Before this class, I have not been such a fan of re-reading, but I think Dr. Cook is on to something here. The first time we read "The River" was at the beginning of the semester, and now after much more exposure to O'Connor, I have noticed many little subtle details that I did not notice the first time, and from what we know of O'Connor, no such little detail is accidental.
At the bottom of page 157, there is the description of the picture with the man wearing a white sheet. Now of course, my immediate assumption was that this was a KKK reference. I was thinking perhaps an ancestor of the Connins was an honored member or something. Then on page 160, O'Connor reveals that this is supposed to be Jesus, and once again, the description "man in the sheet" is used. What a juxtaposition! I don't think this can be any accident. If O'Connor wanted to just describe Jesus, she could have said "flowing robes" or a "white robe" or something like that, but in this time in the South, the concept of wearing a "white sheet" only had one very serious connotation only. But the question is, what on earth could O'Connor be doing with this? What effect would there be in linking Jesus to the white sheet connotation? I don't have any answer. Maybe I am wrong, but I cannot see the white sheet reference as arbitrary, taking into account the political climate of this time.
Now for the other minor detail I have noticed. This will sound very politicall incorrect, but knowing O'Connor, I think it makes all the difference in the world: are the Connins African American? Does it matter? For the first read, I didn't even consider this, but on pg. 156, there is a small detail. As Bevel is noticing Mrs. Connin's teeth, the narrative voice states that the teeth are decaying, with "some darker than her face." Now maybe I am reading too much into this, but this really stood out to me. If the family is white, how could decaying teeth be darker than the skin color? I tried to look for any other references to race and couldn't find any. Can anyone spot anything I may have missed?
Now, the race of the Connins really does not matter either way for the story, but knowing how race is such a loaded topic for O'Connor stories, I wonder what she may be doing here. If they are African American, it would certainly widen the divide between the two families. In all the other stories, she makes it a point to address the characters race, using the word Negros, etc. If they are African American, why is she so subtle about it here, and what might it be saying to place the image of wearing a white sheet in a picture in their home?
As I said, I may be way off here because I only have those few minor details to support any of this, but with O'Connor, I think we cannot take anything for granted as being accidental.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
About the sheet: I don't think that reading this image as referent to the KKK can be discounted, but I always read the description of that portrait as being seen through Bevel's eyes. He's seeing it through his own experience, and the closest he can approximate Jesus' big, white clothing is like a sheet that he sleeps on. He's only four or five; he doesn't have a ton of experience to draw from.
And on the teeth: I've known tons of white people with bad teeth. Yellow teeth, brown teeth, black teeth, all a shade apart from their pinkish skin. I guess I don't quite understand the jump your making, but if the Connins were black, it would be an interesting reading of Bevel's idea of race, especially because he's so young and from the city.
I agree about Bevel: this is from his experience, and you're right, that would be something he could compare it to, but still, I think the choice of O'Connor's to use such a loaded term means something, I am just not sure what.
And on the teeth, yea you're probably right. I don't know what I was thinking. I guess I am being too careful, that every little detail may mean something, but perhaps not.
I also thought the picture and what Bevel noticed in the picture was very interesting. I thought this scene was a nice contrast to the opening scene when Mrs. Connin is noticing the art on Bevel's parents' wall and saying how confused she is by it. I think these two scenes show the contrast in what is valued and important in Mrs. Connin's life and what is valued and important in his parents' life. I think this goes along with what we talked about in class with the bible and how each group of people valued it. The two different pictures also show the understanding that Mrs. Connin has of the parents' group, and the understanding that Bevel has of Mrs. Connin's world.
Post a Comment