To summarize, in each of these respective chapters, James is going off to war, so he gets a picture taken of Kathleen. Meanwhile, Maternia has her fourth baby named Lily,who, sick from the start, dies. Shortly after, James goes off to war. Maternia, in his absence flourishes with her two favourite daughters, Frances and Mercedes. Kathleen becomes more and more alienated at school, as we see her personality start to become more distinct.
The progression of dark humour in this novel is getting more apparent. The reader is starting to becomes more and more concerned with Kathleen. It seems that the Piper's oldest daughter has an antisocial personality type, with possible narcissistic tendencies. Kathleen has very dark thoughts for a young woman. She is arrogant, proud and shows no affection for any of her peers. It is not completely clear whether this is just a defence mechanism for her, or if she really does not care for the feelings of others. Even her daily observations are laced with darkness: "Taylor carries the boxy camera across the yard, its long hood trailing 'like the severed head of a nun,' thinks Kathleen" (MacDonald 79). Kathleen is extremely cruel towards her mother, much beyond the rudeness of the average teenager: "What upsets Kathleen most is the blank face on her mother. A baby factory. Insensate. My life will not be like that" (MacDonald 83). The young girl becomes frustrated and angry instead of sympathetic when confronted with others being sad or upset; in fact for every emotion that Kathleen has encountered, she has rebuttled with hostility. MacDonald uses an excellent metaphor to describe Kathleen's personality: "No, Kathleen's fortress, her tower of creamy white is steep and terrible. No one comes in or out. Except for her father, Sister Saint Cecilia and a select few minions necessary to support life" (MacDonald 97). It is known to me now that Kathleen eventually dies. Will her seemingly cold, vain and antisocial exterior be a factor in her demise? And how much of her attitude is fake, and how much is really her, just trying to protect herself? One thing is true, she very much takes after her father James.
Maternia also becomes more assertive in this section of the book. She finally finds some comfort in Mercedes and Frances, two daughters that embrace her culture and let her be a true mother to them. Throughout Over Here we see how MacDonald is slowly building up Maternia's self esteem and self of worth. It is also clear that Maternia is not emotionally attached to James anymore, as when he goes off to war, "She prays so hard that her head really does seem to get a little wobbly. She prays he'll be killed quickly and painlessly in Flanders" (MacDonald 85). It is clear that Maternia is only sticking around for the security of having a husband, and for the sake of her children. Also in this chapter, we see Maternia revisiting the Hope Chest, and dancing the dabke, a dance of Arabic origin, that is said to be danced in celebratory times. We see that since the bully James is out of her life, she is free to express herself without the fear of being reprimanded. Both the Hope Chest and the dabke are symbols of her personal freedom in the absence of Mr. Piper.
When Maternia is describing Lebanon, and her culture, she using some striking imagery: "The buildings are white, they sparkle in the sun like diamonds and the sea is crystal-blue. Lebanon is the pearl of the Orient. And Beirut, where I was born is the Paris of the Middle East" (MacDonald 87). Here, she uses similes, metaphors, imagery and comparisons to paint a picture of Lebanon. The author really wants the readers to feel as if Maternia's unique culture has been very poorly judged by James. This is said to make James look ignorant and unappreciative.
As Maternia teaches her two youngest daughters the dance dabke, the narrator describes the movements: "Your hands are supple seaweed, waving on unresisting wrists, encircling, grazing, flirting with one another" (MacDonald 89). There is a lot of water imagery in this novel, and I believe that the reference of seaweed is one as well. Perhaps if Maternia is dancing like seaweed, she is in the water? Perhaps this is a rebirth for Maternia; is she being reborn as a more confident, assertive woman with her two daughters by her side?
I really like how MacDonald has, throughout the entire novel so far, been able to switch back and forth seamlessly between points of view in the plot-line. For instance, one paragraph will be discussing how Kathleen's teacher is feeling, but then return to the point of view of Kathleen in the paragraph after. It is an interesting technique that makes the reader feel as if they were almost like God, watching down on the characters of the novel, knowing their secret thoughts and feelings.
The theme of animosity occurs most prominently in Holy Angels, a chapter dedicates entirely to Kathleen's school experience. For example, when Kathleen is taken down a few pegs by her teacher, the narrator quips that, "Kathleen's ordeal at the hands of Sister Saint Monica soothes a lot of badly ruffled feathers" (MacDonald 95), or when Kathleen "Skirts them cautiously as if they were dangerous wild animals loitering about a common watering hole ready to pounce" (MacDonald 96). Animal comparisons were abundant, obviously. I think this speaks to the fact that not only is school simply a jungle, but the author wants us to understand that nobody is above Kathleen; they are all but animals to her. Whether they were jealous birds with ruffled feathers, or feisty wild animals ready to attack, they are all still beasts, while she is the untouchable Kathleen.
Interesting Vocabulary
-Insensate Lacking in physical sensation. Kathleen describes her mother as such.
-Heifer A female cow that has not given birth to a calf. James describes a fat Maternia with this word.
-Boche The German Soldiers
-Antechamber A small room leading to another larger room
-Moraine Rocks in a glacier
-Unalloyed Pure
-Gregarious Someone fond of being social.
