Uncle Nelson and Ben(ji)

As we talked in class about Uncle Nelson, I started thinking more about what he really represents to the reader. Like, we said that he is representative of a path that Benji could follow. The character Benji. For example, Uncle Nelson says, “Now it’s your turn to do all that stuff we used to do.” Uncle Nelson is back in Sag after getting older, but he doesn’t really seem grown up. He’s still not sure what to do, and we’re given the example of how Nelson sat with the kids at the dinner table. So, there’s the worry in Ben’s mind that he could turn out like Uncle Nelson. 

But what’s interesting to me, is just a bit earlier when Benji is explaining who Uncle Nelson used to be, to Bobby. Benji says, “Uncle Nelson used to have an MG.” and he narrates to himself, “There was a picture in the Hempstead House of him leaning on the hood of this emerald Speed Racer vehicle. Cool as hell. He was wearing hip visor shades and had a beatnik V of hair shrouding his lip. No, not exactly in line with the standard of Sag Harbor alignment,” (246). There are multiple relevant aspects to this passage. One, Benji clearly fits into the Sag Harbor alignment. He is part of the people who come out every summer, his grandparents were first generation-ers. He knows the history. He goes to a private school and lives at his beach house in the summer. So, he fits that well. But he also mentions the car. The MG that Nelson used to have. I could argue that this fits either side, whether he is like his uncle or not. Benji isn’t like Nelson because he doesn’t have an MG, and isn’t “cool as hell.” However, Potentially, the MG is a cool thing that draws people to Nelson. For Benji, it’s like his empty house that lets people congregate around him. There’s a sense of similarity between the two characters, but I think the idea that Uncle Nelson wasn’t “in line with the standard Sag Harbor alignment” is enough to separate the two. But there’s just enough in common that Ben can be worried about what he will be like when he’s older. And how he wouldn’t want to be like Uncle Nelson. The recollection of the dinner part where Nelson sat with the kids is enough of a memory to make Ben want to grow up, even if he isn’t that much like Uncle Nelson after all. 

Feminimity and Jason's Potential

We talked a little about this in class today, but it only recently became clear to me how important the role of women, and femininity is to Jason. Jason spends much of the book trying to hide “feminine” side, through his poetry.  He also spends a lot of time worrying about things being “gay,” and he cares so much about what people think. Jason cares what people think, and he never wants to be dominated. Therefore, he only stutters to other guys, and only Dawn Madden. Because Dawn Madden is so powerful, she exerts a similar kind of dominance that Jason associates with masculinity. There are many minor female characters who we see throughout the novel having a not so minor impact on Jason.

               There are many characters to talk about, but most importantly I think are Julia, Eva Crommelynk, Mrs. de Roo. At one point Jason mentions how he never seems to stutter around certain people, and it always seems to be the women around him. Except for Dawn Madden, who as we have seen is already dominant over Jason, all the woman characters who aren’t dominant are the people Jason is comfortable with. Jason isn’t worried about stuttering with Mrs. de Roo because he knows she won’t make fun of him for it, as she is his teacher and helper. Eva Crommelynk doesn’t make fun of him about the stutter or his love of poetry, because she appreciates the beauty of poetry, and actually likes that side of Jason. Jason spends so much time trying to be cool with the “hairy barbarians,” that he forgets what he actually appreciates. We see this when he finally spends time talking to a girl his age, that isn’t dominant, who is Holly Deblin. When Jason is getting close with Holly Deblin, he eventually says, “This song that’s on right now. Sort of hippieish, but it’s beautiful.” (275). And then he narrates, “Words like ‘beautiful’ you can’t use with boys you can with girls.” (275). And to me this really signifies her importance to his character, like It’s finally someone he feels comfortable with. During the last chapter, Jason is thinking to himself about his stammer. He narrates, “I hadn’t stammered once, the whole time I’d been talking to Mrs. Gretton. S’pose it isn’t Hangman who causes it? S’pose it’s the other person? The person’s expectations.” (289) And I really think Jason is correct in this idea, like it isn’t only a disability, it’s also part of his mind set. And from how he interacts with femininity throughout the book, we see how his mindset has changed. His stammering has seemingly improved, and these female characters and roles helped him realize the possibilities.

               Potentially Jason will even further embrace a feminine side of him, and recognize that that is who he is, and it will help him be truer to himself than ever before. 

My Predictions for The End of Housekeeping

Before reading the last few chapters of Housekeeping, I feel as though Ruthie will stay with Sylvie as we can see a clear change from her previous transient self. When confronted about taking Ruthie on a freight car, Sylvie insists that it was “just the one time,” (186). At first I didn’t see this, but over the next few pages we see a new Sylvie that is dedicated, and even a young Ruth notices.  On page 187, Sylvie asks Ruthie what she thinks about the situation. Pretty much, Ruthie says she doesn’t want to talk, or think about it. Sylvie recognizes that they have to fix up the house and maturely starts working immediately. We talked a little bit in class about how all of this was kind of going through the motions and it doesn’t really feel real. An example of this would be how undersized Ruthie’s dress would be, and how earlier in the book Sylvie is sweeping, but sweeping everywhere except the part of the room needing to be swept.  I think, at this early stage in their transition back to a “Regular” lifestyle, one can say, it’s the thought that counts. Like, at least they are trying.

               And I say they because on page 187, Ruthie also is at least making an attempt to fit in. She combs her hair, and when Sylvie asks how school was, she just says it is fine, even if it wasn’t, to try and fit back in with society. When Ruthie comes back from school, we see that Sylvie has started to clean up the house, even going to put up flowers in the house, and frying chicken. I think the flowers in the house is very symbolic. The nature of flowers in the house represent the lacking boundaries of nature destroying the illusion of permanence. Nature will always win. But there is a boundary around these flowers on the table, because as humans we think we can control nature. Sylvie is playing to that idea at the time, whether she realizes it or not.  We also see that she is improving her ways in how Ruthie remarks on her being passionate for her improvement. Ruthie narrates, “Sylvie was pretty, but he was prettiest when something had just startled her into feeling that the world had to be dealt with in some way, and then she undertook the most ordinary things with an arch, tense, tentative good will that made them seem difficult and remarkable, and she was delighted by even partial successes,” (187). To me, this shows she’s getting excited over a simple small thing, which is kind of still missing the point but at least she is trying.

               Because of how much Sylvie is trying, I believe that Ruth and Sylvie will not be torn apart as a family. I believe that Lucille will fade out of the picture completely, and that Ruthie may not even talk to her as an adult. 

Doctor Nolan vs. Doctor Gordon

             While reading the last few chapters of The Bell Jar I didn’t really see the importance of Doctor Nolan. But when we discussed her role in class, it became clear how important she was. We spoke in class about her role as a friend to Esther, and her being someone Esther trusts. Even when Nolan lies about the shock treatment, Esther isn’t really upset eventually because she knows it was the right thing to do. If she had told the truth, Esther would have been much more stressed out and wouldn’t have slept. We know Doctor Nolan understands Esther more than other people as well. Doctor Nolan knows that having no guests will make Esther happier, so she doesn’t allow any more visitors. She said, “I thought you’d be pleased.” And then she smiled. (201). We see a clear relationship formed between Nolan and Esther which is huge to their characters. I want to further what we were talking about in class, and bring Doctor Nolan’s character back to Doctor Gordon, and explaining the differences between the two.

               From the very moment Esther meets Doctor Gordon, it is clear that she can’t stand him. Esther says, “I hated him the minute I walked in through the door,” (128). She hates everything about him, and has the feeling like he isn’t there for her, and that she is just another patient. Gordon also says, “Suppose you try and tell me what you think is wrong,” (129). Esther feels like Gordon is saying there isn’t really anything wrong with her, and it’s all about how she ‘thinks’ something is wrong with her. We also later learn that Gordon used shock treatments incorrectly on Esther. When Gordon is leading Esther to the shock treatments, Esther narrates, “I climbed after Doctor Gordon’s dark-jacketed back,” (142). To me, this implies the lack of connection between the two. It is a doctor and a patient, there is no friendly relationship between the two at all. The use of the word “climbed” signifies that Esther is on a lower playing field that Gordon, and she is fighting to be at the level.

               When Doctor Nolan first introduces herself, Esther is surprised that she is a woman, saying “I didn’t think they had woman psychiatrists.” Esther herself has had the conflict over gender roles over the whole book. She hated the expectations placed on women over purity, and she admires Doctor Nolan’s success. When she first meets Nolan, she describes her clothes as being “stylish,” giving immediate hints on the Esther that used to be. Esther used to be very dedicated to fashion, so it is a happy moment to hear her talk about Nolan’s professional chic status.

               When Nolan is leading Esther to her shock treatments, we get a similar situation to when doctor Gordon was leading Esther to the incorrect treatments earlier.

Doctor Nolan took out a white handkerchief and wiped my face. Then she hooked her arm in my arm, like an old friend, and helped me, and we started down the hall. (212).

This is a very different feel than when she following Gordon’s back. As they walk hand in hand, as friends. This is a warm moment, because Esther accepts Nolan as not only a friend, but also as a protector. Nolan is there to help Esther, and there is no doubt about that anymore. She has helped Esther when she started to cry, and led her, as a friend, to something that she knows will be effective and helpful to Esther’s recovery.

These are just a few examples of the major role of Doctor Nolan’s character. I think comparing her to Gordon is very important to see Esther’s growth, and reasons for it. We also see the hints of woman professionalism that Esther hopes for in life, and Nolan can be a role model figure. 

Character Similarities and Class Tropes

We’ve only read a few chapters of The Bell Jar, but we already see a similarity, or trope, growing of the characters we have witnessed throughout our three novels thus far. Stephen, Holden, and Esther all have similar views on the world. But there is a clear difference in the narrative style of each protagonist.

               From the very first few pages of The Bell Jar, there is a clear sense of the narrative style we will read for the rest of the novel.  The narration of the novel features distinct symbolism and self-characterization of imagery. The narrator often pulls out of the narration to have an aside, or to speak to the reader. This is shown as a part of the text surrounded by parentheses. We see two examples of this on the first three pages. As Esther narrates, “(I knew something was wrong with me that summer, because all I could think about was the Rosenberg’s and how stupid I’d been to buy all those uncomfortable, expensive clothes, hanging limp as fish in my closet, and how all the little successes I’d totted up so happily at college fizzled to nothing outside the slick marble and plate-glass fronts along Madison Avenue.)” (Plath 2). This sets up the somber tone of the “looking-back” narration. Her words, “I knew something was wrong with me,” set up the kind of character we can expect for the rest of the narration. We also know she looks back sadly, as she refers to herself as stupid, one who made mistakes, and that something was wrong with her. On the very next page we have another aside in parentheses. Esther narrates, “(I felt very still and very empty, the way the eye of a tornado must feel, moving dully along in the middle of the surrounding hullabaloo.)” (Plath 3). This really seems to show what we can expect from the character to come in the novel. She feels as though everything is going on around her, but nothing is going on with her. She feels isolated from the world, and everything going on within it. Not only does she recognize that she isn’t part of the “tornado” of society, but she feels empty showing her initial sadness.

               A Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man has a specific narrative style following Stephen’s stream of consciousness. Stephen has a similar disconnect to the world that Esther has, but it is in a difference style. To me, it feels as though Stephen wanted to escape the world, where Esther wants to fit in. Also, the voice of the narration is different. Stephen’s narration is not even his own, and of the author Joyce, whereas Esther’s narration is her recollection of what happened to her years earlier.

               The Catcher in The Rye has a similar narrative system to The Bell Jar. Both novels feature the protagonist recounting past experiences to someone. We learned that Holden was talking to a therapist to be psychoanalyzed, and I feel like Esther is in the same situation. We talked a little in class today about her “breakdown,” and already we get the sense that she is having emotional issues in her new setting. There is a distinction in the narrative voice between these two similar characters though. Someone in 6^th hour today mentioned how much involved Holden was in his description of the story, he was glad to be telling it as a story. So far, The Bell Jar feels more forced and less smooth in terms of storytelling which probably says something about the character.

               Personally, I hope Esther doesn’t turn out too much like our previous world-hating and lonely protagonists, and she has a different kind of style. It’s interesting to see a similarly so early, but I feel like Esther’s character will totally diverge, because she wants to be involved in her new culture. I can’t wait to see how the book unfolds.

Privilege and Holden's Future

We talked in class today about how Holden is very privileged. We learn about the wealth he has. Holden goes to a fancy preparatory school, and seems to have all the cool clothes. He has the cool camel fur coat, as well as the coat he gives to his roommate who wants to look nice for his date. We talked in class about how Holden is rejecting his privilege by failing his classes at Pencey Prep. However, I believe there is also a part of him that is owning up to his privilege by doing so.

            Most people would probably attempt to make the most of their stay at an expensive private school that could set them up for a successful post education life. However, Holden barely feels that need. Holden and Mr. Spencer have an interesting conversation about Holden’s future, as Spencer wants to say goodbye, before Holden is kicked out. Mr. Spencer says, “Do you feel absolutely no concern for your future, boy?” (Salinger 14). Holden responds, “Oh, I feel some concern for my future, all right. Sure. Sure, I do.  But not too much, I guess. Not too much, I guess.” (Salinger 14). Spencer responds, “You will, boy. You will when it’s too late.” Holden then thinks to himself, “I didn’t like hearing him say that. It made me sound dead or something.” (Salinger 14). I do not believe that Holden completely accepts his privilege, because an important idea of this chapter is how Mr. Spencer makes him feel sad because of his future. But, there is a small part of me that realizes that by rejecting his privilege he is also accepting it.

            I believe Holden knows that he can still succeed in the world even if he gets kicked out of the prep school he can still succeed. In our most recent reading he constantly talks about his wealth by saying how “loaded” he is. Also, the major sense of his wealth comes after his idea to leave Pencey early. I think this acts as a reminder of how he can succeed without the school.

            There is a lot to be said about the future of Holden. We have seen him act against the rules of the “Game of Life,” but honestly, he seems to know how to interact with people well. Although he ends up yelling at Ackley, he only did it at a certain point where Ackley wouldn’t understand otherwise. Although he doesn’t like speaking to his teacher Mr. Spencer, it isn’t because of his dislike for him and rudeness. It is just because of the topic of conversation. Holden would be okay just “shooting the bull,” with Mr. Spencer, as he hates the serious conversation. On his phone call with a random person Holden acts very smooth, and to me it’s impressive how much of a conversation he got out of someone so late at night who he has never met and has almost no connection with. We have seen Holden act as a good conversationalist and I think that will help him a lot in his life. It’s interesting how “shooting the bull,” meaning just to speak the regular speak, being respectful, and the bullshit we say to our elders. And how he says the game is bullshit, but plays it anyway. I think this way out to be a successful speaker Holden, but still a rebel. Do you guys think Holden could still be successful even after failing Pencey?

The Endings of Chapter I and II: Similar and Different

            We spent a lot of time talking about the comparisons of the end of Chapter I to the end of Chapter II. I believe there’s a slight distinction between the similar mood at the end of each chapter. In class, we talked about the immense importance of the senses at the end of these Chapters. Chapter I finishes with a smooth soft sensory overload.

“The cheers died away in the soft grey air. He was alone. He was happy and free: (…) The air was soft and grey and mild and evening was coming. There was the smell of evening in the air, the smell of the fields in the country where they digged up turnips to peel them and eat them when they went out for a walk to Major Barton’s, the smell there was in the little wood beyond the pavilion where the gallnuts were. (…) In the soft grey silence he could hear the bump of the balls: and from here and from there through the quiet air the sound of the cricket bats: pick, pack, pock, puck: like drops of water in a fountain falling softly in the brimming bowl” (Joyce 60-61).

            Sorry for the long quote, but I really want to show just much soft sounds and feels there are in a short half page quote.  There are so many references to soft grey air, soft grey silence, and the smells of the field and evening. Chapter III ends in a similar fashion.

“He closed his eyes, surrendering himself to her, body and mind, conscious of nothing in the world bit the dark pressure of her softly parting lips. They pressed upon his brain as upon his lips as though they were the vehicle of a vague speech; and between them he felt an unknown and timid pressure, darker than the swoon of sin, softer than sound or odour” (Joyce 108).

           We talked about the alliteration and the “s” consonant adds this smooth feel to ending. The softness of the wording, with swoon of sin, comparing to the “soft grey silence,” of the first Chapter. There’s also a major idea of the sense of smell being important at the end of both Chapters. Chapter I talks about the smell of the fields, and the woods where the gallnuts were, and Chapter II ends with the phrase, “softer than sound or odour.” The similar senses and feels make the endings comparable. However, there’s a clear distinction in where these chapters end in the characters point of view. The end of chapter one features this sense of ruckus, triumph, and ultimately calmness. I think the way chapter II ends, sets up an almost opposite order of events.

               Joyce spares us, the readers, from the narration of Stephen’s first sexual experience, leaving out the so called, “ruckus,” or “triumph” part. It’s hard to put sexual actions in a “triumph” point of view, but Stephen is known to revel in his sins, until they pile up on him. This can be supported with the sense of Stephen being proud of just how many sins he has committed while confessing in Chapter III.  “Ruckus,” here is the sexual actions we don’t hear about, but what Joyce does tell us, is this smooth calm feeling we can directly relate to the end of the first Chapter. This is interesting to me, as there’s this similar feel, but they are also very different, and I think that says something about Stephen growing up. Stephen “escapes” the crowd of fellows at the end of Chapter I, and “surrendered himself to her,” at the end of Chapter II. Stephen has changed, and the narration has changed with it.