Blog #2 Binaries
Jan. 22nd, 2012 05:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
litbloggerHow descriptions of work and sleeping areas contribute to Alice Munro's Boys and Girls
The descriptions of the two work areas, both the mother's and the father's, are set up by our young narrator to be nothing short of the literary binary of good versus evil. As a young girl and eldest child with a marvelous imagination and adventurous spirit, our narrator is captivated by her father's work. This is the important and exciting stuff that happens where she lives while her mother's work is not only indoors (yuch!) but is described as "endless, dreary and particularly depressing." (page 152, text). She bolts for the door every time her mother turns her back because she is eager to get back to her outside chores - the important ones in her mind. Our unnamed narrator even starts to see her mother as the enemy when she overhears her mother plotting to keep her in the house to help with the indoor chores when her brother Laird becomes big enough to help outside. The adorable assumption that her father would never agree to such a plan because she was far too valuable a worker shows the unintentional ignorance of very small children who lack a full perspective of life (for example that muscular strength would be an important asset for the pelting industry). I find it sad, though, that these plans being plotted do not take into account the personal interests of either child, but are simple the assigned gender roles of the time period.
The descriptions of the safety of the outdoors versus the fear of the indoor sleeping spaces adds a wonderful texture to this short story and also illustrates another binary. Upstairs where the children sleep is the storage place of useless relicts, which could be seen as including the children as well. They are not old enough or strong enough to be of any real assistance with the farm chores yet, and so they are relegated to "storage" until they become more useful. There is a great fear of this indoor space, with imaginary bats, skeletons and escaped convicts using it as a hide-a-way. Our narrator contrasts this fear with the safety of the outdoors (despite the weather). Somehow being outdoors means freedom in this young girl's mind and indoors means captivity.
The Boat introduces other literary works in order to compare characters or situations. Eustacia Vye from Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native is compared (in a physical way) to the mother in The Boat - both dark haired, regal looking women. Although I have personally not read this story, it's seems that Eustacia Vye is seeking someone to improve her station in life rather than marrying for love and happiness. She hates her home in the heath, but ultimately marries a local man who wants to teach. She must love him in her own but becomes increasingly frustrated that he is pursuing this dream rather than taking her overseas to live in the lap of luxury.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville is a book I have read. Narrated by Ishmail, a new member of a whaling vessel, it follows the story of revenge between Captain Ahab and Moby Dick (a great white whale). To Captain Ahab, this whale is not just an animal of the sea, but the living, breathing embodiment of evil. The captain, on a previous encounter with Moby Dick lost his leg and plans to kill the whale for this act of war.
Ahab's revenge plans are complicated by Gabriel, a prophet who claims that doom will accompany all those who attack Moby Dick. Ahab is undeterred, but his men become scared, especially when they learn all the stories of those that have tried to kill or catch Moby Dick in the past. Captain Ahab's death is foreshadowed, which comes true as he becomes entangled in his harpoon and is hurled out the boat, ultimately dying.
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens is another story that I have yet to read. Ham Peggotty is described as simple-minded yet he is someone who has a big heart. He respects David Copperfield and earns his respect back even though David is heard to describe Ham in very condescending ways due to what is perceived as lower intelligence. Ham Peggotty is also self-sacrificing. His
fiancee Emily runs off but Ham's reaction is one of love and concern. He doesn't want Emily to worry about him so he sends untruthful messages to her through David saying that he is fine and that she should forgive him.
(Thanks to Wikipedia for the information on Eustacia Levy and Ham Peggotty, and for refreshing my memory on Moby Dick).
The descriptions of the two work areas, both the mother's and the father's, are set up by our young narrator to be nothing short of the literary binary of good versus evil. As a young girl and eldest child with a marvelous imagination and adventurous spirit, our narrator is captivated by her father's work. This is the important and exciting stuff that happens where she lives while her mother's work is not only indoors (yuch!) but is described as "endless, dreary and particularly depressing." (page 152, text). She bolts for the door every time her mother turns her back because she is eager to get back to her outside chores - the important ones in her mind. Our unnamed narrator even starts to see her mother as the enemy when she overhears her mother plotting to keep her in the house to help with the indoor chores when her brother Laird becomes big enough to help outside. The adorable assumption that her father would never agree to such a plan because she was far too valuable a worker shows the unintentional ignorance of very small children who lack a full perspective of life (for example that muscular strength would be an important asset for the pelting industry). I find it sad, though, that these plans being plotted do not take into account the personal interests of either child, but are simple the assigned gender roles of the time period.
The descriptions of the safety of the outdoors versus the fear of the indoor sleeping spaces adds a wonderful texture to this short story and also illustrates another binary. Upstairs where the children sleep is the storage place of useless relicts, which could be seen as including the children as well. They are not old enough or strong enough to be of any real assistance with the farm chores yet, and so they are relegated to "storage" until they become more useful. There is a great fear of this indoor space, with imaginary bats, skeletons and escaped convicts using it as a hide-a-way. Our narrator contrasts this fear with the safety of the outdoors (despite the weather). Somehow being outdoors means freedom in this young girl's mind and indoors means captivity.
The Boat introduces other literary works in order to compare characters or situations. Eustacia Vye from Thomas Hardy's The Return of the Native is compared (in a physical way) to the mother in The Boat - both dark haired, regal looking women. Although I have personally not read this story, it's seems that Eustacia Vye is seeking someone to improve her station in life rather than marrying for love and happiness. She hates her home in the heath, but ultimately marries a local man who wants to teach. She must love him in her own but becomes increasingly frustrated that he is pursuing this dream rather than taking her overseas to live in the lap of luxury.
Moby Dick by Herman Melville is a book I have read. Narrated by Ishmail, a new member of a whaling vessel, it follows the story of revenge between Captain Ahab and Moby Dick (a great white whale). To Captain Ahab, this whale is not just an animal of the sea, but the living, breathing embodiment of evil. The captain, on a previous encounter with Moby Dick lost his leg and plans to kill the whale for this act of war.
Ahab's revenge plans are complicated by Gabriel, a prophet who claims that doom will accompany all those who attack Moby Dick. Ahab is undeterred, but his men become scared, especially when they learn all the stories of those that have tried to kill or catch Moby Dick in the past. Captain Ahab's death is foreshadowed, which comes true as he becomes entangled in his harpoon and is hurled out the boat, ultimately dying.
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens is another story that I have yet to read. Ham Peggotty is described as simple-minded yet he is someone who has a big heart. He respects David Copperfield and earns his respect back even though David is heard to describe Ham in very condescending ways due to what is perceived as lower intelligence. Ham Peggotty is also self-sacrificing. His
fiancee Emily runs off but Ham's reaction is one of love and concern. He doesn't want Emily to worry about him so he sends untruthful messages to her through David saying that he is fine and that she should forgive him.
(Thanks to Wikipedia for the information on Eustacia Levy and Ham Peggotty, and for refreshing my memory on Moby Dick).
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Date: 2012-01-24 05:37 am (UTC)