Literature 'n shtuff

Nog steeds niet helemaal af :))

Désirée’s Baby

Plot summary

• Désirée is found as a toddler.
• Armands mother dies when he is 8.
• Armand falls in Love with Désirée and marries her.
• They get a baby together.
• Armand “softens” with respect to his behaviour to slaves.
• At 3 mo. old the baby “turns black”.
• Armand starts acting mean towards Désirée.
• Désirée is confused at first, but when she (quite late) finds out, she’s shocked.
• Désirée writes a letter to her “mom”, who replies she can come back (with the baby).
• Armand doesn’t want her anymore, and encourages her to leave.
• Désirée leaves. She doesn’t go home, suicide is hinted. What happens to her, we don’t know.
• Armand burns all Désirée’s and the baby’s stuff in a Bonfire.
• Armand finds out his mother was black from a letter she wrote to his dad.
• Thus he was the non-white parent that “turned the baby black”.

Characters

• Madame Valmondé: adoption mother of Désirée (from toddler age), couldn’t have children herself. Sees Désirée as a gift from God.

• Désirée: orphan, “desperately” in love with Armand, very shocked when she finds out (quite late) the child isn’t (fully) white. When she gets accused of being non-white, she’s in denial about it. Her true heritage is never confirmed.

• Old Aubigny: father of Armand, easy-going, not very strict for his slaves.

• Armand Aubigny: passionate, high social status, indifferent about social status initially. Inherited the plantation L’Abri, rules it with a iron fist. The baby makes him very happy (partially because it’s a boy), and he changes his attitude (he becomes more kind, “softended”). When he finds out the baby isn’t (fully) white, he “hardens” and starts acting mean towards Désirée (he doesn’t love her anymore because she hurt him).

• Zandrine: maid at L’Abri, takes care of the baby.

• La Blanche: slave from the plantation, with multiple sons, who was hinted to have a sexual relationship with Armand (because her son it partly white). Has a lighter skin tone than the rest of the slaves.

• Mother of Armand: a black woman, died when Armand was 8. (How the fuck do you not remember what your mother looked like when you were 8??)

Themes

• Racism: the behaviour of Armand, regarding his shifted attitude with respect to his wife and son, given the fact his son is non-white, as well as his treatment of his slaves, and the precense of slavery in the story in general.
• Denial: Désirée is in denial about the potential possibility of being non-white. Armand denies his wife and son the love they need.
• Indifference: Armand is initially indifferent about the social status-gap between him and Désirée. Armand is also indifferent about her leaving.
• Love: unconditional love between Désirée and Madame Valmondé. Armond is passionately in love with Désirée. She lights up his world. Désirée, in turn, is also “desperately” in love with Armand. Armand’s love, however is conditional, because it disappears when he finds out his son is not (fully) white.
• Blindness: Désirée, initially, doesn’t see that her son is non-white, and finds out much later than the other characters.
• Irony: the situational irony, that Armand is actually the non-white person in question, when the audience expected Désirée to be, given her unknown heritage.

Symbols

• Stone pillar: represents Désirée’s unknown heritage.
• Fine clothes: represents the wealth of the Aubigny family, and in turn, slavery.
• L’Abri: the plantation represents tradegy, despair; it’s not a place you’d want to be: people get treated awfully, the place is “sad-looking”, there’s unresolved feelings.
• Bonfire: represents Armand’s attempt to “purify” himself, to forget Désirée; a cleansing. It also leads to him finding the letters his mother wrote.

Discussion questions

• Do you think Desiree would be okay with being part black if it did not mean that Armand would end the relationship? I think she would not be okay with it. To understand this, we need to look at her reaction when she figures out the baby is non-white. “the blood turned like ice in her veins”, “she stayed motionless, with rave riveted upon her child, and her face the picture of fright”. When accused of being non-white, she “laughed hysterically” and “sent a despairing letter” to her adoption mother. From her reaction and following behaviour, we can conclude that being part black scares her. This takes place before Armand ends their relationship for good, so that cannot already have been on her mind. Maybe if she would have grown up in a more accepting environment, she would not have minded, but in the environment she is in, being black scares her. Therefore, I conclude she would not be okay with it.

• In what way is Madame Valmondé an atypical character in this story? Madame Valmondé is an atypical character because of her unconditional love for Désirée. Where other characters turn away in disgust when they find out Désirée is supposedly non-white, her mother fully accepts her, writing “My own Désirée: Come home to Valmondé; back to your mother who loves you. Come with your child.” This is even more suprising, given Désirée is not her own child, but adopted. Many characters from the same period would have disowned or sent away Désirée, as Armand did. However, Madame Valmondé did none of that. Instead, she unconditionally loves Désirée, despite potential race “issues”, and that makes her atypical for the time period the story is set in.

• Did Armand Aubigny know about his heritage all along? I think Armand did not know. Had he known, he might still have accused her for being part black as a method of cleansing his own reputation, in a way covering up his own heritage. However, in the story, we read he stopped loving her for the “unconscious shame she brought upon his home and his name.” This suggests he does actually sincerly believe Désirée is the cause of the baby being non-white, because he is emotionally impacted by it. Therefore, I think he did not know about his own heritage before reading the letter at the end of the story.

• There are some hints in the story that point to the ending. What are these points? “She scanned the baby narrowly, and then loocked searchingly ad Zadrine. ‘Yes, the baby has grown; has changed.’”, “Look at my hand, whiter than your, Armand.”

• Who is La Blanche and how is she important to the story? La Blanche is a black slave at L’Abri, who is hinted to have had a sexual relationship with Armand. She is a relevant character because her son being a quadroon implies Armand is partially black (\(\frac{1}{2} \cdot \frac{1}{2} = \frac{1}{4}\)).

• How is racial prejudice or black inferiority represented in the story? Racial prejudice and black inferiority is represented in the story in multiple ways. First off, the precense of slavery in the story. There is a clear social class difference and power imbalance between slaves and their masters. Furthermore, the visitors looking at the baby like some sort of “curiousity” and the rumours are also clear indicators of the sentiment at the time. Lastly, Armand rejecting Désirée and their son is also clearly a sign of racial prejudice.

Frankenstein

Plot summary

• Dr. Frankenstein is hiking in the mountains.
• He walks into the creature there. They are threatening eachother.
• The creature convinces Frankenstein to hear his story.

• The creature escapes from the lab and takes Frankenstein’s journal.
• It ends up in a village and is chased by the villagers.
• It finds refuge in an hovel nearby a cottage.
• It watches the cottagers, and likes their kindness towards eachother. They are sad, but it cannot figure out why. After a while, it finds out it’s poverty. It tries to help them at night.
• The creature learns about language and wants to learn it.
• It develops empathy, and notices Felix is more down than the rest.
• The creature figures out that books contain written language, conveying information.
• Sofie arrives, and starts getting language lessons, which the creature also uses to learn the language (French, ew!), which it does well.
• Felix reads Ruins of Empires to Safie (and thus also the creature).
• The creature finds books in the woods.
• The creature reads the papers he stole from the lab, and blames Frankenstein for making him so horrendous.
• It decides he wants to present himself to the cottagers, but wants to wait a few more months.
• The creatures devises a plan to introduce himself to De Lacy first. It is very nervous.
• The meeting fails horribly. De Lacy accepts him, but when the children come in, the creature gets beaten up and kicked out.
• The creature thinks the family might still accept him if he approaches them more carefully.
• The cottage is deserted. Felix comes back and sells the house even tho they cannot afford to live elsewhere.
• The creature burns the house out of revenge and ruins the garden.
• Not knowing where to go, it decides to go find Frankenstein in Geneva. (Question: how did it get all the way to France on foot, from the lab, if it’s such a long journey??)
• On the way, he saves the life of a girl and gets rewarded for it by being shot.
• The creature arrives in Geneva.
• It sees a kid in the woods and hopes to turn him into a companion (thinking children are innocent and non-prejudiced).
• It murders the kid (choked) because a) it’s Frankenstein’s brother, and b) he gets rejected (again).
• He tries to frame the nanny for it (by putting a photo from the boys jacket into hers).

• The creature demands Frankenstein to create him a wife (Eve). If Frankenstein does not do that, the creature will haunt him for the rest of his life.

• Frankenstein does create an Eve, but just before bringing her to life, he destroys her.
• The creature is mad, and kills both Frankenstein’s friend (Henry) and his bride (Elizabeth).
• Frankenstein decides to hunt the monster down and ends up on a ship in the artic.
• He dies from a fever. The creature commits suicide.

The whole story is actually told from the perspective of the captain of that ship.

Characters

• Victor Frankenstein: …

• The creature (nameless): created by Frankenstein. Superhuman. Exiled and rejected. Initially, in a lot of ways like a baby or alien; doesn’t know how to read emotions, doesn’t know language. Admires humans and wants to be like them, and wants approval and validation. In his head, he develops a (parasocial) relationship with the cottagers (calling them “friends”, “protectors”, and “his”). He adores and almost worships them. After getting repeatedly rejected, he turns evil.

• De Lacy: old blind man. Lives in the cottage with his children, Felix and Agatha. Is very respected by the them, and plays the guitar a lot.

• Felix: young man that lives in the cottage. Works somewhere else during the day. In the beginning of the story he is very sad, but he becomes happy once Safie arrives.

• Agatha: we don’t know a lot about her, but she seems very caring and thoughtful.

• Safie: Felix’s girlfriend. Married away? (Suggested, because she had “different feelings” when arriving at the cottage, and didn’t speak the language initially). Can sing very beautifully; not sure of the significance.

• William Frankenstein: the little brother of Frankenstein. Gets murdered by the creature.

• Dr. Frankenstein (Sr.): father of Frankenstein. A renowned Syndic (aka works in the government).

Intertextuality

• From Ruins of Empires, the creature learns history, government, religion, nations and society. It also confuses him, because he cannot understand how man can be both beautiful and powerful, as well as cruel.

• From Sorrows of Werter, it learns about domestic life, death and darker emotions. It also made him further question himself and the reason for his existence have an existential crisis.

• From Plutarch, it learns more about society and the importance of perspective and education (the law-givers vs soldiers argument).

• From Paradise Lost, the creature learns about religion and spirituality. It however, takes the story as a “true history”, rather than fiction. It compares himself to both Adam (being created from nothing and having nothing) and Satan (being neglected and despised).

Criticisms of society

• Why are people cruel? Why murder?
• Why inequality in wealth and status? Why property and money so important?

Themes

• (Power of) Knowledge: the creature’s appearance in mirror starts its self-doubt and self-hate. Ruins of Empires makes him question himself, since he does not have anything (wealth, status, friends), so what is he in society? The only thing he has is a horrifying body. Reading Sorrows of Werter, he contemplates the significance of his existance (would anyone miss him if he wouldn’t exist?), and Paradise Lost further solidified his position of an outcast.

• Solitude and rejection: the creature is alone and isolated, because he is literally one-of-a-kind. Furthermore, he gets rejected by everyone and thus lives in complete isolation.

• Corruption (or Lost innocence): the creature has a well-functioning moral compass throughout the story and is able to empathise with humans. However, as the story progresses, he repeatedly gets rejected and hurt by humans. This turns him evil; leading to revenge.

• Revenge: the creature takes revenge (for being emotionally hurt) in three ways: 1) burning the cottage down, 2) murdering Frankenstein’s brother, 3) framing the babysitter for it.

• Prejudice: throughout the story, characters judge and villainize the creature because of his appearance, with complete disregard for his personality or feelings.

• Romanticism: …

• Irony: the cottagers name the “invisible hand” that helps them a “good spirit”, while in reality, the creature resembles more of the devil. Also, De Lacy says it would be a “true pleasure to be in any way serviceable to a human creature”.

Symbols

• De Lacy: the old man represents prejudice, because he cannot see, and thus not judge the creature by, its appearance. Exemplified by the line “there is something in your words that persuades me that you are sincere”.

• Light: represents birth/creation, discovery and purity. In other places it represents danger, as the creature cannot be seen at day (because humans are mean and pitchforks are sharp).

• Knowledge: as creature learns about the world, his “sorrow only increased with the knowledge”. It further isolates him and solidifies his position as an outcast. “Of what a strange nature is knowledge! It clings to the mind, when it has once seized on it, like a lichen on the rock.” Paradise is being blissfully ignorant; the cursed apple of knowledge casts you out.

• Fire: represents the duality of creation and destruction. Fire provides light, but it also burns. It can be seen as a metaphor for the creature, who can be both empathic, “benevolent and good”, as well as vengeful and violent. Furthermore, fire can also represent the double-edged nature of knowledge.

• Ice: the artic (where the entire story is set) represents isolation, desolation, and (emotional) coldness.

• The creature: represents careless science; doing before thinking about the consequences. Once created, the creature terrifies Frankenstein, and (while not inherently evil) it turns violent due to his lack of responsibility, neglect and abandonment by its creator. The creature can also represent marginalised and dehumanized groups in society, and how they are treated.

• Nature: vividly described (an example of Romantic elements) in the story, and mirrors the emotions of the characters.

• Seasons: the first change represents the arrival of Safie, and for the creature, the mastering of language. Autumn represents the failed attempt to befriend the cottagers. Spring, then, represents new beginnings, and hope for the future (which is quickly crushed tho).

Discussion questions

• What is the role of knowledge in Frankenstein? In Frankenstein, knowledge is …. Once learned, knowledge cannot be easily, unlearned, as noted by the creature in the line “Of what a strange nature is knowledge! It clings to the mind, when it has once seized on it, like a lichen on the rock.” Knowledge of society, history, government, family and birth only further and further solidify his position as an outcast. One can conclude that paradise is being blissfully ignorant; the cursed apple of knowledge casts you out.

• What is needed to be happy according to the creature? According to the creature, emotional connection is a requirement for happiness. For most of the story, his wish is introducing himself to the cottagers and getting acquinted with them. After getting repeatedly rejected by humans, he turns to Frankenstein with the request of making him a fellow-creature. His suffering is caused by his solitude and lack of connection. His biggest desire is thus being accepted by others; to fit in and be seen.

Brave New World

Plot summary

• Educational tour through the Hatchery, students get an explanation of birth, human conditioning and the caste system.
• Fanny and Lenina discuss relationships (“everyone belongs to everyone”). Meanwhile Bernard angrily overhears a conversation between Henry and another guy about “having” Lenina.
• Mond explains the of origins of the New World State: strong emotions undermine social stability, so the New World State ensures its citizens stay in line using 1) drugs, 2) free sex, 3) social conditioning to make them enjoy their miserable lifes.
• Bernard participates in Solitairy Service (orgy porgy), but it doesn’t make him feel anything. This makes him feel like an outcast.
• Bernard visits Helmholtz and they express their frustration with the World State. Bernard pities himself for his physique. Helmholtz however, is dissatisfied with the World State because he feels intellectually bored.
• Bernard goes on a date with Lenina and attempts “deep talk” about freedom and individuality, but she is not having it.
• Bernard asks the Director for permission to take Lenina to Mailpais (“bad lands” in Spanish). The Director (accidentally) tells Bernard about the time he himself went there and lost Linda in a storm.
• Bernard and Lenina meet John and Linda in the Reservation, and decide to take them to London.
• The Director exile Bernard to an island for being an “enemy of Society”, but Bernard counters by showing them John and Linda.
• John becomes very famous. Bernard becomes very popular by association, and guards John like some kind of trophy. John feels used, and refuses to show up to one of Bernards parties, causing Bernard to lose all his new-gained social status.
• Lenina and John go to the “feelies” together; John hates it. Afterwards, they confess they’re feelings to eachother, and John has a hard time making a grand gesture in a society where everything is convient. Lenina tries to seduce him, but John gets very mad because it reminds him of his mother, which he disapproves of.
• Linda dies, and John starts a riot at the Hospital for the Dying. Bernard and Helmholtz try to help him; they all get arrested.
• They get brought to the World Controller and debate the World State.
• Bernard and Helmholtz are exiled to an island. Helmholtz likes this, as it provides him with more intellectual challenge. Bernard pities himself.
• John moves to an abondened lighthouse in search of a simpeler lifestyle. He attempts to purify himself by self-flagellation.
• A paparatzi-filmmaker captures it and turns it into a “feely”, causing a media storm around the lighthouse.
• Lenina comes to the lighthouse and gets assaulted by John.
• John hangs himself.

World building

• Caste system: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon. Each caste being dumbded down to perform their “inescapable social destiny”.
• History, knowledge, and art are forbidden, because they would empower citizens to rise up against the World State, and thus undermine social stability.
• Any strong emotions or feelings are drowned out by a constant stream of entertainment and soma. Furthermore, Solitairy Service is there to make sure no-one steps out of line. Emotions are bad; they undermine social stability. Don’t you want to be happy, always?
• Relationships and family would cause instability, thus they are forbidden. Everyone belongs to everyone, and humans are (mass) produced in factories. Human childbirth is considered a taboo.
• Society is centered around consumption. Citizens are encouraged to buy new products instead of repairing broken things. Every free moment is filled up by entertainment, but great care is taken to make sure this entertainment requires as much materials and accessories as possible. Humans themselves are mass-produced and thought of as disposable and replaceble. Mere cogs in the machine that is Society.
• In the World State, no-one ages, because aging would emphasise the past, and history is forbidden. Citizens are conditioned to be indifferent of death. One day, they suddenly die, and no-one around them is even bothered about it.
• There cannot be progression or science, because progress would imply the present is not already perfected. Technology was needed to establish the World State, but is also a major threat to its continued existance. Science is the search for truth, which undermines the State’s control. Therefore, science cannot exist.
• The totalitarian State is not enforced through violence, but rather through social conditioning and indoctrination. Outcasts are exiled to islands, where they live together with other outcasts, but cannot hurt the social order of the mainland.
• In Brave New World, there is no place for science, art, literature, love, self-expression. In this totalitarian dystopia, it’s not human rights that are lost, but humanity itself.

Characters

• John the Savage: child of Linda and Thomas, born and raised in the Reservation. Gets bullied in the Reservation for being an “outsider” and because his mom has “had” every man in town. His worldview is based on the works of Shakespeare and traditions he picked up from the tribe he grew up in. He does not fit in anywhere. “He is himself a Shakespearean character in a world where any poetry that does not sell a product is prohibited.” His name refers to religion (being baptised).
• Henry Foster: \(\alpha^+\) male, works at the Hatchery. Model citizen of the World State.
• Fanny Crowne: \(\beta^-\) female, works at the Hatchery. Model citizen of the World State.
• Bernard Marx: \(\alpha^+\) male, works at the Hatchery. Outcast from society because of his inferior physique (rumoured to be caused by a mistake during production) and unorthodox ideas about relationships, freedom and individuality. He is frustrated by the World State, not because of any real ideological reason, but more his frustration of not fitting in (but wanting to). His name refers to marxism (critique of capitalism).
• Helmholtz Watson: \(\alpha^+\) male, writes for hypnopaedia (sleep) conditioning. His frustration with the World State (on a ideological level) stem from intellectual boredom and lack of meaning. He looks down at Bernard for his petty boasting and moaning. His name means “thinker”.
• Lenina Crowne: \(\beta^+\) female, works at the Hatchery. There’s a constant struggle between her as a person, and her as a conditioned World State citizen; on the one hand she entertains unorthodox ideas like monogamy. She feels attracted to Bernard and John, both unconventional men in the World State. But she also rejects other “anti-social” behaviours when presented them by Bernard, and cannot understand Bernard or John. She also illustrates why strong emotions such as love cause instability in the World State. Her name refers to Lenin (yay, communism again!)
• Thomas: Director of the Hatchery. A very orthodox citizen, be it for the fact he accidentally had a baby with Linda in Malpais and then lost her there and left without her.
• Linda: Name means “beautiful”, but only ugly things happen to her (and her appearance).
• Mustapha Mond: gave up on being a scientist to become World Controller. Has a nuanced understanding of literature, science and history, and uses it to defend the values of the World State. Reads the Bible and classical literature, but also censors new, independent ideas. Believes stability and happiness are the ultimate goal for humanity, even if it means we’d have to sacrifice creativity, literature, science, art, and individuality.

Themes

• Mass production & consumption: see Worldbuilding.
• Totalitarianism: see Worldbuilding.
• Enforced utilitarianism: the philosophy of maximizing happiness no matter the means. (Anything that makes you sad is automatically bad, anything that makes you happy is good.) In Brave New World, people are happy because they are conditioned to love their lives. They all suffer from “deliberately incuded attachment disorder” and hypersexuality as a result of conditioning and child abuse–but it makes them happy.
• Individuality, Happiness and Freedom/Truth: in the book, happiness and freedom are presented as opposites. Would you rather be unhappy and free than happy and enslaved for the rest of your life? The prevelant use of soma throughout the story is a form of “willful self-delusion” the characters use to escape the truth of the situations they are in. Truth hurts, so the World State eliminated it. Scientific truth, as well as human truths (love, friendship, family). Because an individual search for truth is a danger to social stability as a whole.
• Power of knowledge: see Worldbuilding.

Symbols

• Ford Model T: symbolizes industry and mass production.
• Shakespeare: symbolizes deep feelings, emotions, high art, knowledge and science. The title Brave New World is also derived from a Shakespeare play (“The Tempest”).

The Great Gatsby

Plot summary

• Gatsby and Daisy meet and fall in love in Louisville before Gatsby leaves for the army.
• Daisy waits for Gatsby to return from the war, but he doesn’t. She marries Tom instead.
• Tom starts cheating with Myrtle.
• George suspects it, but doesn’t know who his wife is cheating with.
• Gatsby returns and lives an extravagant lifestyle to impress Daisy.
• Nick moves from the West to the New York (East) and is now neighbours with Gatsby.
• Tom and Daisy introduce Nick to Jordan and they start a relationship.
• Nick and Jordan meet Gatsby at one of his Saturday parties.
• Gatsby asks Jordan to ask Nick to ask Daisy to have a cup of tea together.
• Nick invites both Gatsby and Daisy to his house. Daisy doesn’t know Gatsby is coming.
• Gatsby and Daisy begin an affair.
• Tom and Daisy have a fancy dinner. Daisy invites Gatsby, and Tom gets suspicious.
• Tom tells everyone Gatsby is a criminal, and that his business is merely a front for a criminal operation for bootlegging alcohol (the story takes place during the Prohibition, a period in which alcohol was banned by the federal government).
• Gatsby loses his temper, causing Daisy to lose faith in him.
• Gatsby and Daisy go home together (why?). Gatsby lets Daisy drive and she runs over Myrtle.
• Nick, Jordan, and Tom find out about the accident on their way home.
• Nick learns from Gatsby that he intends to take the blame.
• Tom tells George that Gatsby killed his wife.
• George thinks Gatsby must have been the one his wife was cheating with.
• George shoots Gatsby by the pool and then commits suicide.
• The media concludes the murder must have been about Gatsby’s criminal background.
• Nick has a small funeral for Gatsby.
• Nick breaks up with Jordan and moves West again, because he does not want to be reminded of Gatsby anymore.

Characters

• Nick Carraway: from the East, where his family has “old money”, moves West to learn about bond business. He knows Tom from college (Yale) and thus has connections with the more wealthy people in New York. Nick narrates the story.
• Gatsby: neighbours with Nick. In love with Daisy, but missed out on marrying her. Now attempts to get back in touch with her (which is why he bought the house). Made his money with his own business (“new money”), which turns out to be a front for a criminal organisation.
• Tom Buchanan: comes from a wealthy family (old money). Daisy’s husband. Great football player, reached his peak at around age 21; the rest of his life would be an “anti-climax”. This makes him a restless character.
• Daisy: love interest of Gatsby, cousin of Nick, married to Tom.
• Jordan Baker: Nick’s girlfriend.
• Myrtle Wilson: misstress of Tom.
• George Wilson: husband of Myrtle, owner of tank station. Murders Gatsby in the end.

Themes

• The American Dream: the American Dream is the idea that anyone, given enough work, can become succesfull (aka rich) in America. In the story, we can see this in literal wealth: “old money” (aka inheriting wealth) and “new money” (aka people who earned it through hard work), and the divide between East and West. Furthermore, Gatsby’s quest for Daisy is the personification of the American Dream.

• Corruption: the story portrays the corruption of the American Dream. Gatsby’s fortune turned out not to be earned through hard word, but by crime. Additionally, the focus (of the ultra rich) seems to be putting wealth on display; it’s is no longer building an ideal life with an ideal family, but “getting rich”.

• Honesty & Betrayal: there’s a lot of lying in the story. Gatsby’s past; criminality; affairs; secrets.

Symbols

• West: working in businesses for money. It also represents a less wealthy segment of the population.
• East: making money with money, through investing, trading, and complicated financial instruments such as bonds. It represents wealth.
• Green light: symbolizes Gatsby’s love for Daisy, and his hopes for the future. Daisy is, just like the green light at the end of her dock, something he can reach toward, but never quite reaches. His love for Daisy can be a metaphor for the American Dream, and thus the green light can be a metaphor for how immigrants see the US.
• Dr. TJ Eckleburg’s faded eyes: the eyes on the billboard can represent God staring down at and “judging American society as a moral wasteland.” The weathering can represent the breakdown of religious institutions, and the secularisation of society. The weathered advert can also represent the “superficiality of wealth and fame”; Gatsby seemed to have everything, but in the end he only has one friend who bothered to call (Nick).

Discussion questions

• How does F. Scott Fitzgerald portray the American Dream in the novel? Do you think Jay Gatsby achieves his version of the American Dream?

Animal Farm

Animal Farm is an allegory: the entire story parallels and symbolizes the history of the Soviet Union. In essence, the entire story is a metaphor.

Plot summary

• Old Major gives a speech about a dream he had where all animals are equal and the humans gone. He teaches them the song “Beasts of England”. He predicts the Rebellion, but does not know when it will come.
• Old Major dies in his sleep.
• Napoleon, Snowball and Squealer develop Animalism.
• The pigs learn to read and write.
• Mr. Jones loses a lawsuit and develops an alcholism problem.
• The animals are neglected and hungry, and break out. Mr. Jones tries to get them in order again, but they revolt against him (The Rebellion).
• The animals decide to make the farmhouse a museum.
• The pigs paint the Seven Commandments on the wall.
• Someone has stolen the milk.
• The other animals try to learn language; some better than others.
• The Seven Commandments are reduced to ‘Four legs good, two legs bad’.
• Napolean takes the puppies and hides them, the rest of the animals forget about their existance.
• The pigs take the milk and the apples for themselves.
• Animal Farm sends out pigeons calling other farms to join them.
• The neighbouring human farms spread false rumours of the horrible conditions on Animal Farm.
• The humans try to recapture the farm, but the animals fight them off, thanks to Snowball’s defensive strategies (Battle of the Cowshed).
• The animals create a military decoration, ‘Animal Hero, 1st or 2nd Class’, which is given to Snowball and Boxer, and also to a sheep that died during the battle.
• They also establish holidays to remember the Rebellion and the Battle of the Cowshed.
• Mollie leaves Animal Farm and goes to live on a human farm instead.
• The pigs now decide all farm policy, but a majority vote of all animals is required to ratify decisions.
• Snowball begins working on his plans for the windmill.
• Napoleon opposes said plans.
• Napoleon overthrows the democratic order of Animal Farm using his army of indoctrinated dogs (no longer puppies, eh). Snowball is exiled.
• Napolean claims the plans for the windmill were actually his.
• The farm experiences some setbacks in harvest.
• Animal Farm begins trading with humans, which is against the principles of Animalism.
• The pigs go live in the farm house, which was meant to be an uninhabited museum.
• The pigs also sleep in beds, and changed the 4th commandment to allow it.
• The pigs get an extra hour sleep now too.
• The windmill breaks due to a heavy storm. However, Snowball is blamed for supposedly sabotaging it.
• The harvest fails again. Starvation possibly. Napolean does some tricks to convince the humans things are actually going better.
• Extra food needs to be bought, and the money for that has to come from the sale of the hen’s eggs.
• The hens rebell against Napoleon, but it doesn’t work.
• Napoleon convinces everyone Snowball actually sided with Jones, and casually rewrites the history of Animal Farm.
• Napolean and his dogs execute other animals at the farm for forced confessions. He changes the commandments to allow it.
• The animals are sad and sing “Beasts of England”. Napoleon bans it.
• Squealer convinces everyone that stuff is actually going much better than it did under Jones, while in reality, things are going worse.
• A new song, centered around Napoleon, is written to replace “Beasts of England”.
• The windmill is completed.
• Napoleon pretends to sell the pile of wood to Pilkington, but the changes his mind at the last moment and sells it to Frederick anyway. They get scammed, the money is fake.
• The farm is attacked by Frederick. A lot of animals die, and the humans blow the windmill up.
• The pigs drink alcohol now, and changed the commandments to allow it.
• The pigs and dogs get more food than the other animals now.
• Boxer overworks himself. The pigs tell the other animals they sent him to the hospital, but in reality he was slauthered. The pigs use the money to buy more alcohol for themselves.
• The pigs start walking on two legs and wearing clothes.
• The Seven Commandments are changed to “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”.
• The pigs are now indistinguishable from humans.

Characters

• Old Major: Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, the fathers of Communism.
• Mr. Jones: the Russian Tsar in the early 20th century.
• Napoleon: Stalin, who led the Soviet Union.
• Snowball: Trotsky, a rival of Stalinn, exiled from Russia and assasinated on Stalin’s order in Mexico.
• Squealer: the Soviet press, which Stalin controller throughout his rule.
• The dogs: the Soviet secret police (KGB).
• Moses: the Russian Orthodox Church.
• Mollie: the selfish and materialistic middle class; bourguousie.
• Boxer: the male working class and peasants of the Soviet Union; stakhanovite.
• Clover: the female working class and peasants of the Soviet Union.
• Benjamin: those who were aware of Stalin’s unjust and oppresive policies but did nothing to stop them.
• Muriel: educated individuals who are able to interpret what’s going on, but cannot do anything.
• The cat: opportunistic, underground criminals who persisted after the Rebellion.
• Mr. Pilkington: the Allies before WWII.
• Mr. Frederick: the fascist Germans, and Hitler in particular.
• The sheep: the duped citizens of the totalitarian state (disagree: they actually support it).

Themes

• Totalitarianism
• Surveillance and opression
• Inequality
• Propaganda
• Revolution
• Corruption

Symbols

• The character names

• The windmill: represents modernization and progress (parallel to Stalin’s Five Year Plan), corruption and the pigs’ triumph, since it was built by the other animals, but only benefits the pigs.

War Years

Plot summary

• Mom’s routine is predictable.
• Mrs. Hoa asks for a contribution for the fight against the Communists. She threatens with rumours and boycotting, but Mom gives nothing.
• Mom tells about her memories of the famine in Vietnam.
• They talk about the Communists during the evening.
• The Boy remembers about the time they got robbed and his Mom saved, but also embarrased, them.
• Mrs. Hoa asks about the “donation” again during Church.
• Mom and the Boy follow Mrs. Hoa home. Mom explains their dire financial situation.
• Mrs. Hoa comes to ask for the donation again, and when Mom denies it, Mrs. Hoa tells the other customers to boycott the shop.
• Mom goes almost mad and plots a verbal revenge fight with Mrs. Hoa.
• Mom and the Boy go to Mrs. Hoa’s house and confront her.
• Mrs. Hoa tells them about how she lost her husband and sons to the Communists (even tho she’s convinced her husband and one of the sons is are still alive).
• Mom gives Mrs. Hoa about 200 dollars (which is still 300 short of the requested amount, but ok.) anyway.
• Mom suprises the Boy by giving him some money to spend at 7-11.

Themes

• Hope: Mrs. Hoa is stuck in the past and doesn’t know how to move on, because she somewhere still hopes her husband and sons are still alive.
• Culture-clash: between the Vietnam and American cultures. There is a language barrier between the Boy and the Mom. The Boy doesn’t know Vietnamese, and doesn’t feel like the Vietnamese culture is his own, but he isn’t fully American either.
• Assimilation: the Boy has adjusted to American culture; speaking and reading English, reading graphic novels like Superman and eating Western food.

Discussion questions

• What role does memory play in shaping the narrative and the characters’ actions in the story? Memories are important in the story. The entire story is told from POV of the memories of the Boy. The way Mom behaves can also be explained by her memories of the famine and journey to the US; her entire life is focussed on surviving. Yet, she’s moving on with her life and left the Vietnam War in the past. Mrs. Hoa, on the other hand, is held back by her memories; she’s stuck in the past because she hopes her family is still alive, even tho the chance of that being true is pretty slim. This, again, can explain her behaviour. She’s desperately fighting for a lost cause. In conclusion, the role of memories indeed, both explains the narrative and actions of the characters in the story.

• How do the different generational perspectives presented in “War Years” affect the characters’ relationships and worldviews? There is definitely a generational gap in terms of worldviews. The parents of the Boy both lived through the War, and they left it in their past and moved on. For them, the War is over, and spending more energy on it is futile; they’d rather focus on their future. All the Boy knows about the War, however, is from stories and the media. He has not directly experienced the War, and in popular culture, and among the Vietnam community in the US, the War is still very much alive and relevant. Therefore, he does not understand the attitude of his parents with respect to donating to the cause.

American Born Chinese

Plot summary

Story 1:

• Monkey king born of rock.
• Beats the evil tiger spirit and establishes the kingdom.
• Masters Kung-Fu: fist-like-lightning, thunderous foot, heavenly senses, cloud-as-steed. This makes him immortal.
• He wants to go to a dinner party for gods and waits in line for eternity.
• He was refused entry because he didn’t have shoes.
• He is embarrased and kills all the other gods.
• He goes back home, but he now cannot stop to notice the monkey smell.

Story 2:

• Jin Wan arrives at his new school. People mispronounce his name and mistakenly think he is from China, even tho he is from San Francisco.
• He gets stereotyped, and evades the other Asian kid in his class to prevent being bullied.
• Some kid called Peter “befriends” Jin, but actually he is just bullying him too.
• He leaves and never comes back.
• Wei-Chen arrives, he gets the same treatment Jin did when he arrived.
• At first, Jin doesn’t want to be friends.
• They become best friends anyway (because Jin liked Wei-Chen’s robot).

Story 3:

• Jin gets beat up by someone(?)
• Jin thinks about it in bed, and needs to the “The Truth” to Wei-Chen(?)
• He decided he wants to become an American.
• In order to do so, he chooses an new name; Danny. His looks also change to that of a blonde, white boy. This could be metaphorical.
  (aka it’s a change of perspective, did not actually happen; he is now seen like this by the narrater).
• Danny is making homework with a girl (probably his crush). They are flirting, but at a crucial moment, the arrival Chin-Kee, his cousing, interrupts them.
• Chin-Kee objectifies Danny’s crush and violates her personal space.

In conclusion, the entire story is full of time jumps and it makes no sense whatsoever.

Themes

• Stereotypes: Chin-Kee is a deliberately exaggerated charicature of Chinese people, in appearance, but also speech and manners. The goal is making fun of the stereotype itself. We also see some stereotypical ideas about Asians (eating dogs, married away at 13 etc) referenced in the second story.
• Assimilation: Jin does not fit in in American high school. At the end of the story, he decides he wants to become more American and changes his name, appearance and behaviour to be more like stereotypical American boys. This is an example of assimilation (adjusting to other cultures).
• Self-acceptance: in both stories, the main characters struggle with their identity. The Monkey King cannot be content with being a monkey after being rejected for it. Jin similarly changes his entire identity to become more American.
• Racism: featured throughout the stories; the Monkey King is not let in for being a monkey. Jin and Wei-Chen are both stereotyped, made fun of and bullied.

Symbolism

• The first story is a metaphor for Jin’s story. Like Jin, the Monkey King is also not accepted and cannot fit in. They are both met with rejection and bullying.

Discussion questions

• Why do you think the author decided to write American Born Chinese in the form of a graphic novel? What is its effect? By telling the story via a graphic novel, it’s way easier for the author to show and ridicule stereotypes and charicatures visually, which would not have been possible had the story been a novel.

Invisible Man

Existentialism is a philosophy that identifies humans as having free will to shape their lives. Just to be isn’t enough anymore; you have to develop your own identity and build your own life. You have free choice, but you also have responsiblity and expectations imposed by society.

Discussion questions

• Why does the narrator call himself ‘invisible’? The narrator is invisible because others fail to see him as a person. He is expected to act according to stereotype and racial prejudice; everyone has expectations about how Blacks should behave in American society. But because of that, people only see what they expect to see from him, and fail to see his inner personality. Thus, his skin color makes him stand out in American society, but it also obscures his true personality.

Comparisons

Contemporary vs Modernist literature

Contemperaty literature (after WWII) examines and reflects on society. It describes reality as it is at the moment of writing. The characters and their experiences are central to the story.

Modernist literature, however, attempts to break away from societal norms, and is primarily plot-driven.

Graphic novel vs Comics

A comic is a form of visual storytelling. It is released in a series, with typically monthly releases of 32 pages each. Comics are mostly focussed on action and adventure. Graphic novels, however, are full standalone book-length stories, in the style of comics. Graphic novels are more “deep”, in the sense that they cover more complex themes and social issues.