Today in class we had a discussion about the main characters in the novels we are currently reading. The novel I am reading is Native Son, with a protagonist by the name of Bigger. However, Bigger did not turn out to be the protagonist I assumed he would be because of the archetypal protagonists in other novels. Rather than developing a fondness for him, I started to loathe his very being because of his brutal behavior. Then I stopped to think about the conditions which he's under. During that time whites were portrayed as the superior race and blacks were inferior. He felt defenseless and had fear of the whites, whom he felt ran his life. Any little taste of power he got he felt he had authority and importance, and he would abuse that power. Imagine what it would be like if you were in Bigger's position, if you were part of an inferior group and you were constantly belittled and condemned. Wouldn't you build up anger inside as well? And if you had no sense of authority in your life, wouldn't it feel good when you did have power, even for a moment? Bigger's way of expressing his anger or his use of power was possibly not the wisest choice, but from all of this I learned that before prejudging somebody it is best to try to put yourself in their shoes and see where they're coming from.
-KAYLEE H.
I agree that it is important to put some yourself in someone's shoes before you place huge value judgments on them, especially in literature, because this is vital to the process of getting a better understanding of the texts. I am reading Invisible Man, and as I read more, the less I liked the narrator. This was due mostly to the fact that he was so naive, but it was still easy for to put myself in his shoes because I felt that I shared certain similarities with him, such as his desire to not associate himself with negative stereotypes and to succeed in life in order to bring some honor upon his race. However, I would still like to think that this in no way makes me as naive as he was.
ReplyDelete- Bobby Rodriguez
When you said, "it is best to try to put yourself in their shoes and see where they're coming from," I totally agree with this statement. This brings a cliche statement that you cant judge a book by its cover. I believe this is a great way to live ones life because you may miss out on great people or opportunities if you refuse to meet a new person based on little information.
ReplyDelete-Brent S.