Different, Yet The Same

     Even though the short stories, “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?,” “Good Country People,” and “Everyday Use” have drastic differences, they are more alike than we may initially think.  Irony is ever-present in all three stories, which unites them in a way.  

     In “Where Are You Going…” the irony is found in the names of the protagonist and the antagonist.  The name of the main girl (aka damsel in distress) is Connie, which is short for Constance.  Now, symbolically that means that she should be steadfast in all of her ways and basically consistent in life.  BUT au contraire, she is quite the opposite:  “Everything about her had two sides to it, one for home and one for anywhere that was not home …” (Oates 673).  At home, Connie plays the innocent card (you know, acting “childlike”), but when she’s out on the town with her friend, she tries to be sexy and mature.  This burning desire to appear older and attractive is what eventually leads Connie to her antagonist, Arnold Friend.  The irony here is that Arnold is no friend at all, but really a...wait for it…fiend (an evil spirit; devil…gasp!)!  He appeals to her by dressing “the way all of them dressed,” and making himself appear to be a friend at first, but then he reveals his true colors...which leads to her destruction.

     Sticking with the theme of ironic names, this literary technique is also utilized in “Good Country People.”  In this case, the main character’s given name is Joy.  The irony here is that she isn't a very joyful person.  This is no surprise considering the fact that her mother, Mrs. Hopewell, still considers her to be a child “though she was thirty-two years old and highly educated” (O’Connor 188).  Yeah, this would make me upset too.  The epitome of angry child outbursts:  “If you want me, here I am—LIKE I AM” (190).  That sure doesn't scream happiness. Also, Joy is also unsatisfied with her name, which leads her to her act of defiance:  getting her name legally changed to Hulga, which, not to be rude, is more befitting for a grotesque character whose wooden leg gets stolen (that was just bizarre).

     Yeah, you guessed it…there is also name irony in “Everyday Use.”  Dee is the oldest daughter in this story, and after converting to Islam, she changes her name to Wangero, which is an African name.  Dee claims that she changes her name because she “couldn't bear it any longer being named after the people who oppress [her]” (Walker 746).  This is ironic because the name Dee was passed down the generations from women who loved her and did not oppress her, beginning with her great-grandmother. (On another note, her own mother can’t pronounce the name, so I guess Dee couldn't pick an easier name…how rude.)

     In essence, these stories are one and the same...well kind of.  You get the idea. :-)

TCP. . .The End

Well, here it is...the end of my blogs about TCP. Letters 61-90:

I'd like to start off with a little irony.  According to Nettie, the Africans have "the strongest, cleanest, whitest teeth" while the white people teeth is "crooked, usually, and blackish with decay."  Yuck.  This is ironic because a lot of people think that Africans don't live in the cleanest conditions, yet they are healthier than the Europeans.

Furthermore, in letter 61 Nettie writes that the African man's "Christian" name is Joseph.  I believe that this means that the whites gave the Africans new names because the traditional African names weren't "civilized" enough, or the whites just couldn't pronounce them and didn't care to try...yeah, that's probably it.

I also found the similarities between the Olinka and whites to be interesting.  For example, the Olinka only allow males to get a  school education.  Nettie says, "They're like white people at home who don't want colored people to learn" (156).  Also, when Nettie describes the Olinkas' reaction to the building of the new road she says that they welcome it because "like the white people back home. . .they think they are the center of the universe, and that everything that is done is done for them" (168).  This is so amazing because oftentimes people are so quick to notice the differences between different groups before we notice how we're alike.

The color purple is finally mentioned in letter 73 when Shug and Celie talk about how they each envision God.  Celie is stuck in the idea that God is a white man with a beard, while Shug declares, "I believe God is everything" (195).  Shug believes that God places little things around us to make us happy, and that "it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it" (196).  My interpretation of this is that knowing God is all about taking the time to enjoy the little things in life like nature--purple flowers to be exact.  This is also one of the themes of the novel.

One of the most powerful quotes of the book is in letter 74.  After telling Mr. __ how she really feels, Celie says, "I'm pore, I'm black, I may be ugly and can't cook. . .But I'm here" (207).  Another great quote is in letter 89 when Celie finally realizes that she can be happy without Shug:  "If she come, I be happy.  If she don't, I be content. And then I figure this the lesson I was suppose to learn" (283).

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I am glad that I finally read it.

My only critique is that the letters should be dated because it is difficult to notice the passage of time throughout the book.  The only way to know how much time has passed is when a phrase like "it's been five years since we talked" is stated in a letter or when Nettie describes how long they have been on the missionary trip.  Other than that, the quality of the story is not really lowered due to this.

Walker's use of imagery was very vivid (and graphic), which made it easier to picture what was happening in the story.  In addition, I do think that seeing the movie version of the book first worked out in my favor because I could picture the characters and even the action more clearly.

Even though the story is about an abused black woman in the South, The Color Purple should be added to everyone's "Have Read" list.