Cycles of Sag

As we near the end of the school year, I can't help but think of one of Jason's more profound thoughts in Black Swan Green, that in every ending there is also a beginning. I believe this sentiment to be very applicable to the ending (and beginning) of Sag Harbor. The Labor Day Party in Sag has long symbolized the end of summer, to the point that many of the gang are not even there. As Benji looks on at the children's Olympics, he notices that the winner of one of the many races is named "Little Clive", which surprises him. The fact that there are and will be new generations of groups similar to his is a common trope of coming-of-age. That after you have come of age, you will be replaced and soon someone like you will come of age as well.

As he notices that there are younger versions of himself, Clive, Bobby, etc., Benji also becomes aware of the fact that there must be older versions of the group as well. He can only wonder if they are in college, in the city, or in Sag with him, which leads him to similarly wonder where he will be when he becomes too old to come down to Sag with his parents. Maybe they were a part of Elena's group, or maybe they were even older, but the fact remains that they were still there.

This notion and the entire premise of the book really hit home for me. I, like Benji, visit the beach (in Southern California however) every year with my entire extended family on my mom's side (although I don't stay for three months). My mom's family has been going to the same beach since the 80's, back before there were any cousins (referring to me and my cousins). Now, many of my cousins have kids or are married, as the majority of them are a fair amount older than me. Seeing their kids grow up from year to year reminds me of myself as a young child going there. As I'm much younger than my cousins, my life is also reflected in those of my older cousins. Like the community in Sag, as my cousins go to college and get jobs, many of them can only come down to the beach for a few days (which is doable for most of them as they live at most a few hours away). As I age, and I see my siblings age, I can only wonder how often we will continue to come. Will we still carve out time for vacation or be swept up in school? I think that many of us could see ourselves reflected in Benji's summer life and can see echoes of his thoughts even at school.

Chapters or Short Stories?: Black Swan Green and Its Interesting Structure

Obviously Black Swan Green is a coherent, put-together novel, but I think there is something to the fact that many of these chapters can stand alone. They all have their own titles, which isn't necessarily an indication of their ability to be individual pieces of work, but it does hint at it. Each of the chapters also each has its own plot line and coherent enough endings to be written as short stories. For example, "knife grinder" can be seen as setting up a lesson for Jason within the chapter itself: he is approached by the knife grinder at the beginning of the novel asking to sharpen his knives and has little idea that this person is a Gypsy. He goes with his father to the VCC meeting looking to get rid of the Gypsies, and is still very ignorant of Gypsy lifestyle. Then, after hanging out with Dean's family and learning that Dean's father is part Gypsy, Jason seems to reconsider the fact that not all Gypsies may be dirty or "money grubbers" like his father seems to think. By the end of the chapter, after talking to a group of Gypsies and seeing how they actually live, Jason has changed his opinion on them and issues some very profound sentiments on how British people see themselves in relation to Gypsies. From this, we can see that "knife grinder" sets up a very clear story arc, and by the end Jason has learned an important lesson.

However, I am going to argue a bit with myself on this point. David Mitchell has strung these chapters together for a reason and obviously they will tell a storyline that spans the entire novel. Each chapter is set up very carefully with little facts dropped in each chapter that appear later in the book. In the interest of keeping the examples coherent, I'll again use "knife grinder" as an example. In this chapter we see the emergence of a character named Alan Wall, a kid Jason used to go to school with who crops up in the quarry. In "goose fair", the next chapter, we see him again now defending Jason when bullies come to pick on Dean and him. We also recognize Alan Wall's uncle, who is also a Gypsy, appear in this chapter. The recurrence of minor characters is clearly characteristic of a continuous storyline.

After presenting both arguments, I will say that I believe it is both. Obviously each of these chapters is taken from Jason's life so there must be some continuity to it, but I believe they can also be stand-alone. Strengthening this claim is the fact that we've seen that many of these chapters turn into individual poems that Jason has written.

Is Housekeeping a Successful Coming-of-Age?

When I finished Housekeeping, I thought that it was the most definitive ending of the books we've read so far this year. But as we discussed in class, I realized that the ending was actually quite ambiguous. The novel is seen as a coming-of-age story for Ruth, and it completes this storyline quite nicely. Ruth finds her way in the world and her “ending” is quite clear. However the novel starts with Ruth and Lucille as a unit. They do almost everything together and everyone knows it. However as the novel progresses they becomes less and less alike. Lucille goes with the "common persuasion" and Ruth becomes more like Sylvie.

By the end of the novel, it is clear that Lucille and Ruth have gone their different ways completely, as they are no longer live together and Lucille believes Ruth to be dead. In class I presented that in this way their joint coming-of-age story is not successful. But what I didn't think about is how this is also a separate coming-of-age story for Lucille.

Lucille’s coming-of-age story is also tracked throughout the book, at first with Ruth and then separately. She starts in much the same position as Ruth: in the hands of their grandmother, abandoned by their mother. Ruth and Lucille navigate their changes of guardianship together, and like stated previously are very much a unit. However, when Sylvie comes, the unit begins to split. Lucille, as her own coming-of-age, begins to become more and more like the older women and girls of Fingerbone. This “epiphany” of Lucille’s parallels Ruth’s own: that she is more like Sylvie than the women of Fingerbone. Lucille takes the biggest step in her coming-of-age story by moving into the home ec teacher’s house. However, I would not say this is the most defining moment in her coming-of-age story. I would instead say that her biggest moment comes when Ruth and Sylvie are said to drown in the lake. We have no idea what comes after this point in Lucille’s coming-of-age story. However Ruth’s speculation says that it may have in fact been unsuccessful, her life being fully defined by the day Ruth and Sylvie escaped Fingerbone.

Esther and the Mystery of Buddy Willard

Although it's been quite a while since we initially read the section on Buddy Willard's hypocrisy being revealed to Esther for the first time, I am still stewing on exactly what signals were sent to Esther during this encounter. My initial reaction was that Buddy had almost slut shamed Esther early in the novel when he tells her she must "go out with a lot of boys" (Plath 59). This type of reaction to Esther's first kiss with Buddy seems like a situation familiar to a lot of young women today. Buddy, however, is not quite as rude but I think that this line does make Esther feel a little bad for how many guys she has gone out with, although according to her this is a reflection of her unpopularity with men rather than her sexual promiscuousness.

The discussion in class about how she felt betrayed by Buddy's exposure as a non-virgin made me think differently. Although Buddy did make her feel like the more experienced one of the two, she does not seem as bothered that he said earlier that she had gone out with a lot of boys, it was that he implied he hadn't gone out with a lot of girls. This raises the question of why exactly Esther would feel bad about the fact that Buddy in fact was more sexually experienced than she was. Simply enough, I think what frustrates her most is the fact that men are allowed to act innocent even though they are not, whereas if a woman was caught acting "innocent" in spite of being a non-virgin, she would be shamed. Additionally, Esther's frustration extends beyond just her interaction with Buddy. The lack of care by her schoolmates at a man's hypocrisy just goes to show her that there are institutions that she cannot topple herself, and the lack of emotion make her feel utterly alone.

On further reading, it is obvious that Buddy is really not a bad person, but one terribly swayed by society's gender expectations and norms (e.g. the scene where he tells Esther she will change her mind about children and marriage). However, I think it is interesting to note his tendencies to portray Esther as somewhat dirty, even if this is not the main reason she is upset with his hypocrisy (in addition to his questioning of who she will marry in the final chapter).

Phoebe Weatherfield Caulfield (and Why She's an Excellent Character)

Holden's first mention of Phoebe in the book is to casually suggest calling her after getting off at Penn Station. He doesn't say much else about her, so I didn't think she'd be such an important character in the book. However just a chapter later, Holden gives her a glowing review, adding her to the short list of people Holden genuinely likes, which also includes his late brother Allie and Jane Gallagher. Still, I didn't think we would get to meet her within the confines of the book, as we can't meet Allie and Jane seems to be a figure Holden wishes to keep in the past. Thus, it would make sense for the people Holden loves to not be portrayed in the book. However as we neared chapter 21, I could see that we would get to meet Phoebe and was excited. Although I could easily imagine a character that was only compelling in Holden's terms, I hoped that Phoebe would be an interesting addition to the novel.

When Holden finally arrives home after a good twenty chapters of avoiding going there, the first thing he does is go into Phoebe's room and read her rather randomly written notes in her notebook. Although we cannot get a full picture of Phoebe from her scrawlings on Alaska and zodiac signs, I could tell she would be interesting. As soon as she wakes up, Phoebe is energetic and talkative, but still reflects much of what we as readers are supposed to like about Holden: honest and critical. However Phoebe makes up for much of what Holden lacks. Although Holden is in no way dumb, Phoebe's sharpness and attention to detail dwarfs Holden's. Additionally, she connects to things much easier than Holden does and is clearly in touch with her emotions. And most importantly, she asks Holden questions we have been pining to ask him the entire book.

These qualities would make Phoebe a mature and precocious ten year-old, and they do, though she still has a sort of little kid charm about her. Her willingness and attitude in the scene at the museum show us that she is still quite a child, though readily growing into the image of a pre-teen Holden. However in some ways this is what makes her such an excellent character. She reflects some of Holden's bitterness and demonstrates to him what he needs to change about himself.

However I think the most endearing quality about Phoebe is her portrayal in the last scene. Holden is all ready to leave town and only come back if "someone wanted to see [him] before they died" (Salinger 225). But Holden never goes and the most simple answer is that he stays for Phoebe, the remaining source of happiness in his life. Her emotions about Holden leaving and her love for her brother are the reasons why Holden can stay and still enjoy his life. Although this may be deemed a rather depressing ending, Phoebe's willingness to enjoy things while still maintaining a sense of selectivity may be Holden's chance to become less cynical.

Terms of Holden's Endearment

When I first started reading Catcher in the Rye, I really disliked Holden, as those in seventh period may have picked up on. To me, he seemed arrogant and self-entitled, things that might annoy most people about characters. However, after the first few chapters where Holden comes across as a try-hard for not trying hard, his reluctance to be a part of the "crowd" or participate in "the game" is explained. His childhood was traumatizing and for good reason: his brother's untimely death obviously affected him and was perhaps the start of his disenchantment with the system. I think that this side of Holden comes to endear him to the reader in the next chapters and perhaps explains his detachment from people. He does not wish to get close to any person like he was with his brother Allie probably for fear of losing them. As discussed in class, Holden seems to be dealing with his emotions by using detachment as a coping mechanism for his grief and depression. He exemplifies many classic signs of depression due to an event, as he refuses to talk about it with some of his closer friends (if he even allows himself to call them that) and only confides in Jane, a figure who is a part of his past by his own choice.

I think that Holden's grief makes him a far more relatable character than the one seen in the first few chapters. Although many might identify with the loner disillusioned with the system, I think that having a reason for his dissatisfaction makes Holden into a more interesting character. People that seek change in systems that are stifling are not to be criticized. Holden, however, did not seek any change in the way the game of life is played, but rather wished to not participate. Now knowing the trauma he has been through, it is clear why Holden does not wish to participate: his brother Allie never got a chance to. Though Holden is still reluctant to divulge everything about his past with us, hopefully in chapters to come we see a similar side of Holden as he becomes a more endearing and engaging narrator.

Mistake or Sin?

Making mistakes is a central concept to coming-of-age. Letting adolescents make mistakes is often seen as necessary for growth and maturation. In A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephen believes he is eternally damned for his indulgence in sin. However, this brings up the question whether Stephen's sin is an adolescent mistake or actual sin. He seems not yet old enough to be damned for life but his actions are, as he says, "mortal sin". How far can young adults go for mistakes to stop be considered life lessons? In our own system, minors aren't tried for crimes the same way adults are. Unlike this, Stephen seems to think he would be judged the same way as an adult in the eyes of God for his sin. 

This thread of thought connects to the question of why certain ages turn adolescents into adults so suddenly. At age 18 in the US, people are immediately adults and thus their "mistakes" are considered crimes. Although I'm not sure of the rules in late 19th Century Ireland, Stephen seems to think he should be judged before God like an adult. In our customs I think Stephen would be judged as an adolescent because of the age he is. However his self-entitlement as being more mature or special than others his age seems to be part of the reason he judges himself as an adult.