The Black American Short Story in the 20th Century

by Peter Bruck

  distortion. His parents' monetary, marital, and sexual problems are

  only partially accessible to Sonny's understanding, so that we get a

  detailed repor t o f wha t h e can observe, but little comment and no

  coherent interpretation . Instea d we learn a lot about the efforts h e

  has to make to control his bladder. The details we perceive through

  the narrator' s consciousness , th e exac t meanin g o f whic h is ofte n

  not clea r t o him , provid e th e materia l fo r th e conclusion s whic h

  the (adult ) reader draw s fo r himself . Th e narrative focus certainly

  is on Sonny' s ow n problems, most of which are caused or intensi-

  fied by hi s parents ' quarrellin g an d separation . A t first h e onl y

  realizes tha t somethin g i s wrong, and no t even this is very clear to

  him. He lets his father in when his mother does not open the door,

  not sur e whic h o f the m wil l punish hi m mor e severely , trying t o

  please the m both . When Amy , angry an d hurt , trie s to ignore her

  husband, th e onl y possibilit y Sonn y ca n thin k o f is , "Mama must

  be gon e bac k t o sleep , because sh e don't answe r him." (9) . Even

  his father's tear s and complaints apparently d o not move him — he

  does no t kno w wha t the y mean . H e remain s passiv e whe n hi s

  mother leave s th e house , takin g hi m wit h her . A t thi s stage th e

  boy i s only a n observer , a peripheral figur e i n th e drama between

  his father and mother.

  At the end of the first sectio n the boy comes closer to the centre

  of th e stage . O n hi s wa y t o schoo l h e seem s to leav e behind, —

  though ver y reluctantly , — th e grown-up s with thei r conflicts and

  their incomprehensibl e behaviour . H e enter s a differen t world :

  that of his peers, the teacher, and his own tasks.

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  In th e secon d rathe r shor t par t th e narrator's emphasis shifts t o

  his ow n problems . Bu t stil l he is deeply concerne d wit h th e recen t

  rupture o f hi s family . Thi s par t disclose s hi s emotiona l reactio n

  to wha t h e (externall y immovabl e an d detached ) has observe d

  before. H e feel s confusio n an d distres s a t hi s parents ' separation ,

  and trie s to anticipat e wha t i t wil l mean in his everyday life :

  I ain't go'n eat dinner at us house because me and Mama don't stay there

  no more . I' m go' n ea t a t Gran'mon' s house. I don't kno w where Daddy

  go'n eat dinner. He must be go'n cook his own dinner. (23)

  His failur e i n clas s is clearl y th e resul t o f hi s parents ' quarre l an d

  their preoccupation wit h thei r ow n concerns :

  Everybody's studying their lesson, but I don't know mine. I wish I knowed

  it, but I don't. Mama didn't teac h me my lesson last night, and she didn't

  teach it to me this morning, and I don't know it. (23)

  Thus hi s miser y forseeabl y take s it s course . Th e onl y surpris e fo r

  Sonny i s hi s teacher' s reactio n whe n h e doe s not kno w his lesson,

  wets himself , an d start s cryin g wit h hi s eye s shut , paralyse d wit h

  fear. Wha t amaze s hi m i s th e fac t tha t h e i s neithe r beate n no r

  scolded. Agai n th e adults ' conduc t seem s unpredictabl e an d im -

  penetrable t o hi s understanding . Wit h mixe d feeling s h e trie s t o

  cut of f hi s relation s t o othe r people , feelin g hur t an d rejecte d b y

  his classmate s an d a strange r i n th e spher e o f adults . H e decide s

  not t o com e bac k t o schoo l after lunch .

  But "home, " no w hi s grandmother' s house , doe s no t shelte r

  him fro m th e othe r children' s crue l teasin g an d hi s ow n feeling s

  of sham e an d loneliness . A t th e openin g o f chapter thre e th e mai n

  emphasis i s stil l o n Sonn y an d hi s emotions , whic h no w ar e mor e

  in the open :

  I go in the yard and I don't feel good any more. I know old Gran'mon go'n

  start her fussing. Lor d in Heaven knows I get tired of all this fussing, day

  and night. (29)

  Very soon , however , h e i s thrus t int o th e backgroun d agai n an d

  silently listen s t o hi s mother , grandmother , an d Mrs . Freddi e

  Jackson, th e eterna l competito r fo r Amy' s affections , Grand -

  mother's favorite , successful , eage r t o pleas e an d wi n Am y a t last .

  It is true tha t Sonn y feel s he does not lik e him o r his grandmother .

  But whe n Gran'mo n get s the gun and shoot s ove r his father's hea d

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  to make him go away from thei r door the boy shows no emotion.

  He joins his father whe n he calls to him, but during their Odyssey

  - t o th e preacher' s house , back t o Eddie' s mother-in-law, then t o

  Madame Toussaint's , the n throug h th e field s t o fin d somebod y

  who might giv e him advic e an d len d hi m money , then bac k again

  to th e hoodo o woma n — Sonn y hardl y speak s a word, except t o

  tell Daddy that he is terribly tired and cold.

  The very shor t fourt h sectio n show s Sonn y agai n detached and

  silent; the onl y thin g he ca n thin k o f an d tal k abou t is his fear of

  Madame Toussaint. Bu t hi s father doe s not liste n t o him while he

  talks — h e ca n onl y thin k o f th e advic e he got: t o bur n hi s car —

  not t o sel l it, o r t o giv e it away, or to spend less time on it, but t o

  destroy it completely .

  It i s only whe n the y come back to his grandmother's house and

  meet hi s mother tha t th e chil d start s takin g part in the action. He

  tries to tel l his mother about the advice his father wa s given at the

  fortune-teller's, an d i s interrupted b y hi s parents again . But he is

  not t o b e discourage d now. " " 'Come on , Daddy , (...) . Let' s go

  burn u p th e car. ' " (67 ) A t the beginning of chapter five, in which

  Eddie actuall y doe s wha t i s require d o f him , Sonn y urge s hi s

  mother wit h simila r words : " 'Mama, Dadd y sa y com e o n if yo u

  want se e th e burning . (... ) Com e on , Mama.'" (69 ) H e does not

  explain anything , bu t hi s perception i s so attentive an d clea r that

  he observes the most subtle changes in his parents' behaviour:

  'Give me a hand down here,' Daddy calls [setting fire to the car]. But that

  don't even sound like Daddy's voice. (71)

  The child' s mind operate s a s a filter, receptive and sensitive. While

  his parent s ar e stil l strugglin g th e narrato r tell s nothin g explici t

  about hi s feelings. Bu t the y ar e unmistakably clea r fro m wha t h e

  does an d says . Fro m th e momen t whe n he know s the conditio n

  that wil l reunite hi s father an d mother , h e doe s everything in his

  power to make them meet it. We learn nothing about his emotional

  reaction when they are home again. But a new crisis seems to arise,

  because hi s father a t firs t doe s not agree to beating his wife as she

  bids him do. She threatens toleave him again, telling Sonny to take

  his pot — fo r him a sure sign that she really means it and that they

  are going to b e o n th e mov e again. Now he ca n no longer remain

  silent:

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  'Shucks,' I say. 'Now where we going? I'm getting tired walking in all that

  cold. 'Fore you know it 'm go'n have whoopin
g cough.'

  'Get your pot and stop answering me back, boy,' Mama says. I go to my

  bed and pick up the pot again.

  'Shucks,' I say. (73)

  But a new rupture i s fortunately averted .

  Significantly, Sonn y (wh o fro m hi s parents ' poin t o f vie w ha s

  been i n th e backgroun d durin g th e tim e o f thei r separation ) no w

  becomes th e centr e o f thei r concer n an d th e touchston e o f hi s

  father's newl y assume d responsibility . H e i s goin g t o tak e car e o f

  his son's problems in the sam e wa y his wife ha s done :

  'One of us got to go to school with him tomorrow,' I hear Mama saying.

  I se e her handin g Dadd y the note [hi s teacher gave him for his parents].

  Daddy waves it back. 'Here,' she says.

  'Honey, you know I don't kno w how to act in no place like that,' Daddy

  says.

  'Time to learn,' Mama says. She gives Daddy the note.

  ( )

  'Your dadd y '1 1 carry yo u ove r i t [you r lesson ] tomorro w night,' Mama

  says. 'One night me, one night you.' (76)

  The author' s consisten t applicatio n o f the child's perspective results

  in a paradoxicall y mixe d effec t o f immediac y o n on e han d an d

  detachment o n th e other . Th e story' s authenti c ton e is accounte d

  for b y th e fac t tha t i t use s th e firs t perso n singular , th e presen t

  tense, an d th e vernacula r o f it s narrator ; bu t equall y importan t i s

  the ingenuousnes s wit h whic h th e bo y record s wha t h e observes ,

  but i s no t suppose d t o hea r an d see , especiall y th e adults ' sexua l

  behavior, th e meanin g o f whic h he ca n onl y vaguel y sense . Thus he

  intuitively feel s tha t hi s parent s ar e reconcile d whe n h e i s in be d

  and listen s to th e familia r noises :

  I hear the spring. I hear Mama and Daddy talking low, but I don't kno w

  what they saying. (...) I hear the spring on Mama and Daddy's bed. I hear

  it plenty now. It's some dark under here. It's warm. I feel good 'way under

  here. (78 f.)

  Sonny's retur n t o hi s womb-lik e shelte r carrie s th e emotiona l

  overtones o f hi s new-foun d securit y an d happiness . A s far a s he is

  concerned feeling s ar e seldom and insufficiently explaine d or talked

  about; rarel y ar e the y perceive d o n th e consciou s leve l a t all . The

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  emotional climat e i s partly expresse d b y th e boy' s accoun t o f his

  physical condition . A s i n th e passag e quote d abov e th e contrast s

  between war m an d col d an d betwee n darknes s an d dazzlin g light

  generally impl y a figurative meaning . Th e chang e i n sensatio n

  corresponds t o tha t i n th e boy's feeling: from stabilit y to fear and

  loneliness, and back to safety .

  That th e reade r gain s a n impressio n o f directnes s an d a t th e

  same time o f remotenes s is, however, not onl y th e result o f what

  we are told — an d wha t w e have t o conclud e fo r ourselve s — bu t

  also of the manner in which it is told.

  In thi s story dialogue , report, and interior monologue alternate.

  Gaines i s sometime s criticize d fo r imitatin g Hemingwa y to o ob -

  viously, by givin g a minute account of external details, marked by

  repetitions, curtness , an d lac k o f causa l connections . Her e thes e

  characteristics fit in well with the child's perspective which renders

  things visibl e withou t explainin g them . Th e precisenes s o f th e

  descriptions, moreover, implie s ironical overtones, since the adults

  seem to think that he will not realize what is going on.

  Narrative immediac y i s intensified b y the language of the story,

  the vernacular o f th e regio n an d th e peopl e Gaine s spent mos t of

  his lifetime with . "Blac k English, " the traditional Negro dialect of

  the Souther n states , is the only language Sonny and his family an d

  friends know . Everybod y use s it, excep t Mis s Hebert, the teacher.

  Even th e preache r an d th e fortune-telle r belon g to th e "commo n

  people" i n tha t the y thin k an d tal k th e sam e languag e a s th e

  plantation workers.

  •

  On another leve l of the narrative texture the boy in his position

  as central characte r serves as a mirror, reflecting his father's image.

  He i s name d afte r hi s father, 3 thu s becomin g Eddie' s younge r

  version. Eac h o f the m identifie s — thoug h unconsciousl y — wit h

  the othe r o r looks upon hi m a s an extension o f himself. The two

  worlds o f fathe r (adult ) and son (child) are very closely connecte d

  and b y n o means as dissimilar a s they seem to be at first sight. By

  making thei r attitude s and experiences cross and blend, the author

  produces ironic implications, and offers ne w insights to the reader.

  Right fro m th e beginnin g "Sonny " become s hi s father' s ally .

  Whereas Am y answer s he r son' s question s wit h a "Yo u won' t

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  understand, honey , (...) . Yo u to o young still, " (6) and the n almos t

  excludes hi m fro m he r thought s an d feeling s durin g thi s day , hi s

  father completel y turn s t o hi s six-year-ol d so n fo r suppor t whe n

  he i s rejected b y his wife. I t is Sonny wh o open s the doo r fo r him .

  Seeking comfort , Eddi e trie s to fin d i t in him, wherea s Amy want s

  to kee p Sonn y ou t o f thei r conflict .

  Eddie's effor t t o wi n hi s so n a s a n all y an d a frien d whe n hi s

  wife turn s awa y fro m hi m i s mainl y base d o n th e fac t tha t h e is a

  male child : th e fathe r look s upon hi m a s a second self , anticipatin g

  a similar fat e fo r th e boy :

  'A man need s somebod y to love him,' he says. (...) Th e sufferin g a man

  got to go through in this world,' he says. 'Sonny, I hope you never have to

  go through all this.' (13)

  But thi s scene, pathetic a s it is showing Eddi e i n his helpless appea l

  for lov e an d comfort , als o discloses the simple-minded and childish

  elements in his character. H e imagines that Sonn y ca n be his frien d

  and partner , hopin g tha t h e will give him wha t h e canno t ge t fro m

  his wife :

  'You lov e you r daddy , Sonny? ' (... ) 'Pleas e lov e me ' (... ) ' A man needs

  somebody to love him.' (13)

  'You love your daddy?' he says.

  'Uh-huh,' I say.

  'That's a good boy,' he says. 'Always love your daddy.'

  'I love Mama, too. I love her more than I love you.' (15)

  His complaint s an d demand s no t onl y see m inadequat e compare d

  to Sonny' s capacity ; the y als o exhibi t Eddie' s sentimentalit y an d

  self-pity. Unabl e t o tak e hi s fat e i n hi s ow n hands , althoug h h e

  frequently refer s t o himsel f a s " a man, " Eddi e happil y regresse s

  to a childlik e behaviour , whinin g an d makin g demand s o n othe r

  people fo r unconditiona l love , o r trying to wi n i t back b y gesture s

  of self-abasement , whic h are, however, ignored an d despise d b y hi s

  wife: " 'Yo u go t a righ t t o b e mad, ' Dadd y says . ' I ain' t nothin g

  but a ' ol d rotten dog.' " (15 ) Paradoxically, this is exactly th e kin d

  of conduc t denie d t o th e child . He is not allowe d t o sta y i n bed, o r

&
nbsp; away fro m school , he is expected t o ac t responsibly, and no t t o b e

  a whiner . Besides , he i s lef t alon e wit h his own fea r an d insecurit y

  by everybody , excep t fo r th e compassio n an d car e h e receive s

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  from hi s Uncle Al .

  The effec t produce d b y th e overlappin g o f tw o sphere s - th e

  adult's an d th e child' s - i s chiefl y on e o f comi c irony . I t i s rein -

  forced b y th e fac t tha t th e fathe r an d th e son hav e similar relation -

  ships t o othe r people . Bot h dislik e Amy' s mother an d ar e dislike d

  by her. Bot h rely o n Am y t o tak e car e o f thei r problems .

  Eddie's behaviou r during the course of the story increase s the im -

  pression o f naïveté and simple-mindedness . H e wring s hi s hand s

  and cries , standin g i n th e roa d i n fron t o f Gran'mon' s hous e unti l

  she get s th e shotgu n an d threaten s him . H e seek s advic e fro m

  various peopl e — bu t no t fro m himsel f — abou t ho w h e migh t ge t

  his wif e back . Especiall y hi s superstition, which he obviously share s

  with othe r me n o n th e plantation , seem s grotesque . Severa l me n

  have bee n seekin g advice at Madam e Toussaint's , an d al l the advic e

  she gav e the m fo r thei r goo d mone y i s exactl y wha t the y migh t

  have easil y foun d ou t fo r themselves . Instead , everybod y consider s

  her down-to-eart h suggestions , whic h invariabl y tur n ou t t o b e

  helpful, th e resul t o f occul t powers . On thi s point Eddi e is equally

  deluded.

  Unable t o thin k abou t hi s problems, he want s to rely blindl y o n

  other people' s experience s with similar — though different — marital

  conflicts: '"Mayb e i f I try th e same thing , maybe I'l l b e able t o ge t

  her back , too,' " h e say s (53) . H e i s grotesquel y mistake n an d ha s

  to realiz e tha t wha t coul d hel p othe r peopl e solv e thei r problem s

  is no cur e fo r his .

  The solutio n a t firs t sigh t seem s t o b e a kin d o f magi c trick .

  That i t i s no t ca n b e seen fro m Eddie' s reaction. H e has to mak e a

  personal sacrific e i n orde r t o ge t hi s wif e back , an d h e suffers ,

  since h e ha s neve r befor e ha d thi s experience. Throug h thi s act h e

  undergoes a chang e whic h bear s th e mark s o f a tru e initiation .