Concept of white trash 9/07/08

My first thought for these readings is definitely on "The River." For the first time, I completely related to the "Bevel" (child) character. Even though I don't consider my upbringings to be "white trash," I remember the first time I saw a Baptism. I remember seeing a the preacher yell out a heated prayer and then dunk the man's head under the water. They closed the curtain, so I never actually saw the man rise from the water. I put it together as Baptisms meaning that you are drowned in order to wash your sins. I never wanted to be Baptized! Anyway, Bevel's drowning in the end reminded me of my childhood memory and made me think about Baptisms in relation to revelations. I think in Bevel's case, his revelation was that only he could make his path. Even the preacher didn't take him seriously and "finish" the Baptism.

Does the message in the story mean it's better off to be dead than to be white trash? In Mrs. Turpin's mind, she'd probably say so. She would rather be black (and respectable!) then be white trash. It isn't even being poor that the characters in this story mind, it's having a "good disposition."

I can't help but wonder what this "good disposition" really means and if today we call it something else. Does it have to do with education? Politics? Religion? Can we draw similarities in the constant bantering of conservatives in primetime talk shows? Why is there such a dislike for the white trash? My entire life I let this term slide off my shoulder because I just assumed it was another stereotype that my mom tried so desperately to get rid of in my mind.

My interpretation of Mrs. Turpin's revelation was that she wasn't all that different from the other classes. Even as she was thinking and labeling the other classes, she notes that eventually they all muddle together. The "ugly" girl that attacked her probably targeted her because she "knew" that Mrs. Turnip would say one thing and think another. That is why Turpin said she felt like the girl knew her and had a specific reason for not liking her. I found Turpin's remarks in the waiting room much more offensive than the white trash lady, mainly because everything she was saying was sugar-coated and insincere. She was always thinking something else, and usually had some critical, judgmental thought about the ugly or white trash women. In fact, all she did was judge and criticize.

I'm not really sure if I understood the end of "Revelation." Was it that Mrs. Turpin was rationalizing her anger and frustration with feeling like she wasn't as good of a person as she thought? Was her "revelation" reversed? It seemed to me that she ended on the conclusion that no matter what happened, she was still right. Any thoughts?