Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Nicole Battafarano

Of all the characters in The bluest Eye I find the character, Mr. Henry to be the most interesting so far. Mr. Henry seems to have an heir of mystery about him. According to the gossips he is sensible and a good, quiet worker (Morrison, 14). Yet the fact that he is nice to Claudia and her sister, acknowledging their presence and even playing a game with them, distinguishes him from the other adults in Claudia's life. His presence in the house relieves a burden for Claudia's family and it is obvious he is a welcome guest yet a comment made on page sixteen makes the reader question the true nature of his character which states: "We loved him. Even after what came later, there was no bitterness in our memory of him." (Morrison 16). This comment is a possible element of foreshadowing in the novel, leading the reader to believe that, though Mr. Henry seems pleasant and well-respected by those around him, there may be something dark waiting to be revealed. I am engaged by the mystery that surrounds this character and look forward to seeing how his presence will affect the plot of this novel.

2 comments:

  1. When I read about Mr. Henry it reminded me of Tea Cake from Their Eyes Were Watching God however not in the romantic love sense. The line, "To our surprise he spoke to us" (Morrison 16) reminded me of when Tea Cake asked Janie to play checkers. Both men included the girls much to their surprise. Another line which made me think of Their Eyes Were Watching God again was stated by Nicole: "Even after what came later, there was no bitterness in our memory of him" (Morrison 16). I do not know what will happen with Mr. Henry, but with Tea Cake, despite the fact that he tried to kill Janie, she still had no bitterness in her memory of him.

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  2. Insightful comments, Nicole. I agree with you and Brenna. You both correctly detect the use of foreshadowing.

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