Feelings of Helplessness
At one point or another we all succumb to the feeling of helplessness in our lives. Whether it is a feeling of not being able to break free of an abusive loved one or being trapped by a bad storm, the natural animal instinct of survival is apparent. "Celebration" written by W.D. Valgardson studies that instinct and the helplessness of situations that drives us to it.
Valgardson introduces various situations that require survival techniques in the story. One is the helplessness of the children in the violent home atmosphere and the poverty that they live in. Whenever Eric and Mabel fought, "the children hid under the Toronto couch, lying absolutely still, making no sound for hours on end." (61) The action of hiding that the children take when the parents are fighting, presents one of the animal instincts that is shown throughout the story. …
