Gray Scale

This week the stories we read transitioned from black and white to gray. Don’t worry, let me explain. They went from darkness and light in “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place”; to the contrast of black and white in “Battle Royal”; to complete monotone grayness—in the form of equality—in “Henry Bergeron”. The dichotomy of opposites is a powerful way to add dynamics and friction to a short story.

Ernest Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place” is a story about the stages of life—especially old age. The story begins with a stark contrast of darkness and light. It begins with the image of “an old man who sat in the shadow of the leaves of a tree made against the electric light” (1). The aged man is in the shadow of death. His energy for life is depleted, and so he spends his days in the café drinking away his despair. Two waiters, one old and one young, give the readers two different perspectives on the old man’s situation. (Here is another contrast—old and young). The elder of the two sympathizes with the old man. He views the café as a place of refuge for the dejected senior. He stays late in the café “with all those who do not want to go to bed. With all those who need a light for the night” (70). While the younger waiter, who is more materialistic and immature, sarcastically wishes that the old man (who attempted suicide) “should have killed [himself] last week” (18). Although the older waiter is more in tune to the complexities of human emotion, there is another reason behind his empathy. He feels the same way about life as the old man. In his “nada” monologue, the old waiter reveals to us his disinterest in life. It is not only the old man who needs a light for the night, but also waiter himself.

This idea of “light for the night” has many possible meanings. The one that I concluded was a metaphor for death and the afterlife. Darkness has been and will always be connected to death, the great unknown. The old man’s despair and the old waiter’s pessimistic view of life both stem from their disinterest in life. The old waiter states (in reference to life), “It was all a nothing and a man was nothing too” (76). He goes on to recite the Lord’s Prayer, replacing key words with “nada”. It is here that the religious subtext of the story is displayed. When reading this short story I was reminded of a series of paintings by Thomas Cole. His series “The Voyage of Life” is an allegory of the four stages of man’s life: childhood, youth, manhood, and old age. An exerpt from Wikipedia best describes the four paintings

"In childhood, the infant glides from a dark cave into a rich, green landscape. As a youth, the boy takes control of the boat and aims for a shining castle in the sky. The last two pictures reverse the boat's direction. In manhood, the adult relies on prayer and religious faith to sustain him through rough waters and a threatening landscape. Finally, the man becomes old and the angel guides him to heaven across the waters of eternity." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Voyage_of_Life)

Because death is encroaching and the mystery of the afterlife is still well, a mystery, religion is the only way to make death more comfortable. It seems that both men are spiritually lost, and therefore uncomfortable with the possibility of their dismal afterlives. To conclude, the poetic rock band MUSE, in their song “Thoughts of a Dying Atheist”, sang, “Look through a faithless eye/ are you afraid to die? / It scares the hell out of me/ and the end is all I can see…”

In my discussion Ralph Ellison’s “Battle Royal” fits in the middle of my two themes: the dichotomy of black and white (and its various connotations) and that of equality. It is a story that speaks about racial tension as well as racial equality. The story is a struggle of a young black man battling a world dominated by white men. With this story I want to focus on a singular scene. After being battered, the young black man gives a speech. His mouth is being flooded with blood, when he utters the phrase “social responsibility” (69). He tries to speak, but chokes on his blood. He is forced to repeat this phrase and accidentally (or more likely a Freudian slip) he croaks “social…equality” (81). His swallowing the blood that runs through his veins is important. Through this act, he is symbolically swallowing part of himself, his people, his heritage, and therefore his pride. In a time of racial inequality, African Americans explored many different ways to elevate their social standings. Civil disobedience was a reaction to violent attacks from both blacks and whites. This story shows how the protagonist’s subordination may help him survive, but it does not help him win the war. And that racial, gender, and social equality sadly does not come without a price. To steal another line from MUSE, “Why can't we see / that when we bleed we bleed the same.”

Kurt Vonnegut creates a satirical contrast to America in “Henry Bergeron”. He takes us to a time when equality is the norm. In our future, the beneficially competitive atmosphere of our country is gone. Instead, the citizens have created the 211th, 212th, and 213th Amendments to ensure that “they were equal every which way” (1).With our competitive edge handicapped, our nation deteriorated. To steal a line from Darwin, natural selection works only if there is variation within a population. So in order to evolve there needs to be variability. Where there is no evolution, there is no progress. Of course, I am not advocating Social Darwinism. I mentioned this to point out that the laws of evolution no longer apply to this imaginary nation.

Vonnegut makes a strong statement through his satirical approach to the concept of equality: We need inequality. In America today, inequality gives us something to strive for. To take a lesson from the failed social experiment of Soviet Russia, equality creates complacency. In Vonnegut’s world in 2081, the strong were weighted down; the beautiful were masked; and the intelligent were prevented from thinking. Although “equality” is a political buzzword and a happy thought, its far-reaching side effects are often overlooked. If we all looked the same, it would be hard to tell us apart. If we all were the same age, we wouldn’t have the perspective of a child or the experience of the old. If we were all equal, we would have nothing to distinguish us and, most importantly, nothing to strive for.

So what is this week’s lesson, kids? Our differences make us more exciting. It really sounds like something we learnt in kindergarten. But the older I get, the more these basic lessons take on more complex meanings. (1,157)


P.S. Mr. Coon, you can click on the thumbnails to see the enlarged paintings. They're wonderful! Also, the formatting for the block quote didn't work...so I just put the quotation marks instead.

Revelations in the Pig Parlor

“Revelation” is the story of Mrs. Ruby Turpin’s self realization. Flannery O’Connor takes us on Mrs. Turpin’s journey from damnation to possible redemption. Mrs. Turpin represents the sin of pride. Her self-satisfaction and obnoxious sense of superiority are taken to the extreme and eventually crushed by her final, belittling revelation. Through a series of strange events in unexpected places, O’Connor evokes the maxim that God works in mysterious ways.

Ruby, the protagonist, prides herself on being above everyone else. Her superiority complex is most clearly displayed in the doctor’s waiting room. While the waiting room is not the typical place for a spiritual awakening, it is a good location that emphasizes the maxim above. In the room is a collection of people from different socio-economic backgrounds: most notably, Mrs. Turpin, Claud, a pleasant (well-to-do) lady, a fat teenager, named Mary Grace, reading a book entitled Human Development, “white-trash” woman, and for a moment, a black delivery boy. Ruby places the classes of people in her own hierarchy: on the bottom were most “colored people,” then white-trash, then home owners, and then property owners like herself and Claud. She would “dream they were all crammed in together in a box car, being ridden off to be put in a gas oven” (24). In the waiting room, her internal thoughts reflect her constant criticism of her surroundings and company. For example, in reference to the cleanliness of her pigs, she thinks that her pigs are “cleaner by far than that child right there…poor nasty little thing” (44).

Mrs. Turpin’s sarcastic, smug remarks are heard only by the story’s readers. Yet, we get the sense that Mary Grace can also hear Mrs. Turpin’s internal thoughts. Mary’s scowling, smoldering eyes intensify with the mounting pride of Mrs. Turpin. Ruby repetitively praises God for elevating her above so many others. Her judgmental thoughts, coupled with her racist, derogatory commentary make Mrs. Turpin very disagreeable. However, in her own eyes, God gave her a good disposition (101). Blinded by her pride, Mrs. Turpin does not realize her many faults. And therefore she continues her praising of God. At the climax of Mrs. Turpin’s exaltation, she exclaims, “When I think who all I could have been besides myself and what all I got, a little of everything, and a good disposition besides, I just feel like shouting…Oh thank you Jesus, Jesus, thank you!” (101). Right then, Mary Grace hurls Human Development at Mrs. Turpin’s inflated ego. Mrs. Turpin is saved by the violent actions of Mary Grace. Her name is no coincidence, considering that she is the (unlikely) messenger of God’s grace to Ruby. Mary spats, “Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog” (113). At that moment, Mary’s intense eyes burned because she knew that “her message had struck its target”—literally and metaphorically (113).

Even after her encounter with Grace, Mrs. Turpin does not immediately realize her sin of pride. She wondered why “she had been singled out for the message, though there was trash in the room to whom it might justly have been applied” (130). Mary’s words echoed in Mrs. Turpin’s mind and disturbed her. Her last resort to understand this message was to ask God Himself.

Mrs. Turpin’s challenging of God is her most consequential display of pride. Her evening of questioning and denial created a whirlwind of anger and frustration within her mind. Ruby marched down to the pig parlor with a “look of a woman going single-handed, weaponless, into battle” (172). She looked to the heavens and—just as Lucifer—confronted God. In her ultimate moment of rage she roared, “Who do you think you are?” (187). The echo returned to her “like an answer from beyond the wood” (188). As if God simultaneously answered her and questioned her, “Who do you think you are?” Mrs. Turpin was utterly dumbfounded, signifying her humbling revelation. Ruby’s narrow sense of place was destroyed in that moment; while her perception of her place among men and God was widened. Mrs. Turpin—just as her fellow swine, illuminated by the sunset—was enlightened by a deeper understanding.

In the pig parlor, another unlikely place for spiritual enlightenment, O’Connor stages the second peak of Mrs. Turpin’s journey. Ruby’s vision of a processional march to heaven reestablished the message in her revelation: she, just as everyone else, must earn her way into heaven’s gates. The order in which they came was the opposite of her hierarchy. First in line were companies of white-trash followed by black people in white robes. Last in the procession were the people like her, known for their “common sense and respectable behavior” (192). However, their shocked and altered faces meant that “their virtues were being burned away” (192). This scene is where Mrs. Turpin’s self-image is transformed. She is last in line, even after the people she looks down upon. Her realization gives us hope that redemption is possible, despite her many mistakes.

In the end, Ruby’s beatitude over comes her as she hears the chirping chorus of crickets as the “voices of the souls climbing upward into the starry field and shouting hallelujah” (193). Although Mrs. Turpin is not an immediately likeable character, her spiritual journey gives her an opportunity for change and betterment. She realizes that she is last in line to heaven. But as she stares “unblinkingly on what lay ahead” she is aware of the necessity for change. At the beginning of “Revelation”, Ruby Turpin is smug and arrogant. But by the end, her newfound humility is a sign of her spiritual growth and hope for her future. (930)



Discussion questions:

1. Do your impressions of Mrs. Turpin change throughout the course of the story?
2. What was your reaction to Mary Grace throwing her book at Mrs. Turpin’s head?
3. Do we believe that Mrs. Turpin is a changed woman?

Perspectives and Reader Response

Perspectives

All the presenters thus far have explored the topic of perspective. We all know that the same event can have numerous interpretations depending on who the speaker is. This week in class I got a chance to explore the various reasons why the authors chose the specific view points for their stories. For instance, how different would "Teenage Wasteland" have been had it been told through Daisy's eyes? The choice of perspective is a key factor in determining the atmosphere, opinions, and even events in a story. While different characters may be interconnected, each character has its own history and unique view of the world. "Teenage Wasteland" was of particular interest to me. I questioned why we the readers were not told of Donny's struggles through his eyes. Instead, we saw his deterioration and eventual disappearance through the struggle of his mother Daisy. Upon further thought, I realized that by understanding Daisy's point of view we in turn saw Donny's journey through a dirty lens. Many aspects of his psyche are not clear to us. We only have the views of Cal, his teachers, and Daisy to formulate our opinions on. Often in the case of misunderstood, lost teenagers, adults and outsiders do not fully understand what the child is going through. Anne Tyler's approach was more natural with its spikes of highs and extreme lows. As Piper stated, we are lifted by the glimpses of hope that Tyler lures us with. Only to be crushed in the end by a very tragic ending. By the end of the story, we are left with more questions than answers about Donny. And perhaps Tyler wanted to leave the case open for further inspection.

"A Rose for Emily" was told through the eyes of an anonymous town member. In this case, William Faulkner wanted us to embark on the journey with the unknowing townspeople and learn the haunting facts about Miss Emily Grierson as they did. We see her life as an outsider would have seen it. Once again, we cannot confirm the motives behind her actions. We can only speculate. What is also interesting is how Faulkner completely changes our view of Ms. Emily with the very last three paragraphs of the story. Here we learn of Ms. Emily's murdering of her love interest Homer Barron and the strange details of the room he was kept in. Our emotions naturally mirror the emotions of the townspeople, because it is the only way we see the story. Throughout the story I found myself thinking "poor Emily," if only this had happened and so and so had not left. While in truth, Ms. Emily had many problems that the citizens and we were not aware of. It showed me how easily the reader accepts the narrator's ideas. However, when I reread the story I was able to piece together the clues and see different sides of Miss Emily that were hidden underneath the townspeople's impressions.

Alice Walker's short story "Everyday Use" benefits from having Mama tell the story. Mama, a level-headed mother of two daughters directs us through the family conflict. We respect Mama for her realistic attitude and acceptance of her daughters, despite their differences. Mama says, "I am a large, big-boned woman with rough, man-working hands," and explains how her fantasies of appearing on TV include her being "a hundred pounds lighter" (5). I think the reader gains her trust at this point. We all have fantasies and dreams, but Mama tells it like it is. Her internal thoughts give us insight into her true feelings towards her daughters. For example, when their old house was burnt down, Mama wanted to ask Dee, "Why don't you do a dance around the ashes?" (10). Mama is able divulge enough information about Maggie and Dee while still retaining important facts and letting Dee and Maggie express them.


The Interpreter of Maladies

Today in class we discussed “The Interpreter of Maladies”. I could relate to this story because I’ve witnessed the difference between Indians and Indian Americans. I found myself disliking Mrs. Das. Her uncaring manner and lack of interest in her family really struck me as surprising. Her portrayal went against all the conventional depictions of mothers. However, I found her inner turmoil to be very interesting. She had a son with her husband’s business partner and kept it a secret from her current husband. We can see her pent up pressure when she releases it to Mr. Kapasi. She has the unrealistic expectation that Mr. Kapasi can solve her problem or give her some reassuring advice. However, Mr. Kapasi was more interested in the possibility of a relationship and not her trivial personal secret. However that interest slowly dies as he learns of Mrs. Das’s secret. Lauren explored the topic of Mrs. Das and Mr. Kapasi’s evolution and destruction of their brief relationship. (813)