Think of the characters that have been introduced thus far: Ephram, Maggie, Ruby, Ma Tante and Celia.
How does the way the characters see themselves differ from how others see them? How do YOU see the various characters?
Do any of the characters remind you of you or someone you know? How?
Finally, what do you believe is motivating the actions of Ephram, Maggie or Celia?
Answer any or all of these questions. Take your time. No need to answer them all at once. To draw us into the book more and for a better understanding, use quotes from the book to support your answers. Most of all, REPLY to other readers. Let's interact with each other as much as we can virtually. =)
Please read chapters 4 through 7 for Monday's discussion.
How does the way the characters see themselves differ from how others see them? How do YOU see the various characters?
Do any of the characters remind you of you or someone you know? How?
Finally, what do you believe is motivating the actions of Ephram, Maggie or Celia?
Answer any or all of these questions. Take your time. No need to answer them all at once. To draw us into the book more and for a better understanding, use quotes from the book to support your answers. Most of all, REPLY to other readers. Let's interact with each other as much as we can virtually. =)
Please read chapters 4 through 7 for Monday's discussion.
Whew, this book is something serious! Ok...
ReplyDeleteEphram- I get the impression that he has lived in the shadows of shame from the event that took place with his mother and also, the town's opinion of his father. I really don't think others view him that way. He's sociable. He does appear trapped in his own mind. In one of the chapters (exact location unknown), he looks at himself really well for the first time. I thought that strange considering he's no longer a young boy. I feel like he's never had to think for himself in some ways. Especially with Celia around...
Which brings me to Celia- She sees herself as a mother and caretaker of her brother and father. Ephram sees her as nurturing but stern as well. She wants Ephram to comply with what she wants for his life but I don't doubt that she has his best interest at heart. I think she's the quintessential small town woman. She knows everything about everyone and tends house.
Maggie- others view her as intimidating and a bit of a menace. She's tough and everything that a proper young lady is not. She seems to try and prove her invincibility to others. We get a glimpse of a compassionate being when it comes to Ruby Bell. I haven't sorted out why except the fact that she's physically attracted to her as in a relationship.
Ruby- she's still a bit confusing to me. She's the product of a rape. She sees herself "uppidity or sadity". She loves the attention she receives from Maggie and Ephram among others. This may be due to the lack of attention at the home she resides in Neches. She's obviously the object of 2 persons' affection. I'm interested to see how this plays out in the rest of the book.
Honestly, Ephram reminds me of....ME! I say that because growing up in Plaquemine I always felt inferior. I didn't feel pretty enough or light enough, etc. I spent my younger years perfectly fine with fading into the background. On the other hand, I was involved in everything under the sun. I had lots of friends/family who watched me blossom so it was a contradiction. A walking oxymoron like he is!
At this point of the story, a childhood infatuation is motivating Ephram. Celia is attempting to prevent him from dealing with the wiles of such a woman who is visibly insane. (Present day)
Maggie is attempting to get help for Ruby from Ma Tante by way of conjuring or whatever it is that she does (Flashback)
Feel free to negate any points, I'm interesting in seeing others POV
I don't care for Celia. Everything about her seems extremely judgmental and completely overprotective. She belittles Ephram. She is a part of the reason that he views himself the way he does.
DeleteI don't think that Ruby necessarily sees herself as uppity, although that's how she comes across. I think that she was sexualized at an early age and as a result learned that her body and looks were how she could get what she wanted for others.
DeleteEphram is compassionate and a pleaser of people!!! I love him!
DeleteI didn't consider that Charnel, good point!
DeleteThanks Monique. I think that the part where Ma Tante has Ruby in the house and is asking all those questions was symbolic of her being raped, but I could be wrong.
DeleteI agree about the looks Ms. Jackson. In those days, looks were everything. If you were too black you were frowned on and the longer your hair was, the prettier you appeared to others. They even mention that in the book when they described the "Bell sisters", but that is in chapter 4, so I will not elaborate. I think that is why everyone frowned on Ruby too, because she was pretty and educated and raised by a white woman for a period of time. They did not like that!
DeleteEphram - I don't think that Ephram thinks much of himself one way or another as an adult. He seems to be a people pleaser. He does what he's told by others and moves on to the next task. The images he had of himself as a child seemed to be tied to his mother's mental illness, his father, who I suspect was a womanizer, and his love of Ruby. Despite the negative things in his world as a child he felt worthy of being with Ruby and stood up to MaTante and fought back against Maggie to prove it. All of these things perhaps shaped him into the person he became as an adult, but also make me wonder where and how he lost himself. It seems to be his undying affection toward Ruby that finally gets him to look at himself and finally challenge those who he has been easily swayed by in the past.
ReplyDeleteMaggie -
I think was a lesbian before homosexuality was accepted by society. Although she portrays herself as having this rough and tumble exterior, I wonder if this is merely a defense mechanism to protect the soft hearted and caring person who resides within her. She seems to feel safe with showing that side of herself to Ruby, but will allow her hard external side to reappear should she feel threatened. I believe that she does feel threatened by Ephram when it comes to Ruby as she isn't sure about where Ruby's attraction and desires are focused. I think that although others see this girl who can fight like a man, she's really an insecure little girl who doesn't know how she fits into a world that's not quite ready for her.
Ruby
Ruby seems to be a trouble spirit who has been hurt in many ways. She has many secrets which may be the catalyst for her complete break down later in life. She initially seems to take pride in her beauty and her looks, but I wonder if it was merely a means to justify the ends and get her the attention she was seeking. She, just as Maggie seemed to present one thing to the world, but possess something very different within. As she ages, it seem that the broken inner Ruby presents her true self to the world whether Ruby wants her to or not.
MaTante
MuTante seems to have a negative and misunderstood reputation because she's different. I see her as a very observant and knowledge keeper of secrets because although many come to her with their problems, the problems never seem to leave her. I think that she's tired from keeping such heavy secrets without an outlet. That she is becoming as mentally troubled as those who come to see her and that she doesn't have anyone to help soothe her troubled soul.
She reminds me of myself because as a therapist, I am a keeper of secrets and if I don't practice self care and and have a good circle of therapist to bounce things off of, I would be weighed down, worn and tired too!
Celia
Celia is what I'd call a woman child. She sees herself as being this wonderful matriarch who takes care of her family, which she does. However, I think that she doesn't have the maturity to be a true matriarch. I think others see her as a good sister and daughter who has taken good care of her family. She doesn't seem to have a life of her own at this point and pours all of her energy into Ephram and the house. The result is a young woman who attempts to rule with an iron fist because she doesn't know any different after having to learn to care for herself, her father and her brother at the age of 14. She doesn't seem to have the life experiences that help us to develop into well rounded individuals.
WOW! Charnel, it never occurred to me until now that a therapist would need a therapist as an outlet to release everything they take in from patients and probably friends and family too.
DeleteI think Ma Tante is sooooo interesting and intriguing. I hope this isn't the last that we see of her. I can see her character truly making this novel a masterpiece.
Did you translate the words that she was saying in French? I didn't but another reader did. She told me what they said and OMG. I think I want to reread chapter just to get to know Ma Tante more.
Yes, to maintain your own sanity you have to have that support network or even seek counseling yourself at times. After hearing all day about things that most people wouldn't even imagine happening to other people, you've got to release it and learn to leave it at work. Thankfully I have a good team in both of my jobs.
DeleteI'm intrigued by Ma Tante too!!! I understood a few of the words. Now you have me curious so I'll have to go look them up. I did know that Ma Tante means my Aunt. It'll be interesting to see if that means something later on.
I considered translation as well because she seems interesting
DeleteI agree with you Ms. Jackson in relation to Celia. She is just a child filling the shoes of a woman and she is doing what she thinks is right. She has not had time to live and experience.
DeleteAs for Ma Tante, I agree how important it is to care for self. When you are used to helping others with their problems, you need to have an outlet as well. Most of what she says is French, but when she addresses the spirits, the language changes. It is almost as though she is speaking in tongues. I found some to be Dutch, Japanese, Hebrew and some was just gibberish. I could not go on until I translated most of what she told Ruby and the spirits. I was intrigued with the 12 spirits present according to Ma Tante and looking up the number 12, it could mean a plethora of things. Twelve completes a cycle, among other things. Take a look and see what you think.
A great read so far!!!! Ephram is being held to his feelings for Ruby from years ago. His heart is wide opened for Ruby. However his feelings for Ruby are being compromised by an overbearing sister/mother Celia. I'm not sure about Maggie yet. Don't wanna assume too much right now. Maybe next few chapters will give me some more on Maggie. Motivation for Ephram and Celia is love. Fear could be the motivation for Ruby.
ReplyDeleteThe bully in Maggie reminds me so much of myself. lol
DeleteI can agree with Maggie being the bully!!!! Not you though!!
DeleteI agree with you Mrs. Vanessa, I am not sure about Maggie just yet. I just think she is the way she is because of her situation at home. She has a lot of siblings and when that happens, you basically fit in where you can. It is hard for me to say she has lesbian tendencies because she just comes off as a person who needs love and wants to give love and Ruby is the one for now. I am really anxious to see her character develop more.
DeleteHmmmm where to start...as a young boy, Ephram seems shy yet courageous, curious and desires to be liked by others. As a man, Ephram gives me a real "pushover" vibe. Although Celia has played the role of "Ma" the majority of his life, she still treats him like a little boy. I must say I was very disappointed in Ephram when he didn't go see Ruby exactly when he planned only because Celia mentioned that she now knew who Ephram wanted her to make a cake for. However, I was happy that he did finally get out the bed and go looking for Ruby.
ReplyDeleteRuby reminds me of most pretty young girls that simply stay close to those who constantly show them attention. While others see her as the most beautiful girl their town has seen, I'm not even sure Ruby sees herself as beautiful at all.
Maggie is rough around the edges either way you cut it! I do think that she has a soft spot and obviously her soft spot is for Ruby. People realize that Maggie is a force to reckon with and they don't want to come close to her bad side. However, just like the other two (Ephram and Ruby), Maggie is also a lonely soul.
Being noticed by Ruby is what motivates Ephram. I can't think of anything else that would.
RUBY- I was immediately captivated by the author’s description of the character’s eyes. First, in her description of Ruby, in chapter one, she wrote, “Her eyes the ink of sky, just before the storm” (pg 3, paragraph 2). Since hurricanes are mentioned, I instantly thought about the calm before the storm. Ink of the sky before a storm is dark and pressure is brewing and rising. There is not always a calm before the storm, but in my research I found that sometimes there is a combination of pressure and wind to create a brief stillness before a storm breaks. There are several colors the sky can be before a storm; however, it is dark and unsettled, just like Ruby. There is something deep going on with her. When the author said, “Ephram Jennings had seen the gray woman passing like a haint through the center of town since she’d returned to Bell land in 1963” (pg. 3, paragraph 5), I thought that this poor child obviously has gone through something horrible. Symbolically, gray is a detached color. It is an unemotional color between the colors of black and white. Since black is associated with darkness, fear and the unknown, and white is symbolic of purity and innocence, my thoughts are this young lady has been stripped from her innocence in some type of way and is having a hard time internally and externally. The book hints around that she possibly was raped, but it has not come out and mentioned it directly. A haint is a “restless” spirit and the author refers to a haint several times. First she mentions it when Ephram watches Ruby move through town to stand in front of P & K Market in her description of how Ruby moved through town, and then she mentions it when Ma Tante performed her conjuring of spirits in Ruby. Being a native of Lafayette, LA, I had to translate the language. Some of it was Cajun French and some of it was like speaking in tongues when she spoke directly to these spirits that took over Ruby’s soul. Ma Tante revealed that Ruby was possessed with not 1 but 12 spirits. She told the spirits to remove themselves from this baby girl, to unleash her soul and “go ride another horse” ( pg. 43, paragraph 1).
ReplyDeleteI was disturbed on how the town viewed Ruby. Maggie, Ephram, and Ma Tante are the only ones who seem to take positive interest in her. For example, when she stood in front of the store and urinated down her leg, the response from the men was cruel to me. They just sat there and laughed. I was appalled. Then, when Celia figured Ephram wanted to bring cake to Ruby, she called it a “ho-cake”. That is surely insulting. Another time the novel portrayed a negative image in relation to Ruby is how the author described how the men barely glanced up when Ruby walked by and they spit tobacco juice to mark her arrival. They even whispered jokes when she passed by. For whatever reason, the town holds no respect for this young lady. I infer that either they were jealous of her for leaving and being raised by a white woman, or they lost respect for her and blamed her for what happened to her that caused her to “slip into madness” (page 5, paragraph 1). The author repeats the color of red in describing Ruby or her surroundings. She mentioned the “red clay” when she urinated in town, “red lipstick” she wore when she first returned back home, and she got off the “red bus”, “red socks” Ephram wanted to give her, or the “red juice” streaming down her face during the conjuring with Ma Tante. Red symbolizes pain, destruction, and violence. It could also be the color of love, seduction and passion, but it is obvious that here, Rub is dealing with pain and destruction due to a violent act.
Even though she has gone through a lot and is dealing with a lot of pain, she still has a sweet soul that is apparent when she talks with Maggie and Ephram. She reminds me of a one of my former students who was raped by her stepfather. Everyone shunned her and talked about her, even her own mother. That poor baby had a hard time too, especially when she found out she was pregnant. It was almost like her inner person got lost and she was fading away. But when you spoke to her, she was still sweet and mild-mannered, but there was so much pain. Her smile was like the sunshine when she did smile, and she was so giving and caring for others.
ReplyDeleteEPHRAM-The author said his eyes had a violet rimming around the brown of his irises. “Soft like the petals of spreading periwinkle”(page 7). Violet represents the future and the imagination and spiritual emotions. It is a calming color. It is a perfect match for Ephram. Even though this young man is experiencing pain physically and emotionally, he still perseveres. He has had a crush on Ruby for years, and it has not left, even after the unfortunate change in her. He has his mind made up and he is not conforming to society. The sweet thing is that he is polite about it too. He really has not gotten out of line with anyone. He tries to respect everyone he comes into contact with. He is soft as a flower and a very inspirational character. Even after he has to deal with his pain on both levels, he still finds simple joys. He is very optimistic and determined. He still finds beauty in Ruby and I think that is so romantic. He is like the man who wants to kiss away all the hurt and pain. In my research it says that violet is unconventional and original. It hates to copy anyone else. It represents intuitive, selfless, and humanitarian, all of which I find in Ephram’s character.
ReplyDeleteI thought about Job in the Bible when reading about Ephram. This young man has unwavering faith! I am Team Ephram! I absolutely love him! I just want to hug him!
MAGGIE- Maggie’s character is a survivor. She has had to fight and that is what she is used to, especially with all of her siblings. She has not had a chance to be a baby or a child. She has had to get in where she fits in and the only way she knows how is by being rude and by fighting for what she wants. I do admire how protective she is of Ruby. She is very protective and loyal. I am not sure if I want to believe she is a lesbian. I think that she is just loving on whoever will accept it. Ruby needs love and Maggie is there. Maggie is also very resourceful. She is very knowledgeable of a lot of things and knows how and where to get things done. Tis as shown when she took Ruby to Ma Tante. As they entered her yard, there were bottles of different colors hanging on the tree. She said, “That there’s a soul tree. They’s souls in them bottles” (page 31). She even showed Ephram the “right” way to catch fish and had him collect twigs so they could fry them up and eat what they caught. Like I said, she is very resourceful.
ReplyDeleteCELIA- She is just a young lady who had to fill in the gap without notice. You know back in those days, people did not leave their blood hanging. You did what you had to do to survive. Family is all they had. Celia had to fill in where her mother was absent. I do not think she is trying to be rude and ugly, she just mimics and imitates what she heard and saw growing up. She had to grow up quickly, so her views about life were never established, she just took on the views she was taught in her household. Obviously religion was a major factor since her father is a preacher, so a lot of her views were biblically based. If anyone did things outside of the religious norm, they were shunned. She was very superstitious like the town. For example on page 34, there was a list of things such as, “never hang your panties on a clothesline, be ever watchful of red powder in your shoes, never borrow or lend salt, etc.”(page 37, paragraph 1). She wanted to do what she was taught was right, and she wanted Ephram to do the same. I think she did not want him to be a social outcast or be connected to anyone else who was.
ReplyDeleteMA TANTE- She is the archetypical voodoo character. She is scary initially but very essential. Even though she was tough, she did show emotions towards the children. As she said, her problem is that she takes on everyone else’s problems. “I take in too many people sin when I was young” (page 45, paragraph 6). She proceeds to tell Ruby that is why her eyes and nails are “yellow like piss in the sun” 9page 46). Analyzing ma Tante’s character, the meaning of yellow that fits her character is being critical. Yellow could be not emotionally tied, and an analyzer, constantly looking at both sides. In my research, the dark side of yellow involves betrayal, madness, and caution. We do see a soft side to Ma Tante as she cares for the children, but she has detached herself emotionally as a result of all the problems she has taken on. She has almost grown numb to emotions. Like on page 51, paragraph 1, she states, “ Ain’t nobody ever gone answer your cries. You can fill a well with tears, and all you gonna get is drowned. You sit there long enough and the crazy man find you, etc.”
ReplyDeleteMa Tante reminds me of myself a bit. I am the one everyone turns to, my family, my students, my friends. Even though I really enjoy helping, and I get joy out of being able to help others, it can weigh you down if you are not careful. The funny or peculiar thing is I am great at helping other people and encouraging them, but when it comes to my own problems, I shut myself down and do not allow myself to react. I think I try to be too tough. Within this past year I had a horrible incident with my brother that went very wrong. It hurt me so bad because I am so giving of myself. I jut could not believe that my brother said some of the hurtful things he said. The tongue is a powerful weapon. I think I woud’ve preferred being shot or cut instead of hearing him say such cruel words. It broke me all the way down. I was so broken, I had to go to a therapist to shake back from it. The therapist helped me realize some things about myself that I see in Ma Tante.