pigeons, cleaning off the hatchet, and putting it back in its rightful place, that Lizzie went down into the cellar to examine it, "The red receeding from her face, Lizzie went down to inspect the instrument of destruction. She picked it up and weighed it in her hand." This piece of evidence makes the reader suspicious of Lizzie's intentions with the hatchet, which we find out in the story is the weapon used to kill her parents.
It is hard to determine whether or not this piece of evidence is fact or fiction because there is no support or eyewitness to claim this as true.
Based on evidence from Angela Carter and my own conclusions, I believe that Lizzie did murder her parents, but that she was insane at the time of the crime. There is evidence in the short story that helps support my conclusion that Lizzie Borden may have been suffering from schizophrenia, thus making her unaccountable for her actions. Throughout the short story, Carter interjects details about Lizzie imagining seeing people, acting paranoid and believing that people are out to get her and her family, and blacking out--"waking up" to find herself in a situation in which she does not remember being in (i.e. "the robbery"). One symptom of schizophrenia is delusions, which are false personal beliefs. The sighting of the man in the pear trees and the belief that people are out to poison her family fall under the category of delusions.
In response to Jakob's post, I agree that it was shocking that Lizzie would kill her father, especially since Carter mentions several times how much he loved his youngest daughter and that there was no monetary limit for which he would spend on her. Lizzie reciprocated this love and respected her father.
In my opinion the most convincing piece of evidence was the discover of the robbery that caused the family tradition of lockin up all the doors. All that detail and description of the "robber's" damage to the borden house and Lizze standing there with the soap in her hand not remembering how she got there. After that story, I thought Lizze might be bipolar our have the multiple personality disorder. She was also obviously unstable because, like jakob was saying, she didnt get the love she needed from her stepmother afte the unfortunate death of her mother.
In terms of this being fact or fiction, because I googled it before reading the story and wikipedia had some info on it, I thought it must be real. But after reading the story I'm thinkin the author's evidence seems fictional.
My mind was already made up that Lizzie did it because she was the OJ of her time so my feelings about him transcended to her. But the evidence the author provides does not convince me that Lizzie did it. The author took so much of a literary rather than Factual, I guess, approach that it was hard to seperate the two in my mind.
In response to you guys I agree that LIZZIE wouldnt kill her father but if she did indeed have the multiple personality syndrome, another personality in her mind may have been dunctioning at the time.
Is Lizzie Borden a villain or victim? In “The Fall River Axe Murders” facts are connected with fiction in order to form an argument. For Angela Carter, the writer of this analysis on Lizzie Borden, could have simply made a conjecture. She would have to state her theory, without providing any evidence. However, in order to make a convincing claim, she gives information, which tries to substantiate her theory. She believes Lizzie Borden killed two people on the date of August fourth, 1892, in Fall River, Massachusetts. The temperature is very hot, even in the early morning. Angela Carter then says that everything shimmers “under the attack of white, furious sun already high in the still air.” Symbolically white is associated with purity, cleanliness, and innocence, so it is strange in a symbolic sense to hear white along with words such as “attack” and “furious.” This sentence makes the reader think that something bad will occur inevitably. Even on the first page murders are referenced. Carter states: “Lizzie Borden will murder her parents.” So we know something is going to go wrong and end in homicide(s). However, the evidence necessary to put blame on Lizzie Borden for the murdering of her father and stepmother is inconclusive. Angela Carter does discuss how furious Lizzie was with her father for killing her birds, in order to fulfill his wife’s obscene eating habits. Lizzie became so angry and upset with the both of them. When he cleaned off the hatchet, which he used to do this dirty deed, and placed it in the cellar, Lizzie went downstairs to retrieve it. She weighed it in her hand. This was two weeks before August 4th, 1892. Carter then depicts how Lizzie became high strung and could never relax, even in bed Lizzie’s hands and feet would twitch. This seems likely to happen to someone before they are about to murder someone, but this evidence seems to point to fiction rather than fact. The same scenario occurred in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s work of fiction: Crime and Punishment. Raskolnikov, the main character, experiences moral dilemmas and mental anguish. The similarities between these murderers’ symptoms and the lack of concrete evidence tells the reader that Angela Carter’s “Fall River Axe Murderers” is fiction.
Lizzie probably would have motivation to kill the mother because the she barely cared about her. I didn't expect Lizzie to kill her father. On several accounts the father treated Lizzie well and almost spoiled her. The father did not seem like he fit in as a target. Clearly Lizzie is crazy, as she is a murderer. The father did kill the birds, perhaps that was an indication of why Lizzie killed him. The author included a lot of details that made Lizzie seem very strange, like the dreams, blindness. Obviously the situation concerning the birds is the most telling of Lizzie's demeanor, but it still doesn't justify her murdering.
In response to Patrick, I agree with nearly everything that you say. I especially agree that “Lizzie Borden will murder her parents" is a telltale sign that the author is trying to slip the reader some opinion or message about Borden. I also think that the data is inconclusive, and that Borden is villainized by the writing because the author comes across as positive that she is guilty. Like Patrick says, most of the details that Carter offers can be dismissed because they are trivial. For example, as Patrick mentions, the article talks briefly about Borden's difficulty with sleep and twitching. One has to wonder if the author really thinks that this is substantial, because twitching and lack of sleep do not always point to murder. It's funny that Patrick mentions another book, because this reading vaguely reminded me of "The Crucible", in which several people are accused of being a witch based on ridiculous evidence similar to that evidence used in Carter's writing. Carter's lack of realistic evidence makes the reader consider that this is fiction.
Like Jake, I read over the blog topic before I read the article and found it very helpful knowing what details to pay close attention to throughout the reading. I found it very interesting how Carter portrayed Lizzie to be as well as her family. Additionally, Carter’s story was formed in a creative way with a fictional appeal, and without reading critically one would not pick up on the numerous hidden meanings of her words. For instance, Carter foreshadows the death of Lizzie’s parents throughout the story by including phrases such as “in case she dies during the night” or “it is a dead end.” Initially, when one reads such phrases, nothing comes of it, yet in the given context, these phrases have much deeper meanings. Words such as “coffin,” “slaughter,” and “dead” are found throughout the story and portray a negative image, and spark curiosity of the truth behind all of this mystery. Another interesting aspect of the story is Lizzie’s intentional creation of person who she sets up for the blame of the murder. Through the incorporation of the burglar as a potential man who haunts her at night, Lizzie’s actions are almost disguised and the focus shifts to actions of the burglar. Again, it is necessary to not only read this story, but to analyze details and pay close attention to repetition of phrases and place significance on them. One can infer from this type of information that the majority of this work is fiction based, only including some facts, such as the date or people involved.
When Lizzie describes the “dark man” as having “the moon glint upon an axe” one must then believe it was in fact the mysterious man who poisoned and later killed off her parents, yet if they knew her state of mind would realize it was in fact her intentions. Carter does however incorporate evidence claiming the axe murder, which could have only been accomplished by Lizzie. Of this evidence the most convincing were the claims made by Lizzie regarding the burglar and his actions. In the portrayal of such events, weird occurrences took place after and bring about Lizzie’s personality issues. I agree with numerous claims made by others, that she indeed had bipolar disorder or possessed the traits of something along those lines. Factoring this into perspective, it becomes very clear to me as a reader why she did in fact kill her parents. Despite the fact that her father and her were very close, her mind was telling her otherwise ultimately causing the murder. When she describes her feelings as, “I am afraid..that somebody…will do something,” one can only imagine what she is referring to given the instability of her memory and actions. This is yet another example of a piece of convincing evidence for the claim of Lizzie’s axe murder.
The short story, The Fall River of Axe Murders by Angela Carter tries to paint a picture about a young girl named Lizzie Borden, who is accused of killing her father with an axe. Carter uses substantial evidence to support her claim that Lizzie Borden did in fact murder her father. She describes how Lizzie would have odd lapses of behavior and nightmares in her sleep. In addition to Lizzie’s behavior, random burglaries and strange sicknesses also appeared in the Borden household. All of this evidence proves that Lizzie was in fact somewhat “crazy” and that she would have the means and ability to kill her own father. The writer does use a mix of fact and fiction while telling this bazaar and gruesome story leaving readers somewhat able to distinguish between what is fact or fiction. Carter does convince me that Lizzie is in fact an axe murderer that was mentally unstable at the time she committed the crime. Lizzie states, “Oh I have the moon glint upon the axe!” This quote foreshadows that she is going to do something destructive in the near future. I also believe that the killing of the pigeons by Mr. Borden caused Lizzie to want to kill her father with the same “instrument of destruction.” While describing Lizzie, Carter asserts, “The angel of death roosts on the roof-tree.” Even though this quote is very convincing, it makes me question if Lizzie was truly capable of killing a man who she loves so dearly.
Erica Ellermeyer
In response to Samantha, I agree with you that it is hard to believe that she would kill a man whom she adores. How could Lizzie kill a man who cared for her and loved her more than in anything in the world? He even paid for her to go to Florence with other young women in the town. It is hard to decide whether Lizzie did or did not kill her father, but overall it seems that there is enough crucial evidence to lead us to believe that she did kill her father under a mentally unstable condition.
Erica Ellermeyer
From the very beginning Carter says that “Lizzie Borden will murder her parents…” At first, I thought this was possible because Carter portrays Lizzie as a bit insane and paranoid. One example is the robbery in the house and how she couldn’t remember, and then that she thinks she is blind. I agree with Samantha that the most convincing evidence that she murdered her parents is the hatchet. Her father killed her pigeons with the hatchet and later she went downstairs to get it. I think that the fact that she was mentally unstable and that she was provoked might have been the reason why she killed her parents. She had a motive and the weapon. She also felt neglected by her step-mother. I agree with everyone else that it is unusual that she killed her father even though he treated her very well. However, I am having a bit of trouble trying to decide whether this is fact or fiction. It reminds me of the movie Identity where there is a guy on death row that suffers from multiple personality disorder. In the movie there are like right people who get stuck at a hotel and one by one they start dying. Throughout the whole movie you think that the murders are real but at the end we find out that the people who died were all personalities in the guys mind;the murders didn’t actually occur. I think that this story is similar. Although Carter attempts to portray it as real, I think it might have been all in Lizzie’s head.
Although Angela Carter, in ‘The Fall River Axe Murders’, does not blatantly state that Lizzie Borden kills her father and stepmother, she gives evidence that allows the reader to believe that Lizzie did in fact murder them, but that one murder does not make her an axe murderer. Carter starts off the story with a burglary, and that’s where the reader first meets Lizzie. She is in a corset, a bar of soap in one hand, and she does not know how she got there or remember anything that happened before this point. This introduction immediately shows the reader that there is something a little off with the Borden’s youngest daughter Lizzie. We eventually learn that Lizzie does not get a long with her stepmother at all, and actually refers to her as Mrs. Borden. Although she does not like her stepmother, her and her father share a strong bond and love for each other. The dead give away that Lizzie murdered her parents is a thought that Carter states Lizzie was thinking. This thought is most likely fiction because how could Carter read Lizzie’s mind? Nonetheless, the idea that Lizzie’s “imperious need to stay in Fall River [is to] murder her parents,” is the huge evidence against Lizzie (Carter).
Lizzie most likely murdered her father and stepmother while she was in her somnambulist trance. Lizzie “when she wakes up […] can never remember her dreams; she only remembers she slept badly” (Carter). Although all evidence points to Lizzie being the murderer, it does not make her an axe murderer. Technically she did murder with an axe, but I believe she is mentally unstable. The murder was not her, but occurred when she was sleeping or another person. In her normal state of mind, I do not believe Lizzie would kill her parents, only in her somnambulist trance.
I agree with Samantha that the hatchet helps convince the reader that Lizzie did it because in a way Carter writes that paragraph as if Lizzie was weirdly drawn to it. Another key point that assists with the hatchet is how Lizzie is "all twang, all tension, she is taught as the strings of a wind-harp from which random currents of the air pluck out tunes that are not our tunes" (Carter). Although Lizzie's uneasiness with sleeping is illustrated throughout the entire story, this sleep is described in detail. This shows that subconscious knows she murdered them, even though her conscious does not.
Angela Carter begins her short story with the "children's rhyme" about Lizzie Borden killing her father and stepmother. Carter gives a good amount of evidence for both sides of Lizzie's case. The strand of the summer heat is weaved in throughout the story to show that the weather was enough to not be in the right state of mind. It is difficult to believe that Lizzie would kill her father because Carter talks about how Lizzie was treated extremely well by her father. Anything Lizzie wanted, Lizzie got. Perhaps what is missing is an actual relationship because there is no communication throughout the house. The doors remain locked in the house and they are all just people living together but not a family. Lizzie has had bizarre dreams and visions of birds before the date of the murders. Carter mentions, however, the love that Emma, Lizzie's sister, has for her. Emma is almost like a mother to Lizzie. The two girls are unmarried and have lived their entire lives together. It is hard to say whether or not Lizzie is a victim or a villain but I believe she did murder her parents.
Angela Carter diction to start the story sets the overall tone. She describes the heat and the humidity in excruciating detail. She then goes on to write the most up front line in the third paragraphs saying " On this morning, when, after breakfast and the performance of a couple houshold chores, Lizzie borden will murder her parents". This line hits you right up front and gets right to the point. In response to the posts about Lizzie not being being able to kill her father because of emotional attachment and love. She was obviously very unstable and most likely had a very serious mental/personality disorder. Plus their relationship seems to be strongly tied together by her fathers cheque book. Gifts and money are not strong foundations of any relationship. Lizzie could have killed her father in either a normal or deranged state of mind.
In response to Jakob's blog, I must say I definitely agree with the fact that it is hard to make a judgement. Like Jakob, I too find it strange that Lizzie Borden would kill her father, whom has given her "anything in the world that live under the green sign of the dollar." Granted he is a meiser, and has terrible hygiene, he still cares for Lizzie and has given her a bed to sleep in, three meals a day, and an eventful trip to Europe. Lizzie loves her father. I do agree that after her father killed Lizzie's pigeons to feed Mrs. Boden, Lizzie was enfuriated. Angela Carter spent a lot of time on Lizzie's irritability after her pigeons were killed. I agree with Jakob that Lizzie's weird dreams, twitching, and mental anguish are all symptoms of someone who is planning on killing someone, as seen in other works of fiction like Crime and Punishment. I just do not believe there is enough evidence to convict Lizzie of this double homicide.
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