Demon or not, however, his strangely mismatched appearance adds to the threatening quality of his calm voice and seemingly gentle coaxing as he tries to convince Connie to come outside. Some critics suggest that his unsteadiness hints at the possibility that his feet are actually hooves, as the devil would have. When he walks, he wobbles, as though his shoes don't fit properly. Arnold makes a grand entrance at Connie's house in his gold convertible. Arnold Friend Arnold Friend, with his suggestive name that hints at "Arch Fiend," is an ambiguous figure who may be either demon or human, fantasy or reality. In her moments of terror, she proves herself to be childlike: she calls out for her mother. When Arnold appears at her house, she tries to seem in control and unfazed, but she eventually breaks down and is overpowered by him. Her concerns are typically adolescent: she obsesses about her looks, listens to music, hangs out with her friends, flirts with boys, and explores her sexuality. She makes fun of her frumpy older sister, June, and is in constant conflict with her family. Carver seems oblivious to his mother's harsh attitude and tries to play with Julian's mother on the busĬonnie: Connie rejects the role of daughter, sister, and "nice" girl to cultivate her sexual persona, which flourishes only when she is away from her home and family. Carver: A four-year-old boy on the bus, the son of the imposing black woman. At end of story, after her apparent stroke, she becomes confused and disoriented, calling out for her father and her nurse, Caroline, both of whom are long dead, because she associates them with security and comfort. Gives Carver a penny without understanding the racist and patronizing nature of the act. Julian's Mother: patronizing attitude toward blacks derives from fear and her dated perceptions of society and racial equality speak affectionately about her nurse, Caroline, while simultaneously believing that blacks were better off as slaves. Julian's unrealistic perception of blacks and racial equality, therefore, isolates him from reality. Julian desperately wants to demonstrate that he can communicate and connect to blacks, but he finds himself unable to connect to other people on their own terms, particularly across racial lines. Julian: Although he professes to have liberated, intellectual views about race, Julian is in many ways just as petty and small-minded as he perceives his mother to be.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |