The last inquiry we were given was more of an overall reflection regarding the book we’ve been reading all semester, The Human Stain, written by Philip Roth and used scenes in the novel to give an analysis of the connection between the reader and literary text. Using theories and critiques from Bressler’s chapter, I was able to explain my own personal experiences in life to support my argument that people read and interpret based on their own past and experiences.
You + Life = Meaning
The novel The Human Stain, written by Philip Roth, can be compared with Bressler’s chapter on many different reader-response theories. This novel is about an older man, Coleman Silk’s complicated life in which he was forced to leave his job at Athena College as a professor due to a complicated racial slur, and had an affair with a female janitor, Faunia Farley, who was a third of his age. After reading about the complex life that almost every character endured during their lifetime, many different opinions and thoughts can be formulated about the storyline by any reader. In class, a portion in Bressler’s chapter was discussed that said “Reader + Text = Poem” referencing that a reader can find meaning from the text depending on if the reader is interested in what the text is about. This also explains that the meaning of the text will differ depending on the reader’s past and views. Similarly, Bressler’s chapter also discusses thorough explanations of how readers can understand and connect to literature, in which it is clear that the reader’s own experiences direct how they read or interpret text.
The reaction, understand and what the reader takes away from the literature is the sole purpose for an author to write at all. Therefore, the thoughts that the reader has after reading is highly important. Although the author would hope that the reader would take away the same idea that they had while writing, that is not always the case, which makes for a better story. If a group of people all read the same book, chances are not every reader will have the same interpretation of what they just read. This is because of every reader’s “identity theme” (Bressler, 67). Norman Holland, a psychological critic, suggested that through your own life experiences, you create your own identity, your own identity theme, which is how you interpret and see the world around you. Thus, based on one’s own fears, desires, and needs, the reader will view a piece of literature different from anyone else. The relationship between the reader and the text is also greatly important because it depends on if the reader feels a connection the words and if they can or cannot relate to a person or situation. However, even if they cannot relate to anything, this could hopefully intrigue the reader to learn about something new. Not all books are for everyone, but everyone can take something away from anything.
Holland’s theory and critique that finding our own identities and relating to other’s identities occurs while reading, applies to The Human Stain very well. Firstly, the scene where Faunia is reminiscing on her sad past of working as a waitress for two years in Florida when she was sixteen and seventeen years old after leaving her broken family three years prior. She claimed that she was hit on by retired businessmen over and over again, and asked if she’d want to live a materialistic and luxurious life in return for prostituting herself to the men. Although this does not physically relate to my own life, being only a couple years older than she was, I connect to Faunia age-wise, however I could never imagine being in that situation. Like all of my peers, I am a student and was her age a few years ago, so I can relate to being a younger girl and at times, being hit on by older men. This does support my argument though because even though I couldn’t not relate, I was amazed and interested to see how some people in the world do live their life. Some teenagers do work to make ends meat, and are living on their own. With that, many people who have experienced a life like hers, where she was offered easy money, can relate to the tough hardships Faunia had to tolerate. Another aspect of Faunia’s situation when living in Florida was that she turned down a job of making more money for moral reasons. Every reader, every person can relate to wanting to take the easier way out of a bad or hard situation. Whether it is getting someone else to do your homework or asking your parents for money instead of getting a job yourself, any reader could relate and feel a strong connection to a good persons hard work ethic, which gives Faunia more respect and compassion as a character. People read to feel a connection and feel less alone, therefore, Holland is accurate when claiming that people’s needs, in this case for money, shape the way someone reads and finds meaning in literature.
Another example of how people understand books or any text based on their own past and views is of Prince, a crow raised by people, “hand-raised” (Roth, 242). Prince is a crow that cannot live among other crows because “that’s what comes of hanging around all his life with people like us” (Roth, 242), claims Faunia, who enjoys visiting Price at the Audubon Society. For me personally, I can relate to this situation regarding Prince because my entire life, I never hung out with kids that were exactly like me. Having older siblings, I always hung out with their friends over my own grade. With that, I grew up faster and matured faster, thus I preferred maturity. Consequently, my own experiences with social group helped me connect, relate and understand the situation better.
All in all, I believe that Bressler’s argument was strong, thorough, and truthful when it comes to how a reader interprets literature. Everyone’s past, beliefs and personal experiences follow them whenever and wherever they go, growing as the person does. Evidently, if someone was to read a book when they are ten and then read it again when they are sixty, their perception of the book will most likely be different due to the fifty years of experience they have engaged in. For that reason, through my own personal experience in life and by reading this novel, The Human Stain is a vivid and precise example of Bressler’s chapter on reader-response criticism. Everyone has their own opinions, biases and feelings, through Bressler’s chapter and Holland’s theories; we can now explain how all of those shape our world and how it work
Wiki Response
Question #19: These poems by Robert Frost involve journeys. Write an essay (200-350w) that compares the three journeys in terms of purpose, mood, and meaning.
Answer: The first poem, Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening (1922) illustrates someone who must not stop traveling regardless of being tired, needing anything or the bad weather conditions. The person’s journey is strong, persistent and eager; eager to complete their journey because others are relying on him. The second poem The Road Not Taken (1915) is very different from the first. It does not have the sense of relentless passion to travel through woods to get to his destination. The second poem shows optimism and curiosity. It is clear that there is no set destination or direction and they are more whimsical about their voyage. The purpose and meaning of this poem is that having no limits, no set itinerary and being less directed in life can turn out for the better. It means that having fewer plans and playing life by ear can “make all the difference” in life. However, this poem also represents optimism for the future. By wandering through life, making each decision as they come sets your life up for problems, but the lesson that the author is trying to teach is that taking chances and making risks can be worth it. The last poem is the most different. The poem Acquainted with the Night (1928) is more of a dark poem in that it doesn’t show passion for a destination nor does it show passion for having no intention of a destination. This poem illustrates more of a personal independence, not relying on anyone else and accepting being alone. He hears other people, cries and footsteps, but they don’t affect him. He is a loner in the night.
Question #22: Write a paragraph in which you explain: what role you would play if you were able to insert yourself as character in The Human Stain.
Answer: If I were able to insert myself as a character in The Human Stain, I would want to be the closest person in Faunia’s life, next to Coleman. Being Faunia’s sister or best girl friend, or anyone that she would be open with, I think, would be very interesting. If I could be put in this spot then I could hear everything about Coleman but from a completely different perspective. Since this book is firstly written by a man, it would be told differently if explained by a woman. More importantly, hearing Faunia’s thoughts and feelings about Coleman more thoroughly besides just through Coleman’s words, but also hearing about all of their times together from a woman who truly was in love with him but at the same time held him in the palm of her fist, would be more interesting to experience. I think she (this made up character) is the only person who could discover a different side to Coleman without having to know him personally. Since Coleman seemed like a handful, casually calling boys “spooks” and doing whatever pleased him, this would be an interesting way to get a first hand look at the real Coleman. Plus, since not everyone got to see the true Coleman besides Faunia, it would be a good way to get the whole story.
simonla3 