So, I personally loved the end of Zami, I thought it definitely picked up from the middle of the book and brought it around to a conclusion where you really find a sense of closure with her life.
I thought the slow decay of her and Muriel's relationship was really well done, and it reminded me of Forrest Gump a lot. (Despite the Gennie/Jenny reference which I almost brought up in class last time, haha.)
Anyways, think about it. Even though one book is about a white male and the other is about a black female, I think they share a commonality in where we see two different walks of life converge and what their individual differences mean for both of them.
Of course, Jenny wasn't schizophrenic like Muriel, but she didn't make the best life choices and as she got older, she just didn't find a place to fit in, and she was slowly decaying until she found Forrest (Audre). Forrest (Audre) took care of her and nursed her, but her old ways ended up biting back in some way of weird karma. Now, I'm not saying these two are totally the same concept, but some of the ideas are similar. Also, like how Jenny didn't accomplish nearly as much as Forrest did and seemed somewhat disappointed with that fact, and so we see a similar thing with Muriel and Audre.
Basically, what I'm saying is that these two seperate arcs of these two characters can help us get a deeper understanding of the reading, and shows us how different two walks of life could be.
This book was like my crack. I loved reading it and seeing where Audre's next love would take her. I found my heartbreaking with hers as she learned of Muriel's infidelity and even when the cats died of drinking paint. As I read, I was so invested that I found myself hoping so hard that Audre would find a way to get over Muriel and move on with her life. Every time she had to drag Muriel home from a bar and care for her, I related. That's something we all experience with a love that was as dep as hers was for Muriel. Thst sense of caring that won't go away. I will say though, that by the time Muriel was out of the book and Kitty was brought in, I wasn't nearly as intrigued as I had been prior.
While the latter half of the book didn't intrigue me as much as the first half--namely for stylistic reasons--I'll say that I, like you, Kelsea, became wrapped up in the rapid succession of lovers that monopolized the text. There was something addicting to the progression of the story. You're right, though--Muriel was the climax of that strand of lovers, and the fact that there really was no plot line beneath all the tales leading to Muriel resulting in a strange, unresolved feeling at the end of the book. It's as if there was no real way for the book to end except in another, less dramatic love affair. I don't know if I enjoyed the end for that reason. It also reaffirms my established reluctance to read (auto)biographies, because unless they end in death, they tend to end openly, as I felt this book did.
I love Daniel's comparison to Forrest Gump and I can really see where that comes from with the deterioration, confusion, and the interplay of the relationships between each set of character. It also attests to people, in general, how people from different walks of life can intertwine and affect each other in similar ways even though they come from completely different cultures and backgrounds. I mentioned something similar in a previous post about Zami that had to do with a memory I had that reminded me of Audre's childhood encounter with Toni. I also love the contrasted, conflicted differences.
I do love the conclusion Kitty brought, how it was closure for all the pain before. I agree with Kelsea, though, and wasn't so intrigued with her. It was more that I was just glad/relieved Audre had found a better place to be with someone who was better for her after everything that had gone down between her and Muriel.
Can we talk for a moment about the two cats? I found them to be a touching yet disturbing addition the life Audre and Muriel built together. Honestly, when they became objects in the book, I instantly saw them as surrogates for the two loves the two women had never been able to foster. It's as if they were using the cats to fill a void. Yes, supposedly Audre and Muriel's union resolved the pain from those earlier relationships, but I don't believe that. I find my theory to be much more likely based on the intensity of those former affairs. As a result, I believe that these cats were a perfect vehicle by which Lorde could demonstrate the depth of Muriel's Disturbia. The fact that these cats were not looked after in Audre's absence, the fact that they drank paint thinner and died points to the emotional disconnect Muriel faced as a schizophrenic. With the death of the cats, we see the death of the bond that existed between the two women in their shared loss. It's a poignant moment that I wish had culminated in the end of the book. It was subtle and powerful--I like being moved. However, as we know, that's not quite how it happened. Still, I feel that the metaphor of the cats was a artful addition to Lorde's tale.
One of the things I thought was most interesting (and sad) about “Zami” was the marginalization Audre faced even within the communities she had constructed to ward off such prejudice. Her “progressive” friends were able to relate to her race, but unable to accept her homosexuality, and at the gay bars she was slighted for being a minority within a minority; she was doubly outcast. This, of course, made me think back to Patrick Johnson’s “’Quare Studies” in which Audre Lorde is quoted for acknowledging that all individuals, no matter their standing in life, must acknowledge the loathing of difference that exists within each of us in order to begin to reconcile it.
The significance of Audre’s testimony as a black lesbian during racially charged times is representative of the importance of ‘quare studies and the need to recognize that all homosexuals can not be lumped together, but that instead personal experience as it affects and interplays with sexuality should be the focus of queer theory.
What I loved most about Zami had to be the importance she puts on moving forward. Lorde makes it very clear in the book that she takes every experience and person she encounters on with her in life. I think this is so important for growth, which is what I think the book is all about. Alot of people in class commented on how short and boring her relationship with Afrikette was, but I think that relationship was the most important of all for the book. Though there was an abrupt ending, I think the positive role that Afrikette was able to play showed that everything was going to be ok. Afrikette symbolized wellness and completeness that I think most of us long for. For most people the first people they date do not end up being their life partner, She needed the crazy, dramatic relationship with muriel and the episode with Peter to mold her into the woman who was going to be able to accept something good when it finally came her way.
So, I personally loved the end of Zami, I thought it definitely picked up from the middle of the book and brought it around to a conclusion where you really find a sense of closure with her life.
ReplyDeleteI thought the slow decay of her and Muriel's relationship was really well done, and it reminded me of Forrest Gump a lot. (Despite the Gennie/Jenny reference which I almost brought up in class last time, haha.)
Anyways, think about it. Even though one book is about a white male and the other is about a black female, I think they share a commonality in where we see two different walks of life converge and what their individual differences mean for both of them.
Of course, Jenny wasn't schizophrenic like Muriel, but she didn't make the best life choices and as she got older, she just didn't find a place to fit in, and she was slowly decaying until she found Forrest (Audre). Forrest (Audre) took care of her and nursed her, but her old ways ended up biting back in some way of weird karma. Now, I'm not saying these two are totally the same concept, but some of the ideas are similar. Also, like how Jenny didn't accomplish nearly as much as Forrest did and seemed somewhat disappointed with that fact, and so we see a similar thing with Muriel and Audre.
Basically, what I'm saying is that these two seperate arcs of these two characters can help us get a deeper understanding of the reading, and shows us how different two walks of life could be.
This book was like my crack. I loved reading it and seeing where Audre's next love would take her. I found my heartbreaking with hers as she learned of Muriel's infidelity and even when the cats died of drinking paint. As I read, I was so invested that I found myself hoping so hard that Audre would find a way to get over Muriel and move on with her life. Every time she had to drag Muriel home from a bar and care for her, I related. That's something we all experience with a love that was as dep as hers was for Muriel. Thst sense of caring that won't go away. I will say though, that by the time Muriel was out of the book and Kitty was brought in, I wasn't nearly as intrigued as I had been prior.
ReplyDeleteWhile the latter half of the book didn't intrigue me as much as the first half--namely for stylistic reasons--I'll say that I, like you, Kelsea, became wrapped up in the rapid succession of lovers that monopolized the text. There was something addicting to the progression of the story. You're right, though--Muriel was the climax of that strand of lovers, and the fact that there really was no plot line beneath all the tales leading to Muriel resulting in a strange, unresolved feeling at the end of the book. It's as if there was no real way for the book to end except in another, less dramatic love affair. I don't know if I enjoyed the end for that reason. It also reaffirms my established reluctance to read (auto)biographies, because unless they end in death, they tend to end openly, as I felt this book did.
DeleteI love Daniel's comparison to Forrest Gump and I can really see where that comes from with the deterioration, confusion, and the interplay of the relationships between each set of character. It also attests to people, in general, how people from different walks of life can intertwine and affect each other in similar ways even though they come from completely different cultures and backgrounds. I mentioned something similar in a previous post about Zami that had to do with a memory I had that reminded me of Audre's childhood encounter with Toni. I also love the contrasted, conflicted differences.
ReplyDeleteI do love the conclusion Kitty brought, how it was closure for all the pain before. I agree with Kelsea, though, and wasn't so intrigued with her. It was more that I was just glad/relieved Audre had found a better place to be with someone who was better for her after everything that had gone down between her and Muriel.
Can we talk for a moment about the two cats? I found them to be a touching yet disturbing addition the life Audre and Muriel built together. Honestly, when they became objects in the book, I instantly saw them as surrogates for the two loves the two women had never been able to foster. It's as if they were using the cats to fill a void. Yes, supposedly Audre and Muriel's union resolved the pain from those earlier relationships, but I don't believe that. I find my theory to be much more likely based on the intensity of those former affairs. As a result, I believe that these cats were a perfect vehicle by which Lorde could demonstrate the depth of Muriel's Disturbia. The fact that these cats were not looked after in Audre's absence, the fact that they drank paint thinner and died points to the emotional disconnect Muriel faced as a schizophrenic. With the death of the cats, we see the death of the bond that existed between the two women in their shared loss. It's a poignant moment that I wish had culminated in the end of the book. It was subtle and powerful--I like being moved. However, as we know, that's not quite how it happened. Still, I feel that the metaphor of the cats was a artful addition to Lorde's tale.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I thought was most interesting (and sad) about “Zami” was the marginalization Audre faced even within the communities she had constructed to ward off such prejudice. Her “progressive” friends were able to relate to her race, but unable to accept her homosexuality, and at the gay bars she was slighted for being a minority within a minority; she was doubly outcast. This, of course, made me think back to Patrick Johnson’s “’Quare Studies” in which Audre Lorde is quoted for acknowledging that all individuals, no matter their standing in life, must acknowledge the loathing of difference that exists within each of us in order to begin to reconcile it.
ReplyDeleteThe significance of Audre’s testimony as a black lesbian during racially charged times is representative of the importance of ‘quare studies and the need to recognize that all homosexuals can not be lumped together, but that instead personal experience as it affects and interplays with sexuality should be the focus of queer theory.
What I loved most about Zami had to be the importance she puts on moving forward. Lorde makes it very clear in the book that she takes every experience and person she encounters on with her in life. I think this is so important for growth, which is what I think the book is all about. Alot of people in class commented on how short and boring her relationship with Afrikette was, but I think that relationship was the most important of all for the book. Though there was an abrupt ending, I think the positive role that Afrikette was able to play showed that everything was going to be ok. Afrikette symbolized wellness and completeness that I think most of us long for. For most people the first people they date do not end up being their life partner, She needed the crazy, dramatic relationship with muriel and the episode with Peter to mold her into the woman who was going to be able to accept something good when it finally came her way.
ReplyDelete