POST:In-Class Responses to Member of Wedding (closes 9/30)

What did you see happening? Paraphrase: retell the event briefly.
In this novel, Member of the Wedding, Frankie is trying to discover who she really is. She questions life because of her frustration with it. Frankie is a rare character that does not fit in and is simply misunderstood. She thinks it's as though no one can understand her. One event I can remember clearly is when Frankie went to see the fortune-teller. Frankie had been confident that she would be leaving the next morning for the wedding and would be never returning, so she wanted to see what her future would look like. I remember this scene because I remember how nervous and excited Frankie was to be leaving the next day. When she arrived at the fortune-teller, she was a little reluctant and cautious, but when the fortune-teller began to speak, Frankie felt better. Soon the fortune-teller explains to Frankie about how she sees a “wedding” in her future. Frankie becomes very excited and enthralled that the fortune-teller knew about the wedding. As the fortune-teller explains how Frankie will go on to the wedding and fall for a boy with blonde hair, Frankie becomes even more confident in her decision to never return back home after the wedding.

What memory does the work call to mind--of people, places, events, sights, smells, or even, perhaps, feeling or attitudes? Coming to a new school with absolutely no friends whatsoever, I couldn't help but to relate to Frankie's situation because she used to be popular, but now she's coming of age and she has no friends. She has to find a way to start over. I'm trying to meet new people by having conversations and being nice, but Frankie is trying to win people over. She's desperate for attention from her brother and maybe from her father so she tries to make them like her. I am not desprerate for attention, but I am trying to make new friends and overcome my situation.

14) In class, we had a discussion on what we thought why the author had included the character John Henry in the story, and what element and contribution he added to the storyline. Throughout the story, I noticed that there was an overall theme about going through the phases and challenges of growing up. I thought the reason why the author, Carson McCullers added the character John Henry into the story was to compare and contrast someone who is still enjoying their childhood with no care and worry in the world, and someone who was going through the stages of growing up. Both Frankie and John Henry are still kids, each naïve in a different way. The difference between the two was that John Henry had a more childish innocence because of his young age. Frankie on the other hand was older was making the wrong decisions. From reading, you can also see the differences in two by what they were interested in, and how they handled situations. The author uses this comparison to illustrate all the challenges of growing up, and the stages of a child’s life. Also, I think that the author included John Henry to symbolize a phase in Frankie’s life. John Henry was always at Frankie’s side when Frankie was going through emotional swings when she felt like a loner. After the wedding had taken place, Frankie in a way grew up a little bit and came to a realization. She had more confidence and was more social instead of pushing people away. When John Henry dies at the end of the story from Meningitis, it symbolizes the end of Frankie’s phase of growing up when she felt insecure and confused.

Throughout the reading, my focus was consistently drawn to the imagery that the author used. I felt at some times like I personally knew Frankie, and felt her pain. This is one of my favorite traits that an author could have, and personally, my favorite authors use 2 pages to describe something that could be said in a paragraph. I was also constantly thinking about what would happen next. I enjoy mystery books that allow you to solve them, or predict the storyline. I had a gut feeling that joining up with her brother would not work out, but Frankie’s joining of a social circle, and John Henry’s surprising death because of meningitis was blatantly unpredictable. This “unpleasant” surprise was actually refreshing, because the storyline didn’t have much action.

Also... Skyler you're creepy.

Number 7

6) There are a myriad of ideas expressed by McCullers in this novel. Many of them pertain to aspects of achieving happiness in life, however, the central theme suggested throughout the entire novel was that: Happiness is not determined by who you are, but rather by your ability to be content with your life. You are yourself and you cannot change that. You must accept who you are and your purpose in life in order to be content. In the beginning of the story, Frankie was not happy with herself, lamenting over her petty imperfections. She was not satisfied with her appearance, nor was she content with her status in the community. She hated her home and did not get along will with her father or the housekeeper. She was insecure and therefore did not take compliments or insults lightly. She was jubilant whenever she received adulation, allowing her ego to overwhelm her common sense. Likewise, when she was insulted, she became depressed as a result of over interpreting the insult.

Frankie was centered only on herself, ignoring the thoughts of others and refusing advice from Berenice. She sought to perfect herself and as a result, constantly attempted to change herself, rarely turning back to examine her faults. She yearned to become a member of any group, for she was afraid of being alone. She wanted a “we” to be a part of and changed herself accordingly. For example, after she realized that her brother and his bride were the “we” of her, she changed her entire attitude towards life. She was filled with joy out of arrogance, parading around the town to inform people of her plans. She was happy but never really content and jumped to conclusions too quickly.

Her quixotic thinking led her to depression and dismay when her brother did not take her to live together with his wife in Winter Hill. After the wedding, she ran away but eventually returned home, resuming her life and accepting who she was. She had nothing left to look forward to and began to accept her life and grew satisfied. She grew more mature and changed slightly, however, there were traces of her past self that remained intact. She was content with being herself and eventually made a friend. In the end she was happy because she made a friend and loyal companion who accepted her for who she was. This suggests the main idea of the story, because in the end, Frankie found a scintilla of happiness in her seemingly grim world.

When Frankie described the kitchen that she spent her summer in, an image popped into my mind. It looked like my kitchen, except smaller and the room was square. There was a square table in the middle that looked like the table that used to be in my kitchen. The table was kinda old and scratched up and I think my uncle made it or something. The walls were covered with multicolor scribblings and the floor was dirty. There are shelves with cooking ingredients, a range, refrigerator, and sink. I imagined it was used a lot and not often cleaned and very hot inside.

If anything doesn't fit what happed in the book, it is because my mind sometimes doesn't listen to me and thinks things I don't want it too. Like when a bad song gets stuck in my head. I tell my mind to shut up but it just won't listen.



....stupid mind.

4) What image or images were called to mind?

One image that was called to mind during this story was the vivid picture of the kitchen in Frankie's house. The walls are covered with John Henry's strange drawings. These wild and colorful pictures give the room a creepy and unusual feel. Also, sweaty, dirty playing cards lay strewn across the card-table, at which Frankie, John Henry, and Berenice sit playing bridge. The heat is oppressive, and the radio goes on in the background, ignored by the card players.

4) After the book was over, a few dominant images stayed in my mind. One of the images was the kitchen with all of the pictures John Henry had colored. I could just imagine many colorful pictures that he had done when he was bored one day. Because he was so young, I could imagine the pictures being more scribble, than art. I thought of the walls that John Henry colored as a a symbol of confusion in Frankie's life. Frankie is really out of place in the book, and is very confused with her life, and I think the pictures represent this. Lastly I also saw Frankie hitting the soldier over the head with a pitcher. I could just imagine how confused, and scared Frankie would have been. This image shows that Frankie was still a young child and was not a 16 year old which she pretended to act like. However, Frankie was also able to stick up for herself which shows that she was maturing.

Decided to improve it...

1. What feelings did the work awaken in you?

The Member of the Wedding arose a feeling of pity for Frankie in me. I pitied her because she was so lonely, and also because she didn't seem to acknowledge the companions she did have. Also, i dont think i could live with myself if i didn't know whether or not a killed a person (the soldier), but I guess Frankie didnt have much of a choice. The most pitiful trait of Frankie's was that fact that her foolish and unrealistic dreams set her up for crushing disappointment. Luckly, she could get over the disappointments at the end, even when John Henry died.

I made connections with The Member of the Wedding and To Kill a Mockingbird. One connection I made between the two books was that they both took place aroung the 1940s. They also both took place in segragated southern towns. Annother connection I made between the two books was that they were both based around the struggles of a young girl. Also both books included a black caregiver and a dad with a dead wife. These two seemed very similar.

On page 140 of Carson McCuller's novel, Frankie broods over the wedding while trying to ignore Bernice's atempts to cheer her. Frankie's moody bus ride reminds me of one small girl I saw on a bus in San Francisco. Her shoulders were slumped, her arms crossed and her legs spilling into the isle. She was staring out the window through slited eyes, her hair falling into her face. Her lips were bunched together in a scowl, her brow furrowed. A potent aura seemed to be seeping into the surrounding seats forcing commuters to turn away. I don't know why she was angry or where she was going, but I can still remember her sour face and tightly crossed arms, riding on a blue bus through the crowded streets of San Francisco.

In a Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers, the author desribed pretty much thorought the whole book that F. Jasmine wanted to be "accepted" by her older brother and his fiance/bride. Ever since the character F. Jasmine was described and the reader understood what she wanted to get out the whole wedding deal, I was able to predict or see that she was not going to be accepted like she wanted.

6) What main idea is suggested?
In The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers, I think the main idea suggested is to put others before yourself. The main character, Frankie, often behaved selfishly and did not consider the feelings of others. Therefore, she had to pay the consequences for her actions. For example, Frankie decided she would move in with her brother and his fiancee after they married without even consulting them first. She wanted them to take her in and bring her everything with them without even stopping to think about what they wanted. Frankie was very upset when she realized they didn't want her to live with them, but hopefully she learned her lesson.

Question 13:
A literary work that I recalled while reading the novel was L.I.E. That movie, also called Long Island Expressway, is about a teenaged boy named Howie who has a lot of problems. His mother recently died, his father neglects him and always with his girlfriend, his new group of friends likes to break into houses for fun, and he doesn’t know how to deal with his situation. In the beginning of the movie, he feels like he has nothing and being where he is, his life will go nowhere. In the novel, Frankie feels lost and doesn’t know what to do to rid her of that. Throughout the movie, different happenings cause him to have little gains, but gains enough to teach him lessons and make him a little more content with himself. Throughout the novel, Frankie experiences many things that change her a little as a person and gives her more room to breathe comfortably. It seems from those points in the two works that the protagonists would both end up with a somewhat happy ending. In the movie, Howie looses all that he holds dear again. His father goes to jail, his father figure gets shot, his love interest runs away, and he is left alone. In the novel, everything that goes right for Frankie goes wrong. The soldier tries to rape her, the newlyweds don’t take her, John Henry dies, and she is left right where she started in her hometown. Although both of them learn and grow as a person, physical losses cause them to worsen and keep them firmly where they started.

4. What imae or images were called to mind?

RIght after i finished reading the novel the image that i saw was Frankie's kitchen. In the kitchen i saw John Henry's pictures that he drew on the walls. I saw Berenice making food and the three of them eating on the dining table. At the kitchen i also saw John Henry making the cookie man and Berenice making the layered cake for the grand wedding. As i think about the kitchen i also see the three of them playing cards on the table or Berenice running after Frankis who is holding a kniife.

What was the most important word in the passage or work?
I think that the most important word in the work is change. I think change best describes Frankie throughout the story. I say this because Frankie changes her name 3 times throughout the story. Also, she changes because she goes from a little girl, to knowing about sex and almost getting raped.

"But while we're talking right now, this very minute is passing. And it will never come again." (p. 115)
To me this quote means that not only will a certain time never come again but never will anything ever be exactly the same again. Frankie says many confusing ideas and concepts when she has this discussion but this is the one that I profoundly agree with. Nothing will ever be exactly the same ever again- that's why deja vues creep us out so much. It's almost as if we aren't meant to know why this is so- like if some unexplainable, strong power ensures that human knowledge is limited, and answers may come later...who knows?!

In the book, I responded emotionally. This is because Frankie was actually a pretty messed up teenager. Her dad was never home, and her only friends were a 7-year old and their maid. Also, she really liked to try and live life on her own, which led to alot of mistakes like going on a date with a drunk soldier.

This book really reminded me of the books To Kill A Mocking Bird and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn they all shared simalar themes and the main characters went through similar struggles. All the books were about a young girl growing up and facing all the challenges of life and amazingly all the books had a brother- type figure though for Member of the Wedding it was john henry. All three books had almost the same mood and feel when reading them and i often got plots confused.

Admin wrote:

"But while we're talking right now, this very minute is passing. And it will never come again." (p. 115)
To me this quote means that not only will a certain time never come again but never will anything ever be exactly the same again.

This also reminds me of the ancient debate on how you can never step into the same river twice. Both have to do with passing time and change in our world. This book, A Member of the Wedding really made you think about life in general, which is probably why it such a classic.

4. What image or images were called to mind?

When Frankie described her exploits in the Blue Moon, I can only picture a quiet bar with a soldier at the booth by the front window. I see a flicking blue light behind the counter. There is a lonely man sitting at the left side of the counter. He holds a beer mug in his right hand, his left hand loosly placed on the other side. His head is down. His eyes on his palms. The owner of the bar is silently cleaning the inside of an empty mug. He holds a white rag as he carefully inspects his work.

7. Upon what, in the text, did you focus most intently as you read?

The text that caught my attention the most was when I read that John Henry died of meningitis. I thought the story was leading on to a different ending that focused on Frankie, rather than having one of the main characters die unexpectedly. I was also shocked, because the story gave no indication that John Henry was growing ill or was eventually going to perish. Since the author skipped about a year of the story near the end of the book, the announcement of John Henry dying was very impetuous. I ended up focusing mainly on this section because I felt both sympathy and incredulity, and needed to understand how and why it happened.

Frankie is a sensitive girl, in a confusing world. She wants to find her place, but she also doesn't want to mess up. She thinks she is ignorant of the outside world, and longs for someone to understand her. She can try to explain to Bernice, but Bernice even has trouble undertsanding. Frankie knows that she just doesn't fit in, and is scared she never will. She makes friends with whoever she knoews she can, even if they are little seven year old boys with names such as "John-Henry".

When Frankie walked up to the monkey man and the soldier, I pictured a hectic scene with a crazy little monkey jumping up and down screaming, while the soldier and owner yelled at each other. When the monkey jumped on Frankie, I pictured her wearing a surprised face, while the soldier jumped to get the monkey of of her.

6. What main idea is suggested?

There are a plethora of ideas and themes expressed in Carson McCullers novel, The Member of the Wedding. Two major related themes are the subsequent: You must accept who you are in order to be content; surface changes and impressions cannot fundamentally change who you are.
Initially, Frankie was not happy with herself. She was not satisfied with her appearance, nor was she content with her status in the town. Frankie was centered only on herself, ignoring the thoughts of others which were not related to her and often refusing advice from Berenice. She yearned to become a member of any group. As is shown in one of the fundamental quotes of the novel, “They are the we of me” (p. 39) she wanted a “we” to be a member of and changed herself accordingly. After she realized that her brother and his bride were the “we” of her, she changed her entire attitude towards life. She was filled with hubristic joy, and walked around the town to tell people of her plans to live her brother and his wife.
Her unrealistic thinking led her to depression when her brother did not take her to live with him and his wife in Winter Hill. After the wedding, she ran away; nevertheless, she returned home and accepted who she was. After her return, she became content with herself and made a friend who accepted her for who she was. This suggests the main theme of the story, because in the end, Frankie finds happiness after a summer of psychological and emotional turbulence by accepting who she is and not trying to change herself to fit into society.
Frankie's two name changes, to F. Jasmine and then to Frances, demonstrate her endeavors to alter her personality. The F. Jasmine self is supposed to grown-up and sophisticated, while Frances is more experienced and realistic; however, this change is only superficial and does not change the person inside.