Hi, this is Yuan Wang.
The writer has "my" flashbacks and interaction with Jesse going on at the same time, and this creates such a strong and almost disturbing comparison. This comparison not only helps with expressing the traumatic southern family history the narrator has, but also implies the pressure she currently is under in the relationship with innocent Jesse. For instance, in a daily conversation discussing family with Jesse, "I hug her back and close my eyes. I cannot say a word"(4). This inability to tell truth to her partner makes readers realize how insecure and shameful she feels because of the past. What's more, the writer doesn't set the narrator as a lesbian out of nowhere. For what the narrator has been through and witnessed, the sexuality is therefore natural as well as understandable for readers.
Another thoughtful scene writer arranges is the conflict the narrator's sister has with her baby. "I wasn't going to be like that, we ain't no different"(11) brutally brings a heartfelt despair to readers. As it states clearly that the sinful past doesn't just stay in the past, it already had a impact on all the women from this family, including the narrator and her sister. It cruelly destroyed their hopes of becoming someone who can do better to the next generation, unlike what they've been though.
No comments:
Post a Comment