True or False: Helene Wright is a sympathetic character in this reading assignment (that is, the reader finds herself rooting for Helene).
OR
T or F: Helene's mother, Rochelle, is a sympathetic character.
OR
In the scene on the train, the novel makes a nuanced (specific, fine-grained) statement about racism.
Same directions as yesterday.
24 comments:
I would say that the reader does not root for Helene in this reading assignment. She is extremely uptight, rigid, has kept her child from her roots (to protect her, but all the same), almost demands respect of everyone around her, and is not too personable. "Under Helene's hand the girl became obedient and polite, Any enthusiasms that little Nel showed were calmed by the mother until she drove her daughter's imagination underground." pg 18. It seems that Helene smothers Nel because perhaps she too was smothered by her grandmother and her religious teachings? The author insinuates that Helene really does want affection from her mother, and perhaps that's why Helene resents her and wants to be nothing like her. So maybe she went in the complete opposite direction and became someone who, instead of experiencing much, experiences almost nothing.
CJ makes a good argument, but I would also like to argue the other side as well. I think this statement is true, because once you see Helene's nothing relationship with her mother, and how she seems so desperate to give her daughter a better life than that by being a better person, you can sympathize with her. "Her daughter was more comfort and purpose than she had ever hoped to find in this life." (18) The reader can see where she is coming from in being so demanding in set her ways, when you see how happy she is with what she has and how afraid she is to lose it.
I have to disagree and say that the reader does feel some sympathy for Helene in these pages. I don't think it has to do with her, personally, but the situation she came into on the train (when the conductor stuck his finger in his ear and called him 'gal').
Also, in that instant, we get a more vulnerable side of Helene instead of this controlling woman that has been described in the previous pages (she smothered her daughter, controlling her, making her become obedient).
"So soon. So soon. She hadn't even begun the trip back. Back to her grandmother's house in the city where the red shutters glowed, and already she had been called 'gal'. All the old vulnerabilities, all the old fears of being somehow flawed gathered in her stomach and made her hands tremble. She had heard only that one word; it dangled above her wide-brimmed hat, which had slipped, in her exertion, from its carefully leveled placement and was now tilted in a bit of a jaunt over her eye." (20)
Also, there's another passage that talks about how she didn't want men to look at her in a certain way. "She wanted to make certain that no man ever looked at her that way. That no midnight eyes or marbled flesh would ever accose her and turn her into jelly." (22)
I think these passages open the door slightly ajar for the reader to see into Helene's childhood and not how she, as a mother, is raising her own child. In the first passage it talks about the feelings that arise when she hears the word 'gal' and how her old fears of being flawed churned in her stomach - obviously, she had insecurities like the rest of us, as all humans do, but the next passage also shows that while she's flawed and knows it, she prefers to be stronger, to not give into temptation (like the stares of men). I think she has learned from experiences and has comtrol and that's admirable. I think you do feel some sympathy but it's not in a pitiful way, more in an understanding way.
True. The reading does make a specific statement about racism.
"...already she had been called "gal." All the old vulnerabilities, all the old fears of being somehow flawed gathered in her stomach and made her hands tremble."
Morrison is saying that racism is utter embarrassment and trauma. Just by being demeaned to "gal" by a train conductor that was supposed to be working for her, the put-together Helene is thrown into thoughts of being "flawed" and "trembles." Morrison is specifically saying that racism is something that is awful, there is no sympathy for the other side. The one being hurt, in this case Helene, is seen going through complete shock because of racism. Morrison does not lead the reader to have any sort of leanings towards the racist man, and that is why the racism is nuanced.
True rochelle is a sympathetic character but she seems to be hiding it maybe because her daughter has been distant and she isn't sure how to act about her anymore. But she is very intriguing to Nel and she cares about her and is welcoming to her.
"Suddenly she swept around and hugged Nel- a quick embrace, tighter and harder than one would have imagined her thin soft arms capable of."
At least from her granddaughter's point of view Rochelle is a kind person and sympathetic.
There is no really specific comment on Racism in this reading, but only vague implications of what racism really is. In other words, the regular view of racism can be seen such as the white conductor was suspicious about Nel's and Hellene's entering into the white coach. But the reactions from the soldiers are very confusing and vague as to what they mean towards racism. I saw Hellene's smile not as foolish but as a symbol of her strength. She smiles to show that she has not been defeated by this white man's indignation towards her. She has accepted it and moved on. Her acceptance of this racism from the conductor is what might have made the soldiers react in the way they did. They were disgusted by her acceptance.
"Like a street pup that wags its tail at the very doorjamb of the butcher shop he has been kicked away from only moments before, Helene smiled. Smiled dazzlingly and coquettishly at the salmon-colored face of the conductor.... The two black soldiers, who has been watching the scene with what appeared to be indifference, now looked stricken."
The racism issue--true:
"Helene licked her lips. 'Oh...I...' Her glance moved beyond the white man's face to the passengers seated behind him. Four or five black faces were watching, two belonging to soldiers still in their shit-colored uniforms and peaked caps. She saw their closed faces, their locked eyes, and turned for compassion to the gray eyes of the conductor...[After Helene flashes the racist conductor a dazzling smile] Nel looked away from the flash of pretty teeth to the other passengers. The two black soldiers, who had been watching the scene with what appeared to be indifference, now looked stricken. Behind Nel was the bright and blazing light of her mother's smile; before her the midnight eyes of the soldiers. She saw the muscles of their faces tighten, a movement under the skin from blood to marble. No change in the expression of the eyes but a hard wetness that veiled them as they looked at the stretch of her mother's foolish smile...[Helene] walked down the aisle to a seat. She looked about for a second to see whether any of the men would help her put the suitcases in the overhead rack. Not a man moved."
Morrison is portraying the way racism can affect the relations of people within a discriminated-against community, all trying to figure out the best way to defend themselves, in a careful, precise, and nuanced way.
In response to the third question, I believe that it is true, that in the scene on the train, the novel makes a nuanced statement about racism. The definition of nuance is that it is a subtle or distinct variation, a subtle quality, a nicety. Basically, nuance is something that states something in a obvious way, but indirectly stating it at the same time.
On the train Helene is belittled by the white train conductor for making a simple mistake (getting on the wrong car - the whites only car). The mistake itself was simple enough, Helene and Rochelle only, in their rush, noticed one of the coach cars. They literally happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. When they got on the train, they realized that the coach they were in was "Whites Only." Immediately there was a reaction from both Helene and her daughter and from the white passengers.
"Helene and her daughter entered a coach peopled by some twenty white men and women. Rather than go back and down the three wooden steps again, Helene decided to spare herself some embarrassment and walk on through to the colored car. She carried two pieces of luggage and a string purse; her daughter carried a covered basket of food." (Pg 20, 1st Para)
Today, if someone got on the wrong car (for example if they had a ticket for a different seat, or they were meeting someone) this situation would not be awkward or embarassing at all. But simply because Helene and Rochelle are 'colored' and live in the 1920's they do not have the right to sit wherever they want and they have to go through the embarrassment (the conscious embarrassment where everyone in the coach knows what is going on and how 'out of place' the two are) of moving to not just a different seat but a different car.
The idea of racism is very blatent in the scene, and it's hard to ignore. While no character in the scene actually points out the racism (for why would they?, the white people and the conductor think it is their priveledge to have these special rights and Helene dare not bring up the unfairness of the situation, for who would be able to help her?). Although it's obvious, racism belittled, degraded, and embarrassed black people (to say the least!) and I think that this one of the things that the scene is expressing.
In response to the first two:
I think there are two kind of sympathetics, or at least two ways of being extremely nice to someone. It is true, I think Rochelle is sympathetic to Nel because she just out of the blue hugged her. I find that sympathetic. Why she feels sympathy for her, I'm not sure. It could be anywhere from feeling bad about her trip, her great-grandmother passing away, the life she has, or she feels bad that they never met before. But obviously she felt something, and then quickly moved on.
I don't perceive Helene as sympathetic in that she is a warm and compassionate mother, but sympathetic in that she isn't. She is raising her daughter in such a fashion that she will become who she is and will learn, and experience, and be no one else but Nel. It's a different kind of sympathy, a harsher sympathy. It's like having a strict mom. They can stink, but in the long run it's a good thing. They're strict for a reason. They love you and feel sympathy! Ah!
So...kind of two sympathies.
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Mike I found your comment interesting and I agree with what you think the scene is expressing.
But I also think that while it's true that racism was more rigid and prevelant and that we're not segregated on trains and in public places, there are still signs of racism going on today. I think that this act by the conductor is not just in terms of the time period but is general and is apart of the world's zeitgeist (meaning it's apart of every culture and decade) which I think is why Helene is a relatable and - in response to the question - a sympathetic character. Although, I do believe that the sympathy isn't based toward her because of her own personality but because of the card she was delt with. But this is a long post so I'll stop there.
I feel that Helene is a sympathetic character for the readers, as the author introduces her by saying that she was born to a prostitute mother. Especially in the lines before that, Toni says that the "red shutters had haunted both Helene Sabat and her grandmother for sixteen years". This especially evokes sympathy for Helene, as she was born in a place that had haunted her grandmother.
True. The scene on the train depicts a nuanced statement about racism. It also depicts racism outright.
The most blatant example of racism is the fact that Helene and her daughter must sit in a separate compartment. When the conductor addresses Helene as "Gal," his racism is outright. He doesn't feel he owes her the respect of a polite introduction.
The nuanced racism in this scene is in the reaction of the black soldiers to Helene's smile. They look down on her for what they consider her subservience, her willing to please the white conductor. This is racism within a race, and it is something we see within minorities today, as well. Helene is considered a doormat, and is therefore less of a person. This is a tool used by oppressors to keep a group of people down -- turn them against each other and they will never be able to rise up and achieve freedom. This scene depicts the nuanced internal racism that comes from an oppression so ingrained that one has no identity beyond it.
As for question number one, I consider Helene a very sympathetic character. She is victim of her circumstance. She did not choose to be taken from her mother, her grandmother took her and convinced her that her mother's ways were unacceptable. This created in her a desire for all things orderly -- against everything her mother, a prostitute, stood for. It is natural that she choose to raise her daughter in the opposite way she supposes her mother would have raised her. All parents do this, to some extent. She clearly loves Nel, but doesn't necessarily understand that her daughter has an identity all her own.
This lack of interest in her daughter's personal identity can be connected to her willingness to suppress her own identity when faced with the scorn of the white conductor. Perhaps Helene considers individuality expendable and dangerous. This explains her rigid parenting and her willingness to conform to racial expectations.
I love this book!
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In response to Kim's comment about racism being inherent to the "eternal" zeitgeist, I disagree. I think racism is a product of our historical circumstance. Humanity has an inate fear of the "different," and the history of our country in particular has made race the primary way in which this difference manifests. If it were not racism, it would be something else. In this respect, I consider racism a part of the zeitgeist of the past several centuries, and probably still a part of our zeitgeist today. However, I think the issue of race can eventually be overcome. In order to eliminate it, we must address the root of the issue -- why we fear that which is different from us.
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In response to Gabi's comment, I don't believe that racism is eternal. I believe that it has been in our zeitgeist, for a very long time, but I think zeitgeists also allow for things to change as well. I agree with you in the fact that the fear of change or difference doesn't just apply to race, but I do think it has been in a zeitgeist for a long time and still present today.
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I really liked what Laurel said about the other passenger's reactions to the smile and how it shows racism within the discriminated group. I also think that an interesting idea that was brought up was after they made many stops and Helene had slid back into ignoring the racism, "She never felt a stir as she passed the muddy eyes of the men who stood like wrecked Dorics under the station roofs of those towns." She has reverted back to her childhood experience and is now able to walk past the men without thinking about them or how they view her. This seemed like a new view of the racism. I'm not quite sure if it is meant to point out that racism was just a part of everyday life that did not need to be acknowledged anymore, or something else. That's just what I got out of it...
I believe that the novel does make a nuanced statement about racism. Nel and Helene enter into the white coach, and the reactions from the soldiers are mixed.
Helene is addressed as "Gal", as Gabby mentioned, and isn't even shown the proper respect of a proper greeting. Racism affects not only the parties in question but also the parties amongst themselves, as was evident in this reading. There were nuances of racism.
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Mmm...Kim how magnanimous...I see your point, racism is still in many ways a part of our society today, not just our history.
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But on a more serious note, while the situation on the train was very prevelent to the decade in question (racism being a big factor), the decade does not reflect on the people, the people reflect on the decade, meaning that everything that occurred during that time period was brought on by the people living in it and the ideas and beliefs that all individuals held.
Also I agree that Helene is a sympathetic character based on her situation not necesarily (or always) her character.
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Checking in...I agree with what Mike said about people shaping the time period that they live in, and also about Helene being in a sympathetic situation. The times when we see her true character, suppressing her daughter and thinking so highly of herself, I did not feel at all sympathetic.
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