This was quite possibly the most powerful novel I have ever read. The story of Bigger Thomas, a black young man who is convicted and sentenced to death in the 1940s for the rape and murder of a wealthy white girl, this book struck a chord with me. From the very beginning you feel Bigger's warped outlook on life. It is obviously difficult for me to fully understand because A) I'm white and B) I've grown up in the new millennium, where racism is certainly not as prevalent. However reading about Bigger's every day hardships is enough to bring any sane person to their knees.
Just to survive, Bigger and his friends try to rob little convenience stores in the area. He is unemployed, and his family's welfare is running up. While they do not end up going through with the small scale heist, it is an intense testament as to the true nature of survival of the fittest, especially during the time period in the south side of Chicago. A particularly moving scene from this series of events takes place in the pool hall where Bigger and his friends hang out. Bigger nearly kills one of his best friends because his friend shows the worst emotion a black man can show at the time: fear. Constantly throughout the book, Richard Wright comes back to this theme of fear. It is the natural instinct in which black men buried themselves during the time. Fear ranged across all topics: Where was the next meal going to come from? How is my family going to survive? How am I going to pay this rent which is twice as expensive as a comparable flat on the "white" side of town? Men lived in constant fear as they tried to piece together the everyday issues of life.
Bigger's fear is amplified when he murders the daughter of the wealthy man who has recently hired him as a chauffeur. It is not out of malice that he kills her, he accidentally smothers her while she is trying to cause a drunken ruckus. He kills her and tries to cover it up. When his lie is unearthed he takes flight. I believe that Wright meant for this idea of fleeing to be another important theme. As a black man, he does not necessarily have the option of explaining what happened. In fact, when he is eventually convicted, he is convicted of rape. Not only did he not rape her, but there was not even a shred of evidence to support the notion that he did. It is this inevitable, inescapable fate that leads Bigger to running for his life.
But to no avail. Eventually he is caught, tried, and convicted. The book ends in the waning moments of his life, as he finally realizes that he is okay with it. Something drove him to kill Mary, something that was out of his control. He does not blame society, as he well could, and he does not feel that he is innocent. He accepts what's coming and recognizes that it is his fate.
Bigger Thomas represents every social issue in the United States... And how regardless of the stance, issue, or current situation, someone will feel repressed or wronged. The hard thing is adjusting these issues so that a happy medium is achieved.. So that all people, regardless of association, can feel free.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Saturday, August 17, 2013
An American Tragedy
An American Tragedy is the classic novel written by Theodore Dresier. It is a typical early American take on the achievability of 'The American Dream'. The book takes places in the early 1900s midwest, and later in upstate New York. We, as the readers, watch our protagonist Clyde Griffiths continuously attempt to advance himself financially and socially and continuously he gets set back by his own decisions. I loved this book, perhaps more than any book I've read since the idiot, and I believe one of the reasons for this is the love/hate relationship I had with Clyde.
As the protagonist, Clyde is easy to root for. He is a poor boy, born into a religious household where he decides to break away from the missionary lifestyle and make some money. He begins making a fair amount of money working as a bellhop at one of the Kansas City hotels near where he lives. The selfishness of Clyde is exemplified early by how he handles this money. A good person would possibly save some of the money. A great person would help his parents out by giving them some of his earnings. But what does Clyde do? He spends his money recklessly on new suits, prostitutes and booze with his friends, and fancy dinners that are certainly not in his price range. I understand that Clyde just wants to become an esteemed member of society, but it's this blatant example of taking what he has for granted that makes me hate him.
His story takes the first of many negative turns when he and his Kansas City 'friends' steal a car and hit and kill a little girl one day. Clyde does not take responsibility for his involvement with this group, instead he runs away. He becomes a drifter for awhile, bouncing from city to city, working odd jobs trying to survive. Eventually opportunity knocks when Clyde's rich uncle comes to the Chicago hotel that he currently works at. After much pleading, Clyde convinces his uncle Samuel to give him a job at his collar factory in Lycurgus, NY.
In Lycurgus, Clyde meets Roberta Alden, whom he falls in love with. To make a long story short, he falls in love with Roberta, then falls out of love with her when he meets the wealthy Sondra Finchley, a prominent member of Lycurgus society and the answer to his dreams of social/economic advancement. However, he finds out that he has impregnated Roberta. Logically, his solution is to kill her (I'm being sarcastic here in case you can't tell - this has to be the most frustrating part of the book. All I could think the whole time is you are such a moron). When he goes to complete the task he has a change of hard and decides not to kill her, but ends up killing her accidentally (what are the odds). The last third of the book has to do with his capture, trial and death at the hands of the state.
One important underlying theme that Dresier makes is the importance of religion. The book opens up to the Griffiths family preaching in the streets of KC. Later, Clyde's sister runs away and she comes back pregnant and alone. Basically, the commentary Dressier makes is without religion, there is no moral guidance. This point is reasserted later in the book when Clyde is weeks away from death and he begins to get reconnected with religious roots through discussions with the prison pastor.
I think the most important thing the Dresier wanted to say is that the American Dream is not as obtainable as everyone would like to thing. Much in the manner of Steinbeck, Dresier creates this character who wants to do well and busts his hump to succeed and just can't quite reach it. Dresier even gives Clyde an outlet through his wealthy uncle to reach the next level financially, and Clyde still falls short. I think this is an analysis by Dresier on how we are primarily a product of our circumstances
As the protagonist, Clyde is easy to root for. He is a poor boy, born into a religious household where he decides to break away from the missionary lifestyle and make some money. He begins making a fair amount of money working as a bellhop at one of the Kansas City hotels near where he lives. The selfishness of Clyde is exemplified early by how he handles this money. A good person would possibly save some of the money. A great person would help his parents out by giving them some of his earnings. But what does Clyde do? He spends his money recklessly on new suits, prostitutes and booze with his friends, and fancy dinners that are certainly not in his price range. I understand that Clyde just wants to become an esteemed member of society, but it's this blatant example of taking what he has for granted that makes me hate him.
His story takes the first of many negative turns when he and his Kansas City 'friends' steal a car and hit and kill a little girl one day. Clyde does not take responsibility for his involvement with this group, instead he runs away. He becomes a drifter for awhile, bouncing from city to city, working odd jobs trying to survive. Eventually opportunity knocks when Clyde's rich uncle comes to the Chicago hotel that he currently works at. After much pleading, Clyde convinces his uncle Samuel to give him a job at his collar factory in Lycurgus, NY.
In Lycurgus, Clyde meets Roberta Alden, whom he falls in love with. To make a long story short, he falls in love with Roberta, then falls out of love with her when he meets the wealthy Sondra Finchley, a prominent member of Lycurgus society and the answer to his dreams of social/economic advancement. However, he finds out that he has impregnated Roberta. Logically, his solution is to kill her (I'm being sarcastic here in case you can't tell - this has to be the most frustrating part of the book. All I could think the whole time is you are such a moron). When he goes to complete the task he has a change of hard and decides not to kill her, but ends up killing her accidentally (what are the odds). The last third of the book has to do with his capture, trial and death at the hands of the state.
One important underlying theme that Dresier makes is the importance of religion. The book opens up to the Griffiths family preaching in the streets of KC. Later, Clyde's sister runs away and she comes back pregnant and alone. Basically, the commentary Dressier makes is without religion, there is no moral guidance. This point is reasserted later in the book when Clyde is weeks away from death and he begins to get reconnected with religious roots through discussions with the prison pastor.
I think the most important thing the Dresier wanted to say is that the American Dream is not as obtainable as everyone would like to thing. Much in the manner of Steinbeck, Dresier creates this character who wants to do well and busts his hump to succeed and just can't quite reach it. Dresier even gives Clyde an outlet through his wealthy uncle to reach the next level financially, and Clyde still falls short. I think this is an analysis by Dresier on how we are primarily a product of our circumstances
Sons and Lovers
This morning on my flight to Albuquerque I finished DH Lawrence's Sons and Lovers. It was a little difficult to identify who the protagonist was intended to be. On the one hand, the story followed Paul Morel, a young man looking for love as a twenty-something youth. But on the other hand, we followed his mother, a strong woman whose husband was so neglectful that she compensated with adoration for her sons.
I am very close to my parents. I always say that one of the few topics that bring me to tears during movies are corny father/son moments. This was a story that stuck me emotionally with it's mother/son moments. The relationship that Paul shared with his mother was unmatched. He struggled to search for a woman to settle down with and marry because he was constantly looking for a woman similar to his mother. She practically raised him on her own, and she was more devoted to her sons than most parents are. Specifically Paul, once her eldest son William died.
I think the thing I enjoyed most about this book was the commentary on sex: both physical intimacy and gender roles. Paul shuffles around between two girlfriends, and both of them feel the same way about him: he is a wonderful person, but refuses to give himself fully to either one of them. Perhaps it is because of his adoration for his mother, that he refuses to allow another woman into his life. He is extremely fickle about whether he wants to get married or not. With one of his girlfriends, Mirriam, I believe the reason he never commits to marriage is because he knows his mother does not approve. To Paul, that would be the worst offense. He does not wish to wrong his mother in any way.
With Clara it is different. She is married but separated from her husband. Paul continuously tries to convince her to get a divorce so they can be happy together, but she refuses. At one point in the novel she says that it is because he never fully gives himself to her. To Clara, he is holding back. I believe this too is a consequence of his mother. He can never find it in himself to abandon her, because that, in a sense, is how he would view it.
I did thoroughly enjoy this book. Was it my favorite book of all time? No. I certainly liked Lawrence's writing style and his character development. All I can say after finishing it is, on to the next one!
I am very close to my parents. I always say that one of the few topics that bring me to tears during movies are corny father/son moments. This was a story that stuck me emotionally with it's mother/son moments. The relationship that Paul shared with his mother was unmatched. He struggled to search for a woman to settle down with and marry because he was constantly looking for a woman similar to his mother. She practically raised him on her own, and she was more devoted to her sons than most parents are. Specifically Paul, once her eldest son William died.
I think the thing I enjoyed most about this book was the commentary on sex: both physical intimacy and gender roles. Paul shuffles around between two girlfriends, and both of them feel the same way about him: he is a wonderful person, but refuses to give himself fully to either one of them. Perhaps it is because of his adoration for his mother, that he refuses to allow another woman into his life. He is extremely fickle about whether he wants to get married or not. With one of his girlfriends, Mirriam, I believe the reason he never commits to marriage is because he knows his mother does not approve. To Paul, that would be the worst offense. He does not wish to wrong his mother in any way.
With Clara it is different. She is married but separated from her husband. Paul continuously tries to convince her to get a divorce so they can be happy together, but she refuses. At one point in the novel she says that it is because he never fully gives himself to her. To Clara, he is holding back. I believe this too is a consequence of his mother. He can never find it in himself to abandon her, because that, in a sense, is how he would view it.
I did thoroughly enjoy this book. Was it my favorite book of all time? No. I certainly liked Lawrence's writing style and his character development. All I can say after finishing it is, on to the next one!
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