The Book of Salt is a very interesting depiction on the life of the famous lesbian couple, Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas. The main reason why this story is so interesting is because it is told through the eyes of the couple’s Vietnamese chef Binh (whom Stein calls “Thin Bin”). Truong uses stream of consciousness, which helps the reader see things and understand them the way Binh does. In fact, this story consists of two narrative threads that give the reader information on the narrator’s present life in Paris as well as his traumatic past life in Vietnam.
In the first portion of this particular novel, Binh tells the reader of his present life (at age 27), residing at rue de Fleurus with Stein and Toklas, in Paris. He also tells the reader how he got his job with the famous couple (from an ad in the newspaper). Binh makes observations of the couple as they go about their daily business, which gives the story an interesting spin, or description.
In contrast, the second portion reveals what brought Binh to Paris, France. The reader learns that he was physically as well as verbally abused by his malicious father. Binh really puts his childhood into perspective for the reader by describing various events, such as a piece of wood that was thicker than his arm being split into his skin, and a chair leg shoved into his Adam’s apple (by his father). Also, the reader learns that Binh is gay and that it was seen as a “disease” in his homeland, so he was led to no other choice other than to go some place far away, which just so happened to be France (his country’s colonizer).
Colonialism is seen throughout this story because it takes place when Vietnam was still a part of French Indochina. Binh’s older brother, Minh, assimilates to the French culture by learning the language and becoming a Sous Chef. Minh helps Binh to assimilate as well by teaching him the language as well as how to cook, and gets Binh a job. One could argue that Binh does not fully assimilate to the colonized culture because he critiques the culture that is depicted through the writer’s use of Binh’s stream of consciousness.
As Binh wanders the streets of Paris, Binh points out to the reader that his skin “marks his weakness, displays it as yellow skin.” He then says that in France he is identified by others as “an Indochinese laborer,” while in Vietnam he is identified as “just a man.” In a way I can relate to this type of identity. For instance, when I was in Europe, I was identified by others as “an American college student,” whereas in America, I am seen as “a girl (or woman) from the Midwest.”
The irony of this story is that he ends up working for a lesbian (“diseased”) couple—the exact “disease” which brought himself to exile in the French land. The fact that homosexuality was thought of as (and is still thought of as in some cultures) a “disease” angers me quite a bit. This reminds me of a theory that a strong Christian evangelical once told me- “I think that they just haven’t met the right person of the opposite sex just yet.” This caught me off guard and made me realize how many religions (if not all) tend to brain wash people into believing whatever the hell they want them to believe and that, to me, is terrifying!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Response to The Heartsong of Charging Elk
I thought that Welch’s novel, The Heartsong of Charging Elk was rather interesting. The fact that it centers around a story of how a Native American man (Charging Elk) ends up stranded in a foreign land (Marseille) despite what the American government promises him. Before reading this novel, I had not put much thought into Buffalo Bill and his traveling Wild West Show. I did not realize that he and his showmen traveled outside of North American soil. The fact that this show did indeed tour around the world makes me wonder if this story is at least based on some bit of truth. If so, that would make this story even more intriguing, at least to me.
I liked how this story goes back and forth, describing Charging Elk’s earlier life. For instance, how he witnessed his peoples’ loss at the battle of Little Bighorn (a.k.a. the fight at Greasy Grass), which pushed him to live out in the Black Hills. This helped him to become a tougher Indian that made him attractive to Buffalo Bill and ultimately led Bill to select him to perform in his popular Wild West show.
It is very frustrating, however, when the main character gets sick with influenza, falls off his horse, breaks his ribs and is taken to the hospital in Marseille, where there is an administrative mix-up that leads his fellow showmen to leave without him, mainly since they think he is expected to pass away in the hospital. I have been to France, so I have some general idea of what it is like to be surrounded by the language and the culture. Yet, I knew quite a bit of basic française, so I cannot really understand how scary it would be to find yourself stranded in a foreign land where you know nothing of the language or the culture.
When Charging Elk wakes up, he has no idea where he is and no recollection of what had happened to him. Also, he does not know the French language, and barely speaks much English, so he is similar to an infant in a strange, new land. This makes it impossible for him to communicate even simple phrases that one might take for granted. For instance, he cannot ask the nurse for more food or drink, let alone- he cannot tell anyone in Marseille who he is, where he came from, and that he would like nothing more than to go home.
He then wonders aimlessly, trying to find his fellow showmen, but ends up in prison for being a vagrant. When he is released, he is put into the custody of a charitable family of fishmongers, who help him to learn the French language.
The fact that the American consulate does not fulfill its promise to help him return home to his native land in Dakota Territory (the Black Hills) is extremely frustrating to me and makes me feel sorry for all the horrible things that happen to him. For instance, when he awakens to find that he is being raped by a homosexual Frenchmen, he murders the man out of his own self defense and is sentenced to jail for eleven long years for killing a white man, despite the fact that this man raped Charging Elk. He is about twenty-five when he is convicted—luckily avoiding the death penalty—then he is thirty-seven when he is finally pardoned. Not much is depicted during this time in prison.
I liked how this story goes back and forth, describing Charging Elk’s earlier life. For instance, how he witnessed his peoples’ loss at the battle of Little Bighorn (a.k.a. the fight at Greasy Grass), which pushed him to live out in the Black Hills. This helped him to become a tougher Indian that made him attractive to Buffalo Bill and ultimately led Bill to select him to perform in his popular Wild West show.
It is very frustrating, however, when the main character gets sick with influenza, falls off his horse, breaks his ribs and is taken to the hospital in Marseille, where there is an administrative mix-up that leads his fellow showmen to leave without him, mainly since they think he is expected to pass away in the hospital. I have been to France, so I have some general idea of what it is like to be surrounded by the language and the culture. Yet, I knew quite a bit of basic française, so I cannot really understand how scary it would be to find yourself stranded in a foreign land where you know nothing of the language or the culture.
When Charging Elk wakes up, he has no idea where he is and no recollection of what had happened to him. Also, he does not know the French language, and barely speaks much English, so he is similar to an infant in a strange, new land. This makes it impossible for him to communicate even simple phrases that one might take for granted. For instance, he cannot ask the nurse for more food or drink, let alone- he cannot tell anyone in Marseille who he is, where he came from, and that he would like nothing more than to go home.
He then wonders aimlessly, trying to find his fellow showmen, but ends up in prison for being a vagrant. When he is released, he is put into the custody of a charitable family of fishmongers, who help him to learn the French language.
The fact that the American consulate does not fulfill its promise to help him return home to his native land in Dakota Territory (the Black Hills) is extremely frustrating to me and makes me feel sorry for all the horrible things that happen to him. For instance, when he awakens to find that he is being raped by a homosexual Frenchmen, he murders the man out of his own self defense and is sentenced to jail for eleven long years for killing a white man, despite the fact that this man raped Charging Elk. He is about twenty-five when he is convicted—luckily avoiding the death penalty—then he is thirty-seven when he is finally pardoned. Not much is depicted during this time in prison.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Poverty in Hawaii Portrayed in Blu's Hanging
I found Jamie James’ article, “This Hawaii is Not for Tourists” rather interesting since I had not considered literary works about Hawaii. From this article, I found that Mark “Twain was the first literary artist of stature to write at length about Hawaii, in a novel that was never published” (1). Before reading this work as well as Yamanaka’s novel Blu’s Hanging, I had not really thought about the slums of Hawaii. All I really thought of was the people dressed up to hula dance, while smiling prepared to say “aloha” and put a lay around each visitor’s neck . Hence, before reading these two works, I had only thought of Hawaii as a tourist paradise.
I was surprised to find out that Yamanaka’s work Blu’s Hanging was seen as racist, mainly targeting Filipinos, which is not true since there is prejudice involving all races that are intertwined throughout this specific story. Yes, Blu’s Hanging is rather disturbing and offensive and melancholy, but I would not go as far as to deny the writer an award for working as hard as she did to develop such an honest, believable literary piece that apparently portrays the Hawaiian culture quite truthfully—so truthfully indeed that it is found to offend many of its natives.
I don’t know if I would personally compare Blue’s Hanging to Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, mainly since Catcher is not nearly as traumatic or racist as Blu’s Hanging. However, I would have to agree with James that Holden’s character does compare to Ivah in that they are both young, teenagers that are confused as well as upset with the world and many of the people in it. I think that Ivah’s character is a bit more mature than Holden’s character though, mainly since she has a great deal more of responsibility than Holden because she is put in charge of her two younger siblings and has to take care of them just as their mother had done so. Also, Holden has a tendency to place his expectations of people so high that he continually sets himself up for more and more disappointment throughout the plot. In contrast, Ivah doesn’t seem to set such expectations on people, not even her Poppy, which is very frustrating to the reader. Instead, she seems to just tough it out and accept things just as they are, which, in a way, makes her a courageous, heroic character.
I was a bit taken aback by the fact that a teaching assistant “objects to having her students read Blu’s Hanging because it makes them feel bad” (4). Sure, this work is very upsetting and does tend to make the reader feel bad, but it’s worth reading because it teaches people something and reminds individuals of what many people take for granted every single day. Thus, it opens the reader’s eyes to a new perspective on the nature of humanity. Some novels really do influence the reader and I think that Blu’s Hanging falls into this category. James states that, “Such false, happy narratives may do no harm, but they can do no good” (5). This is a good point that I hadn’t really taken the time to think about in depth.
After some thought, I now realize that happy narratives like any one of Disney’s princess stories don’t really teach the reader, or in this case—the viewer—much of anything, except for to keep young and beautiful and you will get your prince charming in the end, then you will have your “happily ever after.” In contrast, novels like Blu’s Hanging teach the reader some things that are much more meaningful to life because they are portrayed in a real-world perspective in which there are no Fairy God Mothers to save you. Therefore, such stories as Blu’s Hanging make you see past that glossy princess world that is the protected reality. As a whole, Blu’s Hanging makes you realize that poverty does exists—even on a paradise island, such as Hawaii. Maybe it’s time that we stop protecting ourselves from reality and human tragedy because it opens our eyes, our minds, our hearts and helps us to become more empathetic, well-rounded citizens that will help us to recognize the evil in the world and try to do whatever we can to stop it, or at least lessen it.
I was surprised to find out that Yamanaka’s work Blu’s Hanging was seen as racist, mainly targeting Filipinos, which is not true since there is prejudice involving all races that are intertwined throughout this specific story. Yes, Blu’s Hanging is rather disturbing and offensive and melancholy, but I would not go as far as to deny the writer an award for working as hard as she did to develop such an honest, believable literary piece that apparently portrays the Hawaiian culture quite truthfully—so truthfully indeed that it is found to offend many of its natives.
I don’t know if I would personally compare Blue’s Hanging to Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, mainly since Catcher is not nearly as traumatic or racist as Blu’s Hanging. However, I would have to agree with James that Holden’s character does compare to Ivah in that they are both young, teenagers that are confused as well as upset with the world and many of the people in it. I think that Ivah’s character is a bit more mature than Holden’s character though, mainly since she has a great deal more of responsibility than Holden because she is put in charge of her two younger siblings and has to take care of them just as their mother had done so. Also, Holden has a tendency to place his expectations of people so high that he continually sets himself up for more and more disappointment throughout the plot. In contrast, Ivah doesn’t seem to set such expectations on people, not even her Poppy, which is very frustrating to the reader. Instead, she seems to just tough it out and accept things just as they are, which, in a way, makes her a courageous, heroic character.
I was a bit taken aback by the fact that a teaching assistant “objects to having her students read Blu’s Hanging because it makes them feel bad” (4). Sure, this work is very upsetting and does tend to make the reader feel bad, but it’s worth reading because it teaches people something and reminds individuals of what many people take for granted every single day. Thus, it opens the reader’s eyes to a new perspective on the nature of humanity. Some novels really do influence the reader and I think that Blu’s Hanging falls into this category. James states that, “Such false, happy narratives may do no harm, but they can do no good” (5). This is a good point that I hadn’t really taken the time to think about in depth.
After some thought, I now realize that happy narratives like any one of Disney’s princess stories don’t really teach the reader, or in this case—the viewer—much of anything, except for to keep young and beautiful and you will get your prince charming in the end, then you will have your “happily ever after.” In contrast, novels like Blu’s Hanging teach the reader some things that are much more meaningful to life because they are portrayed in a real-world perspective in which there are no Fairy God Mothers to save you. Therefore, such stories as Blu’s Hanging make you see past that glossy princess world that is the protected reality. As a whole, Blu’s Hanging makes you realize that poverty does exists—even on a paradise island, such as Hawaii. Maybe it’s time that we stop protecting ourselves from reality and human tragedy because it opens our eyes, our minds, our hearts and helps us to become more empathetic, well-rounded citizens that will help us to recognize the evil in the world and try to do whatever we can to stop it, or at least lessen it.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Response to Blu's Hanging
Blu’s Hanging by Lois-Ann Yamanaka is a very touching novel that got my adrenaline pumping and my eyes watering. After reading the first three chapters, I was very upset and offended with the descriptions of what the feline haters did with a number of cats. However, I was pleased to find that the main characters are cat as well as dog lovers. I found it interesting that the main characters believe that “black cats cure sadness” and “calico cats bring good luck” (44). As I read this novel, I realized how fortunate I am to have parents who love me, take care of me and have made sure that nothing traumatic ever happened to me during my childhood.
The whole story is essentially centered around Ivah’s attempts to replace her Mama who passed away due to taking too much sulfone to treat her leprosy. Although she was negative for leprosy, she insisted on taking the drugs, which ate up her kidneys (145). Ivah’s Poppy tells her of his childhood as well as her Mama’s childhood that was spent in prison as they were both infected with leprosy. This explained the scars on both their hands; however, I never felt much sorrow for Poppy since he is continually verbally as well as physically abusive to his three children: Ivah, Blu and Maisie. The fact that Poppy continually blames Ivah for everything negative that happens to their family is very upsetting to me. For instance, after Blu is molested by their neighbor, Uncle Paulo, Poppy blames Blu for it, but mainly blames Ivah for not preventing it from happening. I think this has much to do with the fact that Poppy buys drugs from this shady Paulo character. Thus, Poppy has less courage and endurance than his three children since he continually runs away from all of his problems by means of drugs.
I found Maisie’s character very intriguing. After her Mama passed away, she rarely speaks at all. For awhile, she only “said about five things: I scared; Sleep with me; More; There she is; and Mama.” (14). It is sad to find that she wets her bottoms everyday in school, simply because she has practically become a mute and is therefore incapable of asking to use the potty. However, after she joins Miss Ito’s special Ed class, she remarkably makes it into the first grade with a reading level above her classmates.
I think that black was symbolic in this story because a black cat as well as a black moth have mystical powers in this story. The black moth appears just as Aunty Betty demeans Eleanor’s (the kids’ mother’s) family. To the reader’s surprise, the characters believe that this moth is the spirit of the dead; therefore, they believe that it carries Eleanor’s spirit. At that moment, no one—not even Aunty Betty—says anything mean about Eleanor or her family.
I really thought it was cute and sweet when Blu bought Ivah feminine products for Christmas and her birthday and told her that he would buy them for her again if she liked. Prior to this scene, Ivah was using napkins because she was too ashamed and embarrassed to go to the store to purchase anything more substantial. Looking back, I think of the time that I used to have my mother buy my feminine products for me and now I realize how silly my embarrassment was. To think that an eight-year old boy like Blu has no problem with making such a taboo purchase is rather courageous to me.
At the end of the novel, I was happy to find that Ivah decides to go to a private school in Honolulu despite her Poppy’s discouragement. All I can say is that the three children sure are lucky to have such kind, loving and caring women in their lives: Miss Ito and their cousin Big Sis. Maybe their calico cat, Hoppy Creetat, has some mystical power that brings good luck after all? But then again, if she were so lucky, her first litter of kittens probably would not have been hanged.
The whole story is essentially centered around Ivah’s attempts to replace her Mama who passed away due to taking too much sulfone to treat her leprosy. Although she was negative for leprosy, she insisted on taking the drugs, which ate up her kidneys (145). Ivah’s Poppy tells her of his childhood as well as her Mama’s childhood that was spent in prison as they were both infected with leprosy. This explained the scars on both their hands; however, I never felt much sorrow for Poppy since he is continually verbally as well as physically abusive to his three children: Ivah, Blu and Maisie. The fact that Poppy continually blames Ivah for everything negative that happens to their family is very upsetting to me. For instance, after Blu is molested by their neighbor, Uncle Paulo, Poppy blames Blu for it, but mainly blames Ivah for not preventing it from happening. I think this has much to do with the fact that Poppy buys drugs from this shady Paulo character. Thus, Poppy has less courage and endurance than his three children since he continually runs away from all of his problems by means of drugs.
I found Maisie’s character very intriguing. After her Mama passed away, she rarely speaks at all. For awhile, she only “said about five things: I scared; Sleep with me; More; There she is; and Mama.” (14). It is sad to find that she wets her bottoms everyday in school, simply because she has practically become a mute and is therefore incapable of asking to use the potty. However, after she joins Miss Ito’s special Ed class, she remarkably makes it into the first grade with a reading level above her classmates.
I think that black was symbolic in this story because a black cat as well as a black moth have mystical powers in this story. The black moth appears just as Aunty Betty demeans Eleanor’s (the kids’ mother’s) family. To the reader’s surprise, the characters believe that this moth is the spirit of the dead; therefore, they believe that it carries Eleanor’s spirit. At that moment, no one—not even Aunty Betty—says anything mean about Eleanor or her family.
I really thought it was cute and sweet when Blu bought Ivah feminine products for Christmas and her birthday and told her that he would buy them for her again if she liked. Prior to this scene, Ivah was using napkins because she was too ashamed and embarrassed to go to the store to purchase anything more substantial. Looking back, I think of the time that I used to have my mother buy my feminine products for me and now I realize how silly my embarrassment was. To think that an eight-year old boy like Blu has no problem with making such a taboo purchase is rather courageous to me.
At the end of the novel, I was happy to find that Ivah decides to go to a private school in Honolulu despite her Poppy’s discouragement. All I can say is that the three children sure are lucky to have such kind, loving and caring women in their lives: Miss Ito and their cousin Big Sis. Maybe their calico cat, Hoppy Creetat, has some mystical power that brings good luck after all? But then again, if she were so lucky, her first litter of kittens probably would not have been hanged.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)