“Julian walked with his hands in his pockets, his head down and thrust forward and his eyes glazed with the determination to make himself completely numb during the time he would be sacrificed to her pleasure.” Julian does not like the way his mother dresses, carries herself and acts; in fact it’s pretty apparent that he does not like his mother as a human being. I found it interesting that the only joy Julian experiences throughout the story is watching his mother cringe and scowl, through her painted veil of racism and stereotyping. It’s in this same vein that his mother, too, rejoices at the unease she causes Julian, through her appearance and actions. I think that this story tackles the themes of the real-life stereotypes put into blatant action, the power of denial and eating your ‘just’ dessert, i.e. getting what you deserve.
Personally, I think the karma his mother receives at the end of the story is well justified and that Julian’s life would have been better as a whole if that event had occurred earlier in his childhood. I think a very useful and interesting take on this story would be to look at it from the African-American mother’s eyes; her perspective on a hoity, uppity white woman trying to belittle her child with a penny. I think the fake haven of prosperity and class that Julian’s mother creates is just a safe haven for her bigotry; an attempt to hold on to the backwards values that she practiced.
Also, I saw the ending coming from a mile away.
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I like how you sum it up with your theme. What goes around comes around, and it couldn't be more true. I also think that anyone who reads this story will agree that Julian's mom gets the kick in the pants that she needs for her behaviors.
ReplyDeleteIf the story had been from the black woman's point of view, perhaps you would agree that the belittling would also touch on Julian's mom's assuming the black family is poor. The penny would serve more as a donation rather than just a token of gratitude just as a piece of candy would.
Yes, the the ending does seem preconceived. It is definitely an act of karma considering the issues going on during this time.
I like the new title you gave to the story even though it is old but still like it. What goes around comes around and that’s what the story was about too. I can safely say that who so ever will read this story will agree that what so ever happen with Julian’s mother was fair for her behavior. If the story would have written from the black’s point of view still Julian’s mother will be the one who gets punished at the end.
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