The Sound and the Fury is obviously very difficult to understand sometimes. I find it interesting, though, that I had very few problems understanding Benjy’s section even though he is a mentally handicapped character. His memories and flashbacks are so vivid that they provide the reader with better understanding of this family’s past. I also picked up on the catalysts that make him remember very quickly. It got to the point where I knew a flashback was coming even before it started.
Even though Quentin is not the one with a mental disability, his section was much harder for me to comprehend. His actions are fairly clear until he too starts having flashbacks. Unlike Benjy’s flashbacks, Quentin’s are not a vivid, re-living of the past. Instead they are mere memories fragmented and randomly occurring throughout the course of his day. Sometimes, Quentin will start remembering something, cut off in the middle, and resume again a few pages later. Perhaps Faulkner does this jumping around in Quentin’s section to signify the way human brains move erratically from one thought to another, especially under stress. The average human being has a very hard time dealing with intense emotions, as shown by Quentin’s resorting to suicide. Quentin’s obsession with the past has crippled him internally and his brain is scrambling to make sense of it all. It is very confusing to read the inner workings of a person’s mind, especially when they are so convoluted.
Quentin’s section stands out because it is almost eighteen years before any of the other four sections. The other three are all within a day of each other and make up the whole of Easter weekend. This kind of distinction in time must mean that Faulkner thought June 2nd, 1910 to be a very important day for the Compson family. Because Quentin’s section takes place on the day that he dies, it is his last opportunity to express any details that may provide greater insight into the lives of his family, mostly Caddy and Father.
Benjy’s and Quentin’s thoughts are both focused on Caddy, making her an important piece to the Compson puzzle. It will be interesting to see if this trend continues into the other two sections. I think that Caddy is a kind of infamous character who is always talked about but never heard from. She is definitely one of, if not the only, main character. In Benjy’s section, she is the sweet, nurturing little girl with a small wild streak. In Quentin’s section, however, she is a girl with no regard for the rules of society and she gets pregnant out of wedlock.
A few times in Quentin’s section, he mentions that he has committed incest. It is not clear though if he and Caddy really had a sexual relationship or not. His passionate feelings for her may suggest that they have or could possibly just be an indication of his protectiveness over her. When they were kids, Quentin seemed dedicated to keeping Caddy out of trouble. For example, he urges her several times not to be inappropriate by removing her dress. He could be feeling this same anxiety towards whatever atrocity she has committed in their teenage years.
I hope to find out through the last two sections what exactly was torturing Quentin so much that he would go through with suicide. Hopefully Jason or Dilsey will have some insight into the events that took place between Caddy and Quentin.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Thursday, October 11, 2007
548.
John Cheever’s “The Five-Forty-Eight” is a thrilling short story about love, heartache, and power wrapped into a narrative about catching a train home. Blake, an affluent businessman, is self-absorbed and oblivious to women’s feelings. He is consumed by outward appearances and external affairs, therefore leaving no room in his thought process for sympathy or compassion. Miss Dent, his “ex-secretary”, points out that Blake knows nothing at all about loving any person but himself. This is a story of realization not for the narrator but for Miss Dent, his seemingly psychopathic stalker.
At the beginning of the story, Cheever gives the reader the impression that Miss Dent is not a stable character. Immediately after Blake leaves work, she begins to follow him. Blake, though uncomfortable that he is being followed, does not seem concerned. In his mind he decides, “She was not clever. She would be easy to shake.” (4) After ducking into the men’s bar, his fear vanishes. He is no longer being pursued and he has regained control over the situation. Power to Blake is very comforting. His relationship with Miss Dent begins because he perceives her lonely, dark disposition. (6) She is not the only woman that he has pursued for this reason. In fact, “Most of the many women he had known had been picked for their lack of self-esteem.” (8) Blake exerts his power over Miss Dent by sleeping with her and then proceeding to fire her, doing both with a clear conscious. When Blake relates the tale of conquering Miss Dent, a whole new side of this seemingly “insignificant man” (4) is revealed.
With the progression of the story, Miss Dent denies Blake the power that he needs so fervently by seizing control of the situation. Once Blake is confined to his seat on the local train, he is obliged by Miss Dent’s pistol to hear her out. As the two passengers reach the stop for Shady Hill, Miss Dent gives Blake precise directions to follow. She then orders Blake to kneel down to a position of subservience and pushes his face into the dirt. Miss Dent does not need to shoot Blake as she threatened. Instead, she feels better just knowing that she put him in the same position of vulnerability in which he had once placed her. With a sense of relief, Miss Dent says, “Now I can wash my hands of you, I can wash my hands of all this, because you see there is some kindness, some saneness in me that I can find and use.” Herein lies her realization: no doctor or hospital could cure her; the only way to remedy her ailments was to confront the man who caused them. By not killing Blake, Miss Dent proved to be the stronger character of the two. She found the strength to walk away satisfied with herself and unconcerned with Blake. This surprise ending shows the complete role reversal that occurs between Blake and Miss Dent.
Reflecting back on “The Five-Forty-Eight”, it is clear that Blake and Miss Dent’s role reversals were not sudden, but rather consistent throughout the story. Blake describes Miss Dent as a woman with very few redeemable qualities. He makes her seem lonely, desperate, weak, and out of her mind. However, Blake is actually the more unredeemable character. He mistreats women and uses sex as a form of power. Blake is also a coward. He fires Miss Dent, refuses to take her phone calls, and runs from her in the streets instead of confronting her like the powerful man that he wishes to be. Blake is so self-obsessed that he doesn’t even consider the effect that his actions are having on other people. Nothing in his world is internalized; all he seems to think about are his rainy shoes or the posters outside the train windows. After sleeping with Miss Dent, Blake feels “too contented and warm and sleepy to worry much about her tears.” (8) Instead of comforting her, Blake preoccupies himself with the “hideously scrawled letters” (9) of her handwriting. Perhaps the best example of Blake’s oblivious existence is the last paragraph of the story. He has just been forced to the dirt, threatened at gunpoint, and then finally released. Where other people might then realize their shortcomings, Blake “got to his feet and picked up his hat from the ground where it had fallen and walked home.” (64)
Blake’s “lack of a revelation” is not important to Miss Dent’s recovery. She was once a woman who wrote, “Dear Husband…I dream about you every night. I have such terrible desires.” (49) By the end of the story, though, Blake could tell “she had forgotten him.” (64) Therapy is different for every individual. However, as this story points out, achieving redemption and healing begins by acknowledging the problem.
Discussion:
Did the ending surprise you? Was it different than you expected it to be?
What is the purpose of having Blake tell the story?
Although the author is male, can you pick out any feminist ideals in his writing?
Do you think Miss Dent’s psychotic tendencies stem from a real disease or from the way that Blake treats her?
What is the importance of Miss Dent’s letter to Blake? Do you think she wrote it recently or just after she slept with Blake?
[887]
At the beginning of the story, Cheever gives the reader the impression that Miss Dent is not a stable character. Immediately after Blake leaves work, she begins to follow him. Blake, though uncomfortable that he is being followed, does not seem concerned. In his mind he decides, “She was not clever. She would be easy to shake.” (4) After ducking into the men’s bar, his fear vanishes. He is no longer being pursued and he has regained control over the situation. Power to Blake is very comforting. His relationship with Miss Dent begins because he perceives her lonely, dark disposition. (6) She is not the only woman that he has pursued for this reason. In fact, “Most of the many women he had known had been picked for their lack of self-esteem.” (8) Blake exerts his power over Miss Dent by sleeping with her and then proceeding to fire her, doing both with a clear conscious. When Blake relates the tale of conquering Miss Dent, a whole new side of this seemingly “insignificant man” (4) is revealed.
With the progression of the story, Miss Dent denies Blake the power that he needs so fervently by seizing control of the situation. Once Blake is confined to his seat on the local train, he is obliged by Miss Dent’s pistol to hear her out. As the two passengers reach the stop for Shady Hill, Miss Dent gives Blake precise directions to follow. She then orders Blake to kneel down to a position of subservience and pushes his face into the dirt. Miss Dent does not need to shoot Blake as she threatened. Instead, she feels better just knowing that she put him in the same position of vulnerability in which he had once placed her. With a sense of relief, Miss Dent says, “Now I can wash my hands of you, I can wash my hands of all this, because you see there is some kindness, some saneness in me that I can find and use.” Herein lies her realization: no doctor or hospital could cure her; the only way to remedy her ailments was to confront the man who caused them. By not killing Blake, Miss Dent proved to be the stronger character of the two. She found the strength to walk away satisfied with herself and unconcerned with Blake. This surprise ending shows the complete role reversal that occurs between Blake and Miss Dent.
Reflecting back on “The Five-Forty-Eight”, it is clear that Blake and Miss Dent’s role reversals were not sudden, but rather consistent throughout the story. Blake describes Miss Dent as a woman with very few redeemable qualities. He makes her seem lonely, desperate, weak, and out of her mind. However, Blake is actually the more unredeemable character. He mistreats women and uses sex as a form of power. Blake is also a coward. He fires Miss Dent, refuses to take her phone calls, and runs from her in the streets instead of confronting her like the powerful man that he wishes to be. Blake is so self-obsessed that he doesn’t even consider the effect that his actions are having on other people. Nothing in his world is internalized; all he seems to think about are his rainy shoes or the posters outside the train windows. After sleeping with Miss Dent, Blake feels “too contented and warm and sleepy to worry much about her tears.” (8) Instead of comforting her, Blake preoccupies himself with the “hideously scrawled letters” (9) of her handwriting. Perhaps the best example of Blake’s oblivious existence is the last paragraph of the story. He has just been forced to the dirt, threatened at gunpoint, and then finally released. Where other people might then realize their shortcomings, Blake “got to his feet and picked up his hat from the ground where it had fallen and walked home.” (64)
Blake’s “lack of a revelation” is not important to Miss Dent’s recovery. She was once a woman who wrote, “Dear Husband…I dream about you every night. I have such terrible desires.” (49) By the end of the story, though, Blake could tell “she had forgotten him.” (64) Therapy is different for every individual. However, as this story points out, achieving redemption and healing begins by acknowledging the problem.
Discussion:
Did the ending surprise you? Was it different than you expected it to be?
What is the purpose of having Blake tell the story?
Although the author is male, can you pick out any feminist ideals in his writing?
Do you think Miss Dent’s psychotic tendencies stem from a real disease or from the way that Blake treats her?
What is the importance of Miss Dent’s letter to Blake? Do you think she wrote it recently or just after she slept with Blake?
[887]
Saturday, October 6, 2007
When I Grow Up, I Want To Be A....
Joyce Carol Oates' “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is spooky, eerie, and all together uncomfortable to read. However, its theme is timeless and must not be avoided. Authors like Oates are important because they make readers face topics that they might otherwise be inclined to skim by.
Children are constantly trying to make themselves appear and sound older than they actually are. Girls as young as nine years old are shaving their legs, wearing belly shirts, and applying makeup. Boys no longer play with G.I. Joes and skip right to violent video games. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Oates points out the dire consequences of forfeiting one’s childhood. A very unfortunate young girl named Connie gets sucked into a shallow existence. The only things she is preoccupied by are boys and her outward appearance.
Most children do not realize that the world can be very unsafe and scary. There are people who cannot be trusted and people who commit crimes. Because they do not have experience or knowledge, children are susceptible to believing almost anything that someone tells them. They also have a difficult time distinguishing bad people from good people, believing every adult to be as safe and secure as their parents are. Connie is able to act like an adult when life does not present her with any challenges, but has not been taught how to handle herself in difficult situations. It is evident that Connie is not as ready to grow up as she thinks when Arnold Friend emerges in the story.
Arnold Friend pretends to be a teenage boy to lull Connie into a false sense of security. He performs a good cop/bad cop show to make himself appear better than his comrade Ellie. He uses music he knows she likes to relate to her and a “sing-song” voice to coax her out of her home. He also dresses and speaks just like all the other normal teenage boys Connie has met, but exerts a control over her that she is not quite sure how to respond to. The strong, confident Connie withers away, leaving behind a shell of a young girl with no methods for disposing of her unwanted guest. Arnold Friend is obviously aware of her inability to resist his control. He needs no force to get Connie to succumb to his requests. His mental power over is so intense that she eventually walks into the arms of her rapist by her own free will.
Rape, a very obvious theme in the story, is a sad but evident truth in our world. The imagery in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is virulent and extreme. When Connie finally comes to the realization that she is in serious trouble, “she cried out, she cried for her mother, she felt her breath start jerking back and forth in her lungs as if it were something Arnold Friend was stabbing her with again and again with no tenderness.” This quote is a perfect example of the existence of sexual violence. It also refers to the point in the story where Connie tries to revert back to her childhood and escape. She does not like the lack of tenderness that she is experiencing. As children become adults, they often experience a similar situation. Young adults cling to their past because they do not like the reality and harshness of the real world. Unfortunately for Connie, Arnold Friend is her reality and it is too late for her to escape by wishing that she had listened to her mother more often.
[602]
*sorry this was late. my best friend's dad had heart surgery and i have been at the hospital all day. hope it's not a problem!*
Children are constantly trying to make themselves appear and sound older than they actually are. Girls as young as nine years old are shaving their legs, wearing belly shirts, and applying makeup. Boys no longer play with G.I. Joes and skip right to violent video games. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Oates points out the dire consequences of forfeiting one’s childhood. A very unfortunate young girl named Connie gets sucked into a shallow existence. The only things she is preoccupied by are boys and her outward appearance.
Most children do not realize that the world can be very unsafe and scary. There are people who cannot be trusted and people who commit crimes. Because they do not have experience or knowledge, children are susceptible to believing almost anything that someone tells them. They also have a difficult time distinguishing bad people from good people, believing every adult to be as safe and secure as their parents are. Connie is able to act like an adult when life does not present her with any challenges, but has not been taught how to handle herself in difficult situations. It is evident that Connie is not as ready to grow up as she thinks when Arnold Friend emerges in the story.
Arnold Friend pretends to be a teenage boy to lull Connie into a false sense of security. He performs a good cop/bad cop show to make himself appear better than his comrade Ellie. He uses music he knows she likes to relate to her and a “sing-song” voice to coax her out of her home. He also dresses and speaks just like all the other normal teenage boys Connie has met, but exerts a control over her that she is not quite sure how to respond to. The strong, confident Connie withers away, leaving behind a shell of a young girl with no methods for disposing of her unwanted guest. Arnold Friend is obviously aware of her inability to resist his control. He needs no force to get Connie to succumb to his requests. His mental power over is so intense that she eventually walks into the arms of her rapist by her own free will.
Rape, a very obvious theme in the story, is a sad but evident truth in our world. The imagery in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” is virulent and extreme. When Connie finally comes to the realization that she is in serious trouble, “she cried out, she cried for her mother, she felt her breath start jerking back and forth in her lungs as if it were something Arnold Friend was stabbing her with again and again with no tenderness.” This quote is a perfect example of the existence of sexual violence. It also refers to the point in the story where Connie tries to revert back to her childhood and escape. She does not like the lack of tenderness that she is experiencing. As children become adults, they often experience a similar situation. Young adults cling to their past because they do not like the reality and harshness of the real world. Unfortunately for Connie, Arnold Friend is her reality and it is too late for her to escape by wishing that she had listened to her mother more often.
[602]
*sorry this was late. my best friend's dad had heart surgery and i have been at the hospital all day. hope it's not a problem!*
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