Part One of Summer
Summer part I
The last line of this passage on page 6 is what made me immediately like Charity. Though I have read more of the book since the opening chapter, and found Charity to be harder to like, I still feel a connection to her. “How I hate everything!” is how I have been feeling lately. Our reasoning may be a bit different, but it is a connection nonetheless. The paragraph preceding that line explains part of her history, and personality too. Charity already seems to be a woman with a hard outer shell and an extremely unstable inner self. The mountain represents what Charity has “overcome,” while I feel her hate of everything is something she has to also overcome. She seems to be a very jealous and possessive person. All of these personality traits can be see in this passage. I think that it relates to other events later in the novel because this gives the reader background information about Charity and her life. As far as cultural narratives goes, this passage can be linked to that of a women’s desire to rise above her current surroundings. Similar texts include the poems by Nellie Wong and Lucille Clifton.
This passage on page 87 stuck out to be because I often relate my own life to things we read. Sometimes when I’m in stores with the men in my life (whether it be my boyfriend, dad, or grandpa), I casually mention that I like something—or even eye it—only to find it in my possession later. I feel like Charity, in that I didn’t mean to imply THEY should buy it for me. I reacted to this passage because I think a lot of girls may feel similarly. We are not all gold diggers (insert a chuckle here). Charity, thus far, does not seem one to be overly concerned with material goods, but they do matter somewhat to her. She seems more to be about attention. I also think this passage shows that Charity is also subject to feminine traits like being pleased with a man when she gets a gift. I still feel that Charity enjoys her time with Harney more than the gift. This narrative can be understood of one of the romance narratives. It is very typical for the man to buy the woman he is romantically interested in a piece of jewelry. I am unsure of what exact connection this passage has to the rest of the novel, because it comes at the end of the first half. I do think it just serves to show Harney’s willingness to make Charity happy, and Charity’s growing appreciation for Harney
Charity was not very clear about the Mountain; but she knew it was a bad place, and a shame to have come from, and that, whatever befell her in North Dormer, she ought, as Miss Hatchard had once reminded her, to remember that she had been brought down from there, and hold her tongue and be thankful. She looked up at the Mountain, thinking of these things, and tried as usual to be thankful. But the sight of the young man turning in at Miss Hatchard's gate had brought back the vision of the glittering streets of Nettleton, and she felt ashamed of her old sun-hat, and sick of North Dormer, and jealously aware of Annabel Balch of Springfield, opening her blue eyes somewhere far off on glories greater than the glories of Nettleton. "How I hate everything!" she said again. (pg 6)
The last line of this passage on page 6 is what made me immediately like Charity. Though I have read more of the book since the opening chapter, and found Charity to be harder to like, I still feel a connection to her. “How I hate everything!” is how I have been feeling lately. Our reasoning may be a bit different, but it is a connection nonetheless. The paragraph preceding that line explains part of her history, and personality too. Charity already seems to be a woman with a hard outer shell and an extremely unstable inner self. The mountain represents what Charity has “overcome,” while I feel her hate of everything is something she has to also overcome. She seems to be a very jealous and possessive person. All of these personality traits can be see in this passage. I think that it relates to other events later in the novel because this gives the reader background information about Charity and her life. As far as cultural narratives goes, this passage can be linked to that of a women’s desire to rise above her current surroundings. Similar texts include the poems by Nellie Wong and Lucille Clifton.
"You mustn't be afraid of looking at the blue pin any longer, because it belongs to you," he said; and she felt a little box being pressed into her hand. Her heart gave a leap of joy, but it reached her lips only in a shy stammer. She remembered other girls whom she had heard planning to extract presents from their fellows, and was seized with a sudden dread lest Harney should have imagined that she had leaned over the pretty things in the glass case in the hope of having one given to her....(pg 87)
This passage on page 87 stuck out to be because I often relate my own life to things we read. Sometimes when I’m in stores with the men in my life (whether it be my boyfriend, dad, or grandpa), I casually mention that I like something—or even eye it—only to find it in my possession later. I feel like Charity, in that I didn’t mean to imply THEY should buy it for me. I reacted to this passage because I think a lot of girls may feel similarly. We are not all gold diggers (insert a chuckle here). Charity, thus far, does not seem one to be overly concerned with material goods, but they do matter somewhat to her. She seems more to be about attention. I also think this passage shows that Charity is also subject to feminine traits like being pleased with a man when she gets a gift. I still feel that Charity enjoys her time with Harney more than the gift. This narrative can be understood of one of the romance narratives. It is very typical for the man to buy the woman he is romantically interested in a piece of jewelry. I am unsure of what exact connection this passage has to the rest of the novel, because it comes at the end of the first half. I do think it just serves to show Harney’s willingness to make Charity happy, and Charity’s growing appreciation for Harney
posted by Kaylene at 6:28 PM
1 Comments:
Kaylene, your link to the cultural narrative of a woman's desire to rise above her current surroundings is right and can be seen even more in the second half. During the festival, she wore a gown of silk as opposed to everyone else's muslin, to "let North Dormer see that she was worthy of Harney's admiration." She was trying to rise above, but her insecurities could still be seen, especially when she thought of Annabel Balch. They were reiterated later when Mr. Royall met them in their little deserted house near Hamblin. When he confronted Harney about marrying Charity he said he knew why Harney hasn't asked yet and wasn't going to, and so does the rest of the county. "They all know what she is, and what she came from." Now the social hierarchy narrative comes into play, feeding into the romance narrative (for the time being). Hmmmm. Lots of stuff going on.
Now we know that all of this drama just leads up to the cultural narrative of the young unwed mother stuck in her small town, married to someone she doesn't love. Interesting, though, because fear of a loveless marriage was her reason to not tell Harney, even though she was madly in love with him, even after she betrayed her.
In the end, I think Charity represents a modern woman in her independence.
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