Review - Go Tell it on the Mountain

But he dropped his eyes, suspecting a flaw in his argument. ‘I just don’t want him beating on me all the time,’ he said at last. ‘I ain’t no dog.’ She sighed, and turned slightly away, looking out of the window. ‘Your Daddy beats you,’ she said, ‘because he loves you.’ (21)

One cannot read this book and overlook the concept of the father. Paternal influence, more specifically, fatherly love is so crucial to the process of self-discovery. The absence of that particular kind of love, damages every single character. Yes, the father; protection, guidance, love. And when that influence is scarce or non-existent, it’s sometimes replaced with a different source, a different paternal institution, a different Father. The Lord.

But this paternal connection doesn’t work for everyone. It’s a source of conflict for the fatherless and loveless. John’s character is the best example of this. At first, John cannot love the Lord because his father loves the Lord, yet the father does not love his son John. It doesn’t make sense to John. Because of his confusion he refuses to be part of anything his father is devoted to. What’s the reason? Why can’t the father love his son?

Read the rest of the review on the new site -- A Morose Bookshelf

Monthly Keyword 2013 Selections (2 of 3)

Hi! It's time for an update:

Okay, so I'm slightly behind on my reading. I'm finishing up my 'March' read...and should begin the 'April' read very soon. That's not too bad, but since it is mid-April, I figured now is a good time to post this. So here's what I'll be reading for the upcoming months.

 

 

 

 

In all honesty, I'm unsure of the 'August' read...I don't know anything about the author...haven't heard or seen the book anywhere. I picked it from one of those '1001-books-you-must-read' lists because it had the word 'tree' in it. So it may change...if you know anything about it, please share. 

That's it--oh wait, one more thing. New reviews will be posted first at the new site -- A Morose Bookshelf  

Check it out!

Review - The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

 

We cannot lift up. Our tongues rot in our mouths from lack of use. Our hearts grow empty and lose strength for our purpose (193)

We’re given a few slices of life, slices of miserable life. Everyone in town is searching for something–an idea, a feeling, or a connection within to verify their existence. What they’re seeking is in other people, in certain routines or motions. But they cannot overcome. Their reasons for being and sustaining are feeble and obscure.

Of all the characters, one in particular, Dr. Copeland, is the most vibrant. Not vibrant in persona, but in his dedication to verify his existence. Dr. Copeland, a black, educated man, in a small Georgian town in the 1930s, is staunch in his convictions because he believes that without them and men like him, the entire black race is doomed to failure; destined to remain at the bottom. Dr. Copeland is also unique because unlike many black people in his community, he does not look to God for empowerment. On the contrary, he looks to worldly solutions.

Some of you young people here this morning may feel the need to be teachers or nurses or leaders of your race. But most of you will be denied. You will have to sell yourselves for a useless purpose in order to keep alive. You will be thrust back and defeated. The young chemist picks cotton. The young writer is unable to learn to read. The teacher is held in useless slavery at some ironing board (193)

John Singer is another character of interest. Strangely enough, Singer is an anomaly in a community of misfits. Not because he cannot hear or speak, but because he seems to be a person everyone else needs. People come to him and talk. Many times Singer offers them simple things that enliven them; food, money, music. Because they can be themselves around him, they value his company and are happier. And when he is gone, they lapse back into desolation.

McCullers captures the gloom of living in a small, southern town, where the heart is a lonely hunter.

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