The Night Nurse Grace has many meanings in the English language today. One of these meanings is to be pardoned from ones actions. In The Night Nurse, by Joyce Carol Oates, Grace Burkhardt is pardoned many times in her life. She is pardoned from dying, pardoned from her actions toward others, and eventually pardons herself from her actions. In life, we are given grace, a pardon for our actions, many times, The first example of grace being given is Grace Burkhardts life being saved physically. She could have died, but was instead saved, and was given more time to live. The doctors saved her life, not because they chose her, but because of their job. Grace was not pardoned by the doctors, but by God, who allowed her to live a while longer on the earth. She would have died from pulmonary embolism, had she not been saved by the doctors. Pulmonary embolism would have been caused by a massive blood clot in her leg which, had it broken free would have been carried to her heart, and would have killed her instantly. Instead of dying, at this place and time, Grace is given more time to live her life. I have experienced this type of grace many times throughout my life. Although when I first received this grace, I may have not known I was receiving it. A few instances of when I have been shown grace, is while I was driving. I took gravel roads to school, and Ive had my share of ditches. I have been shown grace in that I have never been hurt. And the car that I was driving has never been damaged. Instead of coming out of the accident with no injuries, I could have had really serious injuries, or not have come out at all. There have been many deaths in my high school because of gravel roads, and I could have been one of those deaths, had I not been given grace to continue living. The second example of Grace receiving grace is from Harriet Zink. Grace is reunited with an old acquaintance from her past, and a painful past between the two women is brought up. Harriet was not treated kindly by Grace when they were younger. Although Grace is undeserving of forgiveness, Harriet shows Grace grace. Harriet says that she is able to forgive due to her Christian faith: Yes, I can forgive you, Grace Burkhardt. Im a Christian woman. In my heart Im empowered to forgive. Harriet shows grace, although in their past life together, Grace was unwilling to be friendly towards Harriet. Harriet at first thought that she would not be able to show any forgiveness to Grace. When I saw you here, Grace Burkhardt, and I thought, Am I strong enough to forgive that woman? Even with Jesus help, am I strong enough? I didnt know. But now I know. I am strong enough, I can forgive. Harriet was able to look past what Grace did to her, and forgave her. In my life, this is an extremely hard thing to do. I was forgiven by God, so I need to love and forgive just as He loves and forgives me. But it is hard to turn the other cheek and forgive someone for their wrongdoing against me. I am a stubborn, stubborn person, and to forgive and forget does not match my personality. If someone does something to me, I want to take revenge, and get them back. But that is not the way I should react to them. I need to forgive them, just as Christ forgave me. I act like Harriet when I need to forgive someone. In a way, Harriet got revenge on Grace, but scaring her, and getting in her face about the whole ordeal. After that is over, she had a whole new attitude. She had to get the badness out of the way before she could let the forgiveness come through to Grace. The third way grace is given in The Night Nurse is how Grace pardons herself for the way she treated Harriet as a young girl. Graces eyes are opened to the way she treated Harriet, and tries to justify how and why she treated her the way she did. I tried to be nice to you. I did what I could. How am I to blame. Grace repeats this phrase to herself while Harriet is confronting her. She feels she did her part to help Harriet get through a tough time. The reader gets a glance at what Grace really did to Harriet: You never took showers or baths. You wore your clothes until they were filthy. You smelled. You stank. You cried yourself to sleep every night. Grace and her friends were not very friendly towards Harriet. Although it may not be justified to the reader, in Graces own eyes, she feels justified what she did to Harriet. Because of this justification, Grace is able to pardon herself, and forgive herself of the way she treated Harriet. Im sure everyone does this in their life. They try to justify what they did, or didnt do, to make themselves feel better. Looking back on my life, I have tried to justify some of the actions I have taken towards others. I know what I did was wrong, but I dont want to face what I did as a wrongdoing, so I try to excuse my actions. Reading about how Grace treated Harriet makes me look at how I treat others I come in contact with during my life. Everyone is going through a tough time some point in their life, and I need to realize that, and be friendly with everyone. Being friendly never killed anyone. Throughout life, we are pardoned many times for the actions we do. In The Night Nurse, Grace Burkhardt is given grace three ways. Her life was saved, and she was given more time to live; she was forgiven by Harriet Zink for actions she committed many years before; and she pardons herself for the way she treated Harriet. Word Count: 1018
The Night Nurse
An Unforgettable Night
After reading Joyce Carol Oates story, " The Night Nurse," revenge is what is found. This story starts off by a woman by the name of Grace Burkhardt, collapsing at a shopping mall because of a reason that was unknown at the time. She is taken in an ambulance to a hospital where she undergoes an emergency surgery for a blood clot that is in her leg that could have traveled to her heart. Grace's stay in the hospital that night was not how she expected. The worst pain a person can indure, is the one who is left out. In the beginning of the story Grace explains herself as being laid back. "I am behaving well, look how calm and civilized" (654). Grace never screamed out at the shopping mall. She tried to act as calm as possible. Even though Grace was in so much pain, she never sobbed to God or never did she ask, "Am I dying? Will I die" (654)? Shortly after the doctors took care of Grace, she went into surgery. After this is when her attitude begins to change.
After surgery
Grace just lied in bed in so much pain. She cried out "help me. I'm so cold, I'm so frightened" (654)! This is when the reader notices the shift in Graces attitude. Her attitude shifts into a tone that can practically be heard by the reader. As many times as Grace cried out for help the reader could tell she was desperate.
Once the day was over, Grace was about to go through a night that she would never forget. She began to beg God, unlike in the beginning of the story, "Help me through the night" (655). The pain from Grace's surgery was so severe, that she called
for a nurse repeatedly. Finally a nurse came in to give her a bedpan so she could urinate. After Grace used the bedpan she waited for the nurse to come back and retrieve it, but she never came back. She needed a nurse also to bring her a blanket because she was freezing cold. Once again there was no nurse to be found.
As Grace laid there waiting, she began to drift into her years at...
Grace has many meanings in the English language today. One of these meanings is
to be pardoned from ones actions. In The Night Nurse, by Joyce Carol Oates, Grace
Burkhardt is pardoned many times in her life. She is pardoned from dying, pardoned from
her actions toward others, and eventually pardons herself from her actions. In life, we are
given grace, a pardon for our actions, many times,
The first example of grace being given is Grace Burkhardts life being saved
physically. She could have died, but was instead saved, and was given more time to live.
The doctors saved her life, not because they chose her, but because of their job. Grace
was not pardoned by the doctors, but by God, who allowed her to live a while longer on
the earth. She would have died from pulmonary embolism, had she not been saved by
the doctors. Pulmonary embolism would have been caused by a massive blood clot in
her leg which, had it broken free would have been carried to her heart, and would have
killed her instantly. Instead of dying, at this place and time, Grace is given more time to
I have experienced this type of grace many times throughout my life. Although
when I first received this grace, I may have not known I was receiving it. A few instances
of when I have been shown grace, is while I was driving. I took gravel roads to school,
and Ive had my share of ditches. I have been shown grace in that I have never been hurt.
And the
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