The Essence of "Crazy"

This book has certainly claimed its place among my favorites of the semester. Although its characters and story line weren't necessarily my favorite, I was highly intrigued by the way it was composed. Pynchon's unique style of writ ting masterfully directs the readers through the series of twists and turns that compile his plot. He takes his readers out of their own atmosphere and practically places them within the head of Oedipa. I came to consider the protagonist as just slightly crazy. I read her to be forming this whole elaborate plot in her head and finding plausible excuses to support her beliefs.
Pynchon does an unbelievable job of dictating circumstances in which his readers can directly connect with his leading lady. He writes in unusually lengthy sentences that bring the reader around in a circle. Such a circular pattern can be related to the trails that Oedipa chases that inevitably lead her no where. This manner of writing adds an entirely new spin to the story and contributes a new level of greatness to the tale. Rather than simply telling or imploring the reader to believe that Oedipa is a little crazy, the author drives the reader insane themselves. As i was reading the book I was getting slightly frustrated and definitely felt a little crazy.

What's In a Name

While reading, I was intrigued my numerous parts of the story, even within the first chapter. One of the main things that caught my attention, however, were the interesting names of the characters. The reader encounters names such as Oedipa, Pierce Inverarity, Mucho Maas, and Dr. Hilarious. Initially all of these names sound odd; but, when I contemplated them even further, I feel they contribute an entirely other meaning to the story.

The protagonist possesses one of the most recognizable names, Oedipa. Oedipa is extremely similar to Oedipus. Most of us know Oedipus as the Greek character who slept with his mother and killed his father. Obviously, at least not thus far in the story, Oedipa has not displayed such extreme characteristics; however, she is searching for a sense of freedom or liberation. I relate her search for liberation to Oedipus's sense of "liberation" of gained from eventually fulfilling his lustful desires. We haven' really read far enough to say for certain, but I could easily see Oedipa's search for liberation being along the lines of sexual freedom as well.

Pierce is a very strong name. I don't really believe his name has any hidden connotation, I just feel that it contributes to the story. He is portrayed as a very savvy businessman and a name such as Pierce contributes to his look. A name like Bob or Jim just doesn't give off the presence of someone who is as business-minded as Pierce appeared to be.

Oedipa's husband, Mucho Maas, also has a very interesting name. In Spanish, "mucho" means "a lot" and "mas" (very similar to "Maas") means more. I wasn't sure if this was a signifier to how much he demanded of Oedipa or something else along those lines. I perceived his particular character as someone who lacked ambition and just continuously drained Oedipa. If my assumptions are correct, the alleged connotation of his name would correspond nicely.

Finally there is Dr. Hilarious. This name doesn't require much explaining. He comes off as a more or less a "quack" rather than a justified doctor. I'm not aware of too many doctors that attempt to persuade their patients to use LSD. "Hilarious" is a term often associated with that which is funny or comical; something that is not to be taken seriously. Dr. Hilarious was no exception and I believe Oedipa eventually came to realize that.

"There Was a Queen"

I found this to be a very intriguing story and found the obvious plot interesting. I was also under the impression that this story was set during the Reconstruction period and I found this to give an entirely new light to story as well as to the relationships between the women. I could be on the entirely wrong page, but I saw this story as a an allegory to the New South versus the Old South post Civil War. I perceived Faulkner as using "There Was a Queen" as a channel to verbalize his opinion about the post-war occurrences.
History plays a large role in my perception of the tale. Immediately following the war and the undoing of the "Old South" Lincoln began his ploy to redo the Southern states which eventually resulted in the "New South." In Faulkner's story we see a "new" force reforming the traditional ways. I saw him as presenting Elnora as the New South as he guides his readers through her trials, specifically her African American lover. The idea of a white woman taking an African American lover on her own free will was still extremely socially taboo and virtually unheard of, just as many of the reforms presented in the New South. We also eventually witness her triumph over her grandmother, whom can be seen as the Old South.
At first I read this as more of a light hearted, intriguing piece, but the more I analyzed it and tried to consider what to Blog about I took into consideration the era in which it was written. I eventually came to perceive this as more of a political piece or an attempt to make a statement about reconstruction.

"The Young Housewife"

Out of all of William's pieces that we read, "The Young Housewife" was by far my favorite. William's writing style, with a hint of mystery and scandal, drew me in and captured my attention all while leaving plenty of room for me to form my own conclusions about various situations. Peter Baker points out exactly what I am referring to in his analytical piece about "The Young Housewife." He states, "One must do a sort of double-take to figure out how the speaker could know this if she is behind the walls of a house." We see the passing doctor detailing seductive features about the young housewife, specifically her attire. As the reader, we learn that the young women is adorned in a sheer negligee; most certainly an object of sensuality.
We also witness the doctor approaching her as almost untouchable. He references her with such regard that we are initially under the impression that he feels insignificant next to her and that she is just a mere wish that he could never obtain. However, as we read farther, I stumbled upon the idea that he had already had her. He uses such detail and describes such perfect images, I came to believe that he had first hand knowledge of these things, and that he hadn't just merely observed them from behind "wood walls. Barry Ahearn accredits this situation by stating, "The encounter between the passing doctor and the young housewife is scrupulously polite and legitimate. Yet the poem hints at potential sexual contact." After completing the piece, I eventually concluded that his "scrupulously polite" descriptions were almost a game, or a fantasy, of the doctor's. I believe that he had certainly seen the housewife, and the negligee, up close.

The Wife of His Youth

In The Wife of His Youth Chesnutt addresses a theme that was often emitted in other literature of the time: racism amongst African Americans. Through his main character, Mr. Ryder, Chesnutt is able to portray the idea that even some African Americans were discriminatory against their own dark-skinned people. We come to know Mr. Ryder as a light-skinned member of the Blue Veins; one whom held a somewhat prominent spot in society. The Blue Veins was a society for African Americans who's skin tone was light enough that the blue of their veins shown through. Even through the formation of this society, it is exhibited that African Americans, those who had faced years of discrimination due to the darkness of their skin, now placed the same value on the lightness of their skin tone as their Caucasian counterparts. Only the elite, referring to those who had light skin, were permitted to join the society.
Mr. Ryder is faced with his own challenge, however, when "the wife from his youth," a homely dark skinned slave, reappears and challenges him to decide between her, and embarrassment amonst the Blue Veins or his high-end society. Ryder, whom had previously been a slave himself, even found himself questioning her acceptance. This woman who he had once loved was now so very different solely because she was not "blessed" with lighter skin coloring. Is this not the same excuse the white man had taunted African Americans with for decades? Mr. Ryder, who now just happened to be fortunate enough to be free and of high status had assumed the same arrogance that was possessed by the white men.
I see this as one of the largest ironies imaginable in all of literature. Chesnutt takes this previously enslaved man and turns him into the same type of monster that had, at one time, been responsible for his own misery. He takes his protagonist and challenges him to look deep into his soul, not only as his skin, which just happens to be light enough to where one could see the blue of his veins.

Huck Finn

One of the key elements in Twain's Huckleberry Finn is diction, and more importantly, dialect. The dialect not only reflects the southern jargin of the time but it is also used to reflect Huck's ignorance in various situations. As I read, I also began to view Huck's ignorance as mirroring American ignorance. I also believe this is exactly the thoughts Twain hoped to ignite in his audience. Through the dialect, Twain is able to portray Huck as an uninformed, relatively close-minded, individual (at least at the begining of the novel) who is not nearly educated enough about particular situations, especially slavery, to cast the harsh judgements he often tends to favor. I see this view of Huck paralleling the view Twain seems to believe is held by most southern citizens. It can be inferred by the reader that Huck's ignorance is age, and background, inflicted, while the ignorance of the southerners was more of a chosen way of life.

Dialect also holds a vital role in relation to Jim. The transpirings between Huck and Jim are of utmost importance in the novel. Through their conversations, we are able to share in Huck's epitome that Jim is as much of a human being as he is. As the reader, we are able to witness Huck's realitization that Jim laughs, loves, and hurts just as much as any individual with white skin. I also perceive this as another underlying message in Twain's text. I can practically hear him urging his readers to follow in Huck's "morally right" conclusion about slavery. Even though Huck Finn is written after the legalized end of slavery, Twain is more than aware that the desire for slaves is still very much alive in the minds of white southerners. There is no doubt that his strong and unique usage of dialect is all part of Twain's attempt to persuade his readers to open their minds to a new way of life.

In “After Great Pain, a formal feeling comes –” Dickinson is once again focusing on one of her most popular topics; war. I was very intrigued by the first stanza of the poem; because, I honestly feel that the words comprised here truly capture the after math of war. The introduction powerfully grasps the reader. “After great pain” leaves the reader wanting to know just what occurs after such immense hurt. The diction used in the following lines continues to form this vision of the horrendous affects of war. Words such as “nerves,” “tombs,” and “contentment” arouse strong feelings of uncertainty, and most importantly, uneasiness, in the reader. As I read I found myself hesitating and becoming nervous about the text I was going to read. By using such strong wording, Dickinson entrances her audience with this “formal feeling” she refers to in her title line. I see her as almost painting a picture of a baron battlefield without describing the scenery. As opposed to referencing dead bodies or bullet shells, she details “the nerves [that] sit ceremonious, like tombs –” and “the stiff heart.” As I read this poem, I formed a vision in my head of a battlefield littered with bodies and haunted by a deep fog. I could even almost smell the gun powder and hear the moans of the wounded. When a poet can portray such a vivid image without so much as describing the first visual, not emotional, scene, they have truly mastered the utmost skill of their art. I also find this amusing considering that a large majority of people consider Dickinson this emotionless hobbit that stowed away in her attic. She, in fact, was full of emotions and this is just one of her finest examples of the severity of the emotions that did consumer her.