“Ignorance is bliss” is a common adage that most definitely applies to the short story “Harrison Bergeron” by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. The characters of this story are certainly ignorant about the world around them. Whether they are naturally ignorant, as in the case of Hazel Bergeron, or they are ignorant due to a handicap, as in the case of George Bergeron, these characters have extremely limited knowledge of the world. The reader is supposed to feel sorry for these characters due to their ignorance and due to the oppressive government that keeps them ignorant. However, the ignorance of these characters does not make them unhappy. In fact, the characters, other than Harrison, are in bliss about their ignorance, proving the old adage. Due to this state of bliss of the characters, as a reader I am unable to feel sympathy for them and in fact I think their situation is not so unfortunate because of their personalities.
Vonnegut greatly exaggerated the oppressiveness of American society in order to prove his point that the desire to be equal creates an obstruction of freedom and an oppressive society. In doing so, he attempts to portray a world that would be unbearable to live in and that the inhabitants would despise. The reader is meant to feel pity for the characters due to their unfortunate state of oppressiveness. The reader is also meant to feel that he or she would despise living in such a terrible place. However, when reading the novel, I do not feel this pity for the characters. Although they live in extremely unfortunate circumstance and ones that I myself would greatly dislike, they appear to be happy because they are used to the handicaps and oppressiveness. I would despise this situation because I have lived in a world of freedom and that is what I am used to. George and Hazel have never experienced freedom and therefore do not know the benefits it brings. For this reason, they do not yearn for a less oppressive government or less handicaps and are happy with the situation they are in. It is the only situation they have known and therefore the only situation they desire. Due to their ignorance of what a terrible society they live in, George and Hazel are in bliss with their oppressive society.
George and Hazel display their bliss in their meaningless, shallow conversations when they watch the television. When Hazel suggests that George remove some of the weights from his handicap satchel George responds by pointing out that “[I]f I tried to get away with it, then other people’d get away with it—and pretty soon we’d be right back in dark ages again with everybody competing against everybody else. You wouldn’t like that would you?” Hazel replies to George’s question by agreeing, “[I] would hate it” (30). This instance shows that both George and Hazel are happy with the society in which they live. Neither of them would rather have a society with less handicaps and less equality. They are ignorant about the benefits about a society with fewer handicaps and therefore are blissful with a society with an overkill of handicaps. Due to the blissful nature shown in this quotation, as I reader, I feel no pity for George and Hazel. Their situation may not be right for the reader, but it appears perfect for them.
Another advantage to the handicapped society is that George and Hazel feel extremely limited sadness. Hazel watches her son murdered on the television. This situation would be a horrendous occurrence for anybody living in our society. The pain and sadness of this instance would last a lifetime. However, for Hazel, it lasts a mere few seconds. She forgets what has happened within seconds of watching it, removing all sorrow of the instance from her memory. When George reminds her to forget all sad incidents, she replies “I always do” (89). As displayed by this incident, George and Hazel never experience true sadness. Their memory is so short that they are ignorant of sad situations and therefore soon blissful due to this lack of memory. The reader is meant to pity them for this lack of sadness. However, as a reader, I do not pity this trait. By not remembering anything sad, the Bergerons are always happy. This situation seems quite favorable. As a reader, I find myself unable to feel remorse for characters who feel no sadness and are always in a relatively happy state of mind.
In this story, Vonnegut attempts to portray a terribly unfavorable society that would not be appropriate for any kind of people. However, what seems terribly unfavorable to some may be favorable to others. As displayed by their bliss, this society is favorable to George and Hazel. Their personalities and lack perspective make them happy in such a society. George and Hazel do not need freedom or knowledge to be happy. They are simply blissful in living their handicapped, ignorant, albeit meaningless, lives. (831)
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Growing Up in a Few Short Minutes
John Updike’s A and P may appear to be a humorous narrative about the ordinary daily life of a young adult in a grocery store. Hidden beneath this story is a coming-of-age tale involving an adolescent boy dealing with the overwhelming pressures of growing and learning to accept the repercussions of his decisions. Though A and P may be quite short and may not span a long period of time in this boy’s life, it manages to capture the essence of the hardships of Sammy’s maturing. Similar to J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Updike’s A and P tackles numerous significant adolescent themes.
The main happenings of A and P does not come until Lengel, the store manager, arrives to tell the beach-attired young women, “Girls, this isn’t the beach” (12). To the reader, this statement appears to be a reasonable assertion to make in the presence of underdressed youths in a supermarket. The girls, however, take offense to what they believe is an unnecessary display of authoritative power on the part of Lengel. They display one of the main themes of adolescent development, a resistance to authority. The girls go on to start an unnecessary argument, creating a big scene with everyone in supermarket watching, instead of simply agreeing to come decently dressed on their next visit. The fact that the three young ladies would rather create this scene of defiance to authority rather than comply to a reasonable request displays the theme of adolescent rebelliousness. The rebelliousness of these girls brings out Sammy’s inner defiance, upon his seeing this big scene.
At this point in the story, Sammy could have simply rung up the herring snacks and ended the incident. He chose not to do so for a couple of reasons. First, like a typical teenager, Sammy was attracted to the girls in bikinis and wanted to impress them. Ever since the three girls walked through the doors of the supermarket, Sammy had been closely eyeing them like a lion following its prey. He noticed everything about the girls, from their body shapes, to the way that they walked, to the clothes they were wearing. Sammy’s close attention to these details shows that he is interested in and attracted to these girls, as any nine-teen-year-old by working at a supermarket would be. Due to his attraction to the girls, Sammy wants to impress them when they defy the manager by a similar display of a rebellious nature. Sammy explains that he quickly declares “I quit […] hoping they’ll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero” (21). Clearly, part of the reason Sammy resigns from his job was to impress the girls. He hoped they would notice his standing up for them and think he was a heroic gentleman, saving them from great supermarket embarrassment. Sammy was in clear disappointment when the girls failed to notice his courageous action.
However, Sammy’s main reason for quitting was not to catch the eye of the three ladies. As a typical adolescent in a story about growing up, Sammy wished to express his rebellious nature to an authority figure. Sammy’s primary motive for quitting was to express a senseless defiance of authority. His purpose becomes evident when Lengel questions Sammy’s decision and upon second thought, Sammy explains to the reader that “remembering how he made that pretty girl blush makes me so scrunchy inside I punch the No Sale tab” (30). Sammy is cleary irritated at the condescending way that Lengel treated the younger ladies. He views Lengel as the authoritative figure abusing his managerial powers to boss around three innocent girls. Although this view might not be accurate, it is the way in which Sammy’s defiant teenage mind perceived it. Sammy felt an instinctive urge to seize an opportunity to rebel against the supermarket hierarchy and took it. In this sense, Sammy displays a key element of the main character in a coming-of-age story by his rebelliousness. This rebelliousness begins Sammy’s process of maturation and learning.
Another main component of a coming-of-age story is the main character’s being forced to deal with the impact of his actions and learning from them accordingly. Sammy experiences this situation directly after he leaves the supermarket and comes to the realization of “how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (31). Being a nine-teen-year-old who just lost a job and would have to deal with unhappy parents would certainly be a difficult situation. However, in my opinion, that situation is what Sammy is referring to. Sammy has just come to the realization that in the future he must begin to make decisions on his own and accept the repercussions of these decisions. By quitting his job and thinking about the future, Sammy suddenly recognizes that his life was in his own hands. Sammy observes that he himself will have to make choices in life and accept the impact of these choices, no matter how unfortunate they might be. This realization is the final element of a coming-of-age story, when the main character grows up and learns an important life lesson. At this point, the reader notices how much Sammy has matured throughout the story. He started as a teenager eyeing some bikini-clad girls and ended as a young adult ready to make decisions for himself.
Although the reader only observes Sammy for a few pages, he or she feels as if Sammy has grown up right in front of his or her eyes. Sammy’s act of rebellion that leads to his learning of a vital life lesson makes A and P a coming-of-age novel that deals with many significant themes of adolescence. John Updike skillfully compacts these themes into an extremely brief story of youth development. (953)
The main happenings of A and P does not come until Lengel, the store manager, arrives to tell the beach-attired young women, “Girls, this isn’t the beach” (12). To the reader, this statement appears to be a reasonable assertion to make in the presence of underdressed youths in a supermarket. The girls, however, take offense to what they believe is an unnecessary display of authoritative power on the part of Lengel. They display one of the main themes of adolescent development, a resistance to authority. The girls go on to start an unnecessary argument, creating a big scene with everyone in supermarket watching, instead of simply agreeing to come decently dressed on their next visit. The fact that the three young ladies would rather create this scene of defiance to authority rather than comply to a reasonable request displays the theme of adolescent rebelliousness. The rebelliousness of these girls brings out Sammy’s inner defiance, upon his seeing this big scene.
At this point in the story, Sammy could have simply rung up the herring snacks and ended the incident. He chose not to do so for a couple of reasons. First, like a typical teenager, Sammy was attracted to the girls in bikinis and wanted to impress them. Ever since the three girls walked through the doors of the supermarket, Sammy had been closely eyeing them like a lion following its prey. He noticed everything about the girls, from their body shapes, to the way that they walked, to the clothes they were wearing. Sammy’s close attention to these details shows that he is interested in and attracted to these girls, as any nine-teen-year-old by working at a supermarket would be. Due to his attraction to the girls, Sammy wants to impress them when they defy the manager by a similar display of a rebellious nature. Sammy explains that he quickly declares “I quit […] hoping they’ll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero” (21). Clearly, part of the reason Sammy resigns from his job was to impress the girls. He hoped they would notice his standing up for them and think he was a heroic gentleman, saving them from great supermarket embarrassment. Sammy was in clear disappointment when the girls failed to notice his courageous action.
However, Sammy’s main reason for quitting was not to catch the eye of the three ladies. As a typical adolescent in a story about growing up, Sammy wished to express his rebellious nature to an authority figure. Sammy’s primary motive for quitting was to express a senseless defiance of authority. His purpose becomes evident when Lengel questions Sammy’s decision and upon second thought, Sammy explains to the reader that “remembering how he made that pretty girl blush makes me so scrunchy inside I punch the No Sale tab” (30). Sammy is cleary irritated at the condescending way that Lengel treated the younger ladies. He views Lengel as the authoritative figure abusing his managerial powers to boss around three innocent girls. Although this view might not be accurate, it is the way in which Sammy’s defiant teenage mind perceived it. Sammy felt an instinctive urge to seize an opportunity to rebel against the supermarket hierarchy and took it. In this sense, Sammy displays a key element of the main character in a coming-of-age story by his rebelliousness. This rebelliousness begins Sammy’s process of maturation and learning.
Another main component of a coming-of-age story is the main character’s being forced to deal with the impact of his actions and learning from them accordingly. Sammy experiences this situation directly after he leaves the supermarket and comes to the realization of “how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (31). Being a nine-teen-year-old who just lost a job and would have to deal with unhappy parents would certainly be a difficult situation. However, in my opinion, that situation is what Sammy is referring to. Sammy has just come to the realization that in the future he must begin to make decisions on his own and accept the repercussions of these decisions. By quitting his job and thinking about the future, Sammy suddenly recognizes that his life was in his own hands. Sammy observes that he himself will have to make choices in life and accept the impact of these choices, no matter how unfortunate they might be. This realization is the final element of a coming-of-age story, when the main character grows up and learns an important life lesson. At this point, the reader notices how much Sammy has matured throughout the story. He started as a teenager eyeing some bikini-clad girls and ended as a young adult ready to make decisions for himself.
Although the reader only observes Sammy for a few pages, he or she feels as if Sammy has grown up right in front of his or her eyes. Sammy’s act of rebellion that leads to his learning of a vital life lesson makes A and P a coming-of-age novel that deals with many significant themes of adolescence. John Updike skillfully compacts these themes into an extremely brief story of youth development. (953)
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The Heritage Trade
While growing up, children, teenagers, and young adults alike are always taught to remember their roots. Keeping one’s heritage in mind is an important lesson that everyone hears time and time again, almost to the point where it becomes clichéd in the mind of a young person. Dee, a character in the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, certainly keeps her heritage in mind. Dee pays close attention to remember her early roots in Africa, while, ironically, at the same time blatantly disregards her childhood, family-oriented heritage.
When Dee returns home from college, she takes careful steps to display that she is connected with the African traditions of her ancestors. The reader first notices her African “associations” when she greets her family with the broken-up African phrase “Wa-su-zo-Tean-o.” The fact that Dee’s initial embrace with her family consists of a poorly recited African phrase displays that Dee is attempting to show off her connectedness to her roots. In the story, when Dee recites this phrase, it is broken up into syllables, as if Dee had difficulty pronouncing this language. The fact that Dee had trouble with the phrase shows that her attention to African heritage is somewhat forced and somewhat fraudulent. Dee also attempts to display her connectedness to African culture when she explains that she no longer wishes to be addressed as “Dee” but rather she wants to be called “Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo.” “Wangero” explains that she hated “being named after the people who oppress me.” She suddenly despises her original name, a name that was passed down through generations of her family. The new name and the use of African language when Dee arrives display that Dee is making a strong effort to appear connected with her African heritage. However, the reader can clearly see that this newfound connectedness is not a real desire to remember her roots, but rather a forced adherence to the new trend of African culture. During this time of the civil rights campaign, name changing and other African traditions became fashionable and popular among African-American youths. These instances lead the reader to believe that Dee has no real interest in her heritage, but is changing her name and speaking Swahili in order to be a part of the new African-American trend.
Perhaps the reason Dee wishes to be a part of this new African-American trend is that she is no longer a part of her family’s life or culture. Ironically, while Dee is meticulously attempting to remember her African heritage and speaking about how important it is to remember one’s heritage, she has lost complete connection to her family heritage. Dee’s name change is a clear example that she longer wants to remember or be a part of her family’s history or customs and would rather follow a new path. She deliberately disregards the name that has been past through generations of her family, showing her disconnection with her family’s roots. Another instance in which Dee shows her disregard for her family’s heritage is when she is taking pictures of Mama and Maggie in front of the house. Dee never once takes a picture with her family or in front of the house. Instead, she takes pictures of her family in front of her house, symbolically showing that she wished to separate herself from her family and from her childhood home. The fact that Dee does not want to be in a picture with Mama or Maggie shows her separation from her family heritage. Dee not only wishes to separate herself from her family, but also disapproves of her family’s lifestyle. She blatantly expresses this view when she tells Maggie, “You ought to try to make of yourself, too, Maggie. It’s really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you’d never know that. Dee clearly disapproves of the way her family is leaving, which is she wishes to break with all connection to her family heritage. Dee also ironically tells Mama that she does not understand her heritage when in fact it is Dee who has lost connection to her true heritage.
In “Everyday Use,” Dee exchanges her true identity for a forced observance of African culture. The reader sees a clear case of irony when Dee so meticulously attempts to remember her African heritage while blatantly disregarding that of her family. The great emphasis Dee puts on heritage is ironic due to her forgetting her family heritage. One lesson that can be interpreted from this story is to have one’s priorities straight. Dee puts observance to the new trend of African culture before her family. She so avidly wishes to break with the modest lifestyle of her family that she loses all connection with them. In breaking with her family, Dee actually loses connection to her true roots. To Mama, Maggie, and the reader, this loss is clear. To Dee, it is not. (820).
When Dee returns home from college, she takes careful steps to display that she is connected with the African traditions of her ancestors. The reader first notices her African “associations” when she greets her family with the broken-up African phrase “Wa-su-zo-Tean-o.” The fact that Dee’s initial embrace with her family consists of a poorly recited African phrase displays that Dee is attempting to show off her connectedness to her roots. In the story, when Dee recites this phrase, it is broken up into syllables, as if Dee had difficulty pronouncing this language. The fact that Dee had trouble with the phrase shows that her attention to African heritage is somewhat forced and somewhat fraudulent. Dee also attempts to display her connectedness to African culture when she explains that she no longer wishes to be addressed as “Dee” but rather she wants to be called “Wangero Leewanika Kemanjo.” “Wangero” explains that she hated “being named after the people who oppress me.” She suddenly despises her original name, a name that was passed down through generations of her family. The new name and the use of African language when Dee arrives display that Dee is making a strong effort to appear connected with her African heritage. However, the reader can clearly see that this newfound connectedness is not a real desire to remember her roots, but rather a forced adherence to the new trend of African culture. During this time of the civil rights campaign, name changing and other African traditions became fashionable and popular among African-American youths. These instances lead the reader to believe that Dee has no real interest in her heritage, but is changing her name and speaking Swahili in order to be a part of the new African-American trend.
Perhaps the reason Dee wishes to be a part of this new African-American trend is that she is no longer a part of her family’s life or culture. Ironically, while Dee is meticulously attempting to remember her African heritage and speaking about how important it is to remember one’s heritage, she has lost complete connection to her family heritage. Dee’s name change is a clear example that she longer wants to remember or be a part of her family’s history or customs and would rather follow a new path. She deliberately disregards the name that has been past through generations of her family, showing her disconnection with her family’s roots. Another instance in which Dee shows her disregard for her family’s heritage is when she is taking pictures of Mama and Maggie in front of the house. Dee never once takes a picture with her family or in front of the house. Instead, she takes pictures of her family in front of her house, symbolically showing that she wished to separate herself from her family and from her childhood home. The fact that Dee does not want to be in a picture with Mama or Maggie shows her separation from her family heritage. Dee not only wishes to separate herself from her family, but also disapproves of her family’s lifestyle. She blatantly expresses this view when she tells Maggie, “You ought to try to make of yourself, too, Maggie. It’s really a new day for us. But from the way you and Mama still live you’d never know that. Dee clearly disapproves of the way her family is leaving, which is she wishes to break with all connection to her family heritage. Dee also ironically tells Mama that she does not understand her heritage when in fact it is Dee who has lost connection to her true heritage.
In “Everyday Use,” Dee exchanges her true identity for a forced observance of African culture. The reader sees a clear case of irony when Dee so meticulously attempts to remember her African heritage while blatantly disregarding that of her family. The great emphasis Dee puts on heritage is ironic due to her forgetting her family heritage. One lesson that can be interpreted from this story is to have one’s priorities straight. Dee puts observance to the new trend of African culture before her family. She so avidly wishes to break with the modest lifestyle of her family that she loses all connection with them. In breaking with her family, Dee actually loses connection to her true roots. To Mama, Maggie, and the reader, this loss is clear. To Dee, it is not. (820).
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