Please answer ONE of the following questions with 200-250 words:
1) How did Doctor Copeland name his children? What kind of expectations did he have toward his children? Why did he think that his children have failed to live up to his expectations?
2) On page 186, Singer had a dream in which Antonapoulos knelt at the top of the steps. The other characters formed a hierarchical relationship with Antonapoulos. How do you interpret this strange dream? How do you relate this dream to the tragic ending of the novel?
3) How did the four characters’ reactions toward Singer’s death suggest their personalities?
4) On page 13, Biff admitted that he had an infatuation with the “freaks” who came into his café. How did he treat those freaks? If himself was a freak as well, how freakish did he behave? What particular freakish behaviors did he have, especially after his wife’s death?
5) This novel can also be understood as Mick Kelly’s painful entry into adulthood. Why did Mick have to give up her dream of becoming a music conductor or composer? How did Mick’s experiences reflect the fate of young women during the late 1930s in the South?
28 comments:
Question 1:
Doctor Copeland had four children, they are: Hamilton, Karl Marx (but people often called him “Buddy” instead), William (Willie) and Portia. He had high expectations on them, as he mentioned on P.70: Hamilton would be a great scientist and Karl Marx a teacher of the Negro race and William a lawyer to fight against injustice and Portia a doctor for woman and children. When the children are still young, Doctor Copeland strictly controlled their life and often inculcates them with “the truth”, and he believed that the children meant to live out for the real true purpose. But their mother, Daisy, finally had enough of everything and took the four children away and went back to live with his father. In the end, Hamilton and Buddy ended up working in grandpapa’s farm, Willie works in the kitchen of Biff Brannon’s café, and Portia is the maid in the Kelly’s house. None of them meet his expectations, what’s more, they became estranged from their father, and this makes the doctor very disappointed. I think it is very difficult for people to achieve that goal for several reasons: One, times are hard: people in the Southern were poor, and the money they earned cannot even sustain their daily cost. The environment doesn’t allow them to receive professional education; they have to quit school and work. (Maybe only the rich people can) Most important of all, they were blacks; discriminations at that time were harsh. They were the inferior race, and they don’t have any chance to prosper.
Answer to question 2:
From the position they stand, Singer regards Antonapoulous as a God who is so holly and supreme. Also, Antonapoulous plays the role as a soul mate toward Singer. Singer must have the opinion that in the world, only Antonapoulous can realize his mood and thought. Besides, Singer only wants shares his happiness to Antonapoulous., According to Singer’s dream, readers can suspect that Singer constrains his sexual desire toward Antonapoulous. Singer just can release his missing and desire toward Antonapoulous in the dream. On the other hand, naked body represents a condition that the object in the dream has stripped off the civilized burden. That is to say, Singer has no mental pressure in front of Antonapoulous. Singer can easily appear his ego in front of Antonapoulous. However, due to a long time without knowing Antonapoulous’s recent situation, Singer feels loneliness and anxiety. Singer’s mood is just like the ice cube- cold and impassion. By contrast, other people behind Singer in the dream are less important than Antonapoulous in Singer’s mind. The person with mustache must be Biff Brannon. The girl without the doubt is Mick Kelly. The black man is Dr. Copeland. The other man is Jake Blount. These people are eager to share their own stories and feeling toward Singer because Singer has been the best listener that they never met before. As a result, from the position they stand, Singers plays the role as a outlet of emotion for those four people.
3) Doctor Copeland is a stubborn man. He has been virtue to black rights. But after the death, he doesn’t have energy to continue. Even when he meets a new comrade, Lee Jackson, he doesn’t seem to regain his passion. However, he does remain his stubbornness. He heard Portia’s urge, and her talk outside, he doesn’t seem to hurry himself as Portia wishes. He also remains his discipline. He feels failure in Singer, but he decides to keep on his life, or at least he tries to thrust out from him. However, after Willie’s incident, he stops to fight for a brighter future, and start to believe in justice passively. Jake is an emotional man. It seems like he has to spray his anger only by involving in a street fight. He knows that all his effort on Singer is gone forever, but he doesn’t stop on his plan. He starts a new act, find comrade, and spread out flyers. Which he shows his passion and belief. Mik tries to keep on her life. She acts and dress like a lady, and she keeps on working no matter how much she hates it. It seems as society as she has to be. However, she does remain her boyish side. It is shown by her run off Singer’s funeral, and her boss’ favor of her on overtime. Besides, her childish still exist. She frowns automatically after a long day smiling, and she order a chocolate sundae and a nickel glass of draw beer all at same time for her long day. Biff seems puzzled on Singer’s death. Although puzzle game is his favorite, Singer’s death is not what he can unlock. He relates to this question with reflect on his experience. By love, he explains to separate with lovers that it depends, and by life, he thinks all night and finally he comes out without an answer.
That Anonymous is Vickie.
3) Doctor Copeland is a stubborn man. He has been virtue to black rights. But after the death, he doesn’t have energy to continue. Even when he meets a new comrade, Lee Jackson, he doesn’t seem to regain his passion. However, he does remain his soberness. He heard Portia’s urge, and her talk outside, he doesn’t seem to hurry himself as Portia wishes. He also remains his disipline. He feels failure in Singer, but he decides to keep on his life, or at least he tries to thrust out from him. However, after Willie’s incident, he stops to fight for a brighter future, and start to believe in justice passively. Jake is an emotional man. It seems like he has to spray his anger only by involving in a street fight. He knows that all his effort on Singer is gone forever, but he doesn’t stop on his plan. He starts a new act, find comrade, and spread out flyers. Which he shows his passion and belief. Mik tries to keep on her life. She acts and dress like a lady, and she keeps on working no matter how much she hates it. It seems as society as she has to be. However, she does remain her boyish side. It is shown by her run off Singer’s funeral, and her boss’ favor of her on overtime. Besides, her childish still exist. She frowns automatically after a long day smiling, and she order a chocolate sundae and a nickel glass of draw beer all at same time for her long day. Biff sees everything as a riddle. He ponders for the meaning of Singer’s death, but he comes out no answers. It reminds him of his life. Separating from his lovers is both good and bad from how you look at it, and about puzzle of himself, there is no answer to it. Although he feels terror about Singer’s death, he waits for another hope to come like he waits for the morning sun.
by Vickie
2) On page 186, Singer had a dream in which Antonapoulos knelt at the top of the steps. The other characters formed a hierarchical relationship with Antonapoulos. How do you interpret this strange dream? How do you relate this dream to the tragic ending of the novel?
To answer this question, I will quote some sentences in the page. “He was naked and he fumbled with something that he held above his head and gazed at it as though in prayer.” In my opinion, steps’ order not only means the hierarchy but also reveals the distance with the God. I interpret the sentence as a foreshadowing dream. Antonapoulos know he is going to dead, and he is trying to find his halo above his head. Maybe he considers that if a man was dead, he will become an angel who is naked and with a halo on his head. Moreover, the order of the steps shows that who is higher on the steps, and more impotent in the lower’s hearts. It is also same as the reality, Singer seem Antonapoulos as his only listener and bosom friend as those behind them. Quote to the page “Behind him on the ground he felt the one with mustache and the girl and the black man and the last one.” The mustache may be Jake, the girl is Mick, and the black man is Dr. Copeland, and the last one is Biff. All of them knelt Singer means they also seem Singer as their only listener and the man understand them. As the dream, Antonapoulos died first to see the God. Before long, Singer follows his step and ends this tragic ending.
3) Doctor Copeland is a stubborn man. He has been virtue to black rights. But after the death, he doesn’t have energy to continue. Even when he meets a new comrade, Lee Jackson, he doesn’t seem to regain his passion. However, he does remain his soberness. He heard Portia’s urge, and her talk outside, he doesn’t seem to hurry himself as Portia wishes. He also remains his disipline. He feels failure in Singer, but he decides to keep on his life, or at least he tries to thrust out from him. However, after Willie’s incident, he stops to fight for a brighter future, and start to believe in justice passively. Jake is an emotional man. It seems like he has to spray his anger only by involving in a street fight. He knows that all his effort on Singer is gone forever, but he doesn’t stop on his plan. He starts a new act, find comrade, and spread out flyers. Which he shows his passion and belief. Mik tries to keep on her life. She acts and dress like a lady, and she keeps on working no matter how much she hates it. It seems as society as she has to be. However, she does remain her boyish side. It is shown by her run off Singer’s funeral, and her boss’ favor of her on overtime. Besides, her childish still exist. She frowns automatically after a long day smiling, and she order a chocolate sundae and a nickel glass of draw beer all at same time for her long day. Biff sees everything as a riddle. He ponders for the meaning of Singer’s death, but he comes out no answers. It reminds him of his life. Separating from his lovers is both good and bad from how you look at it, and about puzzle of himself, there is no answer to it. Although he feels terror about Singer’s death, he waits for another hope to come like he waits for the morning sun.
Mick Kelly’s family is in a crisis of finance due to many reasons. His father can’t go out to work because of his collapsed body. Her sister Etta is sick so that she can’t earn money for their family, either. Their tenants don’t pay the rent in time, except Singer. And they have to pay amount of money to Lucile because of Bubber’s hurting Baby not on purpose. Mick is on a dilemma of whether get a job. But during the 1930s, women can only either go to school or work. There were no such part time jobs for them. Mick doesn’t want to quit school because she still wants to learn more. And the most important reason is that she can learn music from her classmate. That’s the only chance which she can have somebody teaching her. Mick is still young. She may not be ready for the adult world. If she goes to work at this age, it means that she should behave like the society expect. She can’t be as free as she is now. She can’t be like a kid wandering around anymore. And what she likes may not have the opportunity to develop. She finally chooses to go to work and give up school. She decides by herself. But actually, she is forced by the poor situation and the tragedy for the young women during that time.
I would like to take the third one question. After Singer’s dead, I think Mick was the one who suffered the most. Singer was so important to her like the music always in her mind. Also he was the one who lived in her inside room. She shared the music, thoughts and secrets with him. For her, He was the man who can really believe and rely on. Before Singer dead, she asked him if she could get the job or not. In her mind, getting the job can solve the poverty situation of her family and can have the money to buy the piano. But her fantasy dream had somehow disappeared after singer’s death. The music never came to her again just like singer left her forever. All she felt was being cheated. Jake was so angry with Singer’s death. In this town, Singer was the only one who seemed to realize what he thought. Jake poured out all his heart to Singer. Suddenly, Singer just carried all things away without saying farewell. There was no one who can let him to release his dissatisfaction even Copeland. Finally he decided to leave the town. Singer was the only white man that Copeland had trusted. And I think he was the guy who gave doctor the faith to fight against the court and pursue the real justice. In Copeland’s past, he would preach the purpose from house to house for his people. He felt please and satisfied during that time. But after William’s suffering and Singer’s death, he felt failed. The sorrow, hatred and love mingled together and let him meditated and he did not want to leave the place his own. Singer was always as a riddle to Biff. This puzzle seemed not to rest even Singer had dead. Did Biff like Singer? He didn’t know. Maybe he just treated him like ‘’freak’’ as he did for Jake. I think Biff’s personality became truth of himself after Alice death. And he became more sensible that he had ever been.
Mick Kelly is an adolescent who really like music and want to be a musician in the future. We can see how she loves the music in the novel. In the beginning of the story, Mike plans to build a violin, and she is so treasure about it and keeps it in her treasure box. However, she does not finish the violin and she feel depress about it. But she does not give up the music; she thinks music is the most inner thing in her mind. She also has an “inner room” in her heart, when she feels anxious or upset; she will get into her “inner room”. Nevertheless, no matter how she loves the music, she is denied following the music career because of the financial difficulty of her family. During the late 1930’s in the South, the whole society is conservative; the young women do not have the chance to pursue their dream and do what they want to do even cannot go to school for learning. The expectation for the young women in South is to stay home and held the domestic affairs. For Mick, the music is her dream, but the situations of her family do not allow her to make her dream comes true. Furthermore, she has to work to earn money for her family in very young age. It forces Mick to give up her dream and her innocent of adolescent, and becoming to an adult reluctantly.
While other same teenagers were still going to school, Mick’s family was having a serious financial problem. Mick’s father can’t go to work, the tenants didn't pay their rent, and the accident happened to Baby that their family have to responsible for. This has made her to face the adulthood so much earlier, she have to find a job to get some money. If Mick is in our time, she could get a part time job and still goes to school; but in the late 1930s in the south, the society has an expectation for women, she could not follow her dream but to find a job to help her family. When McCullers wrote this novel, Mick was like the reflection of her own self. Mick’s dream was to become a music conductor or composer, and McCullers wanted to become a concert pianist. But the expectation of the society stopped them to fulfill their dreams, and so as the other young women during that time. After she entered adulthood, she has to act like one too. She can’t do what she likes to do and she doesn't have time to learn. But she was a positive character in the novel that she still has music in her, she will try to fight the fate and to realize her dream.
I choose question 5. The reason why Micky gives up becoming musician is that she had sex with Harry. It made her feel that she already grow up. And, she worried that she would be pregnant so she felt afraid. And, she needed to go to work to keep his family. So, she gave to go school and gave up her future. We can learn women’s situation in 1930 from Micky’s experience. Micky, she needed to go to work for keeping her family. In 1930, women always sacrifice themselves and gave up their dream. The economic stress of family made women chase things they want. And, Micky could not leave the town as Harry. This reflects that women always are limit in the family and cannot leave their hometown to come true their dream. Women have an invisible burden on their shoulder. This makes them need to response their family. I think it is misery. Women sacrifice her all life to complete her family. But, in the end, she got nothing.
4) On page 19, Biff admits that he is a freak. He had a special feeling for sick people and cripples. Whoever had disability came into his shop, he would treat them with beer, such as Singer and also the freak－freak. As for his marriage with Alice, he behaved in a weird way. It pointed out that Biff is tender and had sexual anxieties . He would not sleep with Alice like Biff wanted to protect something private from his body. For himself, he regarded his genitals as the most important tender part. After Alice's death, his personality changed a lot. He started to think about the relation between death and love. 'When there is love, the one who has gone is not really dead, but grows and is created for a second time in the soul of the living," he thought. That made Biff freak and nervous. In page 192, he recalled some memories with the perfume although Biff didn't remind anything of her. He even tried it on himself. In some aspect, he had the feminine side. Actually, when he was a little boy, he had already had this kind of personality. He was like the mother that he was interested in the woman supplies. Moreover, he even wished Mick and Baby were his own children. Maybe the feminine minds is the cause that made he so freak.
Doctor Copeland had four children, there were Hamilton, Karl Marx(people usually called him Bubby), William and Portia. He had already planed their career. For example, Hamilton would be a great scientist and Karl Marx a teacher of the Negro race and William a lawyer to fight against injustice and Portia a doctor for woman and children. He had great expectation that they could be his ideal children. When they were even babies, he impressed them that there was no God. Everyone had their true purpose to live their lives. He always brought out his lessons and talked with his children. He controlled their choices to do what he wanted. However, they couldn’t endure much pressure from their father so they decided to live with their grandpa. No one seemed to understand regardless of how hard he tried to make them comprehend. At last, he failed in his family life. He always hoped that his children could be useful persons, but they were confined in the south town. They were black people, they still didn’t have ability to compete with white people. Moreover, they didn’t have much money to educate in school or have chance to develop in other places. In addition, their children might have other interests, but he neglected them.
Everyone who knew and loved Singer get shocked and confused toward Singer’s death, especially the four persons, Dr. Copeland, Jake, Mike, and Biff. The four characters regard Singer as a wonderful listener, a god who was a wise, generous, and considerate mute, and whatever they say, Singer always understand and never interrupt or sneer at them. In the front of Singer, the feeling of loneliness in the deep bottom of their minds would reduce temporarily. After Singer died, Dr. Copeland is depressed because no one would listen to him anymore despite the fact is that he’s taken to his father-in-law's farm and lived with his people; Jake feels so sad that the feeling become anger, the social viewpoints he once talked to Singer seem to disappear and he put the blame on Singer’s death for his loneliness. Later, he leaves the town to search for another person who will share his views and plans for violent revolt and revolution, therefore, we learn that Jake is a political radical who always be a wanderer to hunt and his mental instability bring him more irritation; Mike is a more positive character than others, although she also extremely sad about that, but in the end she indicate to us that her inner world remains hope and she’s positive that she will continue to fight to achieve her ambitions; the last one, Biff, a observant and quiet freak, who more realizes the humanity than others and has sexual conflicts. In the last three paragraphs in the story, Biff has a queer imagination that he was suspended in the two worlds, and with the reflection of the counter glass, his left eye gazes the past, the other one gazes affrighted into the future of blackness, error, and ruin, and from the sentences, we can know that he stuck in some kind of dilemma: sexual, between the radiance and darkness, and between bitter irony and faith.
Doctor Copeland is an educated black man, who strives to free his people from racism and discrimination of the white people. By naming his children Portia and Willie, Doctor Copeland wants his children to be strong and have their free will. In Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice, Portia is a strong and intelligent lady, being able to gain the dominant position in the relationship with her husband and resolve a lawsuit cross-dressing as a man. By naming his daughter Portia, Doctor Copeland hopes that she could be strong and have her own sets of mind and judgment, not to fall into the logic of the white people. Similarly, Doctor Copeland names his son Willie, hoping that he could have his own free will, instead of being a servant of the white people, or even to have a strong will to fight against racism and discrimination alongside with him. However, Doctor Copeland is disappointed because his children did not fulfill his expectation. Much to his frustration, his children blindly accept the position given to them by the white society, and even turn away from him because of his radical views, which makes him feel alienated in the family.
Question 4:
On page 13, when Alice and Biff fight for Jake Blount, Alice says Jake is “noting but a bum and a freak”, and Biff replies “I like freaks.” Then, Alice responds to him “I reckon you do! ……being as you’re one yourself.” She means that she has already noticed Biff is somehow as freakish as the Jake she hates.
How much does Biff love the freaks? He is very nice to them. For example, every time the little tomboy, Mick, goes into his store, he always treats her gently, and charges her for low price of goods she buys. Furthermore, Biff even buys a hot-chocolate machine because he knows Mick likes the drink. Another freak Biff likes is Jake Blount, who has been drunk for 5 days in his restaurant. Biff did not wrap him up, but ask him if he needs any help or not. And no matter how drunk Jake is, Biff never kicks him out of the restaurant. At the end, while Jake is going to escape from the town, Biff charges nothing for the debts. Instead, Biff gives Jake 40 dollars for his odyssey.
Biff, in someway, is not an ordinary man. He has no sex with his wife. Sometimes, he wants to be a mother and adopt Mick and Baby. After Alice died, he starts to wear her perfume and clothes. This cross-dressing behavior shows the ambiguous of his sexual identity. His love toward freaks and his own freak are telling the reader that sexual orientation (not just being gay or straight) is always floating.
49802020 Jeff
The reason why Mick had to give up her dream was an accident which caused it. Her brother, Buber shot Baby’s head accidentally, and he almost killed her. Fortunately, Baby was not dead, but Mick’s family had the obligation to afford all money of medical treatment. However, Mick’s father hurt his hip and still didn’t recover. It influenced the economy of her family seriously. At last, there was no way but Mick quit her school and helped earn money. It was sorrowful for Mick to sacrifice her dream. It also reflected the unfair status of men and women in the South American. Women had little freedom and were controlled by their family especially their husbands. They were not allowed to do whatever they wanted. After reading the story, I think Mick was little different from those conservative women. She was more open-minded, and didn’t want to be constrained by the marriage. In fact, it seemed that Mick didn’t give up her dream of music entirely. We can find about in the end of the novel, her final words indicated her inner room still kept intake with music. Giving up school and her beloved music were temporary. Maybe one day when she paid out the debt, she would have more abilities to fulfill the dream.
Question 5:
The main reason why Mick gave up her dream was that her family’s financial condition. There are some things resulted in the bad financial condition. First, Mick’s brother shoot Baby and they had to pay for Baby. Second, Mick’s father could not work. Third, the tenants of their house did not pay their rent on time. To sum up, Mick decided to take on the responsibility to help their family. She quit the school studies and started to work. During the 1930s it was the time “Great Depression” stroke the whole society. Also the status of women was not as high as men. Woman should do what the society expected them to do. The financial condition of Mick’s family forced her to work. Also at that time, the education of women was always been neglected. To save money, many girls are forced to quit school and start to work. It seemed that Mick gave in to the economic condition, but I think she still wanted to realize her dream in the future. She did not give up her dream actually. She just stored that dream in her inner room. One day when she fought against all odds, maybe she would certainly become a great music conductor.
The strange dream that Singer dreams can be seen as the illustration of the relationships among the characters and an ominous foreshadow of Singer’s death. In the dream, the dull yellow lanterns that dimly shine the stone steps create an eerie atmosphere. Singer and Antonapoulous both are naked, which represents Singer’s desire to break conventional constraints and also implies sexual connotation. Antonapoulous’s kneeling down at the top, fumbling something above his head, and piously gazing it allude to religious rituals. Singer kneels down in the middle part of the steps. This symbolizes that Singer sees Antonapoulos as his spiritual anchor and adores him to the extent that he is like a religious figure to be worshipped. Below Singer are Biff, Mick, Copeland, and Jake, the four people that rely on Singer as a outlet for their inner struggles. Their positions of the six characters show the hierarchy of their relationships. The four people are below Singer as they find talking to Singer a way to relieve of the burning urge to express themselves, and Singer is below Antonapoulos for he regards Antonapoulos as the only one who can understand him. The dream’s ending with a collapse of the steps is related to the tragic ending of the novel as the dream foreshadows Singer’s committing suicide for the death of Antonapoulos.
After reading this story, we can find out that Biff likes freaks by comparing the attitude toward the freaks between his wife and him. In this story, Alice tells readers that Biff likes freaks on page 19 and Biff confesses himself that he likes freaks on page 13. At the beginning of this story, when Jake Blount comes to Biff’s café, he only gives him 20 dollars. It’s not enough to pay his bill. Moreover, Alice asks Biff to get rid of him since she thinks that Jake is a freak. But Biff refuses her request since he says that he likes Biff. Besides, Mick may be considered as a freak in this story because of her stature. However, Biff likes her and gives her cocoa milk whenever she goes to his café. Finally, when Jake leaves this town, Biff gives him money and free super. Therefore, we can say that he treats the freaks well and likes them. Most importantly, we can realize that Biff is a sort of freak as well after his wife died. He starts wearing Alice’s dress and perfume; he even wants to Mick and baby’s mother even though he is a man. Thus, it shows how freakish he is and he behaves as a freak.
Question2:
In Singer’s strange dream, Antonapoulos is at the top of pyramid and other people are at the bottom. It means that Antonapoulos is the most important person in Singer’s mind. I think the strange dream is foreshadow to Singer that might something happen to the pyramid of Singer. When Singer hears the death of Antonapoulos, he leaves without checking if the death true or not. Singer can be polite to people whether they tell him how much their bothering because Singer knows Antonapoulos is there waiting for him in asylum. Now Antonapoulos dies, then the hope of Singer is not there. Nothing needs to be cared for Singer. The most Singer care does not exist now. Singer becomes hopeless, crabby and starts stealing things like the sick Antonapoulos has acted before. Antonapoulos is as a god and the belief to Singer. The belief is broken, then no believer there.
The hierarchical relationship of the novel has emerged in Singer dream in which he is kneeling before Antonapoulos who is standing at the top of the steps. In this regard, Singer very adores and respects Antonapoulos. Singer has many of friends, yet most of them don’t really know the sign language of Singer. People are always one way expressing their emotions to Singer. However, they don’t really understand Singer himself. On the other hand, Singer is happier with Antonapoulos. After when Singer realizes that Charles Parker is going to send Antonapoulos to asylum, he tries very hard to convince him to let Antonapoulos to stay with Singer. However he fails. Although Antonapoulos is sent to asylum, Singer will also visit him often. However, when Singer last visit to Antonapoulos, he realizes that Antonapoulos is dead. Singer then kill himself too after he goes back to the room. The ending is connected to the dream because Singer regards Antonapoulos as a god like figure who can really cure his lonesome. However after the “god” has disappear, Singer himself can find a person who can replace Antonapoulos, therefore he kill himself. Similarly, four of the character, Mick, Jake, Bill, and Doctor Copeland as well break down after Singer’s death. Likewise they can’t express their emotion and ideas to a person who is alike Singer.
This dream demonstrates the relationship between the main characters within the novel. We can consider that Antonapoulos is the God-like figure to Singer, and so does Singer to Jake, Biff, Mick and Dr. Copeland. Singer regards Antonapoulos as his only friend who understands him. As a result, Singer treats him well like a God and spoils him like a child. That is because Antonapoulos is the companion of his life and the support of his spirit. As for the others, Jake, Biff, Mick and Dr. Copeland, they all long for expressing their inner isolation to Singer rather than others. They think of Singer as the perfect figure that they have imagined and the one who realizes them so that they always convey their feelings and thoughts to him. Gradually, it becomes a habit with them to visit Singer and talk to him. The affection of Singer toward Antonapoulos is equivalent to others’ to Singer. Therefore, their relationship is just like a chain reaction. After knowing that Antonapoulos had died, Singer was so depressed and then turned into the person with bad temper. Later, he decided to commit suicide. Similar to the depression of Singer, Jake, Biff, Mick and Dr. Copeland were all shocked by knowing Singer’s death. They not only felt dispirited but even upset that there would be no one to be their audience listening to their mission, trifles, dreams and thoughts anymore. In consequence, it is just like a chain reaction that if one is removed from the cycle, the balance will be broke.
This dream demonstrates the relationship between the main characters within the novel. We can consider that Antonapoulos is the God-like figure to Singer, and so does Singer to Jake, Biff, Mick and Dr. Copeland. Singer regards Antonapoulos as his only friend who understands him. As a result, Singer treats him well like a God and spoils him like a child. That is because Antonapoulos is the companion of his life and the support of his spirit. As for the others, Jake, Biff, Mick and Dr. Copeland, they all long for expressing their inner isolation to Singer rather than others. They think of Singer as the perfect figure that they have imagined and the one who realizes them so that they always convey their feelings and thoughts to him. Gradually, it becomes a habit with them to visit Singer and talk to him. The affection of Singer toward Antonapoulos is equivalent to others’ to Singer. Therefore, their relationship is just like a chain reaction. After knowing that Antonapoulos had died, Singer was so depressed and then turned into the person with bad temper. Later, he decided to commit suicide. Similar to the depression of Singer, Jake, Biff, Mick and Dr. Copeland were all shocked by knowing Singer’s death. They not only felt dispirited but even upset that there would be no one to be their audience listening to their mission, trifles, dreams and thoughts anymore. In consequence, it is just like a chain reaction that if one is removed from the cycle, the balance will be broke.
4)
Biff Brannon is a watcher and observer in the story. He says, “I like freaks.” He enjoys having freaks in his café and being with them. Biff would not drive those freaks away while his wife Alice was always trying to urge him to. He did treat freaks specially—“What he said to Alice was true—he did like freaks. He had a special feeling for sick people and cripples. Whenever somebody with a harelip or T.B. came into the place he would set him up to beer. Or if the customer were a hunchback or a bad cripple, then it would be whisky on the house.” Biff also thinks that Singer, being a deaf-mute, isolating from the world, is the freakiest one among others in town; thus, Biff always offers him a beer. Biff Brannon is an androgynous man from very early. After Alice’s death, Biff starts to act differently. First, he imagines a picture of Mick Kelly and Baby Wilson playing on a beach, and he wants to be the mother of these two girls. Then, Biff starts to decorate the house with colorful cloths. And he often wears Alice’s perfume on his wrists and back of the ears. Having lots of sensitivity and compassion, Biff is a freak in traditional “men.”
The death of Singer had thrown the emotions of all four characters into disarray. After Singer’s death, Doctor Copeland felt lost and meaningless for the goal of his entire life – to liberate the oppression of his race. He regarded Singer as the only white man who understood his causes and reasons. And it hinted that Doctor Copeland was a figure like Martin Luther King Jr. and struggled to obtain freedom for the Afro-Americans. However, without the support and understanding of his family and people, the goal was ultimately lost. For Jake Blount, he considered Singer as his best friend who “knows” and felt betrayed upon learning his death. Without Singer, he thought there was no point to stay in this town any longer. This had indicated that Jake Blount was the outsider who fought for the rights of workers. But his fight was a lonesome fight without an end and understanding. Despite that, he still carried the hope to spread his words in the South until the people eventually “know”. As for Mick Kelly, Mr. Singer’s death made her feel pointless about her plan and dream of being a musician. The harsh reality of adulthood pressed against her like smothering gases and made her felt frustrated and tired. Mick’s reaction in Singer’s death indicates her secret love and the hope for her dream. And after he was gone, all her hopes about the music and dream were also gone. But for Biff Brannon, Singer’s death only left him with confusion. Singer’s appearance, the people who followed around him and his death were all mysteries to him. It may because that Biff was the person who didn’t consider Singer as his savior, but a witness of all the things that happened around him. Still, Singer’s death did leave him some questions about humanity and relations. But they were all like the riddles and remained unsolved.
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