Use this blog to participate both thoughtfully and frequently as you listen to the inner circle's discussion of chapters 11-13 (though feel free to discuss earlier chapters as well) in Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson.
As always, remember to use proper spelling and capitalization, to refer to the name of the person to whom you are responding, and to hit the F5 key to refresh. While not all blogs are graded, this one will be because I want to give you credit for your thoughtfulness and willingness to discuss while I'm not there.
By the way, I really enjoyed your discussion Tuesday on Ethnic Notions. Keep up your high standard of intellectualism while I'm anesthetized!
219 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 219 of 219Lizc I don't think that Tom hates Roxy or truely loves her he jsut takes advantage of her. Tom might hate her because she told him that he was part black. I think he may like her becuase of all the things that she has done for him.
So then do you think that Tom needs Roxy too? Like he is just struggling with accepting the fact that he was her master turned to her son? I don't know.
Liz- I think that Tom has become so caught up in his greedy life that he doesn't have the desire to love. His uncle had raised him forever, given him love and support, yet he would be happy for him to be killed so he could get the money. Roxy just walked into his life and was willing to give him everything, and he is willing to walk all over him. He just needs to like her to get his problems fixed. I just think Tom is too far deep to really have any love for Roxy, or he would have never sold her in the first place.
So how do you think that things would have turned out if Roxy had never switched the boys? What would be the relationships then, the struggles then? Would Roxy have wished that shehad switched them?
Rose- To me I see them as white because I don't see how 1/16 or 1/32 of black would be able to show. But the way they are treated you have a picture in your mind that they could be black.
MelissaZ~
I don’t think that Tom loves her either. Now, it may be that deep down he really does love her, he just needs to do a lot of “digging” to find it (like if there is a bad situation, he realizes that he loves her… “you never realize what you have until it’s gone”) What do you think? Is that possible?
roser - I think that suggests pretty clearly that Twain is maybe trying to get the reader to think about how they see race - not as a skin color but as an attitude and way of acting. Roxy's speech is a good example of this. The problem is that people steryotype a skin color to these attitudes that they expect to and want to see.
Alex - It's really hard to say. One could think that her determination to appease her son is strong because she has not given up on him but it could be taken the other way as well. I'm not really sure where I stand on the issue though I would like to believe that Roxy is still the strong character I saw her as in the beginning.
And to me it seems like each character has one person they want to please more then society neccesarily. Tom wants to please the judge to get his money, roxy wants to please tom, the judge wants to look good in the town's eyes, and well, you get the picture.
Jordans, I get what you're saying about blood relationships. Sometimes when you're forced to spend time with someone, the relationship can become strained, while if you choose who you spend time with, you probably get along with them fairly well.
catem- No Rya is different because I am not reading about her and can physically see her. But like when Roxy speaks her speech has not taken on the white side of herself.
Jordans~I agree with you for the most part. I am just curious, why do you think that society puts so much emphasis on family relationships?
Rachel - I think Roxy is too smart to let go of the blackmail. Even though I do believe she is doing everything in her power to appease Tom I think she also realizes how corrupted he was by growing up as a master and basically a spoiled rich kid. I think eventually she will drop the blackmail act but not yet.
mollyd-YES! That is what I mean...their demeanor's have taken on their black ethnicity
Alex- I agree. I think that once Tom life's falls apart, he will find the love for the people that tried to help him, and the people he took advantage of. I don't know if he will find a love for Roxy, but definitally an appreciation.
Rose-
I can see why you would picture them that way. Their speech does give you that image, but I almost, I don't know, correct myself when I picture them black? Every now and then I do see them as black.
roser~sorry, that was a little harsh. :)
melissaz---I agree with you. I've noticed that he's almost completely lost love for other people and doesn't care about human connections. He only cares about his "uncle's" will and gambling and paying off his debts. I think Twain is making a point here by saying that if you put too much focus on the wrong things, you will loose what really matters.
Sabrina~ I think that the title of relationships can be misleading sometimes. Just because you call it a mom doesn’t make a women a mom” I think it is what women do that make them into mothers not just birthing a child. Also for pudding head Wilson, just because people call him dumb doesn’t make him dumb. Titles can be misleading and in Roxy’s case aid people in lying.
LaurenC~
Great point about how people are trying to please only one person! And I agree, I’d like to see Roxy as strong, but I just can’t.
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