Ishaa Blog Post
Esch and Madea
Jesmyn Ward draws many connections between Esch and Medea, but the one that stuck out to me the most was in Chapter 10, on page 205 when Esch tells Manny that the baby is his. Manny completely denies it and this sets off Esch which causes her to lash out at him. ""I loved you!" This is Medea wielding the knife. This is Medea cutting. I rake my fingernails across his face, leave pink scratches that turn red, fill with blood." I think that this mythological allusion is important at the point in the text because it's a very intense moment for Esch. She's telling the boy that she allegedly "loves" (I am only saying allegedly because I think that she loves the idea of being loved - although that sounds cliche - and loving someone back, but that is something for another blog post) that he is the father of her baby and him denying it just sparks something powerful inside of her that makes her react in the way that she did. Although, you can't really blame Esch for feeling the way she did; the father of her baby just completely belittled her. This instance is (almost) similar to Medea who got "revenge" on her husband's affair by killing his children and lover. This occurrence is also the first time that us readers get to see a more physical comparison with Medea and Esch. Another reason why I feel like this moment was THE most important/significant is because it was Esch's transformation into this whole new person. She really stood up for herself and that was very crucial in the book.
This photo of Jason and Madea was created by the artist Frederick Sandys in the year 1868. It is an 'oil on canvas' painting and it is located at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, in Birmingham, England.
I think that this photo symbolizes Esch by the end of the novel because in the last chapter we see how much she has evolved into this strong, intelligent women who used a natural catastrophe to bring her closer to everyone in her life that she cares about. I feel as though Esch was very naive in the beginning of the story, but by the end, she had learned so much about who she is and who she wants to become in the future. As the novel went on, we saw her start to become a stronger girl and by the end of it, she had almost become a whole new version of herself.
Jesmyn Ward draws many connections between Esch and Medea, but the one that stuck out to me the most was in Chapter 10, on page 205 when Esch tells Manny that the baby is his. Manny completely denies it and this sets off Esch which causes her to lash out at him. ""I loved you!" This is Medea wielding the knife. This is Medea cutting. I rake my fingernails across his face, leave pink scratches that turn red, fill with blood." I think that this mythological allusion is important at the point in the text because it's a very intense moment for Esch. She's telling the boy that she allegedly "loves" (I am only saying allegedly because I think that she loves the idea of being loved - although that sounds cliche - and loving someone back, but that is something for another blog post) that he is the father of her baby and him denying it just sparks something powerful inside of her that makes her react in the way that she did. Although, you can't really blame Esch for feeling the way she did; the father of her baby just completely belittled her. This instance is (almost) similar to Medea who got "revenge" on her husband's affair by killing his children and lover. This occurrence is also the first time that us readers get to see a more physical comparison with Medea and Esch. Another reason why I feel like this moment was THE most important/significant is because it was Esch's transformation into this whole new person. She really stood up for herself and that was very crucial in the book.
This photo of Jason and Madea was created by the artist Frederick Sandys in the year 1868. It is an 'oil on canvas' painting and it is located at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, in Birmingham, England.
I think that this photo symbolizes Esch by the end of the novel because in the last chapter we see how much she has evolved into this strong, intelligent women who used a natural catastrophe to bring her closer to everyone in her life that she cares about. I feel as though Esch was very naive in the beginning of the story, but by the end, she had learned so much about who she is and who she wants to become in the future. As the novel went on, we saw her start to become a stronger girl and by the end of it, she had almost become a whole new version of herself.
"I am only saying allegedly because I think that she loves the idea of being loved" –very interesting point. Considering how much she is willing to withstand from Manny, it's logical to assume she must be more invested in the idea of being loved than the actual affection (or lack of it) that she is receiving from Manny.
ReplyDeleteI also thought it was cool that you emphasized this passage being the first physical comparison between Esch & Medea--the entire purpose of a transformation is a physical (or spiritual or mental ee cee tee) change.
DeleteLove Rosie the Riveter iconic gal very good very emblematic of an evolved Esch
ReplyDelete