this last section of reading was perfectly titled, "Lucy". I felt like she let herself open up in a way we had not seen before...instead of being cynical to others, she was describing herself, her emotions and really describing how or why she felt that way...instead of completely ignoring and neglecting her feelings toward her mother and her home, she let her true emotions play a role...
her relationships all changed as well...one line in particular, the remarks about her and Paul's relationship, really reminded me of her life...the life in her past that she was now willing to acknowledge, but, like Paul, no longer willing to let it possess her..."He loved ruins; he loved the past but only if it had ended on a sad note, from a lofty beginning to a gradual, rotten decline; he loved things that came from far away and had a mysterious history" (156).
I also feel like Lucy's decision to move out and throw herself into things that didn't make her happy was purposeful...she "was sure none of it was good for [her], and [she] liked that" (160). Even though the concept of self guilt was new to her, she filled the role; whether consciously or subconsciously.
what do you guys think? is this new life Lucy's attempt to try and start over again, or a way of dealing with her guilt?
Showing posts with label Lucy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lucy. Show all posts
02 April 2009
31 March 2009
The Problem Revealed
I don't even know where to begin...so why not at the end...?
"My life was at once something more simple and more complicated than that: for ten of my twenty years, half of my life, I had been mourning the end of a love affair; perhaps the only true love in my whole life I would ever know" (Kincaid, 132). This quote finally reveals what I have suspected throughout the whole book! If you were to go back and see everywhere Lucy recalled "mother" in her present experiences, you get the feeling that no matter how hard she wants to, her past will always be a part of who she is...even if it something she is trying to change/challenge...
Lucy is no longer the cold hearted, miserable person I permanently stamped for her...somehow, in realizing that her mother was not able to connect with her the way she wanted, she becomes an inspiration and very intelligent individual...but she just doesn't know how to deal with it...the story Lucy recalls to Mariah explains so much more than what we have seen about her personality...this girl, at ten, understood that there has to be more than what she is having wished for her...being raised in an environment where we have been taught to be strong, ambitious and adventurous is the norm, and Lucy secretly feels these too...to feel rejected and betrayed by your mother at such an influential age can be a life changing experience...her desire to break the mold and severe relations with those feelings is not only very hard, but for her, is virtually impossible...
the society she had dreamed of since she was little quickly changes and seems unimportant...what's important is her mother and the woman she is and how she is present in Lucy...
does the last bit of reading today change anyone else's persception of Lucy?
"My life was at once something more simple and more complicated than that: for ten of my twenty years, half of my life, I had been mourning the end of a love affair; perhaps the only true love in my whole life I would ever know" (Kincaid, 132). This quote finally reveals what I have suspected throughout the whole book! If you were to go back and see everywhere Lucy recalled "mother" in her present experiences, you get the feeling that no matter how hard she wants to, her past will always be a part of who she is...even if it something she is trying to change/challenge...
Lucy is no longer the cold hearted, miserable person I permanently stamped for her...somehow, in realizing that her mother was not able to connect with her the way she wanted, she becomes an inspiration and very intelligent individual...but she just doesn't know how to deal with it...the story Lucy recalls to Mariah explains so much more than what we have seen about her personality...this girl, at ten, understood that there has to be more than what she is having wished for her...being raised in an environment where we have been taught to be strong, ambitious and adventurous is the norm, and Lucy secretly feels these too...to feel rejected and betrayed by your mother at such an influential age can be a life changing experience...her desire to break the mold and severe relations with those feelings is not only very hard, but for her, is virtually impossible...
the society she had dreamed of since she was little quickly changes and seems unimportant...what's important is her mother and the woman she is and how she is present in Lucy...
does the last bit of reading today change anyone else's persception of Lucy?
26 March 2009
understanding this child
this poor girl! she is so torn between different worlds and does not know where to go or what to do! One the one hand, she longed to get away from the place she resented the most, but she seems to just go to a place she feels the same toward...
as I read, I got the feeling that she was homesick, obviously...and she completely resents it...her stubborn character and personality make her think of returning to, or having a connection with a past was a sign of weakness...for her, this isn't just a personal thing; she thinks everyone should disconnect from their past as they move into the future...this is demonstrated on pages 33-34, "...I thought Mariah should have long separated the person Gus standing in front of her in the present from all things he had meant to her in the past"...I don't think she has come to realize yet that your previous experience make you who you are in the present...this may be the reason why she resents her mother so much now, but cannot explain why....
another thing I am confused about was the last two pages of the assigned reading...her unwillingness to even hug Mariah after opening up to her is a prime example of her feelings toward her own culture and the culture she is trying to fit into...I don't think she really means to be so mean to Mariah, but I feel so bad for her either way...as she tries to seperate herself from what she is used to, she is blocking possible connections to others...
j
as I read, I got the feeling that she was homesick, obviously...and she completely resents it...her stubborn character and personality make her think of returning to, or having a connection with a past was a sign of weakness...for her, this isn't just a personal thing; she thinks everyone should disconnect from their past as they move into the future...this is demonstrated on pages 33-34, "...I thought Mariah should have long separated the person Gus standing in front of her in the present from all things he had meant to her in the past"...I don't think she has come to realize yet that your previous experience make you who you are in the present...this may be the reason why she resents her mother so much now, but cannot explain why....
another thing I am confused about was the last two pages of the assigned reading...her unwillingness to even hug Mariah after opening up to her is a prime example of her feelings toward her own culture and the culture she is trying to fit into...I don't think she really means to be so mean to Mariah, but I feel so bad for her either way...as she tries to seperate herself from what she is used to, she is blocking possible connections to others...
j
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