Edison, New Jersey

"Edison, New Jersey"
Junot Diaz

"The best customers leave us alone until the bill has to be signed.  Every now and then we'll be offered water in paper cups.  Few have offered us more..."  -page 123

What I found most interesting about this story was the point of view, that of a blue collar worker.  My Uncle is a general contractor and I work with him on occasion, so I am quite familiar with being the "lowly" worker and stranger in someone else's home.  Of course, there are greater issues of class and race at play in the story, of which I am not familiar.  However, I can relate to how you feel when at work in another's home.  In addition, I have experiences that greatly contrast that of the story.

The narrator of this story is obviously bitter towards those who employ him, and doesn't respect their property.  Whether through vengeance or simply entitlement, he steals and occasionally vandalizes the homes in which he works.  Additionally, he frequently steals from his own place of business.  Of course, this can be justified by his need to make ends meet, but for the most part he seems driven by the idea of luxury, and by becoming those who he works for.  It's true, when you are working on someone else's property you feel demeaned by default.  It's uncomfortable knowing their in the house and scrutinizing your work on their property.  In that respect, I agree with the narrator.

However, he does not seem to truly have pride in his work.  My Uncle is unreasonably proud of his contracting work, not settling for any cut corners or damage to the home.  He is only satisfied once his skills have been portrayed to the extent of his abilities.  I doubt he could leave a home in peace knowing he had nicked the floor, or duped his employers.  Of course, that doesn't mean we don't occasionally talk some shit.  If the customer is rude and/or stupid, it's common for us to gossip with the taper about that state of their house or the ridiculous quirks the homeowner may have.  However, most customers are not so insufferable, even the incredibly rich ones.  I've worked for people who leak money from every orifice, yet still offer us lunch and cool drinks every chance they get.

Is this because we're white?  Who knows.  Is it because my Uncle works hard to achieve a standard of excellence?  Maybe.  There's thousands of factors to be considered, but you get out what you put in and see what you want to see.  If you see an asshole, you're working for an asshole and it will show in your drive to please that person, who will in turn dislike you.

I could've analyzed the story itself more, but it was fun to go off on that somewhat irrelevant tangent.

Double Zero

"The Cariboo Cafe"
Helena Viramontes

"But God is just a man and His mistakes can be undone."  - page 76

"The Cariboo Cafe" was one of the most intentionally confusing stories I have had the pleasure to read.  My main concern about this blog post is that I will have misinterpreted information, leading to completely false conceptions about the story.

That aside, it was certainly intriguing.  I chose the quote above because of its implications.  "God" and "His" are capitalized, hinting that the woman still believes in God's omnipotence.  However, the phrase "God is just a man" obviously implies that he is completely fallible, and it is directly stated that he makes mistakes.  This, combined with the previous statements about men being pigs who "rape women then their rip their fetuses from their bellies", implies a blatant distaste for the higher power that should guide her so.

The entire part III is a mess of thought, perspective, and timeline.  What can be gathered is that this woman has lost her son, and then replaced him in her insanity with Macky and his sister.  The writing style of part II is indicative of the woman's feelings.  There is no clear line of thought, and the point of view can change instantaneously.  This illiterate mess metaphorically represents the woman's feelings.  Driven to the loss of sanity, she finds Macky and forces herself to believe she has finally found her son again.  We, the readers, experience this happening through broken thought processes and poetic, negative emotion.

Also intriguing is the place of the cafe owner in all of this scenario.  From what I gathered, a man OD'd in his bathroom, and the resulting death destroyed the reputation and business of his cafe.  Having lost his son JoJo and wife Nell, he is alone in a scarred establishment fit for nothing but the scum of the earth.  The cafe owner is critical of everyone and everything, pissed off that he has no business but at the same time pissed when business presents itself to him.  There seems to be no middle ground, and he finds himself the destination of many who have nothing to spare for tip.

It is clear right off the bat he likes Macky, but is unaware both children were kidnapped by the crazed woman.  He considers himself above and outside the realm of both police and immigrants, refusing to get involved in many of the situations that may present themselves to him at his run down cafe.  The "double zero", as many people call it represent just how low on the totem poll these people have fallen.  All stripped from their family in one way or another, they find some kind of refuge here in a forgotten slum.

However, the cafe owner betrays them, much to his own distaste and calls the police for the stolen children.  On one hand, he likes Macky and probably owes the children.  However, he also hates police officers and feels no responsibility to the law.  When he turns in the immigrants before the woman and kids come in, it is obvious he feels the shame from their stares.  At the final end of the story, everyone is a complete emotional mess.  The woman having lost her sanity at the sight of the police goes insane, and the cafe owner actions are described in horrific detail implying his own nervousness.

Regardless of what this story means, at least it was cool.

Seventeen Syllables

Seventeen Syllables
Hisaye Yamamoto, 1988

"...Rosie fleetingly felt the older of the two, realizing a brand new power which vanished without category under her recognition...kissed by Jesus, Rosie fell for the first time entirely victim to a helplessness delectable beyond speech."  - pages 29-30

I chose the quotes above for their proximity coupled with stark contrast.  As Jesus is nervous about kissing Rosie, and nervous about her feelings for him, she feels a sense of power.  It usually takes a good deal of romantic comfort for each parties power over the situation to become equivalent.  In this case, Jesus is making the first moves, leaving him with room for error and giving Rosie the power.

What I find intriguing is the sudden shift.  As Jesus kisses Rosie, she becomes helpless, naive in a situation she undoubtedly has no experience with.  However, not only is she helpless but she enjoys being helpless.  "Delectable" is one of those words saved for only the most savory of feelings.  The delectable helplessness references the gender stereotype of male domination and female submission.

What's curious to explore is the relationship between Rosie's mother's love life and her own.  Rosie is young, exploring a sense of forbidden love just like her mother did close to her age.  Of course, her mother was held back by more serious circumstances, but Rosie's parents are traditionally Japanese and it is obvious she has some restrictions placed upon her.  That being said, their early love experiences are similar, and Rosie's mother's experience ended up condemning her to an unsatisfied life.  Her views on marriage are skewed due to her own experience, and she pushes that negativity on Rosie in attempt to "save" her.

In the middle of all this is Rosie's father.  Straightforward and hardworking, he does not share his wife's artistic intrigue.  Instead, he prefers traditional simplicity.  When met with his wife's haiku obsession, he easily becomes perturbed, either due to intellectual barriers or simple disinterest in the arts.

I cannot discern one clear theme from this story.  There are so many sub plots, happenings, and symbolic characters/events that any specific analysis could take me down a line of thought completely irrelevant to the story.  However, love is a clear theme of this story, and coupled with the obvious Japanese cultural influence it analyzes romance through a window we ourselves are likely not very familiar with.  Is the story demonizing love, or the culture that mocks in?  Both?  "Seventeen Syllables" is a window into a foreign culture and thus a foreign form of romance, and thus a different world entirely.

Ori

Dead Men's Path

Chinua Achebe - 1953

"Mr. Obi listened with a satisfied smile on his face. 'The whole purpose of our school,' he said finally, 'is to eradicate just such beliefs as that. Dead men do not require footpaths. The whole idea is just fantastic. Our duty is to teach your children to laugh at such ideas.'" - page 2

Like Julian in "Everything that Rises Must Converge", Ori is under the premise that his education has given him some right above others.  While I applaud education and the eradication of narrow-minded feelings, both of these characters go about it maliciously, their education making them not only confident but pretentious.  It is not Ori's beliefs that make him wrong, but the childish sense of vengeance he wishes to bring upon those who don't have his upbringing.  

However, the difference between Julian and Ori is their justification for such beliefs.  Julian's mother beliefs are fundamentally flawed, and although he doesn't work against them in a positive manner, his actions are somewhat justified.  Ori, who has not been wronged by the villagers in any way, still seeks to prove to them his omnipotence over them.  Ori wholly ignores the priest, ignorantly dismissing their set traditions in a spiteful way.  

Religious and cultural tolerance is about respect.  Ori may not necessarily agree with the villagers sense of tradition but that does not justify his purposeful disrespect of it.  I do not believe in god, but do not make it my personal goal to tear down religious institution (unless provoked...I admit).  Regardless of what the priest or villagers may believe they are not inherently stupid, or even wrong.  For the most part, age does incite maturity, something which Ori (and his wife especially) are lacking.  The village priest is courteous, and does not attempt to degrade Ori.  If anything, his only emotion is disappointment at Ori's blatant disregard for their people. 

I admit that I sometimes succumb to Ori's fallacy.  When you know (or truly believe) that you're right, it is easy to judge others as ignorant because hey, sometimes they just are.  However, should Ori attempt to dismantle the religious tradition of a people it should be done so carefully and respectfully, not with childish spite.  

Saboteur

Saboteur
Ha Jin, 1996

"If he were able to, he would have razed 
the entire police station and eliminated all their families. Though he 
knew he could do nothing like that, he made up his mind to do 
something." - page 279

This statement foreshadows the coming crime that we are led to believe Mr. Chiu commits.  The obvious irony is that Mr. Chiu is unjustly arrested for a crime he did not commit, and the resulting experience drives him to actually commit a crime.  Jin seems to be making the statement that injustice is cyclic, breeding more injustice by converting innocence into revenge.  I don't know much about Ha Jin, but he seems to have some experience with police brutality, or at least corrupt lawmen.
The writing style in the story is incredibly interesting, for the most part flat and critical.  The author doesn't favor Mr. Chiu, or the policeman.  Additionally, it is not completely unbiased.  In both the description of Mr. Chiu and the policeman, there is a critical air.  Negative adjectives are used constantly, and when they are not there is no real hopeful tone.  In fact, the only "happy" scene is when Mr. Chiu briefly comes to terms with his captivity and becomes calm.

I find this by far the most interesting scene.  It's kind of like the turning point, the exact middle of Mr. Chiu's decline in sanity.  He's hasn't completely succumbed to his hepatitis and spite, but is not unaffected.  In this intermediate state, he realizes how he is actually enjoying time away from his wife, from the honeymoon he seemed to not have enjoyed.

In that way, his arrest almost gave his life meaning.  He almost hadn't realized how unsatisfied and bored he was until he was locked in a cell slowly being overcome with vengeful thoughts.  In the beginning, he eats slow.  By the end, he is running from restaurant to restaurant speedily trying to consume everything he can like a wildfire.

Not sure what to make of this story, but it's cool.

Lust, love, gay?

"Brokeback Mountain"
Annie Proulx

"Ennis woke in red dawn with his pants around his knees, atop-grade headache, and Jack butted against him; without saying anything about it both knew how it would go for the rest of the summer, sheep be damned. As it did go. They never talked about the sex, let it happen, at first only in the tent at night, then in the full daylight with the hot sun striking down, and at evening in the fire glow, quick, rough, laughing and snorting, no lack of noises, but saying not a goddamn word except once Ennis said, 'I'm not no queer,' and Jack jumped in with 'Me neither. A one-shot thing. Nobody's business but ours.'" - page 260

This quote is key in defining their relationship.  Before their impromptu sex, there are little to no actions indicating that they might in fact be craving each other.  The sex scene is sudden, uncalled for for, and they seem to think little of it.  Rather than waking and awkwardly trying to explain themselves to one another, they are both fully aware that this action is indicative of their future experience together.  Especially since both of them claim to be straight, and aren't outwardly attracted to other men, their sudden acceptance of their feelings for one another is astonishing.  Of course, both are adamant about "not being queer", but they completely and totally accept their lust as natural.  

This story raises a number of questions about both love and sexuality.  Is it a love story?  Is it a gay story?  Is it a gay love story?  With the boundaries of sexuality loosely tossed aside in the face of unconditional lust (and love), it is tough to interpret the exact statement being made by the story.  Ennis and Jack are both married, with children.  Besides the intercourse with one another, neither seems to crave more from males or females.  Very simply, they crave one another. 

If sexuality can be deemed meaningless, then their love is pure and transcends any kind of definition.  However, if the definition of sexuality is taken literally as sexual attraction then they are, by definition, gay.  While they engage in completely uninhibited sex, they seem to ignore other aspects of a relationship.  They barely talk, or engage in any activities together other than intercourse.  In that way, their relationship is more about lust.

Near the end, they have a chance at love as Jack tries to convince Ennis they should live together.  However, turning the proposition down, Ennis is forced to live with his refusal and the chance at love that he wasted for the rest of his life.  There are limitless interpretations of any story.  However, "Brokeback Mountain" even makes its theme somewhat ambiguous.

Julian and his mother

“Everything That Rises Must Converge” 

Flannery O’Connor -1965

    "He imagined his mother lying desperately ill and his being able to secure only a Negro doctor for her. He toyed with that idea for a few minutes and then dropped it for a momentary vision of himself participating as a sympathizer in a sit-in demonstration. This was possible but he did not linger with it. Instead, he approached the ultimate horror. He brought home a beautiful suspiciously Negroid woman. Prepare yourself, he said. There is nothing you can do about it. This is the woman I've chosen. She’s intelligent, dignified, even good, and she’s suffered and she hasn’t thought it fun. Now persecute us, go ahead and persecute us. Drive her out of here, but remember, you’re driving me too. His eyes were narrowed and through the indignation he had generated, he saw his mother across the aisle, purple-faced, shrunken to the dwarf-like proportions of her moral nature, sitting like a mummy beneath the ridiculous banner of her hat." -page 5

What Julian seemingly fails to understand is the other side of racism.  Lack of negative prejudice means nothing if blacks are still just items to be collected and prove your omnipotence.  Julian is well learned, and I would argue his feelings are much better than his ignorant mothers.  However, Julian fails to grasp the true extinction of racism.  It is not the opposite of conventional racism, but for lack of a better phrase it could be defined as "not giving a shit".  Racism will be dead not when whites repay blacks for their misdeeds, but when race is nothing but an irrelevant afterthought.

Still, Julian is not completely in the wrong.  He not only chastises his mother for her negative attitude, but her patronization of them as well.  Additionally, I must admit I've had similar frustrated feelings with some of my more conservative family members.  Should my uncle make an ignorant comment at dinner I'm not opposed to telling him he's a fucking idiot.  The sense of satisfaction felt in fighting for what you believe to be right is liberating, but it is also a source of error.  I am not above Julian's demeanor towards his mother because I can be the same way when it comes to issues that I logically believe to be completely one-sided.  However, the error of the human race has not been corrected without outward action, be it passive or aggressive.  Regardless of the possible errors present in the correction of racism, racism itself is a larger issue.

That being said, does Julian's mother deserve her death?  Additionally, does Julian deserve it?  Julian's mother is a leftover from another generation, set in her ways and in denial at the turn of the world.  Julian has made the effort to learn and grow, going beyond his mother.  However, he still depends on her, and has seemingly made little effort to move out and on, spending his time resenting his mother for her misconceptions.  Although I have no problem with his mom being punched in the face, death is a high price to pay for being a product of your era.  Still, it can be argued that Julian and his mother are both in need of some reformation.