COMMENT
Select a BRIEF quote from the second part of the book (past page 60).
Choose something that made a particularly deep impression on you and summarizes ONE of the larger themes of the book.
Explain the reason of your choice.
REPLY
When you read in the comments something YOU wish you had found first, tell the author. Maybe you would have given it a different interpretation. Explain the how and why of your reply.
Pg. 128:
ReplyDelete"Their eyes and lips said, we are the battered poor, the poor stupid poor, we are the maimed and crippled and bandaged and blind workers who cannot speak and are led and pushed through these corridors like subway corridors and into chambers where we understand nothing."
This quote made a particularly deep impression on me because of the sheer truth of those words. All of the poor living, even if they spoke English, would not understand anything. All they understand is labor and the daily struggle to survive. Throughout the book, we see how the poor are treated like dirt and we see how they live. I believe this quote summarizes the poor in this book well.
"Their eyes and lips said, we are the battered poor, the poor stupid poor, we are the maimed and crippled and bandaged and blind workers who cannot speak and are led and pushed through these corridors like subway corridors and into chambers where we understand nothing." pg 128
ReplyDeleteThis quote made me cry, because I completely understand it. This quote summarizes the book pretty well. We see how poorly the poor are treated throughout the book. However, they continue to work hard because that's all they know how to do. They continue to work the only jobs they can get to attempt to make their American dream come true. Even if that means continuing to endure the mistreatment.
"Paul was not Paul; he was Philipe, he was the diapered one, he was still-high,he was the apprentice-boyo, he was the first born masculine of the deceased, he was the little master, he was the half-pint jerk off..." This quote is representative to me of the theme of identity that persists throughout the novel. Almost all the characters in this book have some sort of epithet that they are referred to as. This in itself brings up the debate of what makes us, us? Are we the sum of are attributes? or are we something more than that? Throughout the novel Paul is given many titles but none of them ever stick. This is Paul's struggle to find identity both in a field that he inherits from his father(quite literally picking up where he let off using the same tools) but also in the world in general. This struggle for identity also manifests itself in Paul's crisis of faith at the end of the novel. Paul decides that he will not be defined by his religion any more, that his identity is what he makes of it. This resonates with me because of Paul's age. By the end of the novel is his only fifteen years old. This is when a person should be having an identity crisis, but Paul's is so magnified because he has had to carry on and support his family from such a young age. At one point literally saying "I will be the father now.". Paul's struggle is to try to find his own identity in a world which is constantly attempting to pigeonhole him.
ReplyDeleteThe conversation held between Louis and Paul on (pg 139-140), was something that I remembered every time that I saw Louie's name; thereafter.
ReplyDeleteLouie spoke.
" Do you think that your father and these other men buried here will rise from their graves and cry for revenge?"
" Revenge...why?"
"They killed him-but his spirit threw the grave aside and paid back the murders of centuries."
"That was the spirit of God."
"That was the spirit of my brother's ideals."
The conversation continues onto page 140, and displays the difference in beliefs about there being a God in existence. Paul speaks about how God will deal with the "revenge" and not so much the "spirit of Leov".
Louis asks Paul a question that proves that Louis does not have faith in God. Louis asks if Paul could, before his death, see his father Geremio. Paul responds with a yes, then Louis asks if Paul can see God, and if not, then how could he believe in him.
In this dialect you can sense the differences in belief of God. This left a deep impression on me because it was an attempt to prove that there was no God and that Louis's reasoning for revenge made more sense than allowing or waiting for someone whom you cannot see take control and deal with the "sin" committed.
This summarizes one of the larger themes of the book. Throughout the entire book, there were prayers said, attendance to the church, and many other connections with religion and belief and faith.
I actually liked this quote as well I wish I would have chosen it because I sensed that at that moment Paul started to believe that there is no God because of all the tribulations he and his family had endured.
DeleteI would have interpreted this quote the same way because most people turn away from God when they feel that something unjust has happened to them and they indeed feel that they shouldn't just believe in a higher power to get them through when it's easier to just seek revenge and feel a bit more at ease.
On pages 139-140 the entire conversation between Paul and Louis in the Cemetery.
ReplyDelete"My brother Leov did not want to die. They shot the life out of him against his will, but he sprang up from his grave and destroyed the Czar and all his soldiers"
"...That was the spirit of God"
"...That was the spirit of my brother's ideals"
This conversation was the part that made a deep impression on me because the entire story is based on characters believing that the faith of god will guide them but here is a character that believes non of that.
"Paul, dress and come with me."
ReplyDelete"Where are we going?"
"We are going to speak with your father."
Page 108 TENEMENT
Although this is not the deepest and most meaningful of quotes, I believe that the encounter with "the cripple" is an extremely important scene throughout the book. The death of Geremio is life changing for the family, especially for Paul and Annunziata. When meeting with the cripple they are able to reconnect with Geremio and have some sort of closure that he is watching over them. Paul and Annunziata have a strong sense of family and their loyalty to Geremio.
Also, "the cripple" reminds me of the witch and other supernatural aspects in previous Italian literature we've been exposed to this semester.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"Present yourself positively in the morning. Lay bricks on the wall; no one can prevent you; you are a bricklayer!"
ReplyDeleteYes O God and father I am a bricklayer and we shall not starve!
Before he left Job he smeared his shoes with mortar from the mortar box. His shoes must now be mortar-whitened!
O mother, home I come with father's hands... Mother, lift your heart and rejoice for father is in Heaven and we shall rise!
This quote gave me the impression of stubborn hope, because although the family is going through mourning because of the tragic loss of a member in the family, Paul is willing to sacrifice his time in school in order to maintain his family by looking for a job. I believe the theme of the book would be Fighting for a future, because the only oldest is looking for a job, the mother has to recover once more because she just gave birth, the children have to cope with the idea that their father has pasted away and only have their mother and oldest brother to take care of them. In a way they are finding ways to cope with the loss and create a future for themselves in order to at find some sort of happiness and hope. Pg 74
The "dream" sequence that Paul envisions of his father on Page 215. "Ahh, not even the Death can free us, for we are...Christ in concrete..." To me, this quote explains how hard everyone has worked to believe that the life they have is a good one. Paul sees that his life is so unfair. He lost his father at an early age, he lost other people close to him, and the life that he has along with the immigrants is highly unfair. They have lost their faith in everything. He thinks that the same will happen to him after losing his father, that his fate is sealed. He prays all the time and believes in God for a better life, but ultimately changes his ideology and accepts that Job will one day seal his fate with death like it did to his father.
ReplyDeletep. 141
ReplyDelete"Paul, the job is not freedom. Your wonderful brain is freedom..." Paul shook his head.
I chose this quote because I find it fascinating how two different families of immigrants who are both being discriminated against and are poverty stricken yet they have very different views on the power of an education. On the one hand Paul's friend Louis' family are Jewish immigrants who also live in the terrible conditions of the tenement and have little means as well yet Louis' parents make sure that he continues his education so that it could lead him out of a life of hardship; Louis sticks to his education. On the other hand we have Paul whose family had to endure the same tribulations as Louis' family but Paul decides to give up his pursuit of gaining an education and instead becomes the breadwinner for his family. His family's survival depends on him so he has no time to waste to attend school even though he excels in it.
“But mama,” said Paul holding her hand tightly to his heart, “someone was chasing me- like I owed someone a billion dollars and only had a penny- oh mama….” pg 94.
ReplyDeleteThis quote made particularly deep impression on me because Paul is a child and to have a dream of someone chasing after him for money is something that a child should not be worried about. But, because of Paul's current financial situation, he is constantly worrying about money. How can he earn money to support his family? Will there be any jobs available for him? The theme of poverty is shown throughout the book. For example, Paul has to go place to place to look for a job, asking people for food, and wear dirty and old clothes. Paul is sacrificing himself in order to earn money so that his family won’t starve and become homeless.
pg.96
ReplyDelete"Sleep. and from out of unconsciousness flows a smooth level highway, a force all encompassing with muted parallels of red: it flows on a plane whose extreme levelness leads to terror; the action is soundless and the stream broadens, heightens and runs along the level faster and faster smoother and smoother and toward it heads a grey speck, an infinitesimal point, and when the stream hits it the forces of red whirl and curve and circle and explode and race and screw into each other larger and faster and larger beyond control."
This quote really stuck with me when I first read it because it is the first "abstract" visual Donato provides within the book that is within the confines of someone's subconscious (Paul's). Paul wakes from this in a state of panic and horror, stating that someone was chasing him demanding that Paul pay him an unsurmountable amount of money. I believe this to be Donato's portrayal of the Devil trying to coax Paul into realizing the futility of his life and demanding to be payed for allowing him to see the harsh realities of his world.
"Mister Rinaldi, we can't do anything with my five dollars-oh, please, am I not worth more than five dollars? Oh please I can't go home with only five dollars..." "But they knew my father and worked for him-they know I am worth more than five dollars-why don't they help me? Mister Rinaldi, why?"
ReplyDelete..."I'm sorry Paulie, that's the way the world is" - pg. 95
This quote in particular moved me. I saw a helpless child. Here he is asking why he hasn't gotten the help he rightfully deserves. He put himself to work and pushed through, yet he was only given $5. To make matters worse, Mister Rinaldi told him "that's the way the world is". That idea didn't resonate with me. The innocence of this child has been taken away. He enforced the idea that the world is a cruel and cold place. That one has to sit back and take what is given to you. It made me think of immigrants who come to this country seeking a better life for their families. As long as they are able to feed their families, they're willing to risk their lives everyday. If they depend on their jobs, they mustn't complain and take life for how it is.
“Now has begun anew my story with Job, now goes my heart with him to Job, now wards my spirit against each wind and rain and heat and cold of Job upon the head of my Paul, now rises my vigil of prayers the son of Geremio in the weighting shadows of Geremino’s fallen walls.
ReplyDeleteThus, in dark cell, Builder’s woman and Life’s mother spoke to her carpenter Christ, her Christ of hunger.”
This is the part when Annunziata carries Paul to the bed after he fell asleep while eating. These are the first days of work for Paul. This part had a strong impact on me because Annunziata’s worry now has changed. First as a wife she had always been worried for Geremio but now is even worse, it’s her child she has to send away to earn the much needed bread. Would she be able to accept another lost life? The danger is great and yet she can’t tell him don’t do it, because what will they eat. I cannot imagine what it must be like to be in this position. The only thing she can possibly do is pray and worry.
“Missus Nichols,” he began, “when the building fell apart and came down … when he died … did it frighten him terribly - did it hurt him much? … What did he think of ….? How did he feel … ? What didi he say?”
ReplyDeleteThe episode when Paul was eager to find out how Geremio felt when he was about to die was interesting to me. It is obvious that Paul wonders how his father felt when he died. On top of every problem he faces there is another layer and it is a fair of death. It is what haunts a lot of people. But especially for Paul it is a huge topic, because he knows that the job he is willing to do is very dangerous and there is a huge chance that he might end up his life in the same way as his father did.
Overall, I think the fear of death is quite an interesting subject to talk about. Especially, it became more interesting for me after I got hit by the car while riding a bicycle on my way to Brooklyn College. It is pretty strange experience to find yourself lying in the ambulance vehicle.