Monday, March 30, 2009

Cold Heart


"I used to think that just a change in venue would banish forever from my life the things I most despised. But that was not to be so. As each day infolded before me, I could see the sameness in everything; I could see the present take shape-the shape of my past" (Kincaid, 90). This passage really stuck out while I was reading for class. I think this passage by itself summarizes her experience with the new place. She came to America as a way to get away from her past. She was not happy before and thought this change would allow her to forget. What she has come to realize is that she is experiencing many of the same things she did back home. She is reminded how much she hates Sundays, she sees Mariah and Lewis' marriage start to fall apart, and she sees him doing things her father did. This passages demonstrates that just by leaving a place does not erase her past as she thought would happen. As much as she wants to forget her past she is still tied to it. I think she needs to face her past and not try to run away from it. The grass always seems greener on the other side, until you get there. Her trip to America is much different than she expected and that is because she expected to find a perfect life here. But no one is perfect and though it may appear that way on the outside, it most likely is not true on the inside.

1 comment:

  1. That is a really good point about how she was trying to escape her past but it is something that nobody can escape. Maybe that is part of her problem with New York and the family because they keep reminding her of her past. I also like how you used the quote to introduce your blog post!

    ReplyDelete