"Edenic Images in 'The Sound and the Fury'"

Missing JSTOR Blog from week of October 26:
"Edenic Images in 'The Sound and the Fury'." The South Central Bulletin, Vol. 40, No. 4, Studies by Members of the SCMLA, pp. 142.

The image of Caddy climbing the tree to view her grandmother's funeral, is obviously important to the meaning of The Sound and the Fury because of Faulkner's frequent references to the event. This article shed an interesting light on the event that had never occurred to me before. This article refers to Caddy's climb as being before "the Fall" as in the biblical story of Adam and Eve. The article's writer says that Faulkner's use of Garden of Eden imagery is meant to foreshadow Caddy's moral "Fall" later in the novel. This moral dilemma is also see through a different climb made by Quentin, which in a sense continues Caddy's moral state.
The article's interpretation of Benjy as the biblical Adam, the personification of innocence, is also very interesting. I see this as a very understandable interpretation. Benjy is the only constant member of the Compson family. He is unable to understand the moral turmoil of many of his relatives and therefore is able to retain his youthful innocence all his life.

Evolution of the Narrator

I was very surprised by the amount of change the novel’s narrator undergoes in section one. For the whole first section of the novel, the narrator seems to contrast all other male characters, especially the Colonel. The Magistrate is initially disturbed by the “interrogation” techniques of Colonel Joll. He appears to be the only compassionate man present: he displays great concern for the captive boy and his condition. The Magistrate is the embodiment of good thus far in the novel; however, as a subordinate to the Colonel he is unable to openly act upon his moral standards. He also cannot stop the Colonel from taking action against the so-called barbarians. Even after the Colonel blunders in sending back the fishing people, the Magistrate cannot contradict his superior’s actions. The narrator’s interest and appreciation for history and forgotten artifacts heighten his likeability and appeal to readers, but even these redeeming qualities are negated by his thoughts later in the section.
This negation is most apparent in the closing paragraphs of section one. These paragraphs are also the disappointing pinnacle of our narrator’s character shift. He reveals his hope that “this obscure chapter in the history of the world were terminated at once” and that these “ugly people were obliterated from the face of the earth.” His reference to exterminating the captives, having “them dig, with their last strength, a pit large enough for all of them to lie in,” was quite a shock. After following the thoughts of a sound, caring man, this turn towards death and destruction is unsettling. Just prior to this change in perspective, he comments on how he does not understand why all of the soldiers seem to love and follow the colonel despite his cruel actions. This statement turns out to be an ironic one, because the narrator himself falls victim to the negativity of the Colonel, and by association the negative views of the Empire.

My Own Image of Africa

• Africa as a foil to Europe.
• Article is Achebe's response to Conrad's novel, which he believes exemplifies this idea.
• Believes if Africa is the antithesis to Europe it it the antithesis to civilization.
• Achebe resents that Heart of Darkness is considered a "permanent novel."
• Considers Conrad's writing style "unerhanded activity" and full of "trickery."
• Achebe sites many passages from the novel to support his point of view.
• I interpreted all passages Achebe sites differently than he did. What do you think?
• Comparison of African woman and English woman
• I believe Conrad, through Marlow, was being truthful about what he saw. Not saying that it was correct or moral. Turn perspectives around interpretations may be similar.
• Achebe and my own differences in perspective also may be affecting our interpretations.
• Marlow tossing out "bleeding-heart sentiments."
• Accusing Conrad of not promoting an equality in his novel. p. 343.
• Analyses responses of students
• Do not know what to think of Conrad's preoccupation with the word "black." p. 345.
• Native's attack on Marlow and crew
• p. 348. Achebe claims that Conrad makes Africa a place to be avoided. Why does Marlow go there?
• p. 349. Comment on language.
• I do not believe by any means that Conrad's book is not racist, and does not looking poorly on African people. If this novel were written in our time period I would comdemn Conrad myself.

Shedding Light on Prejudices or Tolerance?

Marlow is a character who views the world around him in an objective manner. We find out in the novel's first chapter that to him truth is the most important of virtues, which only serves to support his reliability as a narrator. Although Marlow relays events and his surroundings dependably, his observations, specifically concerning Africa's native inhabitants, are sometimes contradictory. In chapter two, Marlow discusses the "remote kinship" he feels between the white race and the supposed savage race, and comments on their undoubtable humanity. However, several paragraphs later, he remarks on the simlarities between the steamboat's fireman and ". . . a dog . . . walking on its hind legs." Marlow later describes how the workers on the steam boat have been literally starving for the past months, but have showed enough restraint not to revolt. The narrator seems to hold this restraint in high respect, but through his language still shows disdain for those who he calls savage. Because of Marlow's contradictory thoughts and observations, the line between prejudice and tolerance is blurred. Do you think Conrad intended Marlow to be a racist character? How does the time period and culture in which the novel was written affect how it deals with race? What do you think Conrad intended; was he attempting to unearth the horrors of British colonization or was he emphasizing a need to "humanize" Africa's indigenous peoples?

Around the middle of the novel's second chapter, Quentin encounters and befriends a small, Italian girl. At first, when Quentin assists the little girl in the bakery, and gives her a sweet bun to eat, it seems as though he is doing it merely out of kindness and generosity. However, Quentin does not part with the girl after leaving the bakery. He seems to have some kind of connection to her that we are not yet aware of. After reading further, this connection becomes more apparent due to Quentin repeatedly addressing the girl as "sister." One can only assume that this small girl, or possibly girls in general, represent the memory of a beloved, innocent sister to Quentin. This assumption is supported later in this sequence by interactions with the child, triggering Quentin's flashbacks involving Caddy. The flashback that fascinates me the most begins on the bottom of page 133. Along with insight into the relationship between Caddy and Quentin, we are provided with information possibly explaining the pain Quentin fells surrounding his sister. In the first glimpse of this flashback, how do you view what is happening, or has possibly happened to Quentin? In the sequence beginning on page 134 and ending on 137, what exactly is happening between Caddy and Quentin, and how is Natalie apart of this?

Dreams or Adventures? The Life a King or No Life at All?

A new spin on the classic children’s’ book, Where the Wild Things Are! This is the short story for me. I grew up loving the dark simplicity that is the adventure story of Max and his companions. Although there are not any elegant vocabulary words or uses of figurative language in the story, I consider it a great piece of writing. It will always retain a place in my memory and in my heart. How can an author go wrong with a story like that? These reasons are why I am considering the short story, Max at Sea for my short story essay. Dave Eggars, the story’s author, has changed the story enormously from its original version. In this adaptation, Max never returns home to his family, which I think was the most important aspect of the children’s book. Max had a wonderful time with his mythical friends, but in the end went back to his mother, the only person who truly loved him. I really enjoyed this story, but am hesitant to choose it for my essay because I may dislike the story’s message too much.
My other consideration for the essay is, The Fountain House by Ludmilla Petrushevskaya. This story is also dark, but in a much deeper way than Max at Sea. This story combines very real, human conditions; such as death, money, and family with raw emotion. A father has to let go of his daughter. Physically she leaves him in death, but she also strays away from him in his dreams. Through his dream the father realized that he is not able to save his daughter from death. Not even by sacrificing himself; figuratively in the dream, as well as literally by giving her his blood. My favorite literary aspect of this story is the author’s ability to transition from dream to reality. The same themes are present in both dream and real life, they are just presented differently. Along with alternating dream sequences, there seems to be alternation between the father being dead and the daughter being dead, or at least the line is very blurred between who is truthfully deceased. The ending gives the story a spooky air, which blurs the dream world and the real world even more.

Nobody Really Knows Anything: Everything is Open to Interpretation

While reading Shiloh, I was most struck by the differing affection between Norma Jean and Leroy. On one end of the spectrum there is Leroy, becoming fonder of his wife every day. Then on the other end there is Norma Jean, who seems to be slowly inching away from Leroy until she finally must express herself. These observations brought me to question whether or not Leroy really saw his wife realistically, or as an ideal woman that exists only in his mind. Because the story is written from the perspective of only Leroy there is not way to tell. Why does Norma Jean, in the end, want to leave Leroy? We can only make assumptions based on Leroy’s interpretations.
Leroy gives the impression that when he was away from his home and Norma Jean many things went unnoticed. He uses the words such as, realize and notice, repeatedly throughout the story, referring “. . . how things are put together . . .” and how their home “. . . does not even feel like a home. . . .” Leroy also realized that something has happened to his marriage without his noticing. He believes that he loves Norma Jean very much; however, the two still “. . . must create a new marriage, start afresh.” Leroy sees his wife playing the organ, cleaning, and working on her pectorals, but he never knows what she is thinking. He admits almost desperately that, “. . . [h]e wanted to know what she thought—what she really thought. . ,” but he cannot bring himself to unleash those emotions. Perhaps if Leroy had been able to break into Norma Jean’s perspective their marriage truly would be able to “start afresh.”
The death of Leroy and Norma Jean’s infant son is a taboo subject in their home. This even early in their marriage is something which is never spoken about. Leroy appears to wonder occasionally what would happen if he started talking about Randy. How would Norma Jean react? After reading the entire story it seems that attempting to hear Norma Jean’s thoughts on the subject could have been no more detrimental to the marriage than whatever was already going on. And maybe the marriage could not be saved by any actions that Leroy took. Perhaps it was not meant to be from the beginning, but both parties were just too distant to notice. Again, there is no way to know anything for certain.
In the end we will never know the concrete reasons for Norma Jean wanting to leave Leroy. All we know is what Leroy sees and thinks about the world around him, which is a frustrating position at times. However, because a final resolution is not included at the end of the story, Mason I perhaps saying that the conclusion does not matter, but he feelings and emotions in at the heart of the story do. “Nobody knows anything, Leroy thinks. The answers are always changing.” What makes this story interesting is that there are no definitive answers; everything is open to interpretation. Just as, we see Leroy interpret, realize, and notice everything in his life.

Human Connection: No Matter How Small

The character of grandmother in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” evolves throughout the story. She is the only character who seems to represent a general character of “goodness” in the story. It is true that she is selfish and is responsible for the murder of her family and herself; however, she is the only character in the story that can make a small impact on the actions of The Misfit. This is starkly contrasted by Bailey and his family, who give all kinds of hints towards their being spoiled and impatient. The family drags grandma along even though it is clear she is unwelcome. June Star, her own grandmother retorts, “She wouldn’t stay home for a million bucks . . . [s]he has to go everywhere we go.” We never truly found out how her family feels about grandma, and unfortunately we never get the chance to find out.
The almost terrifying irony of the stories conclusion, transforms grandma’s character from one of “goodness,” to one of crazy foolishness. In the stories first paragraph, grandmother pleads with Bailey to go to Tennessee instead of Florida, “. . . this fellow who calls himself The Misfit is aloose from the Federal Pen and headed toward Florida . . . I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it.” Sadly, this is exactly what grandma does to her children and her grandchildren. This is the event in the story where we loose all respect for grandma, she is a completely unhinged annoyance to all.
Then something happens between grandma and The Misfit, they begin to talk. It is obvious that grandma’s hope in talking to The Misfit is to save her own life, even though all whom she cares about are dead. After hearing about her killer’s childhood and family a connection seems to grow between the two. Not anything great, only a spark that possibly ignites in The Misfit thoughts that he had been trying all of his life not to have. “His voice seemed about to crack and the grandmother’s head cleared for an instant. She saw the man’s face twisted close to her own as if he were going to cry . . . .” This view inside grandmother’s connects the reader with The Misfits own sense of hesitation and emotion. Even though, grandmother seems to be getting to him, the grandma still end up dead and The Misfit still continues killing.
Along with Flannery O’ Connor’s commentary on just grandma, she could also be making commentary on humankind in general. Red Sammy, at first glance an inconsequential character, plainly states that, “[a] good man is hard to find . . . [e]verything is getting terrible.” By having the bad guy win and the good, or at least somewhat moral, characters die perhaps O’Conner want to tell readers that there is no hope for the future of man. That horrible things will happen and that horrible people will be born with the evolution of humankind; and that no matter how big or small the spark or connection between two humans it is not enough to change decisions and their outcomes.

Dee Always Had A Style of Her Own

Maude LaBelle

AP English-1

791

Dee Always Had A Style of Her Own

The most apparent theme in Everyday Use is the narrator’s perception of her daughter, Dee. Memories of Dee as a child, a teenager, and a young adult are woven into the story, building up to the physical arrival of Dee at her mother’s house. All of Dee’s actions in youth, towards her sister and mother drip of embarrassment and condescension, which we easily see through her mother’s eyes. We end up knowing Dee before we even meet her. The adult Dee, whom we meet in the end of the story, is no one but the same young girl dressed in new clothes, bearing a new name. What makes this short story particularly captivating to me, is that through Dee and her transformed self we are able to know the true meaning of an individual’s heritage, and how heritage is perceived in many different ways.

All of the narrator’s memories shape how we see Dee’s character. She wants her life to be separate from the lives of her mother and sister, along with all that surrounds them: their house, their livelihood, etc. When she was young Dee distanced herself from them in small ways, such as, “. . . read[ing] to [them] without pity; forcing words, lies, [and] other folks habits . .” (445). She used her education as against her mother and sister, making them feel ashamed. When the family’s first house burned down, the house that Dee hated, she stood watching “. . . the last dingy gray board of the house fall in toward the red-hot brick chimney,” while her mother pulled Maggie from the flames, “. . . her [little sister’s] hair smoking and dress falling off her in little black papery flakes” (444). Here Dee is portrayed as having almost no compassion for the lives of her own mother and sister. An even greater sense of superiority is born in Dee when she is sent to school in Augusta. She states in a letter to her mother that she will come visit the family’s new home, but she will never bring her friends; a result of her obvious embarrassment. Before Dee’s arrival her mother predicts that when Dee sees the house she will “[n]o doubt . . . want to tear it down” (445).

What happens when Dee, or Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo, arrives is quite opposite of what her mother predicted. Dee steps out of the car in a flowing, loud dress that hurts her mother’s eyes. Her Swahili greeting of “Wa-su-zo-Tean-o,” that must be sounded out, is both surprising and confusing to her mother. Even more surprising is the company Dee has brought with her, company that her mother was told would never appear at the house. All of Dee’s actions and words from this point on make everything surrounding her, a delightful novelty. She snaps Polaroid photos of her mother and sister, never forgetting to include the house in the frame. The house that looks astoundingly similar to the one she hated as a child, she now cannot seem to get enough of. Dee deems benches that her father made, because they had no money to buy chairs, “lovely”. Even Dee’s friend looks at her mother as though he finds in her something amusing, he acts “. . . like somebody inspecting a Model A car” (446). Instead of seeing objects in her mother’s home as tools important to day-to-day function, Dee sees the new center-piece of her table, and an amusing art project. She sets her sights on two quilts that had been hand-pieced by her Grandmother and Aunt. Completely discounting the fact that the quilts had been promised to her sister, she exclaims, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts! . . . She’s probably backward enough to put them to everyday use” (448). A valid response to this statement might be, why would a quilt be used in any other way! Dee’s mother ends up taking the quilts out of her hands and giving them to Maggie, finally saying “no” to the girl the world never learned to say “no” to (443).

Upon leaving, Dee tells her mother that she just doesn’t understand. “What don’t I understand?” her mother replies. Dee calmly responds, “Your heritage [.]” The frustrating irony in this exchange is that Dee spent her whole life rejecting her heritage, until it suddenly became stylish to have one. The ornate clothing, Swahili phrases, and decorative items that she considers her heritage became meaningless once she left her family behind. Dee wants her heritage to be something that exists in her fantasies; while her mother and sister are perfectly content with, and proud of, the lives they lead and the heritage they embody.

A Good Old Trip Down Memory Lane

I honestly had a hard time coming up with books to include on this list. This difficulty is not due to having read few books in my life; it is really due to the fact that I don't necessarily reflect on books after I read them. So, after looking through my bookshelf at home, I was, in fact, able to find some books that jumped off the shelf, full of memories.

!. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey.

If I had to chose and all-time favorite book, this would be it. It is the only book that has ever

made me cry.

2. Scar Tissue, by Anthony Kiedis.

This autobiography gave me an even greater love and appreciation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

It was also just a crazy, entertaining read.

3. Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer.

This was the first "big book," which interestingly doesn't seem so big anymore, I had ever read by myself. It was also just so full of magic and adventure.

4. The Terrorist, by Caroline B. Cooney.

I read this book when I was about twelve or thirteen. It was my first glimpse of how

acts of terrorism can affect a family. I was scared that I would one day be able to relate to

the novel.

5. Beloved, by Toni Morrison.

I love everything about this novel. I think I liked it so much because it was so different from anything I had read before.

6. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl.

I went through a faze where I read all of the Dahl books I could find. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is my favorite; way better than the movie!

7. Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer.

I am embarassed to say that this is one of my most memorable novels; however, I couldn't

put it down. It's seriously a great love story.

8. Officer Buckle and Gloria, by Peggy Rathman.

I will always remember this book. I still know after all these years not to stand on a swivel

chair, because we all know what happened to officer buckle.

9. How I Paid for College, by Marc Acito.

This is a laugh-out-loud book. All of the characters are so original, yet so easy to relate to.

Reading Over the Summer

My summer began with the purchase of three novels, which I found while perusing my local bookstore in Northern Michigan. The first, was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S. Thompson. The novel jumped off the shelf at me. I had heard from many that it was a whirlwind novel that threw its readers into the fascinating, fast-lane, drug world of the Las Vegas strip, and they were right. It was amazing how the story's two main characters, Hunter Thompson and his lawyer, navigated through the maze of glitz that is Las Vegas, high on every drug imaginable, most of which I had never even heard of. The novel was a thrill ride that I was lucky to have picked up.

The second novel I stumbled upon was titled, They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky : The True Story of Three Lost Boys From Sudan; a story written by, Alphonsion Deng, Benson Deng, Benjamin Ajak, and Judy A. Bernstein. This novel was incredibly eye opening. The story's three narrators, also co-authors of the novel, give first hand accounts of what it was like trying to survive in war-torn Sudan, as children. I picked up the novel because I had never read anything about the strife affecting Sudan, let alone the condition of the "lost boys," a term that I had heard used in passing, without ever knowing what it referred to. It turned out to be a better novel choice than I ever could have hoped. I was captivated and shocked by the struggles of three boys who had to grow up without the support of homes or parents, not to mention, enough food and water to stay alive; things which I had come to take for granted. Also, the novel not only showed how the war in Sudan affected Alepho, Benson, and Benjamin; but, it took into account the thousands of other boys who were forced to flee their homes and march across Southern Sudan towards refuge. These boys are the "Lost Boys of Sudan" whose journey became known across the globe. The novel ends with Alepho, Benson, and Benjamin being able to leave Sudan, bound for America, with dreams of endless opportunity. The triumphs of Benson, Alepho, and Benjamin give the book a good sense of closure; however, they do not overshadow how there are still young boys who were not so lucky, and are still in Sudan today. This novel is without a doubt my favorite out of all that I read this summer.

The third and last novel I found was actually, one that I was looking for. The Plot Against America, by Philip Roth is the novel that I chose out of the ones recommended by Mr. Coon. The novel is set in urban New Jersey, its narrator a young Jewish boy, seemingly named for the author, who encounters an America far from what is in the history books of today. Roth creates an alternate outcome to the 1940 Presidential Election, where Charles Lindbergh defeats Franklin D. Roosevelt in running for his third term as President. Charles Lindbergh goes on to install what is considered fascist legislation, which effects the entire country, especially its Jewish population. The Plot Against America does a wonderful job of getting a reader to think about the immense power of the president, and about the fear which the government can potentially instigate.