Comparison between "Heart of Darkness" and "Waiting for the Barbarians"

Aside from the similar subject matter, "Heart of Darkness" and "Waiting for the Barbarians" have a strong connection between their characters and the roles these characters play. These connections between the two novels are evident throught the work of Douglas Kerr's, "Three Ways of Going Wrong." Kerr points out many parallels between the two works although many of these connections are based between the Magistrate and Marlow and Kurtz and Colonel Joll. In my eyes, one of the strongest connections is between Kurtz and Colonel Joll. Both are men of power and authority, who make decisions that torture and ruin the lives of many innocent people. Both men are challenged by an inferior authority (the Magistrate and Marlow) which helps reveal the depth of the men's torture rituals. Also, both of the men have a relationship with a woman who become central figures and a topic of discussion throughout the novel. It seems as though Kurtz and Colonel Joll are very similar regarding their tactics and ways of life. They are also similar in their approach to the barbarians. They both view it as a business deal. The innocence of the barbarians has no significance to either of them in that the barbarians are no longer evident as humans. They are disposed of in the most grotesque of ways and without a care in the world. All this is due to the fact that it is all business. All in all, both come off to the reader with a feeling of disgust. Furthermore, the Magistrate and Marlow also help connect Colonel Joll and Kurtz. Both the Magistrate and Marlow are forever changed by the actions of their individual superior figure. One could say that a strange, forced bond has been formed between the respective characters, in that both Marlow and the Magistrate have to deal with their superior figure even though they are opposed to their actions. Just like Marlow, the Magistrate becomes haunted by the cruelty inflicted on the barbarians by the Colonel and Kurtz. Lucklily, Marlow and the Magistrate stand up for what they believe is right and try to change the cruelty toward the barbarians. "Waiting for the Barbarians" and "Heart of Darkness" are two very similar novels in that the reader cares for the figures who stand up for the innocent and hate the men who inflict the torture. In this way, the two novels are interestingly connected but have their own respective individualities that make both novels interesting.

Starting Thoughts on "Waiting for the Barbarians"

The novel, "Waiting for the Barbarians" by Coetze, is actually a pleasant surprise for me. I was not such a fan of "The Heart of Darkness" by Conrad so I immediately thought that I would not enjoy the novel by Coetze. Interestingly enough, aside from the main journey of the characters, we also see the development and habits of the main character, the Magistrate. For me, looking at character's development is very interesting in that I feel one is able to develop a stronger connection to that character. This novel is not just a quest for barbarians, but a love story. We see the Magistrate realize qualities of his character that deal with how he treats women. He seems to come to understand that the woman is not just a blind prisoner, but a woman that he may have feelings for. In this way, I am interested to see how this relationship continues throughout the rest of the novel. After reading part three, I am hoping that in some way she will return to him. I am also excited to learn about the army's quest to find the barbarians, as I was not expecting this to greet the skeletal soldiers as they made their way back home. I am also enjoying finding some of the symbolism that is not concretely evident. I love how I have to search for the symbolism as it hides between the pages. Our discussion in class about the glasses revealed this to me in that I established a connection between the Colonel's glasses and the eyes of the women. Without this discussion I probably would not have discovered this in that it is not blatantly evident. Overall, this novel is much more interesting than I would have ever thought it would be and I am so excited and enticed to keep reading on.

Thoughts on Andrew Micheal Roberts's "Masculinity, Modernity, and Homosexual Desire"

Focus is mostly on Homosexuality and the budding relationship between Marlow and Kurtz
1.) States that the novel is based upon gaining and passing on knowledge about relationships between men.

2.) An article by Straus was incredibly interesting, so the following points are based off of this article.
a.) Feels that women are used to distort men's passionate love for one another.
b.) Feels that Marlow puts his love on "the Intended" to conceal himself from the complexity of love "a love that strikes him with horror" for Kurtz,
c.) Relationship between Marlow and Kurtz involves competitiveness, desire, bonding, and sharing power. Feels that this notion sets up powerful barriers between sexual and male relationships.
d.) States that the women within the novel are solely utilized to distract and are objects of desire.
e.) The knowledge that Marlow and Kurtz share has sexual overtones. She feels that because Kurtz is a "very remarkable man", a man who will go "far, very far", a "prodigy", "a special being" and a "emissary of pity, and science, and progress, and God knows what else," that there is a sexual relationship between the two.
f.) "Marlow's own feelings for Kurtz (tinged are they with idol-worship) are themselves the horror. It is in sexual terms, as well as in terms of imperialist exploitation, that the darkness which Marlow imagines he finds in Africa is reflected back into the heart of the culture inhabited by Marlow and his respectable male listeners."
-Conrad, Joseph, The Heart of Darkness, New York: Armstrong, 2006. 460.

3.) Homosexual desire is prevalent in that the story is told by one man to a group of men who is feels he has a close bond. "His story concerns his growing fascination, disgust, and identification for another man, centred on his realization that this man has been involved in taboo practices about which the story-teller will not be specific."pg.460
"Enduring intimacy with the other man, despite his death, an intimacy involving the sharing of a disgraceful yet exciting knowledge from which the dead man's finacee must be protected."460

Closure to "The Sound and the Fury"

The ending of the novel really made me realize how much I am in love with  Benjy's character. Whenever he is mentioned, my heart just aches for him. He is so special regardless of the troubles and annoyances he may bring to the Compson family. Within the last few pages of the novel, Faulkner mentions Benjy's graveyard and the carriage ride which showed off his character very well. He pertains to a certain type of order and no matter how annoying it may get, it makes his character that much more adorable and lovable. Furthermore, unlike the other characters, he is one of the few who never changes. He is always the same Benjy who cries and moans when he hears "Caddie", who cries when something is taken away from him, and who waits for Caddy by the gate. He does have a daily schedule and imposes order in his life; however, this makes him sparkle among the Compson family. I felt that from the beginning of the novel to the end, Benjy remains constant although the novel comes full circle. Most of the original family may be gone, but ironically Benjy will carry on the Compson family name. As a reader, I felt assured that if Benjy could survive the many threats from Jason to be sent to Jackson, than he can survive anything. As the novel came to a close, I was very happy with the closure I received as a reader. I was able to put down the book knowing that Benjy was okay and that he was in the hands of Dilsey who truly loves him. His order was put back into place and, "his eyes were blue and serene again"(321). 

Faulkner, William. The Sound and the Fury. Vintage: New York, 1990.

Benjy "Canine" Compson

Benjy “Canine” Compson

Interestingly enough, I was able to find an article that matched an interpretation I had of the character, Benjy. Upon reading Faulkner’s, The Sound and the Fury, I noticed that although Benjy was 33 years old, he was still treated as a child and at times like a dog. His moans and crying out perfectly matched the behavior of a dog when they want attention, food, or need to go outside. Benjy shares a lot of these same ideals in that he moans when he wants attention or hears his “masters” name Caddy. Through the article of Jacqui Griffiths titled, “Almost Human: Indeterminate Children and Dogs in Flush and The Sound and the Fury”, my interpretation of Benjy’s treatment as seemingly canine was strengthened.

Griffith’s article makes some shocking associations; however, many of her points are valid and in conjunction with my thoughts on Benjy and his mannerisms. The first section of the novel is narrated by Benjy and spends a lot of time talking of Benjy’s daily routine at the fence. Even after Caddy leaves home, Benjy still waits for her as he paces back and forth from one side of the fence to the other. Griffith states, “Benjy describes how the frightened but intrigued girls hurry past the house as he follows them along the fence, ‘trying to say’. The fence confines Benjy…”[1] It is evident from this passage that Benjy is similar to a dog in that he waits at the fence for his “master” and follows this type of plan everyday. However, Griffith does make some strange remarks like the fact that she feels, “Benjy is physically and figuratively castrated.”[2] Although this proves her thought that Benjy is a “hybridized representation of dog and child”, I didn’t feel that there was evidence to prove he had been “castrated” in the first place. While he is treated like a child and moans and cries out like a dog, he is still a male human. Furthermore, he may be confined from society and lives in a true “bubble”, he is simply over parented. The Compson’s do not want to release him into the world because they are too afraid of what others will think and in turn, their status may be comprised. All in all, I agree with Griffith’s association of Benjy as similar to a dog; however, I feel his mannerisms are similar to a canine, not his physical attributes or anything else. In this way, I feel Griffith took this theme too far and misunderstood Benjy as a character and what he represents.

 

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[1] “Almost Human: Indeterminate Children and Dogs in Flush and The Sound and the Fury,” JSTOR, ed. Jacqui Griffiths, 2002 170.

[2] “Almost Human: Indeterminate Children and Dogs in Flush and The Sound and the Fury,” JSTOR, ed. Jacqui Griffiths, 2002 170.

Norma Jean and Leroy Moffitt: The Long Gone Couple

Change in one’s life is the ultimate predecessor to unhappiness and in Mason’s “Shiloh” the categorical grouping of people into subdivisions. The reader clearly sees the two main figures start fresh; but sadly, in different subdivisions. Further, through history these subdivisions are formed and from previous groupings one is shunned. This is the case for the couple Leroy and Norma Jean. Once a seemingly “happy” family, tragedy tore them apart and thus inspired change. From this change, the reader is a witness to the ultimate separation of the couple through each individual’s evolution into new subdivisions.

            From the beginning of the story, the reader notices the lifestyle change of both Norma Jean and Leroy. Norma Jean is incredibly concerned with body-building and thus seems to spend most of her time, “working on her pectorals.”(1) Even in serious conversation about the possibility of an affair, she seems to be more concerned about her biceps. Further, Norma Jean stops playing the organ, makes unusual foods, and is very interested in composition, all things that drive her, “miles away” (94) from Leroy. However, Norma Jean’s change is matched by Leroy’s disregard for anything but crafts and his hope of constructing a log cabin. Instead of finding a job and preserving a semblance of a marriage, Leroy spends his time bothering Norma Jean while she, “prefers a man who wanders” (144). The beginnings of their new classifications are rooted in the character’s metamorphosis within the first few pages of the story.  

Although Leroy feels that, “they are waking up out of a dream together” (9), it is evident that their dream is only continuing on its winding and never-meeting path. Due to Norma Jean’s evident change, Leroy realizes that he no longer knows Norma Jean very well. Furthermore, as he realizes his estrangement from his wife he feels, “like a criminal rehearsing for a robbery” (55), as he begins to venture into her newly formed subdivision. In an effort to become reacquainted, Leroy takes Mabel’s suggestion and takes Norma Jean to Shiloh. Their “vacation” to Shiloh clearly conveys the different subdivisions that they are living in and how life together will no longer work.

Just like the battles that once happened at Shiloh to achieve a new sense of freedom, the battle between Leroy and Norma Jean’s subdivisions does somewhat of the same. Sitting in the cemetery, “a green slope dotted with white markers, which looks like a subdivision” (151), the climax of the story takes place. The final separation of each character into their correct subdivision is clearly portrayed as Norma Jean runs to the river and turns toward Leroy who is unable to keep up with her. In essence, Leroy is restricted by his newly found boundary as the white markers of the green slope of his subdivision keep him contained. As Leroy meditates on the,  “inner workings of his marriage and how they have escaped him” (155), Norma Jean is free and comfortable in her new grouping as she is doing what she loves; working on her chest muscles. At this point, it is apparent that both characters are suited to the subdivisions that they were destined to find from the beginning of the story.

            As Mason’s story comes full circle, Leroy finally comes to comprehend that the log cabin he once imagined building was, “the dumbest idea he could have had” (155). Unfortunately, this realization came too late as Norma Jean had already passed over into her new sector. This recognition could have been the glue to hold their marriage together; however, ultimately, the destiny of both characters did not allow for their union. Plus, “the answers are always changing” (29), and a little change is what they both needed to realize that their subdivisions no longer coincided.  

            Discussion Questions:

1.)    Do you think there is an underlying reason for Norma Jean’s obsession with body-building?

2.)    Do you think the lose of their son ultimately led to their separation? If not, then what?

3.)    Why do you think Leroy never gets a new job? (Especially since Norma Jean makes it clear that she would rather have him out of the house for awhile.)

4.)    Do you think this story has anything to do with the American Dream?

a.       Do you see Norma Jean/ the story itself as being a figure of feminism?

Reflections on our Everyday Blindness

            Raymond Carver’s “Cathedral”, portrays the common perception one may feel when meeting a handicapped person. Carver clearly points out that on first meeting a handicapped person, one may degrade that being to be almost “subhuman.” While this perception is very wrong, most do not know how to handle these types of situations, as we are not encountered with them everyday. Despite my harsh critique of the husband, I can easily relate to this story after working at S.T.A.R.S this summer. S.T.A.R.S. is a learning home for people who cannot easily take care of themselves due to car accidents, blindness, and other tragedies that have been placed upon them. This summer I came to be very good friends with a woman there who was blind. I went through the same journey with her as the husband did with Robert in the story.

            Upon meeting Carver’s character, the husband, I was completely horrified by his attitude toward a man who has in fact had a harder life considering his blindness. My anger is completely summed up as the husband admits how, “his being blind bothered me…a blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to.”(1) However, as the story progresses, the reader is confronted with a new persona that one may credit to Robert. In comparison with my journey this summer I can admit, that at first, I was incredibly nervous. I wanted to make sure I did not talk to this woman as if she were inferior to me; thus, I wanted her to feel that I respected her. Moreover, I did not want to make comments that involved seeing something. In Carver’s story, I was inflamed as the husband rudely asks Robert, “What side of the train did you sit on?”(25) This was something I made sure I did not do. However, in retrospect, I feel that if I had made the mistake of saying something like this, that maybe I would have bonded more quickly with the woman. Maybe that would have broken the ice and she would not have sensed my constant nervousness when I was around her. As Carver’s story points out, Robert did not seem to be offended and he knew which side he sat on. Furthermore, in the end, we see that Robert and the husband do bond and the husband more clearly understands what being blind really entails. However, the bigger blessing is that through Robert, he realizes his own blindness and how oblivious he is to things as simple as a cathedral.

            The true climax of Carver’s short story appears as Robert asks the husband to describe a cathedral to him. The husband has a somewhat difficult time describing a rather simple object. This proves that even though we are given the privilege of sight to see the simple things, we take it for granted. Like the husband, how many of us could accurately describe a cathedral to someone who cannot see it. What we don’t realize is that there are people who wish they could see the simple things in life and would not take it for granted. After I got over my hatred for the husband, I came to realize how this short story pertains to reality. So many of us continue to cruise through life not realizing the beautiful cathedral, tree, path, bench, ant, and other things we deem miniscule. What is the point of life if we don’t notice these things and realize their true beauty?  Plus, if we are given the gift to see, we need to use it, or else there is no reason to see at all. (604)

Reflections on Alice Walker's Everyday Use

The short story Everyday Use struck a nerve when I read it, which led me to come up with some harsh criticisms of the characters, especially Dee. This short story surrounds the underlying message that one's heritage helps define who they are as a person and thus, one should not be ashamed of their origin. However, as the story unfolds, the reader is hit smack in the face with Dee's shame and mocking of the heritage that keeps her mother and sister Maggie going.

From the beginning of the story to the end, the reader witnesses Dee's selfishness and lack of concern and feeling for her family and their situation. The reader can clearly see that this family does not live the "best life" but they manage with the few things they do have. However, this is not good enough for Dee as her mom says, "Dee wanted nice things"(12). From this point forward the reader feels the lack of respect Dee has for her mother and her sister Maggie. In the mother's case, we hear of a dream where she and Dee were on a television show. In her dream, the mother hopes that Dee "would embrace her with tears in her eyes"(4). However, Dee's mother knows that this only happens because on television she looks the way Dee would want her to look. Instead of appreciating the mother she has, who works all day long  to provide for Dee and Maggie, Dee treats her with total disrespect. As the story progresses, only more examples are conveyed to show Dee's embarrassment of her family. Toward the end of the story, Dee finally leaves to go to school, but when she comes back we see Dee's true colors that make the reader even more upset than before. 

Dee comes back a new person with a new identity and persona. She is now Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo and is attended by Asalamalakin. Aside from physically looking different, Wangero has the audacity to exclaim that she, "couldn't bear it any longer to be named after the people who oppress her"(25). This is one of the first clues the reader gets that reveals her disrespect for her heritage. She wants to lose her identity, which will only erase the history of the African American peoples. She wants to forget their battle to be somewhat accepted. After, she continues to basically steal the few prized possessions her mother and sister have. She has no idea what it took to make the butter churn or the quilts but she feels she deserves them. The reader seems more vividly than ever before in the story, Dee's selfishness as she is taking from her own family who has nothing. After taking all these things, the reader notices Dee's appearance, as she is wearing her hair in an afro. She does not even deserve to wear her hair like this as she is no longer African. She lost that identity when she decided not to share a name with her own kin; people who had suffered to be accepted. 

At the end of the story, the reader feels no respect for Dee and realizes how important it is to be proud of one's heritage, as it makes one who they truly are. It is special to have traditions and cultures that differ from the majority of people. The moral of this story is to use Dee as an example of what one should never strive to be. Accepting the hardships and cultures of one's heritage makes them stronger and ultimately helps define one's identity. Until one can accept these things, they are not being true to who they really are.

Summer Reading: The Kite Runner

This summer I read: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisberger, and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I would have to say, that without any exaggeration, The Kite Runner was both the most mind-blowing reading experience and the most emotionally taxing novel I have read thus far. I have never been overcome with both sadness and happiness in one sitting until I read Hosseini’s powerful novel.  Not only did I grow emotionally, but I also learned about a distant culture which kept me in a trance for three days-all it took me to read this novel. Further, in present times with a war in Iraq now and an Afghani war previously, this novel became more realistic and harder to read, in that many times, I wanted to stop and hide from what is presently a threatening and inevitable truth. As the novel is set in Afghanistan predominantly, the novel walks the reader through a war that ultimately ruins the lives of its inhabitants and creates heart-wrenching situations that are hard for the eyes to read. However, I made it through and ended up having a different perspective on our position now and about life itself.

As many suspect, the Middle Eastern family is one of the dearest gifts that life has to offer. In many cases, this is accurate; but Hosseini helps break down a misconception by introducing the family of Baba, Hassan, Ali, and the narrator, Amir. First off, it is thought to many that male children are put first and are treasured by a Middle Eastern family. However, in this novel, the father Baba is resentful and does not particularly care for Amir, his son. Instead, Baba is more affectionate to Hassan, the hare lipped “son” of Ali, the servant. Not only does Hosseini present the reader with an idea contrary to modern perceptions but he also goes on to reveal that Baba had an affair with another woman and in effect, Ali is actually Baba’s son. Overall, Hosseini helps subdue the American misconception that Middle Eastern people are so innocent and pure.  I particularly liked what Hosseini did in that it made the novel more relatable and took Middle Eastern people and their beliefs out of the limelight and created a more level relationship to people of other origins. Not only was I impressed with the authors ability to reveal the truth of what one would think a traditional family, but his ideas on life lessons also pulled me in.

Most likely the most reoccurring theme in this novel is the idea of guilt and what it is truly like to live with the demon. The author colorfully reveals the pain and suffering that Amir experiences, in a way that makes the reader feel as they had committed the same mistake as Amir. In the beginning of the novel, Hosseini introduces a few characters who make up the bullies in Hassan and Amir’s world. One day, these characters brutally beat Hassan while Amir is looking on from afar. Instead of helping Hassan, who is like his brother, he returns home and does not say anything to his father or anyone else. Throughout the rest of the novel, every action that Amir must do or think seriously about relates back to Hassan and the guilt he feels for allowing him to be violated. For example, once Amir moves to San Francisco and establishes a new life he learns from a close family friend that he should go back to Kabul, Afghanistan to help Sohrab, Hassan’s son. At the time that this is occurring, Afghanistan is in the middle a war, so Amir travelling there was most definitely a risk to his safety. Despite the fact that his wife, Soraya, is against it, Amir cannot handle the guilt he feels and so he must travel into the most war-ridden area of the Middle East of the time. This is not the only example of Amir making decisions based on his shame, but it makes one’s heart ache when reading the particular passage. Furthermore, I came to realize that I should not take life for granted and rather, should make decisions that will keep those both close and far from me safe. This way I will never have to deal with guilt, as I have learned from Hosseini that it consumes you and essentially has dominance over you for eternity.

After reading The Kite Runner, I have come to realize the power a novel has to change one’s thoughts on life and worldly situations.  Furthermore, I recognize how much I take the privilege of living in America for granted as Amir and eventually Sohrab taught me that freedom is not granted to everyone and so, we must use our freedom rationally and with purpose. In closing, the relaxed atmosphere that America offers is represented when at the end of the novel, Amir hands Sohrab the kite string and for the first time the young boy smiles. However miniscule a smile may seem, a life with protection and support in America can change people; something, I take for granted everyday. America became an oasis for Amir and Sohrab and the young boy’s smile proves the power our country has to put people from elsewhere at ease as “when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe Sohrab’s smile was the first flake melting.” (915)