miscellaneous iterated circles

The protagonist of Song of Solomon  is Macon Dead (the third), often known as Milkman. His name is the same as his father's, who has the same name as his own father. For much of Macon Dead III's (abbreviated to 'MDIII') life, the names he is called (and by whom) have had significant impact on him. As Macon Dead, son of Macon Dead, son of Macon Dead, his father's name overshadows his, leaving MDIII an ineffective teenager in an adult life, running errands for his father. "Milkman" (a nickname given by Freddy aimed against his mother), on the other hand, is how he is known in places like the Blood Bank, fitting in with people like named Guitar or Empire State or Railroad Tommy. When MDIII sets out in search of his origins, the narration calls him Milkman, but he introduces himself as Macon Dead, or just Macon. Initially, when he meets the people his father grew up with, he plays up his status as Macon Dead, son of Macon Dead, basking in the attention of pe

The characters of  Wide Sargasso Sea  can broadly be divided into two groups: those native to England, and those native to the West Indies. One the major themes that results from this is the nigh-insurmountable divide that exists between the two. Antoinette and Rochester are two characters who attempt to cross this Wide Sargasso Sea. The West Indies and England are depicted as being near-literally separate worlds. Those in one world find it hard to comprehend the reality of the other. Sometimes it's simple things, like how Rochester feels that the West Indies are too brightly colored, the hills and mountains are too big, how nature itself seems to hold hidden menace. In contrast, Antoinette thinks England must be impossibly dull and gray, and is only vaguely familiar with seasons from the books she reads (and many other facts that have no real meaning to her). Rochester and Antoinette both think the other's world to be surreal, like a dream. Rochester thinks the environment o

In The Stranger , the court in which Meursault is tried is as absurd as Meursault's crime. Even before Meursault enters the courtroom, we see the absurdity of the machinery of justice. From the very first moment, "Nobody seemed very interested in [Meursault's] crime" -- the magistrate who examines Meursault only does so because he is "curious" a week later. The judiciary system pays absolutely no attention to the dead Arab, or his family. Even before the court meets, "there had been some investigations into [Meursault's] private life," asking about Maman's funeral. When Meursault tells his lawyer that he will not say things that are not true, his own lawyer becomes almost disgusted with him, insinuating that things "could get pretty nasty for [Meursault]." However the most condemning thing about this court is shown when Meursault, like many of us, points out "none of this had anything to do with [Meursault's] case."

In addition to the literal reading where Gregor Samsa one day turns into a monstrous insect, I think that a more metaphorical reading can also be done. Looking at it from this perspective, The Metamorphosis  is the story of a overworked businessman who one day suffers a breakdown and becomes a complete shut-in, who becomes a burden to his family and eventually dies alone, unmourned. At the start, Gregor is under rather a lot of pressure. He is the breadwinner of the family, not only putting food on the table but bailing out the family's debt. Despite this, the rest of the family does not help him at all with this. He is also under a great deal of pressure from his job. We spoke about how insanely controlling his job and bosses are, from the boss who physically lords over his employees, to how missing a train is enough to send the chief clerk to Gregor's house, to the debt Gregor's father owes, to the chief clerk himself. The chief clerk is controlling and manipulative,

Looking back from the end of the book, I think Jake might possibly be an introvert. Jake's happiest, most relaxed moments are when he is by himself or with a single friend. For example, when Brett goes to San Sebastian, or Jake and Bill's week in the mountains, or Jake in San Sebastian at the end of the book. During these times, he is content, calm, motivated (fishing, swimming, newspaper-ing), and enjoys life. For example, when Brett and Cohn are in San Sebastian, Jake remarks "I rather enjoyed not having to play tennis", and Jake also describes himself as being productive at work -- even getting ahead so he can take more vacation time. In contrast, his friends bring with them turmoil. Brett showing up in the middle of the night, Cohn's romantic worldview clashing with the rest of the group, the fiasco at the fiesta with Romero, Mike's belligerence, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. It's during these times where Jake thinks things "to hell with yo

One of the things I like about Clarissa's party at the end of Mrs. Dalloway  is the fact that it's not just people easily and perfectly flowing, mingling, and talking. People at the party feel awkward, out of place, and other feelings that don't fit into the normal conception of a "party". We see this quite a few times, from multiple characters -- Peter, Ellie Henderson, Clarissa herself (multiple times). My favorite awkwardness of the party is when the party is just getting going, when Clarissa is greeting guests but she is worried that the party might not take off properly, and she notices Peter out of the corner of her eye. As with so many other Peter-Clarissa interactions, Clarissa feels like Peter is judging, criticizing her, that she is being insincere and superficial. This is partly what Peter is thinking, but he's also thinking about how he doesn't fit in with the other guests, how he doesn't know anyone at the party, and he ends up standing

One of the big points Virginia Woolf is trying to make in the essay "Modern Fiction" is that each character is a world unto him- or herself. In Mrs. Dalloway , this is especially true of Septimus Warren Smith. Septimus's introduction is when he stands in the way of the motorcar. He does not do this intentionally; in fact, he does not notice the motorcar at first. Rather, what he notices is how the world around him seemed to come to a standstill, and that they all seemed to focusing, looking towards, being drawn to some point. His realization that he is in the way of motorcar is detached, not connecting the idea that he should get out of the way until Lucrezia tells him several times. Before Lucrezia interrupts him, he feels as though he has some great or grand purpose in that moment, but he has no idea what the purpose is. The other defining characteristic of Septimus's world is that he appears to hallucinate. When blocking the motorcar's passage, "The wo

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