Reading the first 40 some pages of Lucy, the relationship between Mariah and Lucy continue to grab my attention with each interaction. I mean, could the contrast between these two characters be any more overt? On one hand, we have the wealthy, "yellow" woman who is the employer, yet insists on a intimate relationship with her nanny. Then, there is Lucy, the brown skinned immigrant who finds little joy in her new life and place.
But with every interaction between the two, I grow to wonder who is really more miserable in their existence. The narrator makes it clear that she is unhappy, "as the weather changed from cold to warm it did not bring me along with it" (Kincaid 24). The winter coldness and blandness serves as a personification of Lucy's feelings and even when spring brings rebirth and life, Lucy remains unhappy and cold.
Mariah's unhappiness is somewhat less obvious. It appears that she presents a front to the world, an image of the ideal housewife who has been granted every advantage in life and therefore is afforded all the joys it has to offer. However, through small occurrences, it seems as though Mariah is not as content in her life as it would be assumed, for "there was a little bit of envy in her voice," at times (Kincaid 19). Moments that reveal this kind of sadness lead me to believe that Mariah's life has not been the easy ride most would think. In fact, I think her friendliness and caring demeanor may be more a way to mask her sadness in a desperate attempt to convince herself and the world that she is as happy as she appears.
Thinking along this track, I begin to see that while the contrast between Lucy and Mariah seems overt, the two woman share more in common than they think....one being their pain and struggle to find happiness.
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3 comments:
I think that you have made an interesting connection between Mariah and Lucy. I also sense that Mariah's life is not all fun and games, but I never connected it to Lucy's experience. It seems that when the family goes to the house on the lake, Mariah wants them to experience everything as she did, but they do not get as excited as her. Sometimes everything seems great with Lewis, but they do not spend time together as a family.
I think that it is still early to tell if Maria and the narrator will share experiences in common. However, I do agree that both are trapped by their pasts.
Keep paying attention to the way the "paths" of these two women cross or parallel throughout the novel.
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