Sag Harbor has been a lot harder to read than a lot of the other novels we have read so far. I think it's the format of the chapters and the fact that the action is very slow moving until the ends of the chapters, I've noticed.
Ben the narrator uses the beginnings of the chapters to put in a lot of exposition and a lot of foreshadowing without necessarily revealing anything. This holds true for the past couple chapters we've read. The fact that the novel also takes place in a short timespan makes the progress seem to move a lot slower than in Black Swan Green.
There are relatable elements for me, like in "The Gangsters" when the kids get into some dangerous things not really thinking about the consequences. In class, we talked briefly about the nature of boys pretending and putting on adult roles for fun and enjoying.
If you think about coming of age as a process that's a sum of experience, I believe that the act of pretending is really important. The kids are acting out what they've seen, different lifestyles of adults that serve as role models. It appeals to some more than others, as mentioned by Ben in passing where some of those kids would go on to be actual gangsters in the future.
Actual coming of age, in my opinion, is the point at which it's no longer pretending for a while then going back to assuming your position as a child, but realizing you already belong in the "Dad" aisle of those stores. When the responsibilities overtake the desire to be someone else. When you realize you're done changing, out of the time in which you're still choosing what path to take in life.
I wholeheartedly sympathize with you in the difficulty to read this book, although I had just assumed it was senioritis. But what you said about it being a more drawn out novel than "Black Swan Green" is true and I think that may be playing a big role for me, too. That got me thinking more about how "Black Swan Green" compares to "Sag Harbor" and I was reminded of when Mr. Mitchell said that "Gangsters" was originally released as a short story. I could see how it would work that way, but I was kind of surprised because I feel like the chapters of "Black Swan Green" work much better as individual stories. They all tie together, like the post cards, but none of them needs any crucial information to get through, while "Gangsters" and other chapters in "Sag Harbor" feed off of each other more heavily.
ReplyDeleteI have thought about what role pretending plays in coming of age, because I get the feeling that sometimes a lot of adults feel like they are pretending too. Not being a full adult myself, I cannot say for sure, but it seems like adults must have to restrain kid-like urges sometimes, to keep up their image as adults. Maybe kids just stop pretending to be gangsters one summer and start pretending to be normal adults. Or maybe they were adults all along who were pretending to be gangsters. If a Dad feels happier in a "kid" aisle, is he still an adult. I think he is more adult than those other fathers that force themselves to unhappily buy grills and whatnot when they really want to play with Nerf guns.
ReplyDeleteI had the same vein of thought as Tim here--on some level aren't all adults just pretending. It's weird to be writing this because I technically am an adult now (strange) and although I feel mature, or more so than in distant past, I also feel immature, like I am totally still growing. I dont believe that there is a point at which adults stop growing and maturing and become static. In fact, I think that when adults refuse to grow and change and learn it can lead to regression and harm.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you that "Sag Harbor" is difficult to read, mostly because it does seem to be moving slower than "Black Swan Green." However, I absolutely love Colson Whitehead's writing style, or maybe I should say Ben's writing style. The words that he uses and how he weaves the language is something that really appeals to me. It make the book significantly more bearable, if I can't focus on the plot, I'll focus on the writing.
ReplyDeleteYeah I think part of the thing with the slow moving is that at least some of these chapters, such as "Gangsters," were written first as short stories so they have a lot of build up and then a climax towards the end, which makes sense for a short story. However when the next chapter starts is starts off slowly again as it is like a new story. I really do like Ben as a narrator and he seems to be the most reliable narrator we have had all semester.
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