"The lumpy whiteness of rice, the quivering blood tomatoes, the grayish-brown meat. All their repugnance was contained in the neat balance of the triangles...Thus reassured that the white, the red adn the brown would stay where they were- would not explode or burst forth from their restricted zones..."(page 8).
this passage in the first part of "Sula" stood out to me because it reminded and insinuated the idea of segregation. How all things or people that are different neeed to be kept apart from eachother inorder for their to be some sort of peace. However, as most would know, this is not right. it is the chaos the differences that each thing or group has that when mixed together can create a great deal of diversity and new and interesting things and ideas. It reminded me of many other things i have read about slavery or the Harlem Rennasance(?), where the main idea is that different is bad and it can't be mixed together witih other types of people. That is why Harlem eventually turned into a run down part of New York. the white people who lived there moved out when the black artist of the time began moving in from all parts of the country and the world.
"Hannah exasperated the women in the town-the "good" women, who said, ' One thing I can't stand is a nasty woman'; the whores, who were hard put to find trade among black men anyway and who resented Hanah's generosity; the middling women, who had both husbands and affairs, because Hannah seemed too unlike them, having no passion attached to her relationships and being wholly incapable of jealousy. Hannah's friendships with women were, of course seldom and short lived..."
This passage in the first part of Sula stood out to me because it seems to catergorize women. There are the married "good" women, the prostitutes who aren't married and the married women who are bad because they cheat on their husbands. Hannah doesn't fit into any of these catergories and i find it interesting. it is just like the passage about shadrack and everything needing thier assigned place. Well here, it seems that women need their assigned position or label in society and when you fit none of those labels then you are really and outcast and different. you are alone. i also thought it was interesting because it talks about teh roles women are expected to play and how you can only be considered good if you are a faithfully married woman. this goes along with soem of our readings such as "why i want a wife". It emphasizes what women should do iin order to be considered "good". if you are not this, then you are bad or not fitting the norm of society.
2 comments:
You have great insight, pointing out the constant application of labels and segregation. I like that you also correlated history to the passage- It's "Renaissance" and while I understand your point, during the Harlem Renaissance, Harlem was actually a thriving and flourishing neighborhood. With its infamous Cotton Club, it also made grounds for integration as it featured primarily black performers, but was regularly frequented by white patrons. Still, it is definitely nice to see the allusion.
Along with what you said about your second passage, for the most part women are jealous. Hannah is different because one she is sleeping wih married men and for two she does not care about feelings. Women who follow the norms would the need to categorize other women who do not. I think your points are great.
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