Response to reading for 31 July
It was a little slow for me getting started with this book. Maybe I was too tired when I started reading. In any case, the farther I read, the more I liked it and once I reached halfway, I realized I didn't want to stop. I did, though, to write. So here goes.
One passage that I found interesting not only because of the way it fit into this text but because of some of the things we've been talking about in class was when Charity is talking about whether Harney likes her or not and it says, "The signs of his liking were manifest enough; but it was hard to guess how much they meant, because his manner was so different from anything North Dormer had ever shown her. He was at once simpler and more deferential than any one she had known; and sometimes it was just when he was simplest that she most felt the distance between them." First off, this reminded me of Sula because of the misunderstandings between Nell and Sula that resulted because of their different life experiences. I also think that this passage stuck out to me because obviously people's homes are important. Charity's coming from the Mountain is obviously central to the story and her character builds itself around the fact... especially her being different from everyone in North Dormer. Harney is interesting to her because he's from somewhere bigger, more mysterious. I kept this passage in mind as I read and thought about their relationship, and it seems that the distance between them is maintained, at least so far, but that, as they build experiences together, it becomes more negligible. I think that this would fit well into our discussion about people being close even when they don't have to talk because of the way they interact and because of the experiences that they share. I don't know how the relationship with Harney and Charity will turn out. I hesitate to say I hope it's for the better for fear of having my own heart broken.
Another passage that stood out to me was when Charity determines not to go in to see Harney when she's spying on him in Miss Hatchard's. She says, "She did not know why he was going; but since he was going she felt she must do nothing to deface the image of her that he carried away. If he wanted her he must seek her: he must not be surprised into taking her as girls like Julia Hawes were taken...." I guess it initially stood out because relationships between girls and boys are so much different today, and this was a good example of a woman who wants to be pursued by a man and who sees it as her duty to maintain her purity, even if it means passing up a chance to be with him, so that he can decide to be with her. I also think it stood out because of how important she considers his impression of her and how she doesn't seem to care later when the town thinks they're sneaking around together. Mr. Royall says she's proud, but I think her pride may be a cover for the insecurity that she feels about her past, which comes out conspicuously when she overhears Mr. Royall speaking with Harney and at other points in time when she wonder where she came from or who her parents are. Anyways, I think it's funny that later she "sneer[s] at herself for not having used the arts that might have kept him." Good stuff.
Just for fun, another passage I really liked was when she started spying on Harney and it says, "He was there, a few feet away; and while her soul was tossing on seas of woe he had been quietly sitting at his drawing-board. The sight of those two hands, moving with their usual skill and precision, woke her out of her dream." I think it's scary how bad things can get in our heads when we don't know what's going on. Like the Morrison quote that Donna read during class. But this also reminded me of a discussion I had about whether being in love makes everything else in life matter more or less, which, in a way, relates to the whole "Make Me Better" concept. Some people say being in love is like being in a dream. Seeing Harney woke Charity from a dream. I think being in love can make life seem more important, can make you notice things like how beautiful his hands are and can make the whole world seem more beautiful and worth noticing. But apparently it also makes things worth worrying about as well....
One passage that I found interesting not only because of the way it fit into this text but because of some of the things we've been talking about in class was when Charity is talking about whether Harney likes her or not and it says, "The signs of his liking were manifest enough; but it was hard to guess how much they meant, because his manner was so different from anything North Dormer had ever shown her. He was at once simpler and more deferential than any one she had known; and sometimes it was just when he was simplest that she most felt the distance between them." First off, this reminded me of Sula because of the misunderstandings between Nell and Sula that resulted because of their different life experiences. I also think that this passage stuck out to me because obviously people's homes are important. Charity's coming from the Mountain is obviously central to the story and her character builds itself around the fact... especially her being different from everyone in North Dormer. Harney is interesting to her because he's from somewhere bigger, more mysterious. I kept this passage in mind as I read and thought about their relationship, and it seems that the distance between them is maintained, at least so far, but that, as they build experiences together, it becomes more negligible. I think that this would fit well into our discussion about people being close even when they don't have to talk because of the way they interact and because of the experiences that they share. I don't know how the relationship with Harney and Charity will turn out. I hesitate to say I hope it's for the better for fear of having my own heart broken.
Another passage that stood out to me was when Charity determines not to go in to see Harney when she's spying on him in Miss Hatchard's. She says, "She did not know why he was going; but since he was going she felt she must do nothing to deface the image of her that he carried away. If he wanted her he must seek her: he must not be surprised into taking her as girls like Julia Hawes were taken...." I guess it initially stood out because relationships between girls and boys are so much different today, and this was a good example of a woman who wants to be pursued by a man and who sees it as her duty to maintain her purity, even if it means passing up a chance to be with him, so that he can decide to be with her. I also think it stood out because of how important she considers his impression of her and how she doesn't seem to care later when the town thinks they're sneaking around together. Mr. Royall says she's proud, but I think her pride may be a cover for the insecurity that she feels about her past, which comes out conspicuously when she overhears Mr. Royall speaking with Harney and at other points in time when she wonder where she came from or who her parents are. Anyways, I think it's funny that later she "sneer[s] at herself for not having used the arts that might have kept him." Good stuff.
Just for fun, another passage I really liked was when she started spying on Harney and it says, "He was there, a few feet away; and while her soul was tossing on seas of woe he had been quietly sitting at his drawing-board. The sight of those two hands, moving with their usual skill and precision, woke her out of her dream." I think it's scary how bad things can get in our heads when we don't know what's going on. Like the Morrison quote that Donna read during class. But this also reminded me of a discussion I had about whether being in love makes everything else in life matter more or less, which, in a way, relates to the whole "Make Me Better" concept. Some people say being in love is like being in a dream. Seeing Harney woke Charity from a dream. I think being in love can make life seem more important, can make you notice things like how beautiful his hands are and can make the whole world seem more beautiful and worth noticing. But apparently it also makes things worth worrying about as well....
posted by Tracee at 8:15 PM
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