Month: August 2023

Introduction

About Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”,  Nathaniel Hawthorne does not directly attack but launches a mildly pleasant criticism against its form prevalent in the United States during the early period of the 19^th century. At that time, people used to pay more attention to religious rituals and considered them yardsticks to judge a person’s moral worth. Like all other literary pieces, the story reflects the cultural milieu in which Nathaniel Hawthorne had to live and present his views about the issues involving religion; a very sensitive issue at that time. Therefore, a direct attack against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown” would have immediately invited wrath against him for being a heretic. Sensing this, he has sagaciously invented characters and placed them in a situation where their faith and belief systems face an extreme test. The characters find that they are not only ordinary human beings but that all others, too, have the same nature. The faith of their religious piety and devotion to religious causes experience a severe jolt when Goodman Brown finds that almost all characters have the same fallible nature as he himself has. Hawthorne, therefore, has criticized the religious faith of that time, using symbolic characters, ironic dialogues, and creating a dreamy and allegorical story using religious-like characters.

Indirect Attack against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”

The first mild and indirect attack against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is in the shape of the characters. The protagonist is Goodman Brown, whose very name is suggestive of goodness but his nocturnal errand is entirely contrary to his name’s expected role. The next in line is his wife who is Faith and he even calls her “my Faith” (672) by which it also means that she is his faith. However, she is also seen in the Devil’s company when he goes to the forest and sees several good characters from his village, “Salem” there. The village name itself is a symbol of peace and religious tranquility. Then he remembers “Where is my Faith?” (679) which is an irony not only about his wife’s name but also about his very faith. The same is the case of Goody Cloyse who is a very good Christian but in the meeting with the Old Man, she reveals she is with him. Even the Minister and Deacon Gookin, a clergyman from Salem, is present in the meeting despite being very good names belonging to the religious hierarchy. Almost all of these names are very pointed ones in the sense that they connote religious meanings but their actions in the forest before the Devil are showing them otherwise. Even in the real world, it happens almost the same that deeply religious people hide their nature from the public. This ironic situation continues even in dialogs against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”.

Moreover, similar to dialogs, Hawthorne has used a very pointed and ironic dialog of the characters against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”. When Goodman Brown is going to the forest, his wife Faith whispers in his ears “A lone woman is trouble with such dreams and such thoughts” (672), which is proved when she is found in the company of the Old Man in the forest even before Goodman reaches there. He even implores her not to doubt him “dost thou doubt me already” (672) which shows that he suspects her of knowing his intentions of meeting the Devil in the forest. Another such thinking comes to Goodman when he is going through the forest, knowing that he is going to meet the Devil but thinks that “There may be a devilish Indian behind every tree” (673), which is not only ironic by also hypocritical. When the Old Man asks him the reason for coming late, then again he speaks the same ironic language that is “Faith kept me back” (674), which could also mean that he has misgivings about the Devil and that his religious faith was keeping him back. All these dialogs clearly show how Nathaniel Hawthorne has put the whole belief system of Puritanism to doubt. It is through ironic dialogs that he has criticized the faith of different characters. However, it is very interesting to note all the characters have created a very good allegory.

Situation of Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”

The story has been set in a dream-like situation in which a good young man with the same name leaves his faithful wife having the same name. Both harbors very strict religious ideas due to their being residents of the village Salem, a true village, around which Hawthorne has constructed his story.  Due to the nature of its names and their similarity with the religion of Puritanism, the story is a deep allegory that represents the culture of Salem at that time. In the story, Young Goodman Brown loses his innocence and gullible nature due to having seen all other relations and Christian characters in the Devil’s company. The Devil is successful even in seducing his parents who were considered deeply religious and pious people. The end result is that he feels fully disenchanted with the piety of the people. Therefore, it leaves a moral lesson that no person seems truly innocent until he undergoes a trial and test. Therefore, this entire Christian allegory mocks the Puritan beliefs of those times when it was ruling the roost in Salem and around it and different people were persecuted due to being called heretics on account of their faiths or differences with the religious authorities. Therefore, it is still not such a scathing attack against Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”.

Conclusion

In short, Nathaniel Hawthorne has used his storywriting skills to criticize the religious dogmas of Puritanism and blind faith in religious figures of Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”. He has done this by using symbolic characters and making them speak pointed and ironic dialogs. He has also built his story as an allegory with a moral that no person should be naïve enough to consider others deeply religious when he himself is not as religious as Goodman Brown. The story revolves around the naivety and gullibility that Goodman shows toward his forefathers, his wife, and other religious figures of the village with whom he finds himself in the forest in the Devil’s meeting. Almost all the literary tools in the story are at the disposal of Hawthorne to criticize the religious beliefs of Puritanism prevalent at that time.

Works Cited

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. “Young Goodman Brown.” Norton Anthology of American Literature Edited by Nina Baym and Robert S. Levine. WW Norton. 2012. p. 672-679.

Relevant Questions about Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown”

1. How does Nathaniel Hawthorne depict the influence of Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown,” and what impact does it have on the characters and plot?
2. In what ways does Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown” shape the moral dilemmas and conflicts faced by the protagonist, Goodman Brown?
3. What symbols and allegorical elements are used to represent Puritanism in “Young Goodman Brown,” and how do they contribute to the story’s themes and message?

Introduction about sexual appeal in “A&P”

Regarding sexual appeal in “A&P”, John Updike has woven several different strands of themes together in a way that none is separable from the other. Not only it seems like an ancient romance but also it touches on the conditions of the modern age. It is because now no old heroes come out to fight for the honor of damsels like King Arthur’s knights. Sex, romance, wealth, and democracy have changed the very concepts of love and honor. Wealth, everyday livelihood, and bread and butter are bigger realities staring into the faces of modern human beings. Although Sammy makes the courageous move of quitting the job, he finds himself in hot waters after he thinks that nobody pays attention to him. The reason is that even the girls have nothing to do with “their unsuspected hero” (Updike 452) that he thinks himself to be, and he hopes that “they’ll stop and watch me.” He then feels “how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (459) after he leaves the store. This shows that these heroic and self-centered decisions are made more based on sex and romantic notions rather than reality. About sexual appeal in “A&P”, the story not only shows the sex and sexual appeal of the teenage generation but also the romantic notions the teenagers harbor and the sexual symbols used in this story.

Objectives of Sexual Appeal in “A&P”

Sex and sex appeal in “A&P” are the primary objects that attract the minds of young men. This has further intensified during this modern age because now young minds find more attraction and more beauty. The example of the description of Sammy is a case in point. He states that the first one was “a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft- t” which clearly shows his focus—the queenie that he calls her (457). The same goes for the nameless narrator of “Araby” by James Joyce who sees Mangan’s sister in the same light whenever she comes out of her home to call her brother (Joyce). The look of both teenagers sees the sex and sex appeal in both ways. The next remarks made by Sammy are enough to show how Updike explores the teenage minds that such statements “become the matrix of the story, the backdrop that mirrors and parodies Updike’s society” (Metamorphictin). This shows that even with no sexual purpose, comments of Sammy clearly show that in other cases he would have taken such a bold step. This is because of his age and sexual appeal in “A&P”. This also could be called the romance of the medieval age when the knights used to come out to defend the honor of women.

Teenage and Sexual Appeal in “A&P”

However, this is the modern age and there is no such escapade. Now Sammy is to fight the battle of his livelihood against this modern age where he may have several prospects, but this livelihood does not come easily. However, when the “queenie” enters the story in two pieces, he immediately starts harboring different notions. Lengel, the manager of the A&P, seems to present the reality that is a social convention too that they are living far away from the beach and there is no concept of a two-piece-wearing girl. However, when they come, there is a buzz in the story over which he comes and sees it. This gives rise to a conflict while earlier Sammy has engaged himself in romantic reveries about the girls — specifically the queenie.  Gena Miller Walters in her paper on the comparison between “Araby” and “A&P” states that “Sammy also attempts to win the attention of a beautiful girl by making a chivalric gesture” (Walters). These sorts of gestures were made in the medieval period. However, as it is based on the romantic notion, this is against the reality that is to conform to social norms. This immediately breaks his notion and he starts thinking about his future. To show this romance, Updike has filled the story with sexual symbols.

Symbols and Sexual Appeal in “A&P”

Updike has beautifully used his narrator to use these sexual symbols that make the story seem favoring feministic sexuality everywhere. The quitting of Sammy is in support of the girls because he is affected by feminine sexuality. This is a subjective approach as it affects the protagonist who immediately sees them “in nothing but bathing suits” (452) which is a sexual symbol. Then he uses different words with Stokesie who is also affected by this sexuality. However, George Bentley states in his paper “Sammy’s Erotic Experience: Subjectivity and Sexual Difference in John Updike’s “A&P”, that there is also male sexuality that is based on status, economic condition, role, power, and authority. Stokesie is a responsible male who is also engaged in role-play with Sammy, “the unsuspected hero (452). On the other hand, the bare condition of the girls, specifically the walking style of the queenie and her leading role is a strong sexual symbol that immediately works wonders on the spectators specifically the teenager, Sammy (Bentley). There are several other sex symbols too that increase sexual appeal in “A&P”.

Conclusion

In short, John Updike has beautifully used Sammy to give his opinion about sex in the modern period and the realities that are spread around the people. In fact, this also borders the sex appeal towards which Sammy gets attracted and quits his job but gets nothing in return. When he comes out the girls have left long ago. His notion of romance that he harbors about the girls, himself as a hero and the people around him as spectators dashes to the ground. He immediately comes to the reality but then it is done. Updike has presented several sexual symbols to bring his readers to his point that these are the modern-day realities that do not let romance and sexual appeal take hold of the world or teenage minds.

Works Cited

1. Bentley, Greg W. “Sammy’s Erotic Experience: Subjectivity and Sexual Difference in John Updike’s “A&P.” Journal of the Short Story in English. [online]. 43 (Autumn 2004). 17 Sep. 2008. Web. 16 July 2015.
2. Joyce,  James. “Araby.” Online Literature. Online Literature. n. d. Web. 16 July 2015.
3. Metamorphiction. “Sex and Dissent in Mid-Twentieth Century Literature.” Metamorphiction. Metamorphiction. 03 Jan. 2012. Web. 16 July 2015.
4. Updike, John. “A&P”.” Charters, Anne. The Story and Its Writer. New York: Bedford /St. Martins, 2014. 452-459.
5. Walters, Genna Miller. “Joyce’s “Araby” and Updike’s “A&P”: A Culture Hostile to Romance.” UGA. UGA. n. d. Web. 16 July 2015.

Relevant Questions about Sexual Appeal in “A&P”

1. How does Sammy’s perception of sexual appeal in “A&P” drive his decision to quit his job?
2. What role does the girls’ attire play in conveying sexual appeal in “A&P”?
3. How do societal attitudes towards sexual appeal in “A&P” influence the store manager’s reaction to the girls’ attire?

Introduction

If it is stated that the community in “A Rose for Emily” acts similar to a mob against an insect left alone in the colony without any other insect to take care of her. Then the analogy that man is a social animal fits her. The reason is the community a person lives in shapes her/his attitude, lifestyle, and even behavior. When people form a community, they vow to abide by the values the community creates because of long-held customs, traditions, and norms. It does not matter whether these are stupid norms such as in “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson or better ones. It is also that the community heightens and increases the status of some in such a way that he/she becomes an icon. Then when the time comes that the person does not conform to the topical and existing social norms and conventions, he/she becomes a butt of jokes, torture, and repression. The people turn into a mob and become hostile against that individual. The victimization of a single individual based on collective torture transforms him/her into a psychological patient suffering from several mental complications. Almost the same happen due to the community in “A Rose for Emily”.

Emily of “A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner is such a victim of the antagonist role of society that it turns her into a psychological patient, leading her to kill her would-be husband. In connection with her, the role of the community and social circle around her is highly complicated, objectionable, and hazardous. Although the community in “A Rose for Emily”  has turned Miss Emily into an icon of the elite of the South, it has also insulted her through her victimization with the public attitude of sharp and pointed censure.

Community in “A Rose for Emily”

To understand the inner workings of a person and his/her psychological issues, the role of community and environment is vital. The individuals or families such as Emily Griersons, who lived in the community of Southerners, were first elevated to the elite class. However, then the befallen house for them has become a good place. The narrator says, they feel “respectful affection” for Emily as if she is a hero (52), but the pity is that Emily has left her house for her eternal abode in the end. It is at this point that the narrator states that the women of the town wish to see “the inside of her house” (52) “out of curiosity” (52)  to get more information about their lives, as the women were not allowed to enter their house after Emily finished taking China painting classes. In fact, their house becomes a tradition of status quo, as the people have given much respect to tradition like its inmates. It clearly means that the townspeople have accepted Griersons as icons and elite of the community. Hence, the narrator states that the time came when Col Sartoris remitted their taxes (28) because she was the only remnant of the great Southern part, and it was given because her father did a great charity for the city. However, when he states that the “next generation” came to power, they felt dissatisfied with their elite lifestyle without paying taxes (52) by which the narrator means that they wanted to impose taxes on all and sundry. They did not want to leave any house in the town. However, even when they visited Emily, they paid full respect as the narrator states that “they rose when she entered” (53) and she did not even notice their arrival. Even when she displayed rudeness, they did not demur and accepted her manners as being from the upper class and left her house. The narrator further states that she again insulted them saying her servant to “Show these gentlemen out” (53) which clearly shows that she was placed so high that now it was difficult for her to come down to their level to accept their rude entry. In fact, the community transformed the whole family first into their icon, and then each surviving individual into a status-conscious individual that they became a sort of “noblesse oblige” (53). It means that they became very noble people, and it was beneath their dignity to treat or contact or meet people lower than their status. Hence, they were to be considered above all customs, norms, laws, and transformations. Hence, they could not merge in community in “A Rose for Emily”.

Anti-Individual Role of Community in “A Rose for Emily”

The major point is that the same community turned against the very Griersons whom the narrator has stated as “august names” (52). The very first blow comes from the very authorities, which remitted their taxes years ago. Even the mayor could not stay behind and sent her a letter to make her pay the taxes with offers that he could come himself (52), showing her respect. It is also that when both the daughter and the father used to come out in the past, the young men of the area used to chase them. When her father died, they paid a visit for condolence. When there was a smell, they started complaining, which the narrator says is “another link” between them (54). This link suggests that although the people were hellbent on ending that smell, the city judge did not want to interfere, considering this a taboo. According to the narrator, he did not want to disrupt this long-preserved “tradition” (52).

Narrative and Community in “A Rose for Emily”

It is actually the narrator, who has presented the Griersons and their house as a tradition, becoming a judge by himself to give his verdict about them, commenting that Griersons were haughty themselves. This seems the only reason for their downfall. However, when it is time that the mighty have fallen, it is the same community about which the narrator states that the people feel “sorry for her” that she has turned into a spinster, and nobody was there to marry her (52). However, at the same time, the narrator also thinks that these misfortunes are rather good for her as the lady has “become humanized” (53) for she was left as “a pauper” (53). It appears to have made the community happy which is quite a contradictory attitude. These sudden contradictions in the role of the community in giving them a high status equal to squires and earls of the area and then punishing the Griersons for none of their faults show how callously the community turns against the icons it has elevated to the heights of social status. They feel happy about what is left of her, and also offer condolence for the misfortunes. This victimization leads a person to suffer from psychological ailments and this is exactly what happens to Emily.

The narrator also points out the contradictory censure of Emily Griersons living in the community in “A Rose for Emily”. He states that nobody wants to help her in her misery. It is true that her father did not arrange her marriage but it is also because of the very community. The community realized that there was no young man suitable for her and when her father left her, nobody paid attention to this fact. When she started meeting the northerner, Homer Barron, the narrator states that the whole city seems to realize that “a Grierson” should not marry such a lowly person (53). It seems hypocritical as they did not help her in either way but again started criticizing her choice. When this time is over, the usual comments about her are just that she is a “Poor Emily” (55). However, when her escapades with the Yankee started again, they report it to the church minister and also communicated the same to her relations.  It affects her so much that she was transformed into a reclusive. When she purchased arsenic, the narrator says that the rumor was spread about her that “She will kill herself” (56). The narrator clearly states that “We were a little disappointed” (57) about this event of the going of Homer from her life. This shows the callous attitude of society that there was no rumor and no enjoyment at her expense. However, when Homer was seen again entering and exiting Grierson’s house, it was said that “She will marry him” (56). The community also spread rumors about her lover that he might have been a homosexual as the narrator tells that Homer himself stated that he was interested in men “he liked men” (56). This sort of censure does not leave any option for her except to commit suicide. Even the narrator does not stop saying at the end that “we did not even know she was sick” (56). It means that nobody from the locality has ever bothered to interfere in her life or ask whether she is feeling sick or good. When her funeral is held, the narrator states that “some in their brushed Confederate uniforms – on the porch and the law, talking of Miss Emily as if she had been a contemporary of theirs, believing that they had danced with her and courted her” (58). These comments and chit-chat of the older generation after her death is pointed criticism of the role society played in her horrible death.

Conclusion

In short, it was the role of the whole community in “A Rose for Emily”, including the narrator that proved antagonist to the wishes of an individual. The community was responsible not only for giving them a great status but also for making them a fallen household by gripping them in so-called norms and traditions. It is correct that she started behaving strangely after the death of her father, but it is again the community, which was responsible for this. The people living around the Griersons made them so much high that they enjoyed it for the time being, forgetting that they were also human beings. Society is fully responsible for this and it made her a butt of its victimization and amusement. This constant eavesdropping about her personal life and intrusion into her privacy turned her into a confirmed spinster that she could not even marry Homer Barron which they also disapproved of on the basis of her high status. The people around them consider her coming down to meet Homer a sacrilegious act, tantamount to slandering the very honorable name of the Griersons. Even if she attempts to see a little happiness in life by meeting him, it is rumored and duly reported to her relations and church authorities. This constant censuring transforms her into an individual who suffers not only psychologically but also socially and financially. This becomes clear that the local community treats her with respect and honor as a relic of the past but it also censures and criticizes her and her acts as sacrilegious, which finally leads her not only to kill her paramour but also to commit suicide.

Works Cited

William Faulkener. “A Rose for Emily.” An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama and Writing. Ed. Kennedy X. J. & Dana Gioia. 3rd ed. Vol. 7. New York: Pearson Longman, 2007. 53-58. Print.

Relevant Questions

1. Social Isolation: How does the community in “A Rose for Emily” exemplify the theme of social isolation, and what are the consequences of Emily Grierson’s isolation on both her and the town’s residents?
2. Community as a Character: In what ways does the town of function as a character in its own right in the story, and how does the collective mindset and actions of the community in “A Rose for Emily”  contribute to the overall atmosphere and outcome of the narrative?
3. Tradition vs. Progress: How does the town’s community in “A Rose for Emily” represent the tension between tradition and progress in “A Rose for Emily,” and what insights can be gained about the South’s changing social landscape during the time the story is set?

Introduction

In her fictional treatise “A Room of One’s Own,” Virginia Woolf creates the character of Shakespeare’s sister, Judith Shakespeare. She is a genius of the same caliber as her brother and also is a great writer in waiting. However, the pursuit of her career led to her ruin and ultimate suicide. It is because she suffered from several social, financial, familial, and religious constraints at that time. These limitations did not let her demonstrate her talent. It is not a surprise that Woolf suffered from the same inhibitions and ultimately met the fate that she chose for her fictional character. In fact, her thesis in “A Room of One’s Own” is based on the independence of a woman having money and room to “write fiction” (Woolf). By this, she means that similar to men, women should also have financial and social independence to succeed in the literary world. Therefore, in the third chapter of her fictional and narrative lecture, she has to create a fictional character of Judith Shakespeare who faces several problems and obstacles, which women of her ilk generally face.

Presentation of Judith Shakespeare

When presenting details of Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf says that suppose he had a sister Judith and she was similarly adventurous and imaginative as her brother, William Shakespeare (Woolf). She means that she must have been as intelligent and genius as Shakespeare, her brother was. However, she faced several problems and obstacles her brother William Shakespeare could not face because of his being a boy, Woolf supposes. The first aspect of her life as seen in “A Room of One’s Own”, is that unlike her brother whose mother, Woolf said, was “an heiress” (Woolf) who got him educated, “she was not sent to school” (Woolf). She means that social conventions and traditions did not let her study. Therefore, unlike her brother “She had no chance of learning grammar and logic” (Woolf). Even when she found time and tried to do some reading, Miss Woolf says that “her parents came in” and tried to make her engage herself in household chores and other womanly activities (Woolf). She was not even allowed to see or flip pages of books of her brother. They told her that she should not dream about reading and learning. The supposition is that if the Victorian Era does breed persons like Beadle who interrupts Woolf’s creative pursuit of having a tug from an idea, then surely Judith would have suffered the same fate at home two hundred years back. Secondly, she was stopped by the librarian from entering the library on the pretext that “ladies are only admitted to the library” with some family member or with a letter of recommendation (Woolf). She is of the view that if male chauvinism barred her, it must have barred Judith and other female writers in waiting. These are social norms and domestic conventions that stop women from pursuing their careers. Their career in domestic work does not pay them. And it is counted as of no monetary or social value.

Observation of Geniuses in “A Room of One’s Own”

Secondly, in “A Room of One’s Own” she is of the view that as she states in the first chapter that geniuses depend on two conditions; social and material. Judith did not learn, nor had a chance to go to school like her brother. Even material conditions did not allow her parents to send her to school even though her mother was an heiress. This material means financial situation and that is what did not allow her parents to let her stay at home. They married her and she was soon with her husband. She tried her best to avoid marriage but she was “severely beaten by her father” (Woolf). Even her husband pleaded with her not to shame him” (Woolf). Hence, she left for London where she could not succeed as compared to her brother who became financially stable and famous. When she entered the theater over there, the “men laughed in her face” (Woolf). It is typical for all males and this is because she was not materially strong and stable. And even when she succeeded Nick Greene exploited her to have his child (Woolf). Thus she ended up bearing a child from that actor-manager. It is because he first exploited her material vulnerability and her talent.

Vulnerabilities of Geniuses in “A Room of One’s Own”

The third is the “contrary instincts” which Virginia Woolf claims in “A Room of One’s Own”, “pulled her asunder” (Woolf) along with vulnerabilities of her financial and social conditions. She suffered psychologically from a religious point of view. It is because, at that time, stress was so much on chastity that no girl could have imagined it to visit London and enter the male company of actors (Woolf). The reason is that it has still religious significance in the life of a girl of such a tender age. To live such a free life must have been “a nervous stress and dilemma” (Woolf) that killed her. And it was not unique to her as other literary sisters also suffered the same conflict. That is why they wrote anonymously so that they should not get stigma on the honor of their families.

Inhibition of Creative Spirit in “A Room of One’s Own”

These three factors, Virginia Wool states in “A Room of One’s Own”, inhibited her creative spirit and thus she could not brook this hindrance any longer. Hence, she cut her life short by committing suicide. As she has committed suicide due to social and financial obstacles and then her own inner conflict, Miss Woolf says that “She lives in you and in me” and every woman doing domestic chores (Woolf). This is central to her argument in that all these obstacles that led to the suicide of her fictional character hinder a creative woman from living the same life as their male counterparts. Ultimately they commit suicide. Her own death is a case in point.

Work Cited

Woolf, Virginia. “A Room of One’s Own”. Adelaide. n.d. Web. 07 April 2014 http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/w/woolf/virginia/w91r/complete.html

Relevant Questions about “A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf

1. Character Exploration: In Virginia Woolf’s “A Room of One’s Own,” how does the character of Judith Shakespeare serve as a symbol or representation, and what key ideas or themes does she embody within the context of the book?
2. Gender and Literature: How does Virginia Woolf use the character of Judith Shakespeare to discuss and shed light on the challenges and limitations faced by women in the field of literature during her time, and how do these insights resonate with contemporary discussions on gender and creativity?
3. Creative Potential: In “A Room of One’s Own,” what does Virginia Woolf’s portrayal of Judith Shakespeare reveal about the potential and possibilities of female creativity, and how does it contribute to the broader discourse on women’s roles in art and culture?

You may read more on Short Essays below:

• “The Story of an Hour”: Irony
• Child Narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”
• Community in “A Rose for Emily”

Introduction

Like the child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square,” when it comes to writing stories in different voices, it seems writers are too ingenious to let readers know their true intentions in using the type of voice they chose. The third person or first person; whatever it is, they use it on purpose. The most interesting, however, is the use of a first-person child narrative as Ralph Ellison has consummately done in his story “A Party Down at the Square.”

Objectives of Using a Child Narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”

Disregarding fulfillment of his real objectives, he has done it very ingeniously to demonstrate that a third-person adult may have ulterior motives, vested interests, or something more to hide due to ethnic bias or racial prejudice. Ralph Ellison has shown that it is difficult for a child of just ten years to hide the malice of a mob when it incites individuals to torture and perpetrate horrific crimes against others. These others are mostly different from the mob such as African Americans or American Indians. The treatment includes burning a human being alive, watching him, and enjoying his suffering. Though it does not appear that the white mob is sadistic, the boy has reported in such an objective manner that it has become their routinized ritual to kill an African American man. It happened even though nature is also showering its fury on them in one or the other way. Despite clear signs of the anger of nature in the form of a storm, the mob does not feel any remorse or prick of conscience. Ralph Ellison uses the child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”to observe every detail minutely, transforming him into his literary device to demonstrate the impacts of mob violence on the children’s mentality, comment on the public mood and report the events with honesty.

Studying Mob Through a Child Narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”

Studying the mentality and psychology of a mob and its violence objectively is very difficult due to racial, ethnic, and familial loyalties. No individual, part of a mob resorting to ritualistic violence, takes the risk of betraying it by joining the bandwagon of rebels to condemn the violence. The best way to unearth such realities is to use a child, as it happens in investigations of crimes where mob violence takes place. Ralph Ellison has adroitly pictured the worst form of racial segregation through mob violence by placing a ten-year-old child from Cincinnati in the middle using him as a child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square.” True to his innocent nature, the boy starts narrating the whole party and how his uncle invites him to see it though he is unaware of the major reason “what started it” (01). By the end, he tells that it must have been a ritual performed after a hiatus (01). The child very minutely observes the mob violence. When he reaches the spot with his Uncle Eds, the violence is taking place right in “front of the courthouse” (01). No adult would have noticed such a point, for it is highly ironic that an innocent person is being burned alive in front of the symbol of justice. This device of using a child is not only innocently proving ironic but also laying bare the very gist of the loud shibboleths of equality, fair play, and justice. More than this, the child narrator also observes mob psychology.

Observation of a Child Narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”

The narrator, when reaches the spot, starts observing the psychology of the mob very minutely. He sees that a person is moving his shotgun at the African American man encircled by the people and is threatening him that he is going to pull the trigger though he does not do so. He hears somebody yelling to enjoy the discomfort of the African American man by suggesting him to “take [his] hands out of … pockets” (02). He sees that when a single person yells, he, in fact, coaxes others to follow suit. “Everybody was yelling crazy,” the child states after this, adding he could not hear any voice of the African American man for which he had to make a way from the crowd to come in the front rows (02). However, he is pushed from this side to the other and he hears yelling again. He observes that people are either yelling or pocking fun at the burning of the feet of the African American man. Even when he sees that an airplane comes down in the clouds, hovering over the heads of the crowd, going past them after striking with the high voltage wires, the crowd does not take notice. They rather carry on torturing the African American man. For the crowd, it is important to continue with their ritualistic torture of the individual from the opposite community instead of saving the life of any one of them, as a woman becomes the victim of the broken electricity wires. The boy says that he does not know what to do in the midst of so many people. However, he observes another striking fact of the mob psychology in that they do not fear the sheriff. And he must have been there to support them, though he only asks his men to pick up the body of the burnt woman and does nothing else. The mob does not move at his arrival, while the mob is exuding its confidence or fearlessness. Even when the African American man tries to tell something to the mob about his wish to die like a Christian, he faces ridicule. It would have been considered blasphemous in some other cases, but for the crowd, it has become a holy response. In other words, the boy, though feels sick of these actions, realizes that the life of an African American man is worthless. He feels deeply about the psychology of the mob and how it turns violent and disregards basic humanity and fundamental teachings of religion. However, as he is a literary device as a child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”, he receives the impacts of this mob violence.

Child Narrator in “A Party Down at The Square” as a Literary Device

The child narrator proves an effective literary device to observe the violence and mob psychology, but he is, after all, a human being and an innocent one. He must have the impacts of such heartrending and merciless burning of an individual alive. Ellison shows this through different comments of the narrator. Although some of his comments show that he is indifferent to the events like the courthouse, the sheriff, the statue of the general, and even the natural storm. It has, however, very shocking impacts on his mind. The first thing that he learns is to watch and see what happens to a man when a mob kills him. This makes his senses, somewhat, numb. When he feels that it is becoming a new normal despite the presence of people, he starts integrating with the mob, “The crowd was running. I ran too” (03). He mixes himself with them, but still, he is an innocent human being. When he faces push from the crowd, he also touches the burning African American man. Thus, he could feel the “taste the blood in my mouth” (03). It makes him feel disgusting. It is because he cannot stand the burning of a human being and that too alive. Another realization to the child narrator is how much torture a person can withstand. Among the common white people, a person must have died of what is being applied in the case of the African American man. “Well, that African American man was tough,” (05) he states which further leaves grave impacts on his mind that African Americans (ne–) are from some other community – which is perhaps a way different from them. That is why it implicitly enters his mind that they are to be killed no matter whether they are right or wrong. He, stoically and silently, hears a person saying that they were to kill two African American men, but one escaped. The child narrator imbibes the mob violence so much so that even his uncle tells him that he is “the gutless wonder from Cincinnati” when he shows him that he is somewhat weak from yesterday’s happenings but the response is “you get used to it in time” (04). It is showing clearly that he is getting in for what his uncle brings him to the square. However, Ralph Ellison’s strategy of using the child narrator has made its impact in objective and honest commentary.

Objectivity Through a Child Narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”

A child is a very innocent individual who cannot think of inventing lies and contriving excuses to hoodwink others and shelve the facts under the carpet. The objective of Ralph Ellison to use a child narrator to report the public mood and incident honestly and objectively seems fulfilled. The child, though, does not state his objective of visiting the square and tells it honestly what is happening over there. He records the actions of different individuals and describes the place, the circumstances, and the mood of the weather. He also reports the landing of the plane, the breaking of the electricity wires, the dying of a white lady, and then the taunting and burning of the African American man. At several places, he displays honesty in such a way that it seems ironic. It seems that the author has intentionally put those descriptions in the narrator’s mouth such as he tells that the incident is happening “in front of the courthouse”, then he tells about the statue of a general, probably of one of the founding fathers of America, and then of the slogan, the crowd raises that “We are all Americans” (03). All these three comments that the boy reports about the crowd honestly are highly ironic due to the severity of the crime being committed in the presence of these symbols of justice, fair play, safety, and security.

Another purpose of using a child narrator is to report the events honestly. The boy, despite experiencing sickness due to the burning of the flesh of the African American man, reports exactly what he feels. He sees when he is burning, reports the comments from the people, and describes different methods of torture. It seems that the child narrator is describing the full detail of how the police are conniving with the mob. It is clear as a sheriff comes there with his men but he hardly notices the burning of the African American man. His final comment “All that in one night, and all of it but the storm over one African American man” is testimony that Ralph Ellison’s objective of bringing honesty and objectivity into the recording of an incident of the worst racial killing has fulfilled to a great extent (04) through his use of a child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”.

Conclusion

Ending the argument of using a child as a first-person narrator, it is fair to laud the efforts Ralph Ellison has made to take the risk of presenting the incident of a racial killing event through a first-person child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square”. It is quite interesting to note that this literary device of using a child narrator and that too in the first person has proved effective in recording and then reporting minute details. The child from Cincinnati, though hardly ten, does well to imbibe the impacts of the mob violence to the point of making him numb. Even he feels sick at times and expresses his disgust openly. What he does best is the honest and objective recording as well as reporting of the public mood as well as the events how, when, and where they happened and how people reacted. In nutshell, Ellison has been highly effective in using the first-person child narrator to prove his objectivity and honesty in his short story.

Works Cited

Ellison, Ralph. “A Party Down at the Square.” UWM. n. d. Web. 21 Jul. 2023.

Relevant Questions

1. Narrative Perspective: How does the use of a child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square” influence the reader’s understanding of the events and themes in the story, particularly in relation to issues of racism and social tension?
2. Character Development: What insights does the child narrator in “A Party Down at The Square” provide into the character development of the story’s adult characters, and how does the child’s perspective enhance our comprehension of their motivations and actions during the gathering at the square?
3. Symbolism and Innocence: In Ralph Ellison’s story in “A Party Down at The Square”, how does the child narrator’s innocence and limited understanding of the complex racial dynamics at play symbolize broader societal ignorance and prejudice, and what message does this convey about the story’s social and political commentary?