Macon's Personality

When we first started reading Angry Black White Boy I was not impressed with Macon's personality (I'm still not terribly fond of him but we'll get to that later). Right from the beginning of the book Macon seems arrogant and overconfident because he compares himself to great people like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X and belies that he's justified in robbing people to gain equality for black people. I didn't have a problem with what he was trying to do, but I didn't like the way in which he tried to accomplish his goal.

Because Macon is so arrogant he sticks to his opinions no matter how crazy they may seem to us. He thinks he's being noble by stealing from rich, white people and giving back to the poor (except I don't think that he actually gives his stolen wealth to anyone). Macon believes that the best way to make black people look good is to make white people look bad. One of his craziest schemes to show this is the Day of Apology. The Day of Apology seemed like a joking suggestion, but Macon takes it seriously. The idea of forcing white people to apologize to every black person in sight seems absolutely ridiculous, not to mention uncomfortable. From white people's perspective, it would probably be awkward to start apologizing to complete strangers for racist things they may or may not have done. From black people's point of view it might seem creepy if a bunch of random white people start saying sorry to them. My biggest problem with the Day of Apology is that Macon believes that he can apologize for all the racist things that have been done to black people throughout history and expect them to forgive him. Indeed, the Day of Apology is a failure since the apologies don't seem to make the vast majority of black people feel better about racism.

Although Macon may be stubborn and arrogant, his one redeeming quality is that he can be quite smart. He is able to control his mouth in front of the press and think before speaking on the radio. It's impressive that he can come up with reasonable responses to different kinds of people on the spot over the phone. However, Macon's vices outweigh his virtues so I still dislike him as a character.

Room's Ending

I greatly enjoyed the ending of Room, especially after reading the end of The Memory of Running. At the beginning of Room, Jack is perfectly content with his surroundings. He is never upset that he can't go outside to play or that there is only one window in Room because he does not know what the outside world is like. Jack doesn't think that Room is cramped or that it's kind of gross because of a lack of fresh air. He likes Room and gets angry with Ma for disliking the only home he's ever known.

In the middle of the book, we see Jack's discomfort at the thought of leaving Room when Ma is planning an escape. Jack is always hesitant when Ma tells him that the escape will take place that night. It's understandable that Jack fluctuates between being that hyped kid who wants to be his mom's hero and being a scared five-year-old, but we can see Jack's maturity in the end when he finally agrees to hide in the rug to escape. Ma is able to persuade Jack that leaving Room would be best for both of them. Jack's decision to escape just for Ma seems as heroic as his actual escape.

After Jack and Ma arrive Outside, Jack misses Room, but Ma could not be happier to be free from her prison forever. Throughout the second half of the book, Jack continues to think of Room as his home and has difficulty adjusting to Outside. He constantly asks Ma when they will go back to Room and is always disappointed when she replies that they will never return. At the very end of the book when Jack is finally able to convince Ma to let him visit Room for the last time, we see a big jump in his maturity level. Sure, he's still the same tiny five-year-old he was two months earlier, but now he realizes that Room looks cramped and dirty. He also starts to realize that there's more than one of every object. At the end of the book, Jack recognizes that he must say good-bye to Room and is able to let go of his childhood home. The ending of Room shows how much Jack has developed in a short time period.   

Tug-of-War

Jack is in the middle of a "tug-of-war" of sorts when he is stuck in Room. On one hand, Ma is trying to convince him that Old Nick is "the bad guy." On the other hand, in "Unlying" Old Nick tries to act really nicely towards Jack to push the 5-year-old onto his side. We know that Ma is right that Old Nick should not be trusted, but Jack is an innocent child and doesn't know that.

Jack has spent every minute of his life with Ma and loves her very much. He knows that Ma doesn't like Old Nick, but he is not sure why. Because Jack trusts Ma so much, he sides with her. Before Ma tells Jack exactly what Old Nick did to her before she ended up in Room, Jack does not know that Nick  has done anything bad, so he doesn't have a reason to dislike his father. Jack is neutral until Ma tells him about the kidnapping. After he learns what happened, Jack forms his own opinion of Old Nick and begins to dislike him. However, Jack is a bit fickle-minded. Although he usually loves Ma, he sometimes hates her while the two are planning an escape. It's understandable that Jack thinks Ma has tricked him when Plan A doesn't work and that he is uncomfortable doing some stuff that Ma requests (like getting vomit rubbed all over his face). Jack is young and doesn't fully understand Ma's intentions, so he dislikes her sometimes when she's trying to help him.  

At first, Jack only dislikes Old Nick because Ma hates him. Jack's impression of Old Nick genuinely begins to deteriorate after Ma tells Jack what he did to her. In "Dying" Jack actually experiences Old Nick's cruelty firsthand. First, while Jack tries to run away from Old Nick, he gets bitten by a dog. Then, Old Nick drops Jack and flees while Ajeet calls the police to report Old Nick's license plate numbers. This is when Jack finally realizes for himself that Old Nick is evil.

The book is only half over, and I'm sure there's a lot more action ahead. I'm excited to read about what happens now that Ma and Jack have escaped from Room.

Ma's Stories

I greatly admire Ma for being able to raise Jack under her unfortunate conditions. Ma could easily lie in bed all day or let Jack watch unlimited TV to keep him busy, but she chooses to educate him. Every day Ma thinks of creative ways to teach Jack about math, science, reading, English, and religion, and Jack doesn't ever seem to become bored.

As Jack grows, though, Ma has to find a way to tell him about the world outside of Room while protecting his innocence. In "Unlying" we see Ma telling him stories that are supposed to teach him about the real world. First she tells Jack the mermaid story, which seems to be Ma's fantasy about what she hopes will happen. From that story it's already clear that Ma is kidnapped and taken to a place where she feels extremely uncomfortable. 

After the mermaid story, Ma begins telling stories about what her life was really like before she was captured. In the second half of "Unlying" Ma tells a few stories. She tells Jack about her childhood and about his grandparents and his uncle. Jack then starts to believe that there is a world beyond Room because he realizes that the air that enters when Old Nick opens the door is fresher than the stagnant air inside of Room. Ma also tells the story of how she ended up in Room, explaining that she was on her way to the library during her college days when Old Nick abducted her. This doesn't surprise me because it is quite clear that Ma has had some education based on the way she teaches Jack. It also matches up with the mermaid story in that Ma was forcefully taken away from her home and locked up in an inescapable prison like the mermaid. This story also confirms our suspicions that Old Nick gave Ma Jack to keep her happy. Before Jack came along, Ma really did just sit around in Room all day, feeling depressed. 

I can't wait to read more about Ma's background and am looking forward to finding out about how Jack responds to her stories.  

Smithy's Journey

The more I think about The Memory of Running, the less I see Smithy's journey across the country as a quest. When I think of the word "quest" the idea of achieving an important goal at the end of a journey comes to mind. I still haven't figured out what that goal is for Smithy. Don't get me wrong; Smithy was close to his sister, so I understand why going to California is so important to him. I know that Smithy made the decision to travel to Bethany on an impulse and that the decision was incredibly emotional, but I'm not sure what the point of his trip is. He really loved Bethany, so I can see why he wants to go all the way to California, but other than seeing his sister's body for a few minutes, I don't know what the point of going to Venice was. Smithy sacrifices a lot to get to Bethany. He loses his job and is basically left with nothing by the end of his journey, so it just seems a bit anti-climactic that once he gives up so much to see Bethany, he simply mumbles a few words to her, kisses her, and leaves.

His trip to California, however, is a different story. I think Smithy unconsciously gains a lot by embarking on his journey. He loses weight, improves his eating habits, stops drinking, and quits smoking. He also becomes an avid reader. Along the way, Smithy meets many interesting people and listens to their stories. At numerous points in the book, he says things along the lines of "the world isn't so bad." On this journey that only lasts a couple of months, he probably interacts with more people than he ever did in New Hampshire as an adult, and he starts to see that people are actually quite good. Smithy also becomes more mature in some ways, since he slowly heals his relationship with Norma through frequent phone calls and finally has the courage to deal with his awkwardness about wheelchairs by the end of the book. I think Smithy's physical health improves a lot from the journey, but also his mental and social well-being.  

From an emotional perspective, Smithy's journey was fulfilling because he got to see Bethany and he overcame his awkwardness towards Norma. His trip seemed equally rewarding from a personal perspective, since he matured and his overall lifestyle seemed to improve. Not to sound like  a cheesy hotel ad or something, but I think Smithy's lengthy journey was just as important as his destination, if not more.  

Some Final Thoughts on As I Lay Dying

As we finish discussing As I Lay Dying in class, I'd just like to say that this book is confusing! Throughout the novel, I tried to have some sympathy for Anse. For example, when Addie revealed her affair with Whitfield and her reason for marrying Anse, I felt bad for the poor guy. I admit that I almost began to like him after he explained his theory about upright things being meant to stay in place. There were also some points in the book where I felt like Anse might be bringing Addie to her family burial grounds to fulfill her dying wish (not just to get them teeth). At those rare times, I was sympathetic towards Anse. Alas, after finishing As I Lay Dying, I have lost all my sympathy for Anse.

On his "heroic" journey, Anse ruins the lives of all his children. Jewel loses his horse, Cash basically loses a leg, Vardaman loses Darl, Darl gets sent to a mental institution, and Dewey Dell never solves her problem (it seems like it actually gets worse). This doesn't seem fair, as Anse probably would not have survived the journey on his own; the kids did most of the work. The only one who does not suffer from the trip is Anse.

The thing that bothers me most about Anse is the fact that even though he is quite useless on the journey and creates problems for his children, he is the one who ultimately ends up on top. He is the only one who benefits from the trip to town. By going to Jefferson, Anse is able to bury Addie and keep his promise to her. In addition, he gets his teeth (using Dewey Dell's money, of course). He also manages to find a new wife. I know it's probably convenient for Anse to find a woman while he's in town, but it almost seems like he's mocking Addie by finding a new Mrs. Bundren so soon after losing the first one. I find it even more insulting towards Addie that Anse borrows spades to bury her from the new Mrs. Bundren.    

On the whole, I don't think I can feel sympathetic towards Anse, much less consider him heroic.  

Addie

Addie's chapter in As I Lay Dying is interesting because it reveals a few dark secrets (like the identity of Jewel's true father) and tells the backstories of some of the other characters. After I read her chapter, I began to view the whole book differently. Before I read Addie's chapter, I didn't know much about her; she was dying and the other characters did not really talk about her, though they talked about Anse and the children.  

When I first started reading As I Lay Dying, I thought Addie was a loving mother and the center of the Bundren family. I thought that Anse and the kids were making the journey for her because she was a caring family member and they wanted to fulfill her dying wish. After reading Addie's chapter I was a bit shocked. For some reason, I didn't see Addie as the type of character who would enjoy beating kids. I knew she did not like Anse, but I didn't think she would have an affair with Whitfield.

Looking back, I guess it shouldn't have come as such a surprise that Addie was morally corrupt and that she was not the kind character I expected her to be. After all, she refused to look at Anse in her dying moments. Once I read Addie's chapter, I felt like Addie was playing a cruel joke on Anse by forcing him to embark on a difficult journey to take her to her family's burial grounds. The journey caused many family members to suffer in some way. Cash broke his leg, Jewel burned his back, and Anse had to sacrifice a lot to buy a new pack of mules. All in all, this chapter completely ruined my impression of Addie.