The Women with Nothing in their Hands
As we see Milkman's car break down in Charlemagne/Shalimar (I'm still confused which one is right), we get a glimpse of the rustic town that Milkman believes holds the Southern hospitality he wishes he had received in Danville. As he steps outside Solomon's General Store, he sees the "shotgun houses with wide spaces between them, a few dogs, chickens, children, and the women with nothing in their hands" and ponders on the idea of "wanting" one of the women (p 263). He specifically mentions their physical characteristics, their "wide sleepy eyes that tilted up at the corners, high cheekbones, full lips blacker than their skin, berry-stained, and long long necks", idolizing their resemblance to Pilate and fueling his desire to "want one of them". In his sex-craved scan of these women he blindly ignores every human characteristic of the women except for their elements of erotica. In fact, he is so focused on objectifying the women that when they "walked as if they were going somewhere", he is downright baffled by the idea that they don't carry purses. The stereotype he so assuredly places these women in can be attributed to his patriarchal upbringing from his father. Furthermore, the situation described in this scene is representative of a larger, more apparent motif of "peeing" on women throughout the entire novel. To believe that women have nothing better to do, to believe that they have no ambitions, to believe that the only thing they are expected to carry is a purse, and to believe that they ought to submit to the will of men is a familiar crime that Toni Morrison expertly exposes through these "peeing" scenes. Toni Morrison, when asked why she insisted on the label "Woman in Black", replied that she finds it as a very "broad, deep, wide pool to draw from. It's richer than some other label . . . I don't want to be an honorary male writer." She is proud of her womanhood, and that is something she will forever carry in her hands.
I like how you related a small snippet of the description of the town to many prevalent issues and messages Morrison conveys throughout the novel as well as the literary criticism we read in class. Also, the video of Morrison that you included supported and added more to your blog .
ReplyDeleteI agree with your viewpoint of how Macon's beliefs skew his view of the world and like how you analyze the effects of this. I also like how you connected this theme to men disrespecting women and how men think they are superior throughout the novel. Well written!
ReplyDeleteNice job of analyzing the description of the women; it gave a lot of insight to Milkman's views. The video clip was also really interesting
ReplyDeleteGreat attention to detail Marvin! By paying attention to the specific details of the women he describes, it shows how his dad has influenced him. It greatly adds the reoccurring theme in the novel about how men overpower women and disrespect them.
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