The Club Foot

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One aspect of “The Lame Shall Enter First” that really stood out to me was the inclusion of Johnson’s club foot. Though I didn’t realize it initially, I think the club foot tells a great deal about Johnson, Sheppard, and the relationship between the two. While Johnson is quite proud of his club foot and makes no attempts to conceal / fix it, Sheppard does a great deal in an attempt to successfully conceal the deformity and pretend like it doesn’t exist. While Sheppard thinks Johnson will be grateful to Sheppard for his efforts to get him a new boot, Johnson is angry at the attempt. I think this interaction reveals Sheppard’s intention of “fixing” Johnson in the way that he sees fit  to make himself feel good, with no regard for how Johnson feels or what Johnson wants for himself.

The Lame Shall Enter First & A View of the Woods

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After reading both short stories, I was struck by the similarity between the two. In “The Lame Shall Enter First” there was a father figure who idealized a boy named Johnson and ignored his son Norton. He could only see the good in Johnson and the bad in Norton. In “A View of the Woods” the grandfather adored his granddaughter Mary and went above and beyond to make sure she only had the best. In both stories, the author talks about all the things the two adult figures would give to the favorite child. Sheppard bought a telescope and a new set of shoes for Johnson so that he could walk right, but he did not want anything to do with that. Johnson was very set in his ways and refused to take “hand-outs”. Similarly, in “A View of the Woods” Mr. Fortune tried to buy Mary’s forgiveness with a new boat, but she too refused. In the eyes of both Sheppard and Mr. Fortune, expensive things were an obvious solution and could make anyone happy. As we see, that is definitely not the case. All Mary wanted was a view of the woods and her front lawn. Both stories end with the child morphing into a devil-like creature and lashing out. While reading the works, I struggled to find a connection to the American Dream. However, after some thought, I think the author is trying to convey the sense that materialism is not the key to happiness. Happiness is something that stems from things that money cannot buy.

Control in A View of the Woods

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The last scene in this short story after Fortune has killed his own granddaughter, Mary Fortune Pitts, stuck out to me. Fortune throughout the story must always be in control of Mary Fortune and everything around him. His sense of control and constant anger all foreshadow his death as he is an old man with a heart condition. In the beginning of the story, Fortune was always in control from the house, to how Mary Fortune acted. The last scene of him “on his back” surrounded by nature and no one to help allude to the sinister consequences of thinking you can control human nature. Mary fortune was bound to grow up and become an individual person with her own ideas and mannerism aside from her grandfather. Because Fortune could not accept this and saw her opinion about the “lawn” as different from his, he saw himself quickly losing control over the person that had grounded him for so many years. Just as he thought his heart would never give out and he could keep on fighting with Mary Fortune, he kills the spitting image of himself and is left alone with only nature.

The Lame Shall Enter First, A View of the Woods

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Flannery O’ Connor, in both of these short stories, demonstrates generational relationships unlike those that I’ve encountered before in literature. The child is traditionally considered the embodiment of the tabula rasa, or blank slate, one who is destined to become his or her future self from the effects of their environment and upbringing. The generic literary trope of the child is one of purity and moral innocence, however O’ Connor diverges sharply from this archetype by portraying three children as embodying some of the worst characteristics possible such as of greed, petulance and corrupt. Yet despite being horrible individuals, these characters still achieve the same effect as the trope- that is, reflecting the major faults of the main character. While I am at a loss for what these stories mean for the American dream, these two short stories changed my perception of the child.

Columbus and The Egg

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Looking back on Anderson’s short story “The Egg” I am wondering what the significance of the father’s insistence on Christopher Columbus’ duplicity (237).  Is Anderson trying to make a parallel between Columbus’ story and the story of the father? If so, what is the significance?

“A View of the Woods” Ideas of Nature

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I found O’Connor’s depiction of nature in the South to particularly compelling in her short story “A View of the Woods.”  In her first paragraph she sets the scene for the story set between “the red corrugated lake” and the “black line of woods” (54). Her focus on dirt and clay is apparent throughout the story and I found O’Connor’s description of Mary Fortune on pages 58 and 59 as “being thoroughly of his clay” and with “very fine, sand-colored hair” to be especially interesting.  I also found O’Connors varied description of the pine trees to be interesting from “sullen” (69) to “hellish” to witnesses at the end of the story (78).

This story’s central issue is “the lawn” which Mr. Fortune wishes to sell to Mr. Tillman to build a gas station in the name of progress (and also spite Mr. Pitts).  Marie Fortune strongly opposes (which is an understatement) Mr. Fortune on his plan as she plays with her siblings on “the lawn” and her father grazes her calves on it.  But most importantly she says, “we won’t be able to see the woods across the road” (63).  Mr. Fortune is confounded by her insistence on the importance being able to see these woods.  These conflicting ideas of nature come to a head on page 70 when Mr. Fortune looks out upon the view of the woods; “every time he saw the same thing: woods – not a mountain, not a waterfall, not any kind of planted bush or flower, just woods….A pine trunk is a pine trunk, he said to himself, and anybody that wants to see one don’t have to go far in this neighborhood” (70).  This quote reflects Mr. Fortune’s inability to find beauty in all nature.  For him nature ought to be either grand and majestic lie a mountain or waterfall or under man’s control to render it beautiful and orderly.

I wonder what you all think of O’Connor’s emphasis on nature in this piece and what moral message she is trying to express with this conflict over the view of the woods?

“The Lame Shall Enter First” What is selfishness?

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Throughout The Lame Shall Enter First, Sheppard continually references the joy he feels when “helping” others. For example, O’Connor notes regarding Sheppard’s work, “On Saturdays he worked at the reformatory as a counselor, receiving nothing for it but the satisfaction of knowing he was helping boys no one else cared about”(146). At first, this seems benign, After all, Sheppard is helping forgotten people in need. Further, after Sheppard sticks up for Johnson in the face of policeman, “[Sheppard’s] spirits were soaring. This is exactly what he needed”(179). Again, the pleasure Sheppard derives from helping Johnson is not inherently negative. However, as the story unfolds, Sheppard clearly does not have Johnson’s best interests in mind. In fact, he goes so far as to ultimately despise the child. Thus, O’Connor seems to be posing the question: How can one reconcile the joy they feel when helping others? At what point does this joy become counterproductive? Is helping others ever truly selfless?

Mr. Darwin and Mrs. Darwin

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The narration, often from Faith’s perspective, refers to Faith’s father as Mr. Darwin and the mother as Mrs. Darwin. Social Darwinism is the theory that there is a survival of the fittest among groups, countries, races, etc. Further, Tom’s ideas about race in Gatsby embody social darwinism. Thus, I wonder how the parents’ last name of Darwin relate to social darwinism? Surely, Mr. Darwin’s holocaust joke has something to do with it, but otherwise I’m pretty stumped.

Paley and Child-parent relationships

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In Grace Paley’s piece, Faith boldly declares her love for three different men. To this, her father becomes agitated, asking, “What did your mother and me do? We only tried to do our best”(280). First, the statement is potent as, several moments prior, Mr. Darwin acknowledges his ambivalence towards his “marriage” with his wife.  Thus, Paley seems to be playing with the theme of perception, asking, how could Mr. Darwin be so blind to his own actions?  Further, this quotation is also powerful as it ponders themes of parenting, posing the question, do Mr. Darwin’s actions truly affect Faith’s love life?

Ultimately, in The Great Gatsby, how does Fitzegerald respond to these questions regarding perception and parenthood? Would he answer them differently from Paley?

The Egg, Dreamer in a Dead Language

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There is a passage in the Egg that addresses that literature has become too hopeful, allowing for happy endings far too often. “IT is a hopeful literature and declares that much may be done by simple ambitious people who own a few hens. Do not be led astray by it.” Here, Anderson is reinforcing the tragic ending of Gatsby, that Gatsby’s simple ambition was insufficient to achieving his goal. To have wealth is not enough, but rather social acceptance as well.

Ambition in Anderson

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The part I found the most fascinating in Anderson’s piece was in regards to ambition. The narrator’s parents were perfectly happy and content with their simple life together at the beginning. Once they had a child, however, they became ambitious people (though at different times), although not for themselves. What I found particularly interesting was that the parents were ambitious for their child. This reminded me of the theme we discussed earlier about the American Dream having to do with providing for future generations. Do you think this plays into the version of the American Dream seen in Gatsby at all? Why / why not?

Connection to Gatsby- Anderson

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The narrator’s use of his father in Anderson’s story really makes me think of Jay Gatsby. Both men tried to put on a performance to win over the affection of people, Daisy for Gatsby and the towns people for the narrator’s father. Nonetheless, both ultimately failed. Just how Daisy is a representation to Gatsby of money (success, fulfillment), so are the towns people to the narrator’s father. Coincidentally, both Daisy and the towns people are wealthier and more well off than their constituents.  The disdain felt by both Daisy and the Joe Kane (he laughed at the narrator’s father attempt to entertain him) connects to their status and rubs in the lack of importance of both Gatsby and the narrator’s father.

I also think that the fact that the family remains nameless to us reinforces their unfortunate irrelevance in the grand scheme of things.

The Epigraph

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Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her;

If you can bounce high, bounce for her too,

Till she cry ‘Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover,

            I must have you!’

            -Thomas Parke D’Invilliers

This quote by Thomas Parke D’Invilliers not only represents the main character in Fitzgerald’s first book, This Side Of Paradise but it is also a pen name for Fitzgerald himself. This is important to understanding the novel because this quote talks about using material deception in order to win someone’s affection. This is precisely what Gatsby does to try and win over Daisy, he wears a “Gold Hat.” He is desperate for her to claim her unwavering love for him, so much so that he will put on an illusion, do whatever he must if it will make her notice.

The Roaring Twenties

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One of the reasons why The Great Gatsby is considered to be such a significant American historical novel, I think, is due to the dynamic time period in which it was written. The novel takes place in New York City –– the early melting pot of America –– in the thick of the “Roaring Twenties,” an age characterized by dramatic social and political change. The Roaring Twenties were years of sustained economic prosperity and a growing cultural edge in the United States. Americans were swept into an affluent but unfamiliar “consumer” society; technology in the form of automobiles, telephones, motion pictures, and radio began to play a primary role in American lifestyle; jazz music blossomed during this era; and gender roles and social classes were beginning to adapt to the changing times. Above all, the Twenties were a time of a growing “American” spirit of self-definition and novelty associated with modernity and a break from tradition. Do you think that Fitzgerald’s novel critiques or upholds the values of this time? How do his characters embody the certain attitudes present in this unique period?

The Unexpected Revenge

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In the end Gatsby is shot dead in the pool, which is unsatisfying to me as the reader . We need to look back and ask why did Gatsby die? The answer is really unexpected and heartbreaking. Gatsby is shot by George Wilson whose wife is hit and killed by a car on the road. Because George was told that Gatsby is the driver of the “death car” (137), he mistakenly murdered Gatsby with a vengeful act. The truth is that Gatsby is not the one who drove the car but he intentionally does not let other people know beside Nick. He sacrifices his life for the his love one, Daisy, the real driver of the death car.

“over dreamed”

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A thought of Nick’s that I found to be particularly insightful to Gatsby’s character was his realization that Gatsby had perhaps “over dreamed” the idea of Daisy to the point that she would inevitably let him down, “not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his allusion” (96, 95). Gatsby has a very specific vision for his life with Daisy, right down to how the grass on the lawn should look on the day they reunite. Gatsby has spent years constructing this vision with Daisy at its center piece, and when it all finally comes together, the girl from his past that he has kept perfectly preserved in his mind is now an evolved woman who has experienced things, love and marriage, without him. Dreams and aspirations are crucial to happiness of people. They provide hope and motivation. Fitzgerald portrays this in Gatsby’s character, a man who came from nothing and made something of himself because he had a goal, a dream. But, dreams can be harmful. Gatsby’s dream was of the past. It only limited his purpose on earth, and rooted him to a concept that could never be realized. Gatsby’s failure to realize the power of time and absence, and the rapidness at which people evolve and change is what eventually led to his demise.

Daisy and Tom’s Kid

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I thought that Daisy’s short dialogue with her child on page 117 was very off-putting, and it filled with a very negative outlook on her character. Daisy calls the child “precious” and then asks for the child to perform in front of the guests. Daisy seems to view the daughter as a kind of shiny decoration in the house and not with a typical maternal affection. Important to keep in mind is that the daughter is barely ever mentioned in the novel. Perhaps the diminished role of the daughter further illustrates the novel’s pervasive notion that relationships are transactional and mainly motivated by financial gain.

Nick’s Inability to settle the East

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Following the tragedy, Nick concludes that perhaps Westerners, specifically he, Jordan, Gatsby, Tom and Daisy, possessed “some deficiency” that makes them “subtly unadaptable to Eastern life” (176). With this language Nick, portrays Easterners and Westerners as different species. Despite the clear differences in morals and perspectives between these five characters, I do agree with Nick that they are similar in that they all hoped that the East would offer a fresh start similar to the way the frontier did for European immigrants. Ultimately the already-established culture in the East repudiates their ideas of it as a fresh start.

Nick as the Narrator

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I want to take a moment to talk about Nick’s role as the narrator and question why he chooses not to tell his own story but instead tells us Gatsby’s. It is on p. 135 that he rather abruptly stops the story to tell the reader that it is his birthday. This comes right after the heated argument in the hotel between Gatsby and Tom over Daisy. It’s as though he considers their lives more important than his, and I would like to know why.

An example of this comes in his relationship with Jordan. Throughout the novel, I was curious as to whether or not something romantic was happening between them. They spent a lot of time together with the love triangle (Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom), so it would make sense that they then turned to each other for support. I think I first put two and two together when Nick comments, “I’d  had enough of all of them for one day, and suddenly that included Jordan too” (142). That “Jordan too” made me wonder why Jordan was special enough to get that extra recognition. To my knowledge, Nick only ever confirms their relationship at the end of the novel when he says that was “half in love with her” (177). It seems strange to me for a man to put himself so far on the sidelines when telling his own story. It’s mentioned that he tells this two years after Gatsby’s death (163), so maybe something that time span has something to do with Nick’s narration style? I’m not sure, but I would like to continue talking about his role in the story.