Conflict arises between the sisters, when Lily smashed Mercedes's doll on account of Frances's taunting. Mercedes also shows interest in Ralph, Mrs. Luvovitzes son, but his mother does not want them to elope, because of the conflict of religion. Because of her insolence and attitude, James beats of Frances brutally, to no avail. She is not afraid of her father. After the incident, Frances takes Lily to a secret cave. rumoured to be the Old French Mine. Lily, scared of dear and the dark, passes out, resulting in the breakdown of Frances. Meanwhile, Mercedes prays for her family. Lily gets sick again, and has more lucid visions of Ambrose. Miraculously, she is revived, even after being found down by the creek, in which her twin drowned. Frances, overcome with angst, runs away for the day to Sydney, where she becomes a regular at a shady speakeasy. Frances spirals downward, performing naked in the speakeasy while James thinks she is at Girl Scouts. The section ends with Frances being overtly drunk often, and sexually assaulting a young boy in the washroom at school. She is promptly expelled. Frances is the only catalyst to the conflict in this section.
I'm having difficulty deciding if Frances is my favourite character or my least favourite character. She has told Lily that her own mother has tried to drown her, because she hated her, which makes her a pretty despicable character. She constantly holds her authority over Lily's head
Mercedes poses a very formidible thought in this section: "For what have we to distinguish us from the beasts of the field? besides, of course, an immortal soul? Manners and a suitable attitude" (MacDonald 253). It is interesting that the theme of defining humanity comes up now in the book. Are we born into the rights of society, or do we earn them? Furthermore, why do we treat animals lesser than humans, when all we have above them is attitude and manners. We are selfish, instinctive and have a survival sense, much like animals. In a way, this tory has had a very large "Survival of the Fittest" tone. Emotional and even physical strength have come into play many times throughout the chapters. This also exposed a lot of things about Mercedes; she knows the human race is not so different from the animalistic kingdom of the beasts.
Allusions are used, again, in this chapter to create a sense of darkness. When Mercedes is playing the piano after Lily breaks her doll: "Lily always wonders what happened to Clementine, the miner forty niner's daughter, 'lost and gone forever,' where?" (MacDonald 259). The main attraction in MacDonald's writing, I've concluded is her ability to make comments in the voices of the innocent characters, but in that innocence allusion, a very eerie tone is set to the novel. She has a way of writing in this innocent, creepy way that is quite enthralling.
In a somewhat disturbing moment, Frances is beaten up by James, for being insolent. The narrator describes this event like a dance: "The next two bars are like the first, then we're into the second movement, swing your partner from the wall into the workbench, which catches her in the small of the back, grace-note into stumble because she bounces, she is young" (MacDonald 263). The way the author portrays this horrible abuse is almost sing-songy; It is a kind of black humour. In fact, a lot of events that are actually horrific and very damaging are kind of played off like a humourous situation, in a bitter "C'est La Vie" fashion. Chilling and eerie are the only ways of describing this technique.
Some references to good and evil are often made around the character is Frances. The narrator comments that: "Saints and satanic vessels tend to start out the same way" (MacDonald 277). This alliteration helps to somewhat point a finger at Frances; she could have gone either way. It's also pointing out that many qualities, such as maybe leadership, authority, passion and ambition are shared between very good people and very bad people. Maybe the line is not so definite? Frances herself makes a very impactful statement in this section. After tricking Lily into getting in the cave Frances proclaims through her tears: "'I am the Devil'" (MacDonald 270). This indicates that Frances is not unknowingly bad; she is fully aware of her actions, and it seems like it the knowledge of this haunts her inside.
Kathleen herself teases the reader with a journal entry from her when she was alive. She addresses the journal, claiming she can't wait to tell everything that's happened to her. She is also teasing the readers; this use of suspense and mystery is making us wonder what missing pieces we are soon to discover regarding Kathleen's life.
Frances grows up a little bit more in this section. She escapes on her father's boot-leg truck to attend a night at a speak-easy. The image of the tavern is very well constructed: "Wallpaper strips with traces of lords and ladies flap from ceiling corners dingy from nicotine and neglect" (MacDonald 284). In this bar, Frances becomes a wreck. Unfortunately, but probably for a reason, we aren't often let into the thoughts of Frances, much like Kathleen was sort of a fleeting mystery to us. I'm not sure what her motivation is in most of this section, especially when she sexually assaults a boy in his school. Frances is generally leaving me confused. I think the author wants us to see this section, somewhat like an outsider, much like the people at the speak-easy or her classmates might see her. Maybe acting out as a teenager? Maybe somethings happened to her that we don't know about? Maybe its guilt? Maybe she's mentally unstable? Like always, the motivation of characters in this novel is questionable. Most people have made their judgement however: "If there was any lingering faith on anyone's part that deep down Frances was good, it had been obliterated" (MacDonald 291).
I, however, still ahve faith in Frances. Later, we learn that Frances has become a sort-of prostitute. However, she keeps a fair amount of dignity (she is still a virgin, despite her promiscuous behaviour) and although she loves to drink, she puts all the money she makes away for Lily. Lily is almost like her little project, just like James made Kathleen the target for all of his doting. An interesting analogy is made regarding Frances: "Frances is a sealed letter. It doesn't matter where she's been or who's pawed her, no one gets to handle the contents no matter how grimy the envelope" (MacDonald 293). This idea that Frances is still saving something for herself, while medicating a need to escape her life, or make some decent money to her cause.
Interesting Vocabulary
Enervated; To make tired, to be made exhausted; When Mercedes learns that Valentino has died, she is enervated.
Comestibles; A food item; Mrs. Luvovitzes store has comestibles
Scoins; A young shoot or twig; There are none of this metaphorical young shoots at the speak-easy.
Palpable; A feeling of intensity and heaviness; the air in the speak-easy was palpable.
Gallivanting; Travel for fun; Frances doesn't have time to travel for fun to Sydney.
Gussied; To make more attractive; Frances makes enough money to keep herself in sure a state.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Porridge, Water Babies, A Child's Prayer for a Happy Death, Lest We Forget & Sweet Sixteen
As time moves on, the Piper family of four tries to move on too. there is a definite theme of "Life goes on, no matter what" in these chapters. Frances and Lily plant a tree where Ambrose is buried, though they do not know this. James wonders if Frances remembered what really happened to Ambrose; he is nervous. We see the beginning of a potential ghost story; Ambrose's "ghost" visits Lily in the night. Later, as the miner's go on strike, James receives a letter from Kathleen's well-wisher, Lillian Gish. We also get to see the letter that shocked James into retrieving Kathleen from New York, finally. At the end of the section, Lily hurts her foot in the Remembrance Day Parade.
A line of repetition is used throughout the first half of the story: "Who will save Frances?" (MacDonald 221). It is clear that Frances is heading down the so-called "wrong path"
The world of dreams is very heavily explored in this section. Lily, who is established as a sort of "main" protagonist dreams of Ambrose. The author makes an interesting point: "Here is the place called awake. On the other side of this line is the country of Asleep. And you see this shaded area in between? Don't linger there, it's No Man's Land" (MacDonald 226). The area that the reader is in right now is No Man's Land; we rarely know if what we are reading is a dream, or a reality. It is often difficult to distinguish Lily's waking moments from her sleeping moments. The relevancy of dreams and nightmares is questioned. What is reality? When Lily wakes up from a nightmare, Frances comments: "Nothing...I don't remember. Go to sleep. It was just a dream" (MacDonald 225). The reader is forced to question perception. Is the truth what matters, or does it just matter the way you remembered it? I feel as if this story is told from a different perspective, or narrator, we would feel very differently about each of the characters.
The miner's strike has, again, hit hard in Cape Breton. A sort of plague has taken over the towns: "At New Waterford General Hospital children lie parched amidst the new outbreak of all the old diseases with the pretty names" (MacDonald 228). I cannot help but think of our class work with King Lear. It seems almost of if the "Great Chain of Being" is yet again, out of order, due to the sins and transgressions of the Piper family. As the world around them mimics their internal family chaos, order must be eventually restored. How can this occur? By ending the lives of pretty much everyone in the family, excluding Lily and perhaps Mercedes. I feel as though James and Frances cannot be saved.
A lot is exposed about Mercedes in this section. Dealing with the theme of perception, Mercedes is the kind of person who cares a lot about what people think of them and their family. Knowing that everyone in town hates James, Mercedes: "Will have Lily give all their old story-books and clothes, as well as several pies that Mercedes will bake, to the poor children suffering upstairs. Then people will see...What a good man..." (MacDonald 233). One feels sorry for Mercedes; it is very unfortunate that she is subjugated to such cruel treatment, just because of her family name. Thus is life however, especially in a small town, bored with itself.
The idea of living on the island of Cape Breton is also explored in this section. The narrator quips that "the working poor looking to get off this cursed godforsaken rock that they love more than the breath in their own lungs" (MacDonald 241). This hyperbole emphasizes then paradox that all the characters in the story face: What they love, they also deeply despise. James loves Kathleen so much that he eventually hates her. Mercedes feels similarly towards Lily. Maternia, when she was still alive, loved James so much, but also secretly wished death upon him.
As predicted, Frances is emotionally unstable. She varies between angst and anger, and regret and sadness. She feels almost no remorse to exposing Lily to secrets that she shouldn't know about. It is unclear whether Frances is in a momentary state of disarray, or if she really is a mean and tortured person at heart.
I find it ironic that the family is attending a Remembrance Day Parade, when there is an obvious huge number of things that they would like to forget, especially James.
We still don't know a lot of things in this story:
-Who's baby was Kathleen pregnant with?
-Is the ghost of Ambrose real or imagined? Does it matter?
-What happened when James went to find Kathleen in New York?
-Who was the anonymous well wisher, so concerned for Kathleen's safety?
-What details of the "miscegenation" stated in the letter from the well-wisher pertained to Kathleen's ultimate fate?
Interesting Vocabulary
Viaticum: A communion to someone given to them when they're dying; Frances says that this is a holy word for clean underwear.
Miscegenation: Basically, an interracial couple. Kathleen's well-wisher used this word to describe Kathleen's lifestyle.
Exodus: A mass leaving of the area; People in Cape Breon are leaving the area, to go to Boston for a better life.
Camaraderie: Friendship; Lily feels friendship with the men at the Remembrance Day Parade, an uncanny parallel to how Kathleen was only friends with the male sex.
Rudimentary: Basic; Lily has a basic understanding of Arabic.
A line of repetition is used throughout the first half of the story: "Who will save Frances?" (MacDonald 221). It is clear that Frances is heading down the so-called "wrong path"
The world of dreams is very heavily explored in this section. Lily, who is established as a sort of "main" protagonist dreams of Ambrose. The author makes an interesting point: "Here is the place called awake. On the other side of this line is the country of Asleep. And you see this shaded area in between? Don't linger there, it's No Man's Land" (MacDonald 226). The area that the reader is in right now is No Man's Land; we rarely know if what we are reading is a dream, or a reality. It is often difficult to distinguish Lily's waking moments from her sleeping moments. The relevancy of dreams and nightmares is questioned. What is reality? When Lily wakes up from a nightmare, Frances comments: "Nothing...I don't remember. Go to sleep. It was just a dream" (MacDonald 225). The reader is forced to question perception. Is the truth what matters, or does it just matter the way you remembered it? I feel as if this story is told from a different perspective, or narrator, we would feel very differently about each of the characters.
The miner's strike has, again, hit hard in Cape Breton. A sort of plague has taken over the towns: "At New Waterford General Hospital children lie parched amidst the new outbreak of all the old diseases with the pretty names" (MacDonald 228). I cannot help but think of our class work with King Lear. It seems almost of if the "Great Chain of Being" is yet again, out of order, due to the sins and transgressions of the Piper family. As the world around them mimics their internal family chaos, order must be eventually restored. How can this occur? By ending the lives of pretty much everyone in the family, excluding Lily and perhaps Mercedes. I feel as though James and Frances cannot be saved.
A lot is exposed about Mercedes in this section. Dealing with the theme of perception, Mercedes is the kind of person who cares a lot about what people think of them and their family. Knowing that everyone in town hates James, Mercedes: "Will have Lily give all their old story-books and clothes, as well as several pies that Mercedes will bake, to the poor children suffering upstairs. Then people will see...What a good man..." (MacDonald 233). One feels sorry for Mercedes; it is very unfortunate that she is subjugated to such cruel treatment, just because of her family name. Thus is life however, especially in a small town, bored with itself.
The idea of living on the island of Cape Breton is also explored in this section. The narrator quips that "the working poor looking to get off this cursed godforsaken rock that they love more than the breath in their own lungs" (MacDonald 241). This hyperbole emphasizes then paradox that all the characters in the story face: What they love, they also deeply despise. James loves Kathleen so much that he eventually hates her. Mercedes feels similarly towards Lily. Maternia, when she was still alive, loved James so much, but also secretly wished death upon him.
As predicted, Frances is emotionally unstable. She varies between angst and anger, and regret and sadness. She feels almost no remorse to exposing Lily to secrets that she shouldn't know about. It is unclear whether Frances is in a momentary state of disarray, or if she really is a mean and tortured person at heart.
I find it ironic that the family is attending a Remembrance Day Parade, when there is an obvious huge number of things that they would like to forget, especially James.
We still don't know a lot of things in this story:
-Who's baby was Kathleen pregnant with?
-Is the ghost of Ambrose real or imagined? Does it matter?
-What happened when James went to find Kathleen in New York?
-Who was the anonymous well wisher, so concerned for Kathleen's safety?
-What details of the "miscegenation" stated in the letter from the well-wisher pertained to Kathleen's ultimate fate?
Interesting Vocabulary
Viaticum: A communion to someone given to them when they're dying; Frances says that this is a holy word for clean underwear.
Miscegenation: Basically, an interracial couple. Kathleen's well-wisher used this word to describe Kathleen's lifestyle.
Exodus: A mass leaving of the area; People in Cape Breon are leaving the area, to go to Boston for a better life.
Camaraderie: Friendship; Lily feels friendship with the men at the Remembrance Day Parade, an uncanny parallel to how Kathleen was only friends with the male sex.
Rudimentary: Basic; Lily has a basic understanding of Arabic.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Bootleg, The Demon Rum, Little Women, Cat's Cradle & The Family Tree
This section exposes the rapidly developing relationships between the three girls. We also learn of James's changing character, and his new job which seems to pay most of the bills in the Piper household-bootlegging during the time of prohibition in the United States. As Mercedes grows older and holds more responsibility she begins to grow apart from her two younger counterparts. She is also hastily becoming a "little woman" and is having duties thrust upon her at a very young age. One night, Mercedes thinks she sees a ghost, possibly the ghost of Ambrose in the house. The section ends when Lily finds Mercedes's precious family tree, and colours it in, much to the enragement of Mercedes.
The character of Mercedes is developed vastly in this section. though only a year older than immature Frances, "Mercedes is twelve going on forty" (MacDonald 185). She is sensible, and motherly, responsible for cooking and taking care of the house. It is clear that while she has a close friend, she feel perpetual loneliness in the household of her father. I feel as if Mercedes feels wronged by her father: "She ponders Daddy's love for Lily. And his anger at Frances. She picks up her fork and feel lonely" (MacDonald 189). Lily is greatly favoured in the household, presumably because she reminds James of Kathleen. He also spends a lot of his time and energy on disciplining unruly Frances, so Mercedes gets quite lost in the mix. The reader feel sympathy for her, forced to be mature beyond her years: "Mercedes is a pillar. And Lily is precious. And they make up for Frances" (MacDonald 188).
We are able to see the times in Canada that we know will lead up to The Great Depression. In a way, this is moment of dramatic irony; this audience knows what the dirty thirties will bring, but the Pipers do not. We can also view this as foreshadowing perhaps: "No one knows it yet, but Cape Breton is the dress rehearsal for The Great Depression" (MacDonald 192). What will be in store for Canada and the Piper family through these times? To me, the Pipers are sort of a metaphor for all of Canada: struggling to find an identity and a place to settle comfortably.
James is showing more and more signs of weakness. He has completely given up on his life, even more so than when he was in the trenches of the First World War. He thinks that, "He cannot believe in a life hereafter. Not for himself anyways" (MacDonald 195). James has given up on God, and given up on being saved.There are many reference to the story of Little Women during the chapter entitled the same thing. This is ironic, because the young motherless girls, more specifically Mercedes, have to actually be little women, in the sense that they must take on the loss of innocence much earlier than many young girls have to. Many of the allusions made in this novel dictate a character's ultimate fate. When the three girls roleplay as the characters in Little Women, Lily plays the character that dies. I wouldn't be astounded if in time, Lily followed suit. In fact, Frances plays Jo, the unruly protagonist, while Mercedes plays the eldest one, Meg, who is proper and motherly, much like herself. Very clever that MacDonald should reference a novel with characters so like her own. James also has a very sad moment towards the end of the section: "For no reason his throat tightens. His eyes sting but he isn't going to cry, this time" (MacDonald 219). While the reader doesn't particularly like James, it must be difficult to lose a daughter, a granddaughter and a wife in a few short days. The reader feels like this immense amount of pain will change James, but in what way we cannot know yet.
We also learn that Frances keeps a cat as a pet: "Trixie comes. She always does when Frances calls. She found Frances three years ago" (MacDonald 205). To me this represents Frances and her devilish ways. i feel like this black cat is a bad sign, especially in a novel that revolves very much around superstition. I also cannot decide how I feel about Frances. I like her because she is rebellious and a genuine free-spirit; I dislike her older sister's conventional nature. However I am deterred by her ability to lie seamlessly to anyone, without so much as batting an eyelash. I feel as if Frances and potentially her cat, will get into trouble; this may end in her untimely demise?
A quote that I believe sums up this book rather well is: "'It leads into the past. it tells us where we came from. But it doesn't tell us where we're going. Only God knows that'" (MacDonald 208). This is spoken by Mercedes, as she proudly presents the family tree. However, it speaks to the merits of one's memories and history. The past can be certain, depending on the perspective one has; and does the truth really matter if it's in the distant past? However, no amount of family trees, photographs or 552 page recounting of an event can ever be reassuring whilst looking to the future. the future cannot be certain, no matter what's already transpired.
The reader has to admire Lily's innocent sense of good-doing. She draws a chest under the ground in the pictures of the Piper family tree. When Frances asks her what kind of treasure is in the chest, she responds with, "'Ambrose'" (MacDonald 216). This haunting innocence that Lily exhibits gives the readers chilled; the theme of innocence versus the harsh reality of the world is forever present in this novel. Its a very bittersweet moment, that quietly parallels the plot of the story. I see a direct connection between the relationship of Lily and Mercedes, and the doomed relationship of Kathleen and Maternia in the previous pages. They share many similarities; I feel as if they will end up in similar fates.
Interesting Vocabulary
Perturbed- Unsettled or upset; Lily gets a bump on her forehead when she's perturbed.
Errant- Guilty; Mercedes tels a story in which an errant frog gets turned loose in the classroom of her school.
Teetotal- Stern Prohibition; There are many of these in Sydney.
Paramours- Lover or significant other; Helen and Valentino marry respective paramours.
Stratagems- Strategies or Plans; Frances steals money from Lily so that she does not have to live a shameful life full of stratagems, or so she describes it.
Fervour- Passion; The three girls pretend to be Saints, and plan the rolls with great fervour.
Beguiled- Charmed, entranced by; The Family Tree has all of its right angles beguiled into serpents by Lily, who thought she was being helpful
The character of Mercedes is developed vastly in this section. though only a year older than immature Frances, "Mercedes is twelve going on forty" (MacDonald 185). She is sensible, and motherly, responsible for cooking and taking care of the house. It is clear that while she has a close friend, she feel perpetual loneliness in the household of her father. I feel as if Mercedes feels wronged by her father: "She ponders Daddy's love for Lily. And his anger at Frances. She picks up her fork and feel lonely" (MacDonald 189). Lily is greatly favoured in the household, presumably because she reminds James of Kathleen. He also spends a lot of his time and energy on disciplining unruly Frances, so Mercedes gets quite lost in the mix. The reader feel sympathy for her, forced to be mature beyond her years: "Mercedes is a pillar. And Lily is precious. And they make up for Frances" (MacDonald 188).
We are able to see the times in Canada that we know will lead up to The Great Depression. In a way, this is moment of dramatic irony; this audience knows what the dirty thirties will bring, but the Pipers do not. We can also view this as foreshadowing perhaps: "No one knows it yet, but Cape Breton is the dress rehearsal for The Great Depression" (MacDonald 192). What will be in store for Canada and the Piper family through these times? To me, the Pipers are sort of a metaphor for all of Canada: struggling to find an identity and a place to settle comfortably.
James is showing more and more signs of weakness. He has completely given up on his life, even more so than when he was in the trenches of the First World War. He thinks that, "He cannot believe in a life hereafter. Not for himself anyways" (MacDonald 195). James has given up on God, and given up on being saved.There are many reference to the story of Little Women during the chapter entitled the same thing. This is ironic, because the young motherless girls, more specifically Mercedes, have to actually be little women, in the sense that they must take on the loss of innocence much earlier than many young girls have to. Many of the allusions made in this novel dictate a character's ultimate fate. When the three girls roleplay as the characters in Little Women, Lily plays the character that dies. I wouldn't be astounded if in time, Lily followed suit. In fact, Frances plays Jo, the unruly protagonist, while Mercedes plays the eldest one, Meg, who is proper and motherly, much like herself. Very clever that MacDonald should reference a novel with characters so like her own. James also has a very sad moment towards the end of the section: "For no reason his throat tightens. His eyes sting but he isn't going to cry, this time" (MacDonald 219). While the reader doesn't particularly like James, it must be difficult to lose a daughter, a granddaughter and a wife in a few short days. The reader feels like this immense amount of pain will change James, but in what way we cannot know yet.
We also learn that Frances keeps a cat as a pet: "Trixie comes. She always does when Frances calls. She found Frances three years ago" (MacDonald 205). To me this represents Frances and her devilish ways. i feel like this black cat is a bad sign, especially in a novel that revolves very much around superstition. I also cannot decide how I feel about Frances. I like her because she is rebellious and a genuine free-spirit; I dislike her older sister's conventional nature. However I am deterred by her ability to lie seamlessly to anyone, without so much as batting an eyelash. I feel as if Frances and potentially her cat, will get into trouble; this may end in her untimely demise?
A quote that I believe sums up this book rather well is: "'It leads into the past. it tells us where we came from. But it doesn't tell us where we're going. Only God knows that'" (MacDonald 208). This is spoken by Mercedes, as she proudly presents the family tree. However, it speaks to the merits of one's memories and history. The past can be certain, depending on the perspective one has; and does the truth really matter if it's in the distant past? However, no amount of family trees, photographs or 552 page recounting of an event can ever be reassuring whilst looking to the future. the future cannot be certain, no matter what's already transpired.
The reader has to admire Lily's innocent sense of good-doing. She draws a chest under the ground in the pictures of the Piper family tree. When Frances asks her what kind of treasure is in the chest, she responds with, "'Ambrose'" (MacDonald 216). This haunting innocence that Lily exhibits gives the readers chilled; the theme of innocence versus the harsh reality of the world is forever present in this novel. Its a very bittersweet moment, that quietly parallels the plot of the story. I see a direct connection between the relationship of Lily and Mercedes, and the doomed relationship of Kathleen and Maternia in the previous pages. They share many similarities; I feel as if they will end up in similar fates.
Interesting Vocabulary
Perturbed- Unsettled or upset; Lily gets a bump on her forehead when she's perturbed.
Errant- Guilty; Mercedes tels a story in which an errant frog gets turned loose in the classroom of her school.
Teetotal- Stern Prohibition; There are many of these in Sydney.
Paramours- Lover or significant other; Helen and Valentino marry respective paramours.
Stratagems- Strategies or Plans; Frances steals money from Lily so that she does not have to live a shameful life full of stratagems, or so she describes it.
Fervour- Passion; The three girls pretend to be Saints, and plan the rolls with great fervour.
Beguiled- Charmed, entranced by; The Family Tree has all of its right angles beguiled into serpents by Lily, who thought she was being helpful
Sunday, November 28, 2010
The Adoration of the Body & The Official Version.
In these two chapters, we revisit many of the dramatic events from the last couple of chapters. We learn that it was in fact James that destroyed the scarecrow after he found the drowned baby with Frances. We also learn that a distraught Maternia visited Mrs. Luvovitz shortly after Kathleen died. James continues to unravel after Kathleen's funeral. Back into present day, Spanish Influenza has taken over the town. Fearing that a sick baby Lily will die, James gets the priest to attend a baptism of the young baby, not knowing that Frances already did the deed. Here, Mercedes is named Godmother. The two young girls pray for Lily, who miraculously gets better. James buys Mercedes a doll after Lily recovers. We also get a flashback into the New York life of Kathleen, and her first sexual experience that ended up in her pregnancy.
When James discovers Frances and the two babies (one alive, one dead) in the creek, the narrator compares it to the war that James came back from: "There is a water filled trench. There is an unhappy man with bleeding hands. There is the body of a boy" (MacDonald 158). To me, this metaphor says that life is always a war. There is always a battle to be fought, and a greater evil to kill. I feel like the depressed and unhappy James is realizing this currently in the plot.
There is a lot of tree imagery in this section, which creates several different effects. On the night after Kathleen and Ambrose die, a shadow is said to have appeared from a tree: "It's a figure that comes out from under the branches and onto the street. It stops, drifting in place like a plant on the ocean floor. Then it travels again all the way down the street to the graveyard...It looks straight out to the sea that stretches four thousand miles and sings" (MacDonald 161). I feel as if this particular tree/plant image represents the dying Maternia. Later in the section, Frances experiences a moment of weakness over the death of her mother, "She turned her limbs into strong little tree branches. She made her spine into a springy switch and her skin into new bark" (MacDonald 174). There is a contrast between the new, strong tree of Frances and the old ghostly tree of Maternia.
An insight to Maternia's mental state is given when she returns to the Luvovitzes' house one final time. Maternia is broken and helpless, much like the child she was and probably always has been. MacDonald adds that Mrs. Luvovitz "Washes her gently, as though Maternia was a newborn" (MacDonald 162). Maternia is not so different from the helpless, naked babies that Kathleen gave birth to. the reader feels an extreme amount of pain for Maternia, for she is a passive, likeable character, that meets her untimely death, simply because she is not an overtly strong person.
In The Official Version the theme of truth is extended. MacDonald plainly states that "One child was born" (MacDonald 165). There is no truth to this of course, as the Piper's had another child. The reader sees that truth is a powerful thing: It can alter perception dramatically, and it can completely erase the history of a person, specifically, baby Ambrose. The idea that seeing is not always believing has been fuelling this story (which is completely based on the recounting of the narrator,) and is present again in this chapter. It is unsettling and upsetting that the truth is hid so easily and without guilt.
Most importantly in this section, is the transformation of Mercedes from young girl to mother in a very short amount of time. After each death in the family, James summons Mercedes: "'I need you to be a big girl, Mercedes'" (MacDonald 163). These exact lines are spoken every time that James discovers a death. This repetition makes the reader understand the amount of emotional and physical responsibility that is being placed in the head of a very young girl. When Lily is being "officially baptized," Mercedes becomes the Godmother: "Thus, along with her father, and at the age of almost seven, Mercedes assumed the responsibility for the soul of Lily Piper" (MacDonald 171). Mercedes also later tells Frances that she is her mother now. This makes the reader wonder how Mercedes's character will be defined by her role as a seven year old mother, and how it could possibly effect our plot.
Water plant imagery is used in almost every metaphor in Fall on Your Knees. As we journey back into Kathleen's life in New York, MacDonald describes the act that ended up in her pregnancy: "The invisible ocean holds the room and the bed and the lovers suspended and treats them like aquatic plants" (MacDonald 176). Aquatic plants move themselves, but are fixed to a single location. I think this is a metaphor for how Kathleen tries very hard to remove herself from her situation at home, but home will always follow her, and she will always be reminded of Cape Breton and all its given and taken away from her.
A quote I really liked from this section is observed by James: "Men equal parts monster and martyr" (MacDonald 170). This is how James describes himself and others like him. I think it suits him perfectly. He is truly a monstrous character, however, he gives a lot of himself for the better of his daughters, even when his intentions aren't so honourable. We see that James feels guilt after the death of Kathleen, Ambrose and Maternia. Could his character change once again?
The curse, real or imagined, placed on Maternia by her father and mother has been fulfilled. If one believes in heaven and hell, one must wonder where the three dead characters are now...
Interesting Vocabulary
Irredeemable: Not able to be saved; James's guilt was such, but he remained strong.
Motley: A diverse mixture; Frances thoughts about her mother were a huge motley.
Reverently: To show deep solemn respect in this way; Frances treats Mercedes doll reverently, while she wishes to take it apart out of curiosity.
Unassailable: Unable to be attacked or defeated. Kathleen believes her life in the new world is unassailable to the old world of Cape Breton. How wrong she was.
An insight to Maternia's mental state is given when she returns to the Luvovitzes' house one final time. Maternia is broken and helpless, much like the child she was and probably always has been. MacDonald adds that Mrs. Luvovitz "Washes her gently, as though Maternia was a newborn" (MacDonald 162). Maternia is not so different from the helpless, naked babies that Kathleen gave birth to. the reader feels an extreme amount of pain for Maternia, for she is a passive, likeable character, that meets her untimely death, simply because she is not an overtly strong person.
In The Official Version the theme of truth is extended. MacDonald plainly states that "One child was born" (MacDonald 165). There is no truth to this of course, as the Piper's had another child. The reader sees that truth is a powerful thing: It can alter perception dramatically, and it can completely erase the history of a person, specifically, baby Ambrose. The idea that seeing is not always believing has been fuelling this story (which is completely based on the recounting of the narrator,) and is present again in this chapter. It is unsettling and upsetting that the truth is hid so easily and without guilt.
Most importantly in this section, is the transformation of Mercedes from young girl to mother in a very short amount of time. After each death in the family, James summons Mercedes: "'I need you to be a big girl, Mercedes'" (MacDonald 163). These exact lines are spoken every time that James discovers a death. This repetition makes the reader understand the amount of emotional and physical responsibility that is being placed in the head of a very young girl. When Lily is being "officially baptized," Mercedes becomes the Godmother: "Thus, along with her father, and at the age of almost seven, Mercedes assumed the responsibility for the soul of Lily Piper" (MacDonald 171). Mercedes also later tells Frances that she is her mother now. This makes the reader wonder how Mercedes's character will be defined by her role as a seven year old mother, and how it could possibly effect our plot.
Water plant imagery is used in almost every metaphor in Fall on Your Knees. As we journey back into Kathleen's life in New York, MacDonald describes the act that ended up in her pregnancy: "The invisible ocean holds the room and the bed and the lovers suspended and treats them like aquatic plants" (MacDonald 176). Aquatic plants move themselves, but are fixed to a single location. I think this is a metaphor for how Kathleen tries very hard to remove herself from her situation at home, but home will always follow her, and she will always be reminded of Cape Breton and all its given and taken away from her.
A quote I really liked from this section is observed by James: "Men equal parts monster and martyr" (MacDonald 170). This is how James describes himself and others like him. I think it suits him perfectly. He is truly a monstrous character, however, he gives a lot of himself for the better of his daughters, even when his intentions aren't so honourable. We see that James feels guilt after the death of Kathleen, Ambrose and Maternia. Could his character change once again?
The curse, real or imagined, placed on Maternia by her father and mother has been fulfilled. If one believes in heaven and hell, one must wonder where the three dead characters are now...
Interesting Vocabulary
Irredeemable: Not able to be saved; James's guilt was such, but he remained strong.
Motley: A diverse mixture; Frances thoughts about her mother were a huge motley.
Reverently: To show deep solemn respect in this way; Frances treats Mercedes doll reverently, while she wishes to take it apart out of curiosity.
Unassailable: Unable to be attacked or defeated. Kathleen believes her life in the new world is unassailable to the old world of Cape Breton. How wrong she was.
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