The Coming of Age Novel

Ragtime: Ending

The ending of the novel was quite unlike the way the rest of the book flowed. There were multiple complex stories and characters coming together to form one narrative. Along the way we got to see mother and her character development, along with fathers lack of it. We saw Houdini navigate his inner struggles and even finding his worth in some way as he continues to preform. We saw Coalhouse Walker and Sarah and their impact on the family and the world. We followed Mother's Younger Brother who's narrative seems to always be driven by other people, much like his name suggests. The book was relatively slow paced for the most part until the ending. The book took a deep inside look into all the characters and showed us how each reacts differently to the same situation. Such as how each family member reacted in a different way to Walker entering the home and coming into their lives. And even how he impacted them after. The very end of the book seemed very rushed and vague. Almost li...

Song of Solomon: Milkman's Identity

The Song of Solomon definitely caught us off guard at first; there was so much going on to say the least. I think the most perplexing character is Milkman, because up until the more recent chapters he was the only character that didn't really have much of anything going on. He was in the same limbo state that we saw with Clarissa Dalloway, he is middle aged and is kind of settling for life. It's too late for him to really choose a career path, yet he's not necessarily happy with the way things are going for him now. Most of the time his identity is attached to that of his father or from the unfortunate nickname of Milkman. However, we see some sort of shift in him when he begins to travel and learn about his family. Milkman begins to discover his identity when he leaves to travel alone. Towards the start of his journey he still has an identity that is tied to his father, but his outlook on the gold changes. However, it's still significant to note that while he is travel...

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Tea Cake??

Throughout Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, the protagonist Janie endures two failed marriages. Her first partner Logan Killicks, she was forced into marrying at the age of only 16. He was the safe choice according to nanny; he had land and a stable income so Janie would never have to worry about life on the street. However, Janie was unappreciated and completely un-attracted to him and runs away with Joe Starks. The beginning of their time together was promising, he wanted to treat her right and she was practically royalty as the mayors wife. However, over time Janie was forced to become more and more isolated and couldn't live the free life she wanted, and eventually Joe grew violent with her. After his death, she wants to be an independent woman and live life for herself. In the mean time, she curves men left and right, all wanting to be her business partner and marry her. This all changes unexpectedly when Tea Cake comes walking into Janies store one d...

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