A Space For Expression and Introspection
A Space To Be Determined.
A Space To Be Determined.
Imagine if you lived at Disney World everyday of your life. Imagine being able to wake up, open the curtains and see a beautiful sun rise on a new glorious day. No worries, just bliss like this picture here, a fairy tale. Now I think I may have oversold the idea of fairy tale living when considering Boy, Snow, Bird regardless, lets stick with the fairy tale motif for at least a few more sentences. To be honest I'm not really into fairy tales, I never have been either. So when reading Boy, Snow, Bird by Helen Oyeyemi, it was a struggle for me keeping up with the references to fairy tale dynamics and toying with them alike. That said, I believe that Boy, Snow, Bird handles the weight of "happy ever after" well. Oyeyemi also weaves in many tropes of the genre into the narrative and for the most part they land. The novel also juggles a myriad of themes including race and class. Bouncing off of that point-- it's fair to say that Snow was a more privileged character than either Bird or Boy, story-wise. Her looks are worshipped and her skin is light enough to escape the same struggles as a darker toned Bird. Snow is treated like a princess (didn't catch this until class discussion). At the same time, Snow is a product of her environment, if no one treats her differently from Bird or anyone else who's darker-skinned then I assume that Snow would act less "princessy" (Not a word I know, repetitive I know). So I'd say that Snow isn't innocent but she is still a victim, a victim of the system around her. Compounded with being sent away by her mother doesn't help matters either. I could imagine quite the surge of anger and resentment towards Boy as a result. I believe that Boy and Snow's relationship isn't healed by the end of the novel but it seems to be on the right path. Sending away a child is a move that only has consequences, no such thing as a re-do after something like that. With that in mind, Boy knows that sending Snow away against her will was a monumental decision and thus the guilt would most likely be high. Boy may not regret her decision but she had to feel some level of guilt for it. Oyeyemi handles conflicts like these well and as a result her novel isn't just a book about race, it's also a book about motherhood and love.
2 Comments
Erik
3/4/2019 07:03:13 pm
I can relate to your sense of "handling happy ever after". The book does not resolve completely. However the ending is satisfying.
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Hali
3/22/2019 05:54:14 pm
I like that you said "Snow isn't innocent, but she is still a victim of the system around her." You're right - Snow isn't innocent. She knows of the privilege she has due to her ability to pass as white but doesn't use this privilege to fight for others with darker complexions like Bird. Still, as you said, the system around her is out of her control. This racist system set up these complexion dynamics in the first place, which is inherently not fair to her or Bird.
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Trey BrownA creative-writing major at Wright State with a particular interest in motion pictures. Archives
April 2019
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