"Blue in Green" by Miles Davis
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Coming of Age: A Critical Look at Point of View
Perspective is everything; perspective is nothing. The four Gospels of the Bible illustrate the contradictory nature of that statement. Four men tell the same story of Jesus, but from their personal perspective. Although the authors of the Gospels probably shared relatively equal time with Jesus, their particular perspectives paint paramount pictures of confusion in the most pertinent issue fundamental to Christianity: was Jesus divine? In the final Gospel of John, the perspective, or to be more clear, the point of view of John causes a dramatic shift in the portrayal of Jesus in regards to his divinity, in direct comparison to the other 3 Gospels. Simply, it is amazing such an important idea, the divinity of Jesus, perishes or flourishes because of something seemingly so trivial, point of view. This raises peculiar questions, perhaps beyond the scope and mental faculties of our esteemed Founding Fathers, who were sadly morally stumped by peculiar institutions; do all point of views hold equal validity? If one is deluded by ignorance, or one is mired in naiveté, is such a person’s point of view relevant, or even trustworthy? Or is it maybe – the blind leading the blind – the stumbling block being foolishness? In Ralph Ellison’s Battle Royal, and in James Joyce’s Araby, both authors struggle to answer these questions about point of view, and in doing so, further the character development of their protagonists. In the midst of this character development, and because of the literary device point of view, Ellison and Joyce creates sexual coming of age stories for a young man and a young boy.
At the beginning of Battle Royal, Ellison lays the groundwork for point of view being the keystone of character development for later in the story. He does this by writing the story from the perspective of a young man naively esteeming his grandfather. The nameless narrator is also a young man straddling a thin line: betwixt the chasm of precocious youth: and yet, by no means an esteemed elder worthy of reverence and respect. His youth and inexperience becomes apparent as he learns revealing and troubling information about his grandfather. Furthermore, this knowledge puts him into a brief state of confusion when he states:
I could never be sure of what he meant. Grandfather had been a quiet old man who never made any trouble, yet on his deathbed he had called himself a traitor and a spy, and he had spoken of his meekness as a dangerous activity. It became a constant puzzle which lay unanswered in the back of my mind. (Ellison 16)
Ellison brilliantly uses point of view to illustrate a vivid picture of the narrator, and provides critical character development before his coming of age. The beginning of this coming of age is before the start of the Battle Royal. While still trying to understand the revelations of his grandfather, he is shocked to the core when the narrator states:
Then we were pushed into place. I almost wet my pants. A sea of faces, some hostile, some amused, ringed around us, and in the center, facing us, stood a magnificent blonde – stark naked. There was dead silence. (Ellison 19)
It is very interesting that the narrator almost wets his pants. Once again, Ellison uses point of view to further the sexual coming of age. Naturally, the idea of wetting one’s pants connotes images of childhood. Ellison juxtaposes the image of childhood with that of manhood in an ingenious and eye-opening light. When faced with his first “man like” situation, if you will, in the presence of a beautiful naked woman, the narrator quickly reverts to a child like nature. This is only possible because Ellison earlier establishes the narrator’s point of view with his grandfather and it allows him to further develop the narrator’s character.
The narrator’s child like state does not last for long. He so intently focuses on this naked woman, that he even notices the sweat around her nipples. He compares her breasts to the domes of East Indian temples. Moreover, his point of view definitely expands; it goes from that of a child to that of a man with startling alacrity. Because of point of view, Ellison is able to reveal the darker nature of the narrator and allows for further development of his character. The narrator says:
I wanted at one and the same time to run from the room, to sink through the floor, or go to her and cover her from my eyes and the eyes of the others with my body; to feel the soft thighs, to caress her and destroy her, to love her and murder her, to hide from her, and yet to stroke where below the small American flag tattooed upon her belly her thighs formed a capital V. (Ellison 19)
This passage completes the narrator’s sexual coming of age. Although previously akin to an innocent child, and almost wetting his pants, the narrator accepts the thinking of a man; he imagines touching the woman sexually, as most men would, but he also thinks to murder her as well. That thought is disturbing. However, armed with a mutable point of view, Ellison effortlessly illuminates the progression and character development of his protagonist.
The differences in the physical descriptions of women in Battle Royal and Araby are interesting: to say the least. If you will, allow me to mentally draw you a picture. Halle Berry. Angelina Jolie.
The narrator of Battle Royal highlights the sweat on nipples in a highly sexual manner; the narrator of Araby is much more conservative in his descriptions of Mangan’s sister. He writes:
She was waiting for us, her figure defined by the light from the half opened door. Her brother always teased her before he obeyed and I stood by the railings looking at her. Her dress swung as she moved her body and the soft rope of her hair tossed from side to side. (Joyce 22)
Joyce uses the point of view of a young boy to demonstrate the innocence and sincerity of youth. The narrator of Araby continually thinks of Mangan’s sister and he barely has control of himself, evidenced by his heart palpitations. He says, “When she came out in the doorstep my heart leaped. I ran to the hall, seized my books and followed her.” (Joyce 22) His lack of control grows into a kind of state of confusion. He then pines:
I thought little of the future. I did not know whether I would ever speak to her or not or, if I spoke to her, how I could tell her of my confused adoration. But my body was like a harp and her words and gestures were like fingers running upon the wires. (Joyce 23)
The sexual coming of age for the narrator in Araby is much less pronounced than in Battle Royal. It seems that Mangan’s sister is simply his first crush. He has strong feelings for her and he obviously admires her. Joyce uses the point of view of a love stricken boy to highlight this point. He simply cannot get her out of his head; as he follows her in the real world she follows him in the ethereal dream world of his mind. He says, “Her image accompanied me even in places the most hostile to romance.” (Joyce 22) Later, he says:
Her name sprang to my lips at moments in stranger prayers and praises which I myself did not understand. My eyes were often full of tears (I could not tell why) and at times a flood from my heart seemed to pour itself out into my bosom. (Joyce 23)
Joyce demonstrates how profound an effect Mangan’s sister has on the narrator. This is more evident because of the point of view Joyce utilizes. Not only did Joyce use the point of view of simply a boy watching a beautiful woman, Joyce even shows how he felt almost stalked by Mangan’s sister in his mind. It makes for quite a perspective.
While the narrator of Battle Royal spirals into darkness, reminiscent of Dante’s Inferno, the narrator of Araby fortunately stays in the light; he only wants the purple stuff [read drink]. Because the narrator of Araby is a young boy, and not a young man like in Battle Royal, the narrator of Araby is exponentially more innocent and more pure in his mental images of women. This is mainly where Joyce and Ellison differ in their uses of point of view, in terms of illustrating sexual thoughts. Also, the narrator of Araby perpetually has the point of view of a boy, while the point of view shifts from child, to young man, to man, in Battle Royal.
Because Ellison deliberately shifts the point of view, he adds a special emphasis on its supreme significance. Simply, the narrator of Battle Royal only grows and develops because he changed his point of view. These changes are essential to an understanding of the narrator. Had Ellison kept the point of view constant, we would not see the dark changes of the narrator. Conversely, Joyce kept the point view the same fundamentally; he simply showed more of the inner recesses of the narrator’s mind through his imagined stalking of Mangan’s sister.
In conclusion, both Ellison and Joyce brilliantly utilize the literary device point of view in order to shine much needed light on their respective protagonists. The consummate preacher and scholar, Martin Luther King Jr. borrows this literary device as well, he writes:
Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence when it helps us to see the enemy’s point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition. (King 143)
Deuces.
Bibliography/Works Cited
“Invisible Man”, Ralph Ellison
“Dubliners”, James Joyce
“I Have A Dream: Writings & Speeches That Changed The World”, foreword by Coretta Scott King, edited by James M. Washington
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