Nathan and Blanche Comparison

In this entire course we have talked about elements of a southern literature. One of those main elements discussed was the grotesque and dark characteristics of a southern gothic. In A Streetcar Named Desire we discussed that the gothic elements came from Blanche because she not only like to hide in dark places, but she also took comfort in them.

In the book Dream Boy, Nathan also takes comfort in dark places. He likes to hide in the cemetery as well as in the woods to escape the the discomfort of his home and the people in it. Both Blanche and Nathan take comfort in dark places. Truly able to be themselves, but also masking their true selves from other people. Nathan goes to the cemetery to be with Roy who is the only person who he is comfortable with. While this dark place is a safe haven for Nathan away from his predator of a father; it also prohibits discovery of his relations with Roy. So the darkness is a mask of Truth. Blanche also uses darkness as a mask of Truth. She hides in the shadows of the little small apartment so as not to be truly seen by anyone. Blanche wants to be seen as young and mysterious and this lighting offers just that. An advantage for Blanche and a disadvantage to anyone who truly wants to get to know her.

Both of these characters both Blanche and Nathan take comfort in darkness. Blanche uses it to hide her age and lies and Nathan to hide his sexuality and to physically hide from his father. While these characters take comfort in the gothic shadows of the southern novel it ends up leading to their demise. Both of these characters stories end rather sourly, Blanche being taken to a mental institution and Nathan, dead.

The commonality of these two instances is not coincidental but rather it falls into the same patterns as most southern gothics do. The time period in which each of these stories takes place highlights a social issue that needs to be addressed : domestic violence and insanity and homosexuality and rape. Each of these characters embracing of darkness led to their demise in each of their own separate plots.

Aggressive Masculinity

Throughout the novels we read this semester, there is a single common factor that is relevant in all each novel; aggressive masculinity. Within A Street Car Named Desire it was relevant that Stanley was the aggressive male in the novel. However we can clearly depict that although he was an alcoholic who was deeply in love with Stella that he cared deeply for her. It was a mutual feeling between the two of them that no matter how rough their relationship could get, they could always count on the love that they had for one another to allow them to communicate or at least understand intentions. While in Dream Boy we see quiet a few men who portray aggressive masculinity. However within this novel, it is apparent that there is in fact a central victim, Nathan. While his father abused him,  Roy somewhat was protective but controlling, and Burke was no better than Nathan's father. The development of this aggression character throughout the novels develops in close proximity to the central character. While at first you see glimpses of actions from the characters, the novels' develop the characters so that this aggressive character is portrayed clearly through the eyes of the main charters. Stella and Blanch saw the actions of Stanley in his alcoholic state, and Nathan was surrounded until his death by characters that made himself seem weak. Nathans father abused him, Roy controlled him but not necessarily unwillingly. Then of course Burke whom takes advantage of Nathan. This character plays a vital role through all novels because it develops the main characters and gives this grotesque literature style that allows the readers to want to look away yet cannot because we want to understand more into these situations that can be very subliminal at times.

Agency in Dreamboy and Bellocq's Ophelia

Gaining agency is a key theme throughout both Bellocq's Ophelia and Dreamboy. In both stories that main characters cannot easily escape from their victimization through prostitution and sexual abuse respectively. They both embark on quests for autonomy which doesn't always work out for them.

In Dreamboy, Nathan is teenager dealing with not only with the realization of his gayness but also his constant sexual abuse. Nathan has little agency in his home where his biggest threat lies. Throughout the book he finds ways to gain more agency, but with unforeseen consequences. As he finds ways of escape and gains more agency his existence is increasingly threatened. Unfortunately for Nathan he never gets to be fully be free.

In Bellocq's Ophelia, the title character has little autonomy or hope for her future in the place she lives. She moves to New Orleans to gave some agency, but isn't able to fight work right away. Ophelia turns to prostitution where she has to sell her body and agency to the highest bidder. Finding her agency isn't easy, but she is eventually able reclaim some of it with her earnings. Ophelia's ending is ambiguous, but still filled with deadly possibilities.

Both Ophelia and Nathan are both into worlds where their choices are greatly limited. In Ophelia's case this is because of her class and race. With Nathan it is because of his sexuality and abusive father. These characters both try valiantly to change their situations with less than stellar outcomes. In the end, their quest for agency is just as dangerous as living without it.

The Southern Gothic

Both Salvage the Bones and Dream Boy display aspects of being a "southern gothic." Both novels contain instances of ghostly/ haunted figures in the fathers. Neither father is present during any positive time over the course of each novel, this makes them ghost like. The fathers presence seems to be more of a haunting to their children then a typical father-child relationship. Both novels also contain "taboo" sexuality and sexual relations. In Dream Boy, homosexuality is expressed in many of the male relationships presented. In Salvage, Esch has sex and gets pregnant before marriage. Both of these are examples of sexuality and sex that are not widely accepted in the south. Haunted/ghostly figures and taboo sexuality are major themes of the genre "sothern gothic" and are explicitly  present through Dream Boy and Salvage.

Was Roy That Bad?

At the start of Dream Boy Roy's character set off multiple red flags. Roy portrayed the classic role of over protected boyfriend, and boyfriend who cheats. Roy constantly questioned Nathan's past love life but was never open to conversation about his. Roy ran off to church on Wednesdays with his girlfriend but would tell Nathan to not let anyone else touch him the way he did. Jealous and authoritative, the main characteristics of the abuser in a relationship. In the bus, in the car ride home when Roy cried I wanted to Nathan to run!

As the novel moved forward and Nathan was left in the cold Roy really stepped up. Roy sheltered Nathan in his barn. A more loving side of Roy shinned through. Although Nathan has always been an easy target he was most vulnerable during this time. Instead of Roy taking advantage of that,  Roy evolved. We can see this change into Roy and Nathan's last moments together. Roy kneels before Nathan for the first time in the mansion. Roy physically leaves his girlfriend's side to be with Nathan's ghost. Not the real Nathan, his ghost.

I do not know if we can take Roy out of the toxic category all together. However I think we can acknowledge he did change for the better.

Make-Up blog #9 Kiese Reading Make-up

i feel like this is how I feel as a young, black woman in Louisiana but less racism. To be Black in the South means having so much pride in where you're from, especially New Orleans.  For example, many New Orleanians make a distinction between the South and New Orleans as if they are two separate regions (which they are). Being Black in the South also means recognizing how incredibly slow, receptive, and accepting of change and now it's to the point where it infuriates me. Another note I would lie to add is that many Black people fear going to certain areas of the South. For example, there are certain places of Slidell, LA and parts of Mississippi where I refuse to go out of fear that I'll be harassed or killed for the color of my skin and it is mainly because those areas proudly wave the Confederate Flag. It may be weird but I am sincerely terrified of the Confederate Flag because wherever that piece of fabric flies, death follows and it was usually the death of black bodies. Everything that Laymon has said is very in that the removal of the Confederate Flag will help the fight for equality and to end racism, but it is not a solution to an almost 400 year old problem that has plagued the U.S. since its inception.

Make-Up Blog #8 Kiese Laymon

I would like to have a reaction to this story but I don't. It's not like the story wasn't not intriguing and captivating but instead I have grown numb to the treatment of Black people in America. Many of his examples of racism in American, I have either seen first hand or already heard of it before. His article shows how growing up Black in the South feels like. Sometimes it is the greatest feeling ever because we are automatically labeled as awesome. Many of the things that become trends in pop culture, fashion, and music comes from the Black community, specifically the Black South. On the other hand, having to deal with racism at a young age, having to be taught about racism and slavery before your white counterparts, or having to twice as hard to get half of what our white peers get is beyond tragic. Throughout the entire story, he kept mentioning how he swing back meaning that he would fight back against the institution of racism, which reminds me of a Tupac interview that was featured on the Kendrick Lamar album,"To Pimp a Butterfly." The interview explains how a black man can only live and be rebellious while he is in his teens and early 20's after those years the Black man becomes docile and subdued. I just thought it was cool for someone to be fearless in what they wrote about.

Make Up Blog: blog #7

Letters from Storyville is about how Ophelia has finally arrived to New Orleans and must work for Countess P in order to survive. She then becomes a Storyville prostitute and begins sitting in the parlor to entice men but unfortunately she is not attracting any men. Countess P sympathetically introduces Ophelia to a longtime client but he soon is bored with Ophelia and moves on the the next girl. Later on, Ophelia is being sold as the newcomer and when the auction begins Countess P makes her recite poetry and walk around the room and remain in difficult poses for long periods of time. This is where is given the name Violent by Countess P but it soon changes to African Violent because of her African-American heritage that she tries to hide. Ophelia begins the tableau vivant, in which she must stay in uncomfortable poses for a long period of time. By the end of the night, Ophelia receives a bidder, but her unfortunately does not know her name.

Dream Boy

Once I hit page 80 I just could not put the book down. See the book is interesting because from the beginning there is this unspoken case within Nathan's family. This is what originally drove me into reading the book as quickly as I did. Eventually however the book goes for a turn in the sense that Nathan comes of age in his own way. Throughout the novel Nathan and Roy are constantly having unspoken conversations based on their emotional status as well as their surrounding. Growing up in the 70's when the novel takes place, there was an apparent status of homophobia. Nathan and Roy endured  social rules throughout the novel. While Nathan is unspoken confidence with his sexuality, Roy on the other hand has to "plan" his actions in order act upon his desires. When compared to the movie, the actors who portray Roy and Nathan really do narrow down their role by the unspoken actions seen upon the two. While Roy and Nathan have and apparent connection, social rules force the two to not act upon their emotions unless alone. Take into consideration that both men are growing up in a rural area which fully embraces religion and devotion to "God". Surrounding plays the significance of the novel because where at first Nathan feels at home, it turns into a place to evade. This is apparent with all locations throughout the novel.

Dream Boy - A mother's silence

Through Dream Boy, Nathan's mother is rarely seen and even more rarely heard. She is confined to the shadows of her life, which in her defense is not easy. The time period that this book is set in did not over women, especially in rural areas, many choices. Nathan's mother is presumably very economically dependent on her husband who is abusive and an alcoholic. She is also physically dependent on him to go out and work for them. This is not to say that it is impossible for her to give by on her own and provide safety for Nathan because it isn't. But she is living in a culture that silences and devalues her.

In the novel, there are many instances where the mother is described as being "invisible" which is not only reflective of her position, but also shows how vulnerable Nathan is to his father. Because she is constantly trying to distance herself from her reality, she leaves Nathan wide open to his abusive father. Nathan is suffering immensely, as we can in the text, but I think that his mother is also suffering to an extent because she is so complicit in his abuse.

Her silence and "disinterest" is a coping mechanism; it is her means of survival. Mother's are supposed to protect and nurture their children, but she has been stripped of this purpose. She has no agency to support herself or Nathan. This alienation, I argue, precipitates her subsequent distance from her family life. She is only going through the motions because the pain she is experiencing not being able to protect her son. This does not fully justify her inaction, because if there's a will, there's a way. But I do believe that in order to understand her part in Nathan's abuse, we must understand why she such a silent, passive character.

Dream Boy Second Blog

        It was brought up in class today that Nathan's mom may not be held accountable for being passive in the situation. She obviously knows that Nathan is being sexually abused. I can understand why his mom wouldn't speak out against it. Personally I don't believe I entirely blame for the way she handled the situation. If her and Nathan were to leave, it is unclear as to where they could go. It is also mentioned by Roy's mother says she "can't do numbers. I don't think women have the minds for some things."
       I think it bought up an interesting topic for the final comparison paper. The discussion led me to think about Stella's passiveness in A Streetcar Named Desire. Both women were in a society where the husbands were the patriarchs and ruled the household. While I have not completed the book, Nathan's mom has refused to acknowledge his sexual abuse or act on it. Stella also refused to acknowledge her own physical abuse with Stanley or Blanches' rape. They are both in denial yet know everything is really true. However, both women have limited options if they decide to do the right thing. I'm not sure what affects will be similar as I still have to finish reading Dream Boy.

Silence

I was very excited to read this book because it is on a subject matter we don’t normally read about in English classes. I think this book is very eye opening and is about a topic that is not easy to speak about. I think the book is very interesting because it never uses the words to explain what is happening because the characters lack the terms. I think the lack of terms make it difficult to read because you have to bring the ideas together for yourself. I think this helps to let the reader feel how uncomfortable the situation is.

On Thursday Alpha Chi Omega will be hosting an event to end the silence surrounding domestic violence. All proceeds from the event will go to helping survivors of domestic violence. If you are interested in the event I have included a link with more information. I hope to see you guys there!

 https://www.facebook.com/events/1343267889033234/

Dream Boy Discussion

The novel was an interesting one in regards to the southern setting, the unwelcome cast of lovers who reside there and the people who inhabit the town. Reading the novel you get an idea of Nathan being a timid person, who is sure about his sexuality, but unsure about the means to express it. I watched the movie and it offered a better depiction of how unwelcoming Nathan's environment was in terms of the hyper-religious town he lives in. In the movie you can see the massive placement of religious paraphernalia in his house. The constant mention of needing to attend church and prayer groups is an over arching theme in the text. His relationship with Roy is also portrayed better than in the text. Specifically their first encounter, the scene and characters recreate that perfect, authentic timidness one has with their first romantic encounter. Another thing I see done well in the movie is Roy's attempt to come to grips with his sexuality and trying to reconcile it with the masculinity norm in his town (having a girl, working, etc.) 

Dream Boy

      After reading a majority of the novel, I have mixed feelings about it. I have been raised Catholic since birth which has caused me to develop opinions based on my religion. It has been hard to break as I have always attended catholic schools that condemn homosexuality. Putting aside my personal opinions, I think it is a well written book and Roy and Nathan seem like a typical high school couple. They become increasingly close, become curious about each others' bodies and have to hide their relationship from their parents.
      After discussing the book, I realized I missed the clues about Nathan's dad sexually abusing him. It gave a reason as to why he needed to run away from home. After reading through my highlighted notes, I realized I highlighted a note that expressed this. While with Roy, Nathan has a moment of thought that, "in a fleeting way, the irony that what pleases him with Roy terrifies him with his father" (100). He is doing the same things to Roy but is being forced while with his father. It is also ironic that his dad seems to be a very church oriented man but would do something like this to his son.

Dream Boy- Discussion

After reading through Dream Boy I was interested and understanding of the situation that Nathan found himself in. He loves Roy and admires his nature but it seems that the relationships that he finds himself with is one of abuse. It's a relationship that brought by dominance and Roy is the controller of them. He is the one that's steering Nathan away from who we really is and a relationship shouldn't be based on one trying to achieve self worth because of the other person. Also, Nathan comes from a struggling family that doesn't work to well. His dad is also a care taker that abuses him in the book. This leaves Nathan to turn to Roy because he doesn't have any other person to turn to. It's a terrible situation to be in and the fact that Nathan is strangled in this issue of abuse is disheartening to me.

Dream Boy

Dream boy has been quite the read so far. It really bothers me that Roy is so selfish as to try and control what Nathan does with anyone else, and is so ignorant in the fact that Nathan had been going through a lot at home with his father who turned pretty bad after drinking, and a mother that just looked away from it as if it never happened. I'm practically screaming at my book wondering why no one is helping this boy or even trying to figure out what's wrong. Everyone in this book is so selfish, all but Nathan. This book is really intriguing but also frustrating at times to read.

The controlling of Nathan

The thing that drew my attention the most in Dream Boy is the number of ways which Nathan is affected by the significant men in his life. In many ways, Nathan is controlled and manipulated by both Roy and his father. His character, throughout the novel, often shows a sense of helplessness and vulnerability because he is clearly not the dominant male figure in his life. Roy is able to control Nathan socially by prohibiting his innocent interactions with others due to his jealousy. We know this is a double standard because Roy finds it acceptable when he does the same, or worse. Nathans father, on the other hand, has placed himself in a predatory role with Nathan often being the prey. His father is clearly the most dominant figure in the household because Nathan’s mother “looks away” from what he does to Nathan. With that being said, Nathan is controlled, in some way, in every aspect of his life, no matter where he goes. Nathan, however, does find his life with Roy to be better than his home life

Dream Boy Reflection - Abuse

I was disturbed at the clear signs of abuse in this novel thus far, which isn't explicitly said but is definitely implied in the actions and words of the character. It is an underlying theme that leaves an impression on the reader. It seems that Nathan, is caught in between his abusive father and his first love, Roy. Roy is seen as extremely controlling in the novel, and at times could be emotionally abusive. This is definitely not what love is, and it's sad to watch a character be so naive about his situation. I know they are trying to hide their relationship, but the power differential leaves you feeling uneasy. There were clear signs of child abuse of the dad, because of the fact that Nathan slept with his clothes on in case he had to run, implies that something was not right in the household. It's very sad that his mother remained silent throughout, and basically turned a blind eye to her son who so desperately needed her help. His parents are symbols of failure for treating him this way, and especially his mom for not intervening and helping her son.

Dream Boy reflection

I've not finished the book yet, but so far it is a scary roller coster of events and emotions. I'm going to start of by saying I like how the book is written in third person so we can see all the characters and not just Nathan's point of view. My biggest question so far is why does Nathan's family moves so much? I assume it will come out in the reading but I still can't link it to anything yet. I think it may have something to do with Nathan and his father's incestual relationship and people finding out about it. My next question is why is Nathan's mother is so passive about it? Yes I see that she doesn't call attention when Nathan enters the house to eat and she certainly tries to help Nathan in very casual/ sneaky ways to distract from the father. She barely says anything about it though, and it's not like it's kept as a secret from her. She defiantly knows about it. Yes, I also realize the book is set in the 70's so its taboo for a women to be going against her husband, but it's her own child! Wouldn't you want to try to help a little more? Again this could lead back to the reason why they moved, being that she told someone to stop it and they moved before anything could happen to end it.

How They Do in Oxford

When first reading Kiese Laymon’s article “How They Do in Oxford,” my brain was already engulfed with thoughts of the Take Em’ Down initiative of New Orleans monuments, as well as, the Confederate flag controversy. As Kiese begins to talk about his experience living in Oxford, I find his journal like writing style incredibly interesting. The constant images of the Confederate flag and rebels have for many years been the central theme of American teenagers dubbed to express their rebellious side. The theme of belonging and insensitive imagery go throughout the lines of the article until the very end. However, I couldn’t stop thinking about a conversation that my mother and I had a couple of weeks ago.

Out of nowhere, she asked “do you know what the fleur de lis stood for?” I figure of course it represents Saints, New Orleans, French culture, etc. With astonishment she says, “no. It was branded on slaves. I might have to take all my fleur de lis in the house down.” For some reason it connected to Kiese Laymon’s description of the conversations he had with his mother and grandmother. 

In some way, while I’m reading I’m thinking this is going to be a “why we should not support this, but come together and fight against the degrading nature of Southern symbols, etc.” However, Kiese Laymon continues to shake things up and change the way I look at writing as a whole. Kiese instead tells of the support his grandmother depicts even knowing of the symbols that still have a unforgettable history for many, including herself.