Posts

Hagar's Rage

In class we discussed the scene where Hagar attempted to kill Milkman. I would like to expand and express my own opinions about the scene. In particular, I thought the description of Hagar engulfed in rage was interesting. If you want to read it, it’s page 127 last paragraph. Morrison describes that Hagar’s “lethargy dissipated of its own accord”. This lethargy dissipating from Hagar’s body almost resembles a disease dissipating from the body. It is as if Hagar is rejuvenated and now can express herself to the truest extent. It is also described that wilderness was filled in its place: revealing an unrestrained “wild” side of Hagar. This agrees with the idea that we talked about during class where the characters in Song of Solomon go “crazy” because of their passions. This crazy side is revealed in Hagar because of her passion for Milkman. Morrison equates the “wilderness” in Hagar as a flood or an avalanche. The commonality between these two is that they are both uncontrolla...
9 comments
Read more

wait but what is obeah??

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one while reading The Wide Sargasso Sea to think ‘What the heck is obeah?’ In the novel, obeah seems to be portrayed as a dark, malicious magic. The first time that Rochester hears about Obeah from Daniel, Daniel describes it as “devil business”. Also, Christophine seems to be reluctant to give Antoinette an obeah potion because what is implied to be an incomprehensible power. I’m not sure if Rochester sleeping with Amelie was a direct result of him drinking the obeah potion of lust, but it seems probable given the way obeah is portrayed. Naturally, to learn more about obeah, I went to Google and searched obeah. Sure enough, it was a sorcery that was developed in Africa and practiced in various regions including the Caribbean. But, what does obeah mean in the context of this novel? I think that obeah embodies the desires and cultural identity of Antoinette. When Antoinette gets Rochester to drink the obeah, he changes. Perhaps this is a response t...
9 comments
Read more

MOM AND SISTER KILLS INNOCENT SON **NOT CLICKBAIT**

             During Mersault’s time in prison, the most memorable moment was when he was narrating the “Czechoslovakia story”, where the mom and sister accidentally beat the son to death for his money. In particular, I was intrigued by the phrase “On the one hand it wasn’t very likely. On the other, it was perfectly natural.” Is it perfectly natural? I initially only agreed with the first part of his statement. This type of event is not likely. It was a bunch of unlikely and unlucky events happening consecutively. However, he claims that it was also completely natural.              Since the beginning of the novel, Mersault seemed as though he was disconnected from society. He seems to ignore societal norms and has a blurry distinction between right and wrong. That being said, when I first read the comment that Mersault made saying that it was perfectly natural, I thought that he was a complete psychopath. How, i...
5 comments
Read more

Is the Family Really Being That Mean??

We discussed in class that the actions of the family were lacking in love and care for Gregor, but I think that the family’s response was completely reasonable. Gregor’s father seems to be horrified with Gregor’s figure. When he first saw Gregor’s insect figure he proceeded to beat him back into his room with the Chief’s cane. The second time Gregor got in the way of the father, the father threw apples and ended up severely injuring Gregor. I think one important commonality between these two violent encounters is that the father used “ranged attacks”. The father didn’t want to touch Gregor in any way. The fact that Gregor’s father kept his distance when attacking the monstrous bug, I think, was because he was fearful of Gregor. In class, we discussed the father as being an imposing and commanding figure reprimanding Gregor for his inability to work. But to me, it seemed almost like the father was defending himself and his family against Gregor. Gregor’s mother responds to Greg...
6 comments
Read more

Boxing Match in Vienna: An Analysis

My favorite scene in the novel thus far is Bill’s description of the boxing match in Vienna between the local fighter and a black fighter. I thought this passage was humorous and striking at the same time. Humorous, because of the unexpected plot twist when it’s revealed that the black fighter was trying to let the white fighter win. However, striking because of the injustice that the black fighter experiences after winning the fight (fairly). It is probably more angering because of the social standards that we have in the present, but in 1926 (when this novel was published) the civil rights movement hadn’t really started yet. But an important question is why did Hemingway feel the need to include this anecdote in the novel? One idea is that Hemingway is developing Bill’s character through this mini story. The anecdote is narrated by Bill as he describes his take on the fight. In the novel, Bill is portrayed as a humorous guy. He’s constantly expressing himself through jokes a...
3 comments
Read more

Comparing the Storylines of Septimus and Clarissa

Throughout our class discussions of Clarissa and Septimus, we frequently touched on the parallels between the two story lines. We did mention small similarities such as unwanted visitors barging into both of their houses: Peter at Clarissa’s and Dr. Holmes at Septimus’. However, in terms of their back story and their mental states, I would like to entertain the possibility of parallel story lines eventually diverging with Septimus’ suicide.             In terms of similarities of the two story lines, it’s quite evident that both Septimus and Clarissa are on the verge of crumbling beneath the societal pressures that they respectively face. For Septimus, his PTSD and the doctors’ “help” are quite stressful for him. On top of that, his fear of admitting to Rezia that he doesn’t love her adds to the pressures that he experiences in his everyday life. For Clarissa, her pressures are more a product of her aristocratic status. As a re...
1 comment
Read more

The Art of Remembrance

A few days ago, in class, we spent a good amount of time talking about Clarissa and her sentimentality. While listening to the points made, I recalled the ways that memories are portrayed in The Mezzanine . I would like to take this post to discuss the ways nostalgia plays a role in both The Mezzanine and Mrs. Dalloway . This idea that memories negatively shape the way that we process things is apparent in both novels. In Howie’s case, he criticizes nostalgia because it “turned something that I was taking seriously as an adult into something soupier, less precise, more falsely exotic, than it really was” (Baker, 39).  In other words, he’s saying that memories distort things, turning them into something overly meaningful or meaningless. He expresses his dislike for that. It’s apparent that Howie takes measures to stop these memories from invading his mind as shown in the quote, “no matter how hard I try to keep sentimental distortions from creeping in, they creep in anyway” (B...
4 comments
Read more