In response to Catherine R.’s blog. When I first read “The Wife of His Youth” and “Learning to Read,” I thought that they had nothing in common. After I had read “The Wife of His Youth” and “Learning to Read,” I had the same though process. I thought that they were very good personifications of what life would have been like immediately after the war. Such as taking advantage of education or trying to be connected with love ones once again; but I did not see the overall picture. However, after thinking about the characters of both pieces, I had an Aha! Moment when I realized that they have more in common than I originally had thought. The “Aha! Moment!” is important to readers because it makes us think about the point the writers are trying to convey to their readers. Charles W. Chesnutt does not write a beautiful short fiction story to show us his writing style; as soon as I realized this, I was able to understand why Chesnutt and Harper wrote about the reconstruction era from the “black” point of view.
Both works tell the stories of slave women who had a goal that they wanted to accomplish. Even when others commented on their age or the low likelihood that they would accomplish their goal, they both continued to press on and eventually reach their desired goals. Chloe from “Learning to Read” wants to learn to read, especially so that she can read the Bible. “Folks just shook their heads” and told her that she was “too late,” but she didn’t give up until she was able to read the Bible and hymns. Another ‘goal’ that she was able to accomplish was the sense of independence that she felt after she had learned to read and procured a house of her own. I disagree with Catherine on this partially. I believe that both of the women wanted to have a sense of independence and self-reliance. This is clear in “Learning to Read,” when Aunt Chloe says “and I felt as independent as the queen upon her throne.” Similarly, we see this in “The Wife of His Youth” not through the old woman but through Mr. Ryder. I believe that independence was a huge part in the emancipation of slaves. For the first time in their lives slaves were counted as a whole person. Not two thirds as previously. Independence was a way for slaves to live by their own social standards and own values instead of being obedient to the white supremacy of the country. I believe that Mr. Ryder feels liberated by emancipation and is why he was content for being alone and independent for so long. It is not until he sees Miss Dixon that he even considers marriage again.
The Chloe character of “The Wife of His Youth” is ‘Liza Jane. ‘Liza is a freed slave woman who has been searching for her husband for twenty-five years. She comes to Mr. Ryder, who she has been told knows most everyone in the area, to ask if he has heard of her husband, Sam Taylor. Mr. Ryder responds by reminding her that her husband my have died or she might not even recognize him because of the large amount of time that has passed since they’ve last seen one another. ‘Liza is still convinced that neither of these is true, and she is determined to find him. While the story does not say so explicitly at this point, it is implied that Mr. Ryder is the husband that she has been searching for, and this is confirmed at the very end of the story. I think that this is an interesting point of view. I had not thought about the similarities that the freed slave woman “Liza” and Chloe may have had. I think that this is an interesting find between the two readings because I think that this shows the changes that the war had taken on emancipation of slaves. Physically, I believe that the women described in the story are the same and emotionally I believe that they each have a desire to be filled, but this is where they differ. Chloe believes that knowledge will set her free “knowledge didn’t agree with slavery” and Liza believes that knowing about her husband will set her free. Although Liza does not recognize Mr. Ryder as her husband, I think it is important that the reader sees this because it shows that they war signified the end of one chapter and beginning of another. For Mr. Ryder, being associated with the Blue Vein society, and becoming a respectable member of society was the beginning of the next chapter and for Liza finding her husband was the end of her chapter.
Both of these stories are examples of the strong determination that many African Americans, slaves and free alike, were required to have during this time period. Strength and perseverance are the perfect words to describe reconstruction era. Especially for African Americans; both women show extreme determination to find and fulfill what slavery limited them. Although it was difficult (learning to read at an old age, and finding her husband) both women persevered and found what they were looking for. Even though these works did not appear to be similar, a closer look revealed that the woman character from each displayed a quiet determination that can be admired even today. All in all, I believe these works show us that even though the reconstruction period is thought of, historically, sad and negative, some happy endings were able to come out of a difficult period of history.
Catherine's response is in black and italicized and my response is in red.
No comments:
Post a Comment