As the novel closes, Biff felt "he was suspended between radiance and darkness. Between bitter irony and faith. Sharply he turned away" (McCullers 359). What is McCullers purpose or rather what is McCullers saying about Biff or even all the other characters in this line?
Look at each of the four chapters of Part III where each of the four visitors of Singer are described. Mick, for instance, seems to be stagnant--she admits that "some good" was left in her, but "no music was in her mind" (353-354). Then Jack who participates in a fight, "the dead were Jimmy Macy and Lancy Davis" (346). He seems angry, haunted with "the old terror that always came as he awakened" from nightmares, but at the same time he feels "there was hope in him" (350). How can that be? And of course Dr. Copeland, who is off to Grandpapa's senses "the fire in him and could not be stilled"...there is radiance, but darkness as well (336). He felt right at the beginning of the chapter that "neither truth nor purpose [were] in his thoughts" (329). These are just some of the instances where I see these characters living in between 'radiance and darkness'. Were they living this way from the start of the novel, did Singer's death exasperate their pain, or help them to move forward in their lives?
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I think you pose a really interesting question about each character and how they live "between radiance and darkness"(359). This duality reminds me of how we discussed that each character has two selves. In Jake's case, he states, "you see, it's like I'm two people. One of me is an educated man. i been in some of the biggest libraries in the country. I read. I read all the time. I read books that tell the pure honest truth"(68), while his other self is an angry drunk, always seeming to turn to violence. Mick discusses how she has two separate lives, "With her it was like there was two places-- the inside room and the outside room. School and the family and the things that happened every day were in the outside room. Mister Singer was in both rooms. Foreign countries and plans and music were in the inside room. The songs she thought about were there. And the symphony"(163). In Biff's case, a part of him has this hard exterior and a distant attitude with his wife, and then there is a part of him that is nurturing and motherly. When Lucile describes him as "a mighty good mother"(230), Biff responds by saying, "Thanks..That's a compliment"(230). Dr. Copeland is tore between the man he wants to be, something that transcends both the white and black races, and what he really is, a black man. He describes his tendencies as "black, terrible anger"(256) and is ashamed of what each race has made for themselves in this society. Singer also applies to this theory, he is the man that is extremely polite and understanding to those who go see him, but then he is also the man who refers to no one other than Antanopolous as his real friends.
ReplyDeleteEach character experiences this separation of selves; and it seems to me that one self is representative of radiance and the other of darkness. Jake's radiance is his knowledgeable self, his darkness is his drunkenness. Mick's radiance is her inner room, and her darkness is her outer room. Biff's radiance is in his motherly instincts, and his darkness is his distant attitude. Copeland's radiance is his ability to help others each day as a black doctor, and his darkness is his desire to be someone else. Singer's radiance is his ability to provide this outlet for the others, and his darkness is the fact that he truly does not care what those people are going through; his only desire is to be with Antanopolous. I think that each character exhibits such a life that is "suspended between radiance and darkness" throughout the novel, and it is only specified in the examples that you have given above.
I agree with Celi, and to answer the next part of your question, Claire, I believe that Singer's death helped the four characters to move forward in their lives. This is explained perfectly in Jake's narration: "He wanted to look neither backward nor forward ... It was more than a year now since he had sat at this table for the first time. And how much further was he now than then? No further. Nothing had happened except that he had made a friend and lost him. He had given Singer everything and then the man had killed himself. So he was left out on a limb. And now it was up to him to get out of it by himself and make a new start again" (345). After Singer's death, perhaps these characters are at the heart of darkness. Even the surroundings reflect darkness: "The clouds had turned a deep, angry purple. In the stagnant air there was a storm smell. The vivid green of the trees along the sidewalk seemed to steal into the atmosphere so that there was a strange greenish glow over the street" (344). However, amidst this darkness, there is the light of the future. Jake realizes that he must start over and begin a new life, shown when he leaves town. Mick, as well, realizes the need to start over: "But maybe it would be true about the piano and turn out O.K. Maybe she would get a chance soon. Else what the hell good had it all been - the way she felt about music and the plans she had made in the inside room? It had to be some good if anything made sense" (354). Mick, also, questions her future and lives among the darkness that Singer's death has left behind. Singer became a central part of each of the four characters' lives, and now that part is gone; it is natural that a hole is left that must be filled. However, I think his death was essential in the growth of the other characters. They no longer can rely on him to talk to, and instead must move on.
ReplyDeleteI would like to ask about form in Part 3 though. I mentioned earlier that the surroundings were described as dark and dismal. Throughout the novel, the description given to the setting was not as elaborate; why is it that part 3 pays more mind to describing the setting? The language is also more fluent and descriptive, why is this so?
Celi I agree that this radiance and darkness has to do with the duality of the characters, but I also saw another idea in part 3. Chelsea Liao and I were discussing the end of the book and she said that the ending seems as if the story really has no importance; that life is just a circle and nothing else really matters. I thought this was a really interesting point. She also noted that the order in which the characters tell their ending scenes is the opposite of how they were first introduced excluding Singer obviously. This narrowed my view as I was reading the last part of the novel.
ReplyDeleteAs Dr. Copeland is leaving his house he has a thought, "How could he leave when there was neither beginning nor end, neither truth nor purpose" (330). He is stuck in between two things. These two things could easily be radiance and darkness. "The morning was warm and fresh" yet "a dark sorrow had lain down in his heart" (333). Singer has left his "friends" in a state of confusion. Not only about is death, but also about themselves. Copeland has many emotions that he does not easily show, but when SInger "there was neither beginning nor end to his sorrow" (333). He also has a "warring of love and hatred" (333). When we first were introduced to Copeland, he was in his dark house alone. He really had no one who cared about him and he didn't talk to others very much. Singer came into his life momentarily and he did have someone to talk to, to show his emotions to, but Singer is gone and Copeland is sitting in his empty house in a chair alone. There has been a complete circle and nothing could stop it. There really was no beginning or end and this is what scared Copeland, but also Singer.
Next, Jake is brought to the reader as he is running from something. In the beginning of the novel, he was in a bar, very drunk and he was homeless. He was running from something that we never found out about. In the end, he is leaving again, going somewhere to start over. "He wanted to look neither backward nor forward" (345). He thinks to himself, "It was more than a year now since he had sat at this table for the first time. And how much further was he now than then? No further" (345). He does not want to start over again, but he knows he has to. LIfe is a circle and he is taking part in it. He understands this, but is too weak to face it. He is "two people" and he is not able to break out of the in-between of radiance and darkness.
For Mick, "dark was coming" (351). She returns to Biff's bar, just like how the reader met her in the beginning of the book. Her life circles around, but within this she is never able to find a way to get out of the in between. At the end she decides, "It had to be some good if anything made sense" yet nothing really does make sense to her (354). She is continually confused and she finally thinks she understands when she is able to talk to Singer, but she loses him and then is more confused. She has no idea how to live without something, like music, or John Singer, so now she is just living.
Interestingly, BIff's place "was the only store on all the street with an open door and lights inside" (356). All this time all the characters believed that Singer was the one they could talk to, but they really didn't notice BIff. He was always there and always ready to listen and talk. He could actually respond. I think that Biff possibly might be the only one who is in the radiance. But he also sees "the endless fluid passage of humanity through endless time" (359). He still had not gotten past the in-between. "Between the two worlds he was suspended" (359). I think that he has the best chance of making it out of the in-between. He is, in my opinion, the strongest character. He did not let Singer influence his life entirely.
I also was thinking a lot about form in Part III, Emma. I think many factors contribute to the change in tone. One is that this is the closing of the novel, therefore McCullers may be trying to sum things up for each character. It seems that all of the foginess that comes with the continual jumps in narration in Parts I and II become incredibly clear because each chapter in Part III is designated to a specific character. The style is much more common of most novels in Part III, then it is in the first two parts, wouldn't you agree? I question, though, why after crafting a novel in such unique form would McCullers choose at the end of the novel to make the form of her novel more 'classic-style' persay? ...
ReplyDeleteThis may be totally outlandish and crazy, but could it be that the death of Singer clarified the lives of these characters? They were finally able to see that the advice they sought in Singer was basically them imagining him telling them exactly what they wanted to hear, and when this was gone they realized that it was not Singer giving them advice, but their own selfish (maybe not selfish, but desiring of something)imaginations. Like as Celi was dicussing the "duality" of each of the characters two selves may be clarified in these final moments, so that is why the language is more fluent and descriptive. Think about Dr. Copeland and how he thought "the death of that white man [Singer] a dark sorrow had lain down in his heart" ...he was able to put aside his resentment towards the white race to grieve for his friend, he was able to put aside his dual self to mourn the man who listened to him faithfully (334). Or Jake as Celi pointed out was the educated man and druken man-he chooses in the wake of Singer's death to "begin another time" and try to move past the man he was before, getting into fights and living in a blur of alcohol and pain (350).
Claire I love your last idea I think Singer's death clarifies a lot for the characters in the novel.
ReplyDeleteFor Mick Singer's death makes her feel like "The inside room was locked somewhere away from her" (353). As earlier in the novel we discover that "In the inside room, along with music, there was Mister Singer" (241). Once Mister Singer no longer exists on earth, Mick can no longer reach the "inside room", and she can finally break out of her "inside room" and discover the outside world. To Mick singer only "listens", however it is during her "discussions" with Singer that she can discover what she wants and clarify her future. Now that Singer is gone, Mick can recognize she no longer needs Singer, and doesn't need to rely on him for insight. Therefore she is able to explore the "outside room". (P.S. does anyone find it interesting that his name is Singer- and she likes Music, and it is just Mick, Singer, and Music in the inside room --> SYMBOLISM!)
I think connections can be drawn with all characters to the positive effects of Singer's death on the characters. For future bloggers try to find connections with the other three characters (Biff, Jake, and Copeland) or elaborate on Mick!
Liz
This may be a little off topic from the original quetsion, but Liz's comments about the meaning of names made me want to look up the meaning of Mick as a girl's name. We discussed that its usually for Micheal or for a girl Micheala and both names in Hebrew mean "Who is like God?". According to the website I looked at it, this is a rhetorical question since the answer would be no one is like God.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a cool connection because, as discussed in Megan's question, Mick and the others see Singer as a God-like figure, but his suicide, inability to understand the people's problems, and reference to Ant as "his only friend" prove he is only human. Mick's name serves as a warning to her, that her belief that Singer is God is wrong, since no one is like God.
Back on topic on the possible positive affects of Singer's death there is one part I found particularly interesting:
Biff-"Now this is really curious. I had this intuition you would come here just after the rain broke. I knew in my bones you were coming and that you would make it just too late"(345).
I like these lines but I think they could be suggesting several things - that the rain is purifying, that its the opposite- of sadness and depression, or as Chelsea suggests nothing. I agree with Molly/Chelsea and got the same impression that maybe McCullers ended the book saying it really meant nothing at all becasue of the "sensible" reader Biff questioning whether he is really sensible at all, whether our interpretations of the book mean anything (359).
What do you guys think about the rain and Biff's "intuition"? Im leaning towards thinking its used by McCullers becasue its lines that so obviously imply symbolism and then afterwards she turns that notion of symbolism and meaning upside down.
http://www.behindthename.com/name/michael
With how the characters are questioning themselves and feeling I think we see a great amount of incompleteness in them. Starting backwards with Biff, the last paragraph of the book which is told from his perspective and is full of thoughts that seem incomplete and make him seem lost. "Again there was no answer," it starts and two times it is asked in the exact same way, "Was he a sensible man or was he not" (359). This question isn't answered and he goes off to attend to some work, indicating he never searches enough to find an answer to this. So through Biff, as you stated originally Claire, I think we see this sense of being lost that touches all four main characters. Copeland seems lost with trying find someone to now relate to and he now dreams of only being able to, "sit by the stove alone and take joy from his knowledge"(331).
ReplyDeleteThe other characters as well Biff and Copeland share confusion in why Singer did what he did. "And how can the dead be truly dead when they still live in the souls of those who are left behind?" (333), Copeland ponders to himself, alone in his house and then suddenly decides he can't think about it. "And why had Singer wanted to end his life?" asks Jake and as it says on page 351 Mick just can't believe what happened. But summing it all up is Biff, "The riddle. The question that had taken root in him and would not let him rest. The puzzle of Singer and the rest of them", he starts. He thinks about what transpired in the past year it was all like "an ugly joke" and that ugly joke of Singer not being able to explain his feelings to all those who trusted him seems like that bitter irony Biff mentions later on. So to go to your original question I think McCullers did have a purpose in what Biff has to say as it covers all the characters and sums up the feeling of being lost that she presents in this book.