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This image, which shows the enslaved woman Lucy throwing herself off of a river boat after she is told that her child has been taken from her and sold, is particularly poignant. Her figure is the central point of the illustration, and the first thing the reader sees is her dress, billowing behind her as she flings herself off the side of the ship. The depiction of emotion that can be found within her face and mannerisms serves to impart the pain she felt at losing her child. Her clasped, raised hands, reaching heavenward, also show that she has entirely resigned herself to this fate, and is giving herself up to the mercy of God. The amount of detail that has been put into the work is impressive, and is able to show the scene as a whole while still allowing the viewer to take in the smaller aspects of it. For example, the inclusion of Uncle Tom inside the ship lets the reader see how he was able to watch the event unfold while still being able to conceal himself.

When reading this passage, I had originally pictured Lucy running up the outer side of the boat and jumping off of the back. It is mentioned that she ran past Tom, who I had pictured as sitting on the deck of the boat. In the illustration, however, Tom is laying down inside the boat, which means that Lucy must have run through the boat’s interior. I also pictured Lucy as a much younger woman than is depicted in the drawing. Perhaps this is simply because of the relative inability of the drawing to show age, however Lucy’s face looks to be that of a middle aged woman, not a young woman of typical childbearing age. This drawing is relevant because it shows the psychological effect that slavery can have on its victims. Today, our studies often focus on the physical taxation caused by slavery, but little on the mental aspect. The separation of families is not talked about as frequently as the physical stress and abuse slaves faced, and is all the more important for its lack of coverage. The true emotional effect of slavery is shown in this drawing, and the consequences that the actions of slave traders have on their goods are shown in this most tragic example.

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“The February morning looked gray and drizzling through the window of Uncle Tom’s cabin. It looked on downcast faces, the images of mournful hearts.” (94)

“The February morning looked gray and drizzling through the window of Uncle Tom’s cabin. It looked on [hopeless] faces, the images of mournful hearts.”

Harriet Beecher Stowe’s passage describing the prelude to the departure of Uncle Tom uses depressing language in order to convey the heavy mood of the scene to the reader. When one replaces the word “downcast,” which is found in the first sentence of chapter ten, with the word hopeless, it gives the passage a much darker tone. The word downcast gives the appearance of someone who is sad, but is able to easily get over this feeling through distraction or another means of comfort. It is not as potent as the word “hopeless,” which sounds more final and irreversible than “downcast.” This leads the reader to believe that while Uncle Tom’s family and friends are upset about his sale, they either know that they will have to accept his fate and move on with their lives, or they realize that the Shelbys will follow through on their promise to purchase Uncle Tom back as soon as possible.

I believe that Harriet Beecher Stowe chose to use the word downcast to describe the party of people because she wanted to convey that some hope still remained in their hearts. Those on the plantation would have known that the Shelbys were good people who genuinely cared about the wellbeing of their slaves as much as a slaveholder possibly could. They would have had faith that the Shelbys would be true to their word and buy back Tom just as soon as they could. Seeking to convey this feeling of eventual salvation, Stowe chose to portray the emotion of the crowd as depressed, but not entirely despondent. Had she used the word “hopeless,” it is more likely that the readers would think of Uncle Tom’s cause as completely lost, and lose interest in his storyline, believing they had a general idea of what lay ahead for him. Regardless of their level of interest, the word hopeless would have given everyone who laid eyes on the writing cause to believe that there was no chance of happiness or reprieve for the doomed character, which would have given a much more tragic tone to this already upsetting scene.

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“A table, somewhat rheumatic in its limbs, was drawn out in front of the fire, and covered with a cloth, displaying cups and saucers of a decidedly brilliant pattern, with other symptoms of an approaching meal.” (29)

I found this passage to be particularly beautiful because of the imagery found within. With her writing, Harriet Beecher Stowe paints a picture of simplicity and comfort, while also subtly revealing the poverty that is prevalent in the household. The above sentence describes the dinner table in Uncle Tom’s cabin, just before the family and Master George sit down for a meal. By describing the warm fire and the decorations of the table, Stowe is able to give the reader a comfortable feeling of home and togetherness. At the same time, she chooses to describe the table as “somewhat rheumatic in its limbs,” making the reader picture a slightly dilapidated piece of furniture which has seen better days. The tablecloth described in the passage is a blatant attempt to cover up the rattyness of the table. By throwing a beautiful piece of fabric over something that has seen better days, but is still functional, Uncle Tom and Aunt Chloe are able to make it appear as if all's right with the table. This can be best interpreted as a metaphor for slavery, as slaveowners and traders frequently make attempts to cover up their wrongdoings with the creation of beautiful plantation homes and a phony sense of what race relations should be. The juxtaposition found within this passage tells the reader that while Uncle Tom and his wife Aunt Chloe live in the midst of poverty and slavery, they are happy to make do with what they have, and give a touch of homeliness to their house through the addition of small comforts. I also found it interesting that Stowe used the word “symptoms” to describe the table settings. “Symptoms” typically has a negative connotation in American culture, so it was surprising to see the word included in such a cozy scene. I believe Stowe chose this word because it represents the pervasive illness that is slavery. She ties this single scene into the larger context of her novel, and in doing so reveals how although happiness can be found in the little things, freedom is essential for a truly happy life and home. We also see this theme come into play later in the novel, when Uncle Tom is sold to Master Haley, thus upending the lives of his family and friends.

The item I chose from my personal space was this teacup. It reminded me of the passage for rather obvious reasons, as Uncle Tom and Aunt Chloe’s tableware is described as part of the dinner setup. Although it has this obvious connection to the porcelain in the story, I find that this piece of china contains similarities to the table from the scene, as well. If you look closely at the gilding on the edges of the plate and cup, you can see that it has been worn down from years of use. While it is still beautiful and usable, its beauty has faded slightly, and is covered up only by the prevalence of the china pattern which first captures the eye. The table in the scene is an object which is equally usable despite its wear, and which is made more beautiful through the addition of other, distracting aspects in its image.

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The sea battle in which Captain Ahab lost his leg to Moby Dick was a tumultuous event, from which both physical and mental damage were undoubtedly sustained by members of the ship’s crew. On page 86 of Herman Melville’s novel, character Peleg, who was on the ship during the attack, describes the chaos of the scene. In doing so he (but not Melville) unwittingly creates metaphors for the damage suffered as a result of the struggle. The metaphors, which include the “everlasting thundering” of the ship’s masts and the “sea breaking” over the sailors represent the psychological effects that the attack had on the surviving sailors, especially Ahab. It helps the reader to understand Ahab’s desire for revenge against the whale, and explains his odd behavior during the voyage on the Pequod.

When rearranged, this passage gives us such phrases as “the Judgement would sink” and “everlasting thundering making such an and every sea breaking.” While the grammar may not make much sense, the ideas found within the phrases do. The sinking of judgement can represent the lack of rational thought found in Ahab’s quest for vengeance. When he sets off on his voyage to capture Moby Dick, Ahab is thinking only of revenge, with no thought for the safety of his crew or other important aspects of a whaling trip. He goes after the whale to avenge his lost leg and damaged pride, thinking selfishly the whole time. His judgement had sunk along with his leg, and its loss has drastic implications for the novel’s plot.

The second phrase, “everlasting thundering making such an and every sea breaking,” is representative of the effect that severe mental trauma can have on a life. The breaking of the seas represents the tumult of an unsettled mind, as it is almost never restful and moves and works constantly. The thoughts of a mind preoccupied with revenge create waves, as in brain waves, which throw the thinker’s life, represented by a boat, around haphazardly. The everlasting thundering represents the actions of the brain, turning over and over the wrong done to its person. Ahab’s desire for revenge is certainly everlasting, as it has endured for years following the loss of his leg.

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It is important that we understand Queequeg’s ranking both in his home and the United States because their change represents a drastic shift in his life’s situation. Queequeg was a prince in his homeland, and was given respect and reverence as was due his station. However, once he came to America, he was viewed not by his class or any other defining features of his personality but by his race. Queequeg was labeled a savage and a cannibal by those who barely even knew him, simply because he did not look like any of the other men they had seen. On his island, Queequeg was one of the most important people. It is likely that he wants to achieve this status in America, and therefore is behaving in ways that will raise his status. This explains much of his behavior, including the scene above in which he used a fellow sailor as a chair. When one is considered to be of the most important of their nationality, they would consequently place themselves on a high pedestal. Queequeg was used to the royal treatment, and because of his status believed such treatment was one of his rights as a prince. Perhaps his behavior throughout the book, while he continued to enact his customs, was the result of a refusal to acknowledge his new status in this new country. 

By continuing to behave as if he is the prince, Queequeg is refusing to give up his place in the world. He believes he is important, and acts so. His behavior also allows him to hold tightly to certain aspects of his culture, rather than forgetting them to assimilate into American culture. His ritual of fasting and meditating is explained by this cultural attachment, as many immigrants to America were pressured to give up their spiritual beliefs. His refusal to break from his meditative state when prompted by Ishmael is representative of his refusal to leave his old ways behind even when America calls him to assimilate. Queequeg’s attachment to the small idol he carries with him is equally representative of the connection he feels to his culture, however it also represents the link he feels with his homeland. By keeping a piece of his native culture with him, he is able to remember that one day he will return to the place he truly belongs, and in the meantime to carry on the traditions that his culture holds dear.

From Page 92

Do you think that in this passage Queequeg is attempting to express the superiority he feels he has over other passengers on his ship?

Do you feel that Queequeg is seeking to raise his status on the ship by acting in a superior manner?

Why is it important that we understand Queequeg’s ranking on both his native island and in America?

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From Page 92

Do you think that in this passage Queequeg is attempting to express the superiority he feels he has over other passengers on his ship?

Do you feel that Queequeg is seeking to raise his status on the ship by acting in a superior manner?

Why is it important that we understand Queequeg’s ranking on both his native island and in America?

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One word which occurs frequently throughout “William Wilson” is “irregular.” The most literal meaning of this word is something that is not regular, meaning something that does not fit into the societal idea of what is normal or commonplace. Poe seems to particularly focus on this word because it plays into the supernatural nature of the story. Rarely do we see someone who looks very similar to us, and almost never, unless we are an identical twin, do we see someone who looks and dresses exactly like us. This would have been strange enough in itself, but the additional imitation of the narrator’s behaviors by their stalker adds an element of danger to the story. The unusual experience of the story’s narrator is vastly enhanced by Poe’s usage of the word irregular. Had he chosen an alternative, such as bizarre, it would not have had the same effect. Not only is the word more elegant, but the meaning of irregular also has more concrete and sinister implications than any of its synonyms. Irregular implies that something is totally out of the norm and can never be accepted by society, while a word like bizarre implies that while something is strange it is still a part of the societal definition of regular. By choosing the word irregular, Poe emphasizes that the existence of the near identical twin and companion of the “William Wilson” narrator is not something that is natural or would occur outside of a horror story.

The word irregular is used four times throughout the story. The context surrounding the first and fourth uses serves to depict locations and behaviors as outside what is considered normal. In the first usage, the narrator describes the school which he attended as “old, irregular, and cottage-built” (Paragraph ____). Irregular in this case can be taken to mean rare. While rare is still within the confines of what is normal, this choice of word makes sense because the home which housed the school was normal in many ways, but was of a unique design. The word is used to emphasize the somewhat strange nature of the entire setting, therefore setting the stage for a horror story. The fourth time the word appears in the text, it is used to describe the memory of most humans. The narrator notes that a normal person’s earliest memories are “a weak and irregular remembrance” (Paragraph ___). In this case, the word irregular was chosen by the author to denote that the memories of the people referenced are spotty or random. The narrator says that he does not have these types of memories, and remembers everything from his childhood clearly. His memory is not random, and neither is the repeated entrance of his look alike into his life. It is not a normal entrance: it is irregular. I specifically chose these two examples from the text because they did not completely correspond to the meaning of the word as it influences the metaphor within the larger story. One can connect them to the definition “not fitting an idea of what is normal,” but it is a further stretch than for the other two instances in which the word is used.

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“He assured the company that it was a fact, handed down from his ancestor the historian, that the Catskill Mountains had always been haunted by strange beings. That it was affirmed that the great Hendrick Hudson, the first discoverer of the river and country, kept a kind of vigil there every twenty years, with his crew of the Half-Moon, being permitted in this way to revisit the scenes of his enterprise, and keep a guardian eye upon the river, and the great city called by his name. That his father had once seen them in their old Dutch dresses playing at ninepins in a hollow of the mountain; and that he himself had heard, one summer afternoon, the sound of their balls, like long peals of thunder.”

2) “He assured the company that it was a [fact], handed down from his ancestor the historian, that the Catskill Mountains had always been haunted by strange beings.”

“He assured the company that it was a [truth], handed down from his ancestor the historian, that the Catskill Mountains had always been haunted by strange beings.”

3) By replacing the word fact with the word truth, we are able to distinctly change the meaning of this passage. A fact is something that has been proven or established by a credible source, while a truth is something that has not necessarily been proven, but is still taken by someone to be correct. When the word fact is used in the passage to describe the phenomenon that Rip Van Winkle experienced, it leads the reader to believe that the hauntings of the Catskill Mountains have been documented and researched by some authoritative source; perhaps the historian who was the ancestor of the authoritative townsperson. On the other hand, the word truth leads the reader to think that the legend of Henry Hudson is not something that has been supported by evidence or a credible source, but is instead a belief that is just universally accepted by the residents of the Catskills. By changing the word from fact to truth, we make Rip Van Winkle’s account more doubtable, and thereby give the reader more room to question his story.

4) I believe Irving chose to use the word “fact” because he wanted the readers to believe Rip Van Winkle’s account of what happened in the mountains. By giving us a reliable narrator, Washington Irving allows us to believe that the Catskills have a little magic in their hills. Irving wanted his story to seem almost like a fairy tale, and therefore felt the need to add a mystical aspect to it. Using the word fact also makes it seem as if what happened to Rip Van Winkle is somewhat understandable or plausible. Today we think of facts as claims that are supported by science, and which are therefore reliable. While many modern people would surely doubt this story if they heard it from a source that was not credible, they might believe it if a plausible explanation could be provided. However unbelievable the story of Henry Hudson’s ghost crew coming back to haunt the Catskills may seem today, it may have been more convincing to those who lived at the end of the 18th century. During this time period there were fewer scientific explanations for phenomena such as these, and so people sought out stories to explain what science could not. Therefore, if a credible source were to consider this a valid explanation for Rip Van Winkle’s disappearance, this story could well be considered fact during the time period in which it was set.

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“His historical researches, however, did not lie so much among books as among men; for the former are lamentably scanty on his favorite topics; whereas he found the old burghers, and still more their wives, rich in that legendary lore so invaluable to true history. Whenever, therefore, he happened upon a genuine Dutch family, snugly shut up in its low-roofed farmhouse, under a spreading sycamore, he looked upon it as a little clasped volume of black-letter, and studied it with the zeal of a bookworm.”

2) “Whenever, therefore, he happened upon a [genuine] Dutch family, snugly shut up in its low-roofed farmhouse, under a spreading sycamore, he looked upon it as a little clasped volume of black-letter, and studied it with the zeal of a bookworm.”

“Whenever, therefore, he happened upon a [certified] Dutch family, snugly shut up in its low-roofed farmhouse, under a spreading sycamore, he looked upon it as a little clasped volume of black-letter, and studied it with the zeal of a bookworm.”

3) By replacing the word genuine with the word certified, we can change the meaning of the sentence to become more official. Genuine implies that something is real, while certified implies something has been verified to be authentic. When I think of the word certified I think of buying something pre-owned. When it is a valuable item that is being purchased, such as a pre-owned car, it must be certified by a dealer. This is so that people know they are buying something authentic. Genuine means real in a way that you can understand without outside confirmation. A Dutch family that is genuine doesn’t need to be certified, it only needs to fit someone’s idea of what a Dutch family should be. The word “genuine” also gives the passage a more relaxed feel, and plays into the idyllic description of the family quietly tucked into their home. Using the word certified would almost certainly have broken up the picture of the idyll, making the reader think of someone coming to examine the family to validate their authenticity.

4) Nobody would expect a Dutch family to need authentication by an outside source to title themselves as “Dutch,” and so therefore genuine is the better choice for the passage. I believe Washington Irving chose to use genuine rather than a synonym because the word conveys something that is felt to be true, rather than confirmed by a source. When someone feels that something is genuine, they are convinced not by an outside authority but by their own senses. This is important because it allows the reader to decide for themselves what a genuine Dutch family looks like. Therefore, whether the reader knows what a Dutch family is like or not, they are able to paint their own picture of the family inside their farmhouse.

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For those of us living in the dorms, the heat has been on our minds a lot recently. Personally, the only thing getting me through the hot days has been the thought that colder weather will be here in a few short weeks. I am constantly reminded of this by the heat vent sitting under the windowsill in my room. This item has been a part of the room since my residence hall was built, which therefore prompts me to think of it as indigenous to my dorm. When we think of the word indigenous, we often picture the people, rather than the things, that are native to an area. These people and their ancestors have been in a certain location longer than any other person. Like them, the heat vent has been in my dorm room for much longer than any of the items I have brought from home. It was created for use in my dorm room and is consequently a part of the natural state of the room. I consider the room in its empty state to have an indigenous atmosphere because no foreign items have been placed in the room. Everything in that room was made with the express purpose of being in a residence hall dorm, and nothing new has been introduced to it.

When we think of indigenous peoples, we think of the people that have lived in a location for many years. However, when we picture colonizers, we tend to think of people who invade the indigenous people’s land and take over. The word colony often has negative connotations, however it can also be taken to mean a group of people who simply have left their homeland for another location. I would consider the items in my room that are brought from home to be the items most closely associated with colonization. The most prominent example of a colonizing object in my room would be the tower fan that I use for the first few months of the semester. I find that it not only changes the atmosphere of the room drastically by altering the temperature, but has a purpose which is in direct juxtaposition with that of my heat vent.

Having these two items in the same room might seem counterproductive if they were used simultaneously, however when used separately they both serve their purposes well. The fan is able to exist and work successfully in the space because the heat vent is not currently in use. Were the heat vent to be on, running the fan would counteract the purpose of the heater and would not make sense.

A colonizing item and an indigenous item often do not mesh well and it can be difficult for the two to work together. As is often the case when one group of people creates a colony, their culture and the culture of the indigenous people clash, which creates conflict. A fan cools and a heater warms; these are the purposes of the two items, which cannot be changed. This is similar to the way in which cultures of the indigenous and colonizing cultures clash. Both parties feel they should not change their ways to adapt to the needs of the other, which makes coexistence difficult. The existence of the fan as a colonizing item proves another point, however. Colony is not always a word with negative connotations. The fan may not fit well with the heater in my room, however it does serve to make the room more comfortable and easier to live in. Colonies can bring new beginnings with new opportunities. In the sense of exploration and national expansion, colonizers can sometimes introduce beneficial knowledge, medicines, and technology to a group of indigenous people. While colonization can certainly have its drawbacks and benefits, it certainly alters an environment and changes the way that indigenous people or items exist in that environment.

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When Sula descended on Medallion in 1937, so did the robins. The reader can interpret the behaviors of one to reflect those of the other, as much of the author’s description of the robins’ behavior can be compared to Sula’s actions. The majority of the comparisons can be found on page 89, where the arrival of both Sula and the birds is chronicled. The arrival of the birds brings chaos to Medallion, much like Sula’s presence will in the three years she remains there. The birds are initially described as “a plague of robins,” (Morrison, 89) which is a phrase that can be interpreted in many ways. The word plague has negative connotations, as it implies an unwelcome disease that will hurt everyone it touches. Sula is a plague to the people of Medallion, not only because she is unwelcome but also because she hurts a majority of the town through her actions. She wounds the men she sleeps with by rejecting them afterwards, and she hurts their wives who, as a result of Sula sleeping with their husbands, have to comfort their men.

By establishing that Sula is a plague before she is even reintroduced, Toni Morrison is preparing the audience for the change in Sula’s character. When she left in the previous chapter, readers knew Sula as the friend of Nel and an active member of the Medallion community. When she returns we discover that Sula has changed for the worse, becoming selfish and unfeeling towards others. This makes Sula a plague in the community. As we have learned in the last year, a plague is also something that often overwhelms those attempting to control it, which is perhaps why the people of Medallion chose to let Sula run her course. On pages 89 and 90, the author writes: “They let it run its course, fulfill itself, and never invented ways either to alter it, to annihilate it or to prevent its happening again.” (Morrison, 89-90) While the people of Medallion did adjust their behavior according to Sula’s, such as coddling their husbands or mothering their children, the people of Medallion generally let Sula be. This is just how the people regarded the robins, which arrived unannounced just as Sula did.

This passage is important in establishing Sula’s identity as someone who doesn’t follow the norms expected of a black woman in the 1930s. Sula acts according to her wishes and doesn’t feel a need to take care of anybody else like many African American women of her time did. We see many women throughout the book scorn her for being the type of character to sleep with men outside of wedlock or not have children. While Sula’s actions hurt many members of the town, they also scandalize them and alienate her from the people she once called her neighbors and friends. This shows how important fulfilling gender and racial roles is to the people of Medallion. Robins are birds and therefore in the minds of the people of Medallion they have a specific time that they should be present. By not fulfilling their role and showing up en masse the robins have defied Medallion’s expectations and are proudly flaunting it, just as Sula did.

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“I would have to look at them day after day, each with his and her secret and selfish through, and blood strange to each other blood and strange to mine, and think that this seemed to be the only way I could get ready to stay dead, I would hate my father for having ever planted me.” (169-170)

The comparison Addie made between herself and a plant can be interpreted in many ways. The reader can infer from the final line: “I would hate my father for having ever planted me,” that Addie is in fact comparing her life to that of a plant. This is especially relevant to the story because plants eventually die and return to the earth, just as Addie does in As I Lay Dying. The story centers around Addie’s return to the earth, which means that she can in fact be compared to a plant. Addie is like a plant because when a plant dies it usually decomposes in the spot where it was originally planted. Addie makes her family go to great lengths to return her body to Jefferson, where she was from and was originally ‘planted’ by her father. In a way, Addie is like a potted plant. Potted plants grow in one place, then are uprooted to be moved into another location. When they die, they are returned to the earth where they originally came from. This is similar to Addie’s life, as she was born in one place, uprooted when she married Anse, and then returned to her original location once she died.

The story centers around Addie returning to the earth, and her lack of ability to do so. Addie asking to be buried in Jefferson is not only a request to be returned to her original planting location, but also an act of spite. Her burial involves her family having to bring her body to Jefferson, and nearly ensures that by the time she gets to Jefferson her body will already be decomposing. This can be taken as an insult to both her family who are buried in Jefferson, and her living family who must undertake the difficult journey to transport the body. By placing an already decomposing body in her family graveyard, Addie is disrespecting her deceased family members. Mostly, however, she is disrespecting her living family by making them undertake such a tedious journey when she could have been buried alongside them. This shows how Addie truly felt about her family, as she did not choose to make things easier for them following her death. Had she chosen to be buried where she died, it would have made things much simpler for her family, rather than forcing them to travel. Choosing not to be buried with her immediate family is also a kind of insult, as she is essentially stating that she feels more connected with her family in Jefferson than with the family she created.

When Addie references “blood strange to each other blood and strange to mine,” she is perhaps talking about the later revelation in her chapter that Jewel was not Anse’s son. Jewel had a different father from each of his other siblings, and was therefore not of the same blood as them. By saying that her children’s blood is “strange to mine,” Addie was speaking of the disconnect she felt between herself and her children. Throughout her chapter we see that Addie’s relationship with her children is at times strained. We can gather through the reading that this is because she does not feel connected to Anse and did not want to have as many children as she did.

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I think that the insight provided by the author into the characters’ relationships with Addie, the deceased mother and wife, in this passage is substantial. The air surrounding Cash and Anse as the coffin is built is described as “dead,” which the reader can take to represent the family’s quiet misery at the passing of their loved one. Dead air also represents a loss, as the air being dead must mean that it is missing something. This something could be the life and happiness that Addie brought to her family. Now that she is gone, this happiness is missing from the lives of her sons, daughter, and husband. Anse, Addie’s husband, is described as “shabby and aimless” looking during one sentence in the passage. The word aimless is important, as it shows that Anse has lost his purpose in the world with the passing of Addie. His purpose was to love her, and now that she is gone he is without something to do, and is therefore aimless. Addie had a large impact on the lives of her family members, and without her they will be forever changed. Faulkner aims to impart this knowledge to the audience by using specific terms to describe her family members following her death.

I feel that the scene which occurs on pages 75 and 76 is interesting to dissect because of its peaceful tone. Faulkner translates Cash’s efforts to build his mother’s coffin with some of the most descriptive words he has used so far in this novel. I find it interesting that the author would describe something traditionally thought of as macabre in terms that minimize this object’s defining character. The passage undeniably has a melancholy tone, using words such as “dark,” “clattering,” “dead,” “shabby,” and “aimless” to describe various aspects of the scene. Along with this sadness, however, the scene is peaceful, considering that the central characters have just lost their mother or wife. One would expect the characters to be stricken with grief after experiencing such a tragedy, however they all appear to carry on with their lives; spirits only slightly dampened. If I could ask the author a question I would inquire as to why he chose to write this scene in a way which makes it seem that the characters were so at peace with the passing of their family member. I would ask the narrator of this passage, Darl, a son of the deceased family member, why he was the one relating Cash’s construction of the coffin rather than Cash himself. Lastly, I would ask the class if they felt the melancholy and peaceful themes gave them more insight into the central characters’ relationships with their now deceased relative.

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I feel that the scene which occurs on pages 75 and 76 is interesting to dissect because of its peaceful tone. Faulkner translates Cash’s efforts to build his mother’s coffin with some of the most descriptive words he has used so far in this novel. I find it interesting that the author would describe something traditionally thought of as macabre in terms that minimize this object’s defining character. The passage undeniably has a melancholy tone, using words such as “dark,” “clattering,” “dead,” “shabby,” and “aimless” to describe various aspects of the scene. Along with this sadness, however, the scene is peaceful, considering that the central characters have just lost their mother or wife. One would expect the characters to be stricken with grief after experiencing such a tragedy, however they all appear to carry on with their lives; spirits only slightly dampened. If I could ask the author a question I would inquire as to why he chose to write this scene in a way which makes it seem that the characters were so at peace with the passing of their family member. I would ask the narrator of this passage, Darl, a son of the deceased family member, why he was the one relating Cash’s construction of the coffin rather than Cash himself. Lastly, I would ask the class if they felt the melancholy and peaceful themes gave them more insight into the central characters’ relationships with their now deceased relative.

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This book is told from the perspectives of a number of central characters. This is unusual because it allows the reader to see into the minds of multiple narrators instead of only one. The story is therefore told from multiple perspectives, and allows for the central characters to be seen through the eyes of their other characters. Although the story is told from the perspectives of different characters, the same events are not portrayed in different ways. Instead of pausing the story to tell the same events from another characters’ point of view, William Faulkner continues the story but chooses the character he feels is most relevant to narrate the events. This leaves some gaps in the story, however it also allows the author to expand upon certain topics which he deems to be important.

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This image of two young girls especially spoke to me because, despite the fact that they are only children, the two girls pictured here have been forced to work in difficult conditions in order to support their families. The children are taking on the adult responsibility of acting as breadwinners, which would have been unheard of in upper class circles. The children of the wealthy would never have been put to work, much less be expected to support an entire family. The concept of children working would have been something new to the upper class, who would have never thought of putting their own children in harm’s way. Riis’ goal in publishing How the Other Half Lives was to spread awareness of the dilapidated conditions of New York’s tenement district, most of which was accomplished by publishing only the most striking photos. The outfits of the young girls are shocking symbols of poverty which emphasize the destitute nature of their lives. In fact, the children’s clothes would be better described as rags than as actual clothing, and there is a noticeable lack of shoes on the girls despite their presence in a littered factory. The factory looks to be an unsafe and unsuitable place for any worker, especially children who are not properly attired for work.

I think that Stephen Crane would have chosen to portray the lives of the urban poor through fiction rather than nonfiction because through this outlet he would be able to combine many stories into one that was more compelling. This would have raised awareness about the various challenges faced by those stuck in poverty rather than only bringing up one or two of the issues commonly faced by the poor. By including characters of different ages and genders, Crane was able to portray the struggles of four different groups of people: young women, young men, older men, and older women. This gave the book diversity in experiences and allowed Crane to include such topics as alcoholism, gender inequality, and the challenges of supporting a family at a young age.

[sowhatilikeglitter]

“The rooms showed that attempts had been made at tidying them. Parts of the wreckage of the day before had been repaired by an unskilful hand. A chair or two and the table, stood uncertainly upon legs. The floor had been newly swept. Too, the blue ribbons had been restored to the curtains, and the lambrequin, with its immense sheaves of yellow wheat and red roses of equal size, had been returned, in a worn and sorry state, to its position on the mantel. Maggie’s jacket and hat were gone from the nail behind the door” (Crane, 45).

In Chapter Ten of Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, the aftermath of a fight between main character Maggie Johnson’s brother and mother is described in detail. The attempts made by either Maggie or Jimmie at fixing the wreckage represent the attempts made by various members of the Johnson family throughout the novel to heal their broken home. The attempt described in this scene, however, is described as ‘unskilled’ and ‘uncertain,’ and the lambrequin placed in the home by Maggie is said to have been ‘in a worn and sorry state’ (Crane, 45). The failure of Jimmie or Maggie to tidy the room after Jimmie’s incident with his mother represents the failure to fix what was described by Jimmie and Maggie’s father in Chapter Three as a ‘reg’lar livin’ hell’ (Crane, 13). The furniture has been fixed shoddily, and the ‘uncertainly’ repaired chairs are unable to be sat on, lest they will collapse. This is representative of the household’s not being able to take any additional stress without crumbling. We unfortunately see the household take on this stress in Chapter Ten, when Maggie’s ‘ruin’ becomes publicly known. This stress is eventually what causes the breakdown of the Johnson family and subsequently the death of Maggie.

[sowhatilikeglitter]

“During the evening he (Maggie’s father) had been standing against a bar drinking whiskies and declaring to all comers, confidentially: ‘My home reg’lar livin’ hell! Damndes’ place! Reg’lar hell! Why do I come an’ drin’ whisk’ here this way? ‘Cause home reg’lar livin’ hell!’” (Crane, 13)

“Hell”

[“‘My home reg’lar livin’ hell! Damndes’ place! Reg’lar hell! Why do I come an’ drin’ whisk’ here this way? ‘Cause home reg’lar livin’ hell!’”] (Crane, 13)

“‘My home reg’lar livin’ misery! Damndes’ place! Reg’lar misery! Why do I come an’ drin’ whisk’ here this way? ‘Cause home reg’lar livin’ misery!’” (Crane, 13)

The replacement of the word ‘hell’ with ‘misery’ makes the passage appear less harsh while still generally conveying the same meaning. When a reader thinks of hell, they are reminded of an inescapable place that creates pure agony for all who inhabit it. It is a more severe term than misery, as misery is something that, while still evoking thoughts of things terrible and agonizing, is escapable. By using the word hell, Crane is implying that the speaker, Maggie’s father, is unable to escape the situation in which he is living. The author is aiming to convey to the reader just how dire the situation at the man’s home really is, which tells the audience much about the setting. This is instrumental in the reader’s understanding of the characters Jimmie and Maggie, as their background and economic standing are vital in shaping the story. One could argue that had Jimmie and Maggie come from an upper class background with two parents who got along well, there would have been no story to tell at all. Crane’s use of the descriptive word ‘hell’ on page thirteen is a necessary part of the story, as it conveys the true nature of the environment in which the main characters live.