Several of the works we’ve read recently are set in the American South – As I Lay Dying, A Streetcar Named Desire, and “Good Country People.” All of these texts might be considered a part of the “Southern Literary Renaissance” of the 20th century. Why do you think so many significant writers and artists emerged from the South during this period, and what are some common themes or problems that you see connecting these texts?
Tags: Southern Literature
April 22, 2008 at 2:20 pm
I’d estimate the increase in writing to be effects of education coupled with wider(although not necessarily accurate) knowledge of the world and each author’s reaction to it. Sometimes this equates to an author seeing a problem with a certain perspective on life, personifying it, and attacking it, showing the flaws in that particular perspective’s way of thinking. Often the insight proves to be a flawed and stereotyped view, while the counterpoint view will ironically be a breakdown of a stereotype closer to the author, revealing true perspective. This is most apparent from the reading we’ve done in “Good Country people,” where O’Connor attacks philosophical nihilism, though not truly philisophical nihilism itself but a specific stereotype of person, who’s beliefs ultimately boil down to it. This is contrasted with her insight into the stereotype of “good country people,” and the revalation that they are not as simple as made out to be. The irony inherent in the story is that she views the nonsense thinking elitist Joy/Hulga with the same sorts of misguided stereotypes that she breaks down on the other end of the scales. These styles of writing can be almost frightening, as you realize how far perspective skews with distance from that which we view, and how someone who sees one thing so clearly could be so off with their views of a particular idea more distanced from themselves. The end result is a work peppered with irony, irony inherent not only in the work itself but in the way the author personifies and attacks a group, representing them via a certain stereotyped look and then leaving them to fumble when faced with the reality points of view closer to their own, unaware that they are ultimately acting out the very stereotyping they so detest. It’s important to note that I’m a bit biased in my feelings on this, due to being exposed to more extreme examples than O’Connors, though with the same meaning and results. There is a deeper insight that the author is sometimes unaware they are revealing, which sometimes leads to the story being hurtful rather than proving a point, but in the perspectives of both the flawed and accurate sides capture something greater than what the author’s insight would suggest. I suppose it’s a testament to the importance of literature; that there is often more insight in an acted out story than there is in simply arguing on the same concepts that were placed behind it.
April 22, 2008 at 2:24 pm
One of the common themes that connected As I Lay Dying and “Good Country People” was that both concerned “country folk” or people who had not yet moved to urban areas. These people were not used to life in the city, and it seemed to be to fast for them. In As I Lay Dying you see this when they go to town, and everything is too fast for them. The town seems like a different world, and the Bundren’s know they could never live in a town. They are a different kind of people still living in the late 19th or early 20th century. The world that they knew is changing, and it is becoming a fast moving, urban dweller society. This theme is shown in both works, and it seems that both families are content living in the “past” you could say.
The one reason I think so many artists emerged during this time was because of the changes in society. Values and societal changes were happening all around the country, and these new artists emerged during this era. This was a time of change, and these new artists brought out that change through their works.
April 22, 2008 at 3:45 pm
The most common theme I see is trying to reconcile the “old south” with the new south while also trying to define what that means. Blanche is definitely old south but so is Anse. Trying to figure out how both people can represent the same time period is one of the challenges in deciphering these stories. Which one is the reality, is it Blanche and her southern belle plantation mindset or is it Anse, the lazy hillbilly whose ignorance is all consuming? Which leads to another theme, introspection. Many of the characters have had to, willing or not, take a good look at themselves and they might not like what they see. Hulga realizes that she is not as special as she thought she was, or as far removed from her mothers thoughts and ideas either. Darl tries to figure out what he is and ultimately learns that what he is unwanted or needed.
After the civil war the south had to redefine itself. I think these stories are all connected with that.
April 22, 2008 at 7:43 pm
In all three of these stories there is a definite line between the city folk and the country folk. The country folk are all characterized as slightly ignorant, simple, and unimportant. The city is the ideal and it is presented as the future, whereas the country is the past and the country folk are behind the times. I think that all of these stories embody the changing times in which the authors lived. Through these author’s words we can see the ideology of modernism and the future.
April 22, 2008 at 7:54 pm
After the civil war ended, the South was defeated and in dire need of a new identity. After all, the days of plantations (Blanche) and country life were subsiding. This, I find, is a common theme in “As I Lay Dying”, “Good Country People,” and “A Streetcar Named Desire.” The adjustment of country people in “As I Lay Dying” and “A Streetcar Named Desire,” specifically Blanche, are incredibly difficult. City life is beyond any of the characters in “As I Lay Dying,” Blanche can not adjust to immigration and the “melting pot” of major cities, and “Helga/Joy” believes she is much more intelligent than she really is, as she is relatively unexposed to society (especially the cruelty of society). I believe all of these authors emerged during this time period because they all struggled with identity, as did thousands of post-Civil War Southerners, and they wanted to depict it with stories.
April 22, 2008 at 9:27 pm
I think the common theme for Southern Literature is time. Time seems to move too fast for the characters to be able to keep up. Most of the characters seem to be unmarked or shielded from the cruelty that is the urban areas. When they do encounter them in the stores something bad always happens, and it seems mainly to the women of teh stories. Dewey Dell being taken advantage of, Hulga/Joy being taken advantage of and even Blanche in her state of mind by Stanley. I think the common representation of the people of the south in literature is of ignorance and them trying to push back the future.
April 23, 2008 at 12:03 am
I do think it’s very interesting to note the the difference in perception between the “Country” folk and the “City” folk. It’s also interesting to note that the one person who could have been considered a “city” person- Hulga with her Ph.D.,– is the one who ends up getting the most manipulated and tricked. This is ironic, considering everyone thinks it is the stereotypical “country” person who would be naive enough to fall into a trap.
I think it’s also very interesting that Manley Pointer is the only one in the story who doesn’t seem to have a “weakness.” Hulga’s weakness is her leg, Mrs. Freeman’s weakness is her nosiness, Mrs. Hopewell thinks that everyone who is “country” is a good person, which leads to her falling for Pointer, and Mrs. Freeman’s daughters are a) too friendly with men or b) pregnant. But Manley really doesn’t have a weakness. The one person who was truly “country” ended up being the only person who wasn’t set up to fail.
April 23, 2008 at 12:30 am
I think the reason that so much popular writing began to appear in the early 20th century was due to the Reconstruction Period during post Civil War times. Franklin Roosevelt employed what was known as the Tennessee Valley Assoication (TVA), that was created in order to further integrate the south into the overall economy, resulting in a more unified culture. Thus, I believe literacy rates also began to increase, consequently resulting in some profound and intriguing writing. I also believe that much of the context and central themes that these writers chose to illustrate deal with the conflict of the perpetual rural southern culture and the advancement of urban southern culture; the two gradually began to lose touch, which resulted in a cultural split. I believe that by reading the works of such authors as Faulkner, Williams, Malamud, and O’Connor, these central themes are rather prevalent.
April 23, 2008 at 1:06 am
I believe that there was a significant change in the “old south” and the “new south” because of the fact that the plantation life was erasing, and more people started living in bigger cities. I think that this is exemplified in different ways in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” First of all, I think that Blanche is stuck in the old ways (i.e.: she wants her sister to leave Stanley for a more respectable man; she is concerned with looking proper in public; and she is also concerned with riches). Stella; however, is more focused on the roughness of life, as the reader can see in her relationship with Stanley. Some can see the city as a rougher area than the rich country life, and I think that Stella realizes that; and therefore, adjusts to the life as best as she can. In “As I Lay Dying” the country folk cannot even associate with the city folk because of the intense difference between the two groups. I notice a few common themes especially between these two texts because there are two distinctive groups of people (both which deal with a change). Therefore, I think that the literature that came out during this period was very important because it showed that change was occuring in the South. Many important artists emerged during this time because of the new society that was becoming visible. For example, more emphasis was on schooling, African Americans were now becoming educated, also more people were going to college. With the Southern states becoming more educated, a need for literature to be produced encouraged authors to write more. The importance of these works helped Southerners to relate to stories, and helped in the transition period to a “city society.”
April 23, 2008 at 1:12 pm
I think that the biggest, or at least most noticable, theme is the whole “old south” vs. “new south” ordeal. There is at least a hint of it practically everything we have read this semester. It is addressed in terms of old values vs. new values, city vs. county, and so many other little ways. Around this time people were starting to leave their old lives on the plantation in search of a new future in the city. The good-old-country-folk are usually shown as naive, backwards, and so far behind the times. They don’t understand the city folk and the city folk don’t understand them. This is usually quite vivid whenever the country folk wander into the city. The authors illustrate how lost and confused they are, and how utterly disgusted the city folk are by their presence. Those living in the city are usually portrayed as being of a higher class, quite well educated, and financially stable as compared to their country counterparts.
April 23, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Perhaps the pendulum was swinging back from the late 19th century reconstruction era when the South and the North remained bitterly hostile towards each other. The Spanish American war had served to unite the country, being a very popular war and an overwhelming victory. Again the United States was brought together in the first Great War. Writers soon came to be more objective in their portrayal of Southern lifestyle. The Southern Renaissance was also simply a period of excellent literature. Faulkner broke ground with stream of counscious writing. Gone With the Wind, a timeless classic came out in 1937, and many more works of this time are well-recognized and appreciated today.
April 24, 2008 at 11:45 am
I think so many writers came from this time, especially from the South, because its is about the time that the civil rights movement really starts kicking in. There common themes are always about black oppression, black involvement in military conflicts. They also have views on WW1 and WW2 and how it has disillusioned the whole world. Hardship is always a basic theme in the poetry and books from the era.
April 24, 2008 at 12:25 pm
I think that the South had the burden of the past on its shoulders and with it a false sense of nostalgia. It seems that these writers address these issues in their works, for example, Blanche comes from an old Southern family that is now destitute. Williams is displaying the transition from the plantation culture of the South to a more integrated New Orleans where skin colors mix and the term “American” is used. Faulkner, Williams, and O’Connor all address this transition from the old to the new; How can the South mend the wound of the Civil War if it keeps being reopened? The authors seem to be claiming that old ways are not always the best ways and the South needs to move on.
April 24, 2008 at 5:59 pm
I think the explanation for this southern renaissance is due to the fact that the people of this region were slow in their transition into a more “north-like” society. The modernization process wasn’t easy, as people brought their inherited prejudice with them. Writers of the time were able to capture the tension and uncertainty of this era and create stories that are still with us to this day.
April 24, 2008 at 9:29 pm
I think it was a lot more difficult for the South to get modernized, and the three texts (As I Lay Dying, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Good Country People) are examples of the way families and individuals dealt with the transition to a new way of life. For example, in As I Lay Dying, the Bundrens were aware of some aspects of modernization; Anse wanted some new teeth and Dewey Dell wanted an abortion. Their desires for modern things contrasted sharply with the way they were actually living, which was quite old-fashioned (for instance, while other people were driving cars, they were still driving a wagon). Faulkner and others used their writing to convey the tumultuous nature of the times.
April 25, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I think so many authors came out of the woodwork at this time because postmodernism transformed the ways the people acted. New artists and authors actually had the guts to get out and put their work out in the public eye, and it was good. Some common themes within the texts are things relating to old versus new. The traditional southern way of living was interrupted by new technologies and villages. Stemming off of that theme is a major problem of the people who are set in newer times with newer technologies emerging, who are still living in the old days. I also think that there were a lot of discrepancies between how people acted and how others viewed their actions within societies. Plus there is always the age-old problem of conflicting social classes. All of these themes combined made it easy for writers to make up stories, and the modern era made it easier for them to have people read those stories and like them.
April 25, 2008 at 6:45 pm
With “As I Lay Dying” and “Good Country People”, the main characters are people who live on farms and maybe aren’t that well educated. I think the reason stories like this emerged is because of the focus on “old days” and how life used to be like. Stories about the past interested people and they wanted to be taken back into that time period that some of them may have never even experienced. Also, “A Streetcar Named Desire” focuses of Blanche and the way of life on the plantation that is no more. This story represent the idea that even though the past is gone it’s always going to be in people’s minds and in history. In all three of the stories, the characters are caught in the past and unwilling to accept the future. This also shows how people can get so caught up in their past that they are unable to move forward with their lives. This can be a very dangerous thing as we learn with Blanche and Darl.
April 25, 2008 at 7:56 pm
It seems as if there is a focus on class struggle (especially for the lower class) in both A Streetcar Named Desire and As I Lay Dying. Therefore its possible that this common theme was a pressing issue during the time period of both texts, which may explain the successes of A Streetcar Named Desire and As I Lay Dying. In A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche is disgusted by the way Stanley and Stella live because Blanche and Stella have the same upbringing in a supposed upper class family, and cannot believe that Stella would stoop to such a lifestyle. In As I Lay Dying the Bundren family relies on the wealthier farmers in the region to even allow them to take this journey, and I think that their financial issues are illustrated through each characyer’s behavior. There are various conflicts throughout the text between characters that is attributed to some sort of financial troubles. It also seems as if the Tull family is condescending towards the Bundren family because of their financial disposition.
April 25, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I think a possible answer for this question of so many authors rising from the South could be twofold. The first part is the South was a place that had some romanticism and the South being “different.” If you think about the book and movie Gone with the Wind they fascinated people. People looked on that and saw the romance and chivalry of the South, which led to more of an interest in the South. And the South was different than what people had been reading, and the people of the South lived differently from people of the North; so there was a curiosity factor.
The second answer could be that with the awakening of the Civil Rights movement, those authors had more people interested in the thinking of people from the South. There was the movie To Kill a Mockingbird which opened people’s eyes to the injustice of the legal system that was taking place in the South. It could be that this awakened an interest in writings from author’s of the South as well. I’m just throwing this out as a possible answer.
April 26, 2008 at 6:07 pm
The Civil War marked the beginning of a new world and the end for the old south. Plantations, slavery, and social hierarchy were becoming increasingly rare and ‘good country people’ found themselves at a crossroads. Southern writers became a people clinging onto their past and hoping for a new identity that would carry on the old customs. As the new modern world unfolded, people became interested in the old ways and events of the old south. Many people became curious about the old chivalry of the prominent Southern society that was dying. The south was a slow moving society that was becoming “northernized” who’s progress interested the rest of the country, especially after fighting the Civil War. It is likely that the South could be be compared to a 50 year old man having a mid-life crisis. The South was having an identity crisis that was slow-moving in finding a resolution which made it very interesting to the rest of the US.
April 26, 2008 at 9:54 pm
The three texts seem to hold a common theme of complex family relationships during a trying and changing time. Moreover, I find a great emphasis on secrets, trust, and the lack thereof in the texts; the significance of this I am unsure of. In “As I Lay Dying,” Faulkner gives the reader insight into each of the different character’s minds which allows for such an intensity of perspective that the reader is often overwhelmed. Each family seems to have such a different outlook on the events of their life and the other family members that it is hard to keep them all straight. The characters hide various secrets from each other and when Darl begins to expose them, they panic. Also, there is an extreme lack of trust among the men in the family. Furthermore, in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” Stella must choose which family to stay loyal to in the time of change: Blanche or Stanley. Also, Blanche holds secrets from her past that lead to her mistrust once they are exposed. Stella must then choose who to trust. Finally, in “Good Country People,” Helga and her mother are constantly at ends with each other; the complexity of their relationship is quite difficult to comprehend, let alone describe. Yet, both of them get jaded by being too trusting of Manley. So, I find complex families and trust to be themes present in each of these Southern Literary Renaissance texts.
April 28, 2008 at 11:19 am
I think the reason for so many artists and writers emerging from the South during this period is the fact that it was a perfect set up for writers and artists. The 20th century had many struggles within class and I believe is known for having firm family values. I think that this is where much of the writing comes from and is about. There was so much happening during this time that writers had so many things that they could write about. The ideas probably came fairly easy to them. So many things changed and happened during this time period that the writers were able to choose from a variety of ideas. I think that being a writer during the 20th century would have been easier than any other time so far in our history.
April 28, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I agree with Kellen. The conformity between the “old south” and the “new south” really gave the authors a lot of material to work with. The difference between “country folk” and “city folk” was huge. “City folk” were moving along with the “new south” and were changing along with ne technology. They were disgusted and poked fun whenever the “country folk” made their presence in town. “City folk” thought they were much better than “country folk.” I thought it was quite ironic when Hulga, having a Ph.D. was tricked by a “country folk.” She thought highly of herself and thought she was even better than her own mother even though she went out and got a Ph.D. and then ended up moving back in with her mother. I just think that basically comparing the “old south” with the “new south” wrote a story of its own and gave many authors plots….
April 28, 2008 at 2:23 pm
I thought it was interesting in “Good Country People” in the end when the bible salesman pulled out an empty bible containing a flask and dirty cards. It proved that it is easy to deceive trusting people by coming across as “good country people” that sell bibles. The bible salesman fooled Mrs.Hopewell and her daughter Hulga/Joy into believing he had good intentions toward their needs and wants by using means of sympathy. The one time in the story that Hulga/Joy seemed to open up she is unfortunately taken advantage of. The story that the bible salesman used was actually a version of Hulga/Joy’s life, and so the little bit of trust that she may have had was destroyed. The whole situation might have opened Hulga/Joy’s eyes to the fact that she maybe really did believe in something regardless of what she was voicing.
April 28, 2008 at 10:10 pm
I believe that commonalities exist within these texts. All of these works deal with the issues of race, identity, and the struggle between traditional beliefs and the progression and industrialization of the changing United States. Many of the main characters within the writings seem to struggle with finding their identity within the family unit. “Good Country People” offers Hulga as a woman who is searching for an identify that is quite divergent from that of her mother. Darl is also a character that does not seem to fit into the mold of his family. Darl says things that none of his family members really comprehend or care to for that matter. Seemingly, his entire thought process seems to be in complete opposition to Anse or Dewey Dell. I feel that Darl also has the advantage of being the only member of his family who has actually gone far from the family farm. He has experiences that the rest of the family does not. The same can be said of Hulga/Joy. She has post-graduate education and seems to be on a higher level of thinking. She appears eccentric and out of place with the robotic and repetitious people that surround her. Hulga and Darl have both experienced technology and advanced society, yet they have found themselves taken back in time, so to speak. “As I Lay Dying” exposes the dichotomy that is present between the rural Bundrens and the modernized city people. Neither group really understands the other and little effort is made to remedy the situation. I feel that all of the works display the changing South as it struggled to hold onto tradition while joining in the mechanization and modernization of the United States.
April 29, 2008 at 9:40 pm
In “Good Country People,” it really shows how being judgmental is a bad trait to have in the long run, no matter who the person is. In this story, country people are thought to be trustworthy, hardworking folk. They will do anything for a neighbor, and are not thought to be bad people. When Hulga trusted the young man selling bibles, everyone thought it was for the better, for he was the last person in the story I would have picked to have a shady, creepy personality. As trust-worthy as someone seems, you can never quite tell what their intentions truly are, and vice versa.
April 30, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Some of the ideas that i have seen coming out of these literary works is the authors portraying the characters as very un-educated people. The dialect they use shows that they really have no regard for correct grammar and also they seem to be extremely naieve about things. For example the bible salesman in “Good Country People.” They just seemed to be stuck in their own little world with absolutely no idea as to what was going on in the rest of the world. Its not that the “country folk” were ignorant people, they just didn’t have the understanding and the resources that maybe the people growing up in the cities had.
April 30, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Now, I’m not claiming to be an expert as to why so many authors sprang into being in this time. Maybe it was because the soda fountain and frozen foods were created around the time of their child hood or something of equally interesting structure, I can only guess. But, perhaps it would help if I looked at the time line in which these authors lived. Both Faulkner and O’Conner lived within the times of WW1 and the Great Depressing. Now, I must point out that WW1 made the world smaller with the technology that was developed because of the war. Thus communication enveloped the world, closing off constrictive ideals, which perhaps sparked the two authors. Or, maybe it has something more to do with the suffering that came during the Great Depression or WW1 that inspired them. In the words of William Butler Yeats, “If suffering brings wisdom, I would wish to be less wise.” Perhaps both Faulkner and O’Conner were merely wise due to the suffering of the time, and willed into writing by their experiences.
May 1, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I think the common theme in southern literature is assimilation and conformity. All three stories deal with some character that is “unlike” the rest of their immediate surroundings. In, “As I Lay Dying,” and “A Streetcar Named Desire” both characters that were unlike the rest were considered crazy and were both taken away in the end. In “Good Country People,” the city folk always looked down on the country folk and the country folk thought the city folk were crazy. It’s just different point of views. Neither the “country type” or the “city type” wanted to conform or assimilate to each other so in the end they both are ignorant and disprove of each other.
May 1, 2008 at 5:00 pm
I feel that texts like “Good County”, “As I Lay Dying”, and “A Streetcar named desire” are examples an agricultural society coming to terms with industrialization. The ideology of being old fashioned usually includes the notions of propriety and strong morality. These texts go to show that all old fashioned propiety does is gloss over gaps in morality. There is little difference in the underhanded actions of Stanley and Blanche other than that Blanches’ past becomes melodrama and fiction while Stanley’s sins are laid bare. These texts underscore the fact that although lifestyle and subjectivity may change, the darker side of human nature remains. Thus, the past should not be romanticized.
May 1, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I enjoyed the use of stereotypes in “Good Country Folk.” I found the character of Hulga to be delightfully offensive and was appreciative of the boy duping her in the end. Her philosophical ego needed a readjustment, and the fact that a supposedly ignorant country bumpkin was the one giving it to her made it all the better. I love the idea of a life changing event and thought that the approach towards this was done with a great spin. First impressions are often held too important, and detract from the true character of a person. I think it was necessary for Hulga to get a swift kick into reality.
May 1, 2008 at 10:59 pm
I think during this period in the South there was a certain nostalgia for how things use to be. Certain people always want to embrace the past, and people in the South are generally regarded as proud people. The South lends itself to possessing a number of different stereotypes, whether it be characters, vernacular, or setting, it is a simple area to write about. People who have never even been to the South can imagine all these different aspects, thus making the stories more popular. In addition to the nostalgia of the South, the South was experiencing a number of changes. Some people feared the changes, so they embraced the past, and cherished these stories more.
May 2, 2008 at 12:52 am
I think that a lot of work during this time emerged from the south because, like many others have stated, it seems like there is the biggest contradiction between people. What i exactly mean from that statement is that Blanche seems to represent the old south, with its tradition, as exemplified by the plantation and her always telling Stella about the old time and giving that sort of nostalgia. And than on the other hand, you have Stella who seems to represent the “new age” so to speak, this is illustrated by her living in the city and her having new ideas and ideals. The contradiction occurs when Blanche and Stella have differing views on everything from Stanley to where Stella lives. I think that it is this big difference between old and new that caused many prominent writers to emerge out of the south.
May 2, 2008 at 12:23 pm
I think more and more writers started to emerge from the south due to the fact that before this time, it seemed like a area of the world that really hadn’t been spoken for. Some of the themes seemed to suround the idea of old money(Blanche) and how this central them was starting to change. You see a blue collar mentality through characters like Stanley(Although a jerk in many other ways) and characters like Cash for example. There really wasn’t anything flashy about Cash but he seemed consistent with his work, mainly because it seemed like the only thing he could do for his mom at the time.
May 2, 2008 at 2:10 pm
These stories seem to contain at least one person that may resemble a black sheep or something to that existance. Furthermore, the black sheep is merely someone who doesn’t conform to normal standards that everyone else does, which essentially makes him/her look insane or just out of place. I felt especially bad for Blanche. She became even more lost and distant from everyone else in the story because no one’s normal problems could even compare to hers. I applaud Blanche for being an individual, crazy maybe…
May 2, 2008 at 3:40 pm
I think the South during this time was experiencing a lot of change, and these stories are reflections of that. It seems that each of the main characters in the story were kind of clinging to the “old ways”, and they were dealing with it in a way they knew how. As I Lay Dying, kind of puts a sterotypical southern family into my mind(although exaggerated). These stories are historical markers for indicating the times when farming and agricultural began to get pushed to the side. The use of the language in these books also indicates that the characters are true characters of the south.
May 2, 2008 at 3:46 pm
I believe that this Southern Literary Renissaince was more than likely influenced by an increase in education. As the population was growing people in the south could no long rely on plantations or farming to sustain everyone. More people had to find a different profession and for some of them that meant writing. I believe that one of the main themes for these stories is that the characters are trying to hold on to the past; to the “Old South.” Even though times were changing the characters weren’t ready to let go of what they knew. Blanche showed this really well as she was unable to accept the fact that her sister hadn’t married one of the boys from a neighboring plantation. Stella married someone that lived in town and did manual labor. This upset Blanche because it wasn’t the way they were raised. This is a prime example of the characters trying to hold onto the past.
May 3, 2008 at 2:48 am
I think that the reason why the Harlem Renaissance strive and prospered during this period of time was due the increase of education and a rise in population growth. People were now relying on different jobs to raise their families since plantations were not nearly as successful as they used to be. Southerners were starting to become more “modernized” and intellectually sound. With this increase in education lead to more ways for southerners to express themselves. I believe that within A streetcar named desire you see the class between and educated Blanche and an uneducated Stanley. In “As I Lay dying”, the reader sees the progression of modernization and it’s effect it takes on the family. The modernization takes such a toll on the family that the family seems more concerned about things they can obtain in the city rather than their own deceased mother. In all of these works of literature, you see this apparent class between modern and unmodernized ways of living.