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From Rememory to Forgetting

I loved the ending of Beloved. One of my favorite aspects is the small, rather poetic, epilogue that Toni Morrison includes. Without naming specific details or distinct references to the plot, this short series of passages at the end of the novel seamlessly, effectively, and succinctly ties the novel together and gives the story a solid conclusion and final message. Here is a shortened version of the ending: Everybody knew what she was called, but nobody anywhere knew her name. Disremembered and unaccounted for, she cannot be lost because no one is looking for her, and even if they were, how can they call her if they don’t know her name? Although she has claim, she is not claimed…  It was not a story to pass on.  They forgot her like a bad dream. After they made up their tales, shaped and decorated them, those that saw her that day on the porch quickly and deliberately forgot her. It took longer for those who had spoken to her, lived with her, fallen in love with her, to forget, until
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Their Eyes Were Watching Dreams

One of the most fascinating dynamics in Their Eyes Were Watching God is Janie’s coming-of-age journey. This aspect interests me because, especially after discussing it in class, I realized that her life follows a rather unusual pattern. At the end of chapter three, Hurston writes, “Janie’s first dream was dead, so she became a woman” (25). Not only is this a powerful statement, but it stood out to me because it seems so declarative, confident, firm, and sudden. It creates a clear and abrupt dividing line in Janie’s life. In the portion of the story before, Janie therefore has not “become a woman” yet, and from there on out, she must be in this phase of “womanhood” (contrasting also with Nanny’s ideas of when Janie “becomes a woman,” after being with Johnny Taylor on page 12). It seems that this quote equates the death of dreams with aging, entering a new chapter of life, and developing in the world, and implies that this new phase is only encountered after this first death of a dream.
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"Through love as through hate."

When reading the end of Invisible Man , one of the passages that came right near the end really interested me. The narrator describes why he’s writing his novel and also how he now views and approaches life. On pages 578-580, the paragraph goes: So why do I write, torturing myself to put it down? Because in spite of myself I've learned some things. Without the possibility of action, all knowledge comes to one labeled "file and forget," and I can neither file nor forget. Nor will certain ideas forget me; they keep filing away at my lethargy, my complacency. Why should I be the one to dream this nightmare? Why should I be dedicated and set aside -- yes, if not to at least tell a few people about it? There seems to be no escape. Here I've set out to throw my anger into the world's face, but now that I've tried to put it all down the old fascination with playing a role returns, and I'm drawn upward again. So even before I finish I've failed (maybe my anger
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A New Pair of Shoes

The symbolism in Invisible Man is certainly one of the most visible parts of the book. Although sometimes it screams at you (take Liberty Paints, for example), and other times it’s more subtle, Ralph Ellison seems to make it present throughout almost all of the novel. One of the small yet interesting details of chapter 20 is when the narrator, seemingly out of nowhere, decides to buy a new pair of shoes. This scene happens directly after he returns to Harlem, finds that the Brotherhood has fallen apart there, and notices that he purposefully was not invited to one of their meetings. The passage states: When I arrived the meeting was in session, just as I expected, and word had been left that it was not to be disturbed by anyone. It was obvious that they hadn't forgotten to notify me. I left the building in a rage. Very well, I thought, when they do decide to call me they'll have to find me. I should never have been shifted in the first place, and now that I was sent back to cle
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Invisible Fear

After the narrator’s confusing and traumatizing experience at the paint factory’s hospital in Invisible Man , he is sent to speak with “the director.” There, this director tells him that he must find a new, “easier, quieter” job to support himself (246). Once again, the invisible man’s potential bridge to a more “normal” lifestyle (as widely defined by society), has been torn down just as quickly as he found it. This experience and feeling of having to start over once again is probably another confusing and frustrating moment for the narrator, who is growing increasingly lost and disillusioned with the society around him. I found that the most fascinating aspect of this section, however, was the particular manner in which the invisible man’s life seemed to change after this interaction. Rather than simply feeling lost and more desperate as I would have expected, the narrator remarks that he “was no longer afraid” (249).  But why? Within the conversation with the director, one of the m
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Reversed Naturalism?

One of the details in Native Son that I found myself paying attention to was the weather… which sounds pretty boring. But, Richard Wright’s details and descriptions in this regard fascinated me, particularly the presence and role of snow throughout Bigger Thomas’ story.  What makes snow unique and significant is both its color and how once it falls, it seems to almost “take over” the world around us and blankets all that it touches. While reading Native Son , I began to see it as a metaphor for the entire “white world” around Bigger. Throughout the novel, there were two white storms approaching him. For instance, I find it interesting that the first time snow appears in the novel is when Bigger is getting a tour around the Dalton home by Peggy, the housekeeper (Wright 58). Arguably, this would later be the location where his future is defined and Bigger essentially becomes trapped by the white folks of Chicago. The possibility of snow is only beginning to appear at this moment and alt
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Senior Year!

Hi! From this one forward, all new blog posts will be for African American Literature, Fall 2021! All posts prior to this one are from the Coming-of-Age Novel in Spring 2021 :) Thank you for reading!
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