The dichotomy of love and disdain living side-by-side is what surprises me.
Chapter 19, pages 301-304 genuinely stuck out to me. Women in the 50s usually had hired 'help' for assisting to the care of their children, cooking, and cleaning. Social classes were perceptible in each situation: white women had the nice houses and perfect lives, whereas black women lived in poor conditions, working hard for what they want in life. The section gives examples how many black women help a family for long periods of time, thus developing friendships and bonds with the women and children, even though society tells them that they are too different to even communicate as being anything more than working for the white families. The women and children often spend so much time together that it was difficult for them not to form a friendship, especially when the help basically raise their lady's children. This depicts the love side, but as for hate, these women develop such strong feelings (even though they strive not to), that they hate the boundaries that are supposed to be there. A white women would never admit to her other friends that she had befriended her help, or that her child calls her help 'mom' instead of her. The children, loving and accepting of their maids, also hated the boundaries because they didn't understand them. At home, being half raised by their help, they are taught that blacks and whites are the same, just a different color; at school, however, they are taught that black children are too different, dumb, and unworthy of attending school with them - that the white is the superior race. It is the "dichotomy of love and disdain living side-by-side" is what is frustrating to both races alike. Love and hate, as opposites, might as well be the same thing in all actuality.They are both such strong, intense feelings that sometimes it is hard to differentiate between the two.
"It is a curious subject of observation and inquiry, whether hatred and love be not the same thing at bottom. Each, in its utmost development, supposes a high degree of intimacy and heart-knowledge; each renders one individual dependent for the food of his affections and spiritual life upon another; each leaves the passionate lover, or the no less passionate hater, forlorn and desolate by the withdrawal of his object."-- Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter
ReplyDeleteMade me think of that!
I feel that it's a little late to be saying this in response, but at the time, you seemed very excited about The Scarlet Letter, because you mentioned it a lot in class! But hey, I'm pretty pumped myself for more English(we need a Journalism/Creative Writing class!)!
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