Wednesday, April 22, 2009
"My mother's daughter and Tante Atie's child"
It in these chapters we begin to see the how Sophie is dealing with the new dynamics of her life. The time jump that happens between Chapters Eight and Nine is immensely important. Stylistically it takes the story away from being a story of the Immigrant vs. the Native and it brings us to the point where the conflict is truly internal. Sophie’s sexual maturation is a much more fertile ground for the “choosing” of cultures because as much as her mother (and really all first generation parents which she represents) is pushing her to take more agency in her life doing so empowers her to make decisions in about things in ways her mother would not agree with. The sexual taboo is a big one in all cultures and so very particular to each, traversing cultures only further complicates things. As we've seen Sophie's mother argues from the position of weakness of women and sees men as a kind of a threat, that women are locked into a competition with that one can win or lose based on who starts caring about whom quicker. It’s obvious that Sophie's relationship with Joseph is going to challenge the bond between her and her mother but what remains to be seen is whether she will adopt the same attitude towards men and relationships as her mother.
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I agree with Edward. Chapter 8 ends Part one of the novel and Chapter 9 begins part two. At the end of part one, Sophie's mother explains that she was raped and that is how Sophie was born. This serves as a type of foreshadow into "Sophie's sexual maturation". Sophie's mother is anticiopating Sophie getting older and thinks she is ready to know the reasoning behind the fact that she does not know who her father is. I agree that Sophie's mother has a hatred towards and does not trust men. However, she tells Sophie the truth about her life and does not put much of her opinions into Sophie's head. She is merely stating facts, just as the narrator writes, "She did not sound hurt or angry, just like someone who was stating a fact. Like naming a color or calling a name"(61). I think it is important for Sophie to appreciate this because her mother does not try to brainwash her. It is almost impossible for Sophie's mother to not have an imaginary wall built up between her and men after all she has been through. I think Sophie's mother wants her to be happy but at the same time wants to protect her. Protecting her may cause complications between her and Joseph, but in the end her mother truly wants her to be nothing but happy.
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