Desiree’s
Baby was actually a little bit of what I expected. Once it was revealed that
there was something peculiar about the child I somewhat knew where the story
was headed, but it was still well-told so I never lost interest. The messed up
thing is that people still disown their own children for similar reasons. One
of my good friends has slight albinism, and both of her parents are black. Her
father left her when she was just a baby, accusing the mother of cheating with
a white man even when he knew the condition; and it’s crazy because he and his
daughter look just alike. Maybe it was some pride thing that led him to leave his
daughter, but I can’t even imagine doing that. Skin color is such a superficial
thing, yet it’s such a big issue.
The
Wife of His Youth stirred up a lot of emotions in me. I went from pissed off to
sad, and then from sad to optimistic. Being of a lighter complexion myself, as
far as black people go, I’m often judged by others that are darker than me.
They say that I’m not really black or that I think I’m too good. Light Skin vs.
Dark Skin is a sickening issue to me, and it’s a very real one. It’s an odd
distinction that black people give themselves, and it’s helpful to no one. On
the other hand, light skinned people are often perceived to be more attractive
than those with dark skin, so everyone loses in this game. It really upset me
in the beginning of the story that there was a society for mixed people who
felt that associating with those of darker skin would be demeaning. I hear
people talk about stuff like that today. Hell, get on twitter and search “Team
Light Skin” and it’s like an internet society of lighter people who are black
but don’t see the big picture. It’s a mess. Anyway, the old woman’s story was
quite moving to me. I really wanted her to find her husband, and once I
realized it was Mr. Ryder I was shocked. I didn’t think that he would
acknowledge her, but he did. At least
the story ended on an optimistic note. I do like that it addressed issues of
light vs. dark skin, though. That’s something that I wish would end.
I really appreciated your perspective on "The Wife of His Youth." It's interesting that people of color have a hierarchy of skin colors that idolize paler skin tones, but that white people tend to invest time and money in tanning to get darker skin!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the issue of light skin vs dark skin is sickening. People should appreciate all skin tones and stop presenting one as the norm or as better than other skin tones.
I thoroughly enjoyed your take on "The Wife of His Youth", because it is so crazy and ridiculous that this notion has stuck around for so many generations. In fact, I remember learning in my Post-Colonial Literature class (it's fantastic, you should take it) that in India, self-tanning is a huge issue. However, it is not in order to get darker, but whiter. Because these people were indoctrinated and colonized by white Englishmen, they believe that white skin is more attractive. Which is much the same in the case of African-Americans. It is disgusting that this idea is out there, but we have to take notice of it in order to make a change right? I think that's what Chopin was trying to do too.
ReplyDeleteI had a similiar experience while reading "The Wife of His Youth" - although I suspected while she was telling her story that the husband could possibly be him, I wasn't sure which direction the story would go. In one facet, I could see how Mr.Ryder would feel justified by ignoring Liza (time had passed, he had moved on, life brought them apart etc.) but this outcome was way more satisfying and sentimental. For me, I found that Ryder choosing his original wife was paying respect the past and the actions and events that make up lives. Im glad he didn't turn his back on his past since he considered himself so progressed forward.
ReplyDelete