In reading Book I, the character I found most interesting was Mashah. Before she loses her beloved and marries the fake diamond seller, she seems to be quite looked down upon by the rest of her family. She is described as beautiful, but also as vain, selfish, and empty-headed, even by the narrator. She takes her paycheck and spends money on herself first, even though her family is struggling to put food on the table. While her behavior is likened to that of the father, I couldn’t help seeing it in a different light. First of all, she went out and worked for the money that she spent, and was even willing to skip meals for it. The result is that, though her family gives her such a hard time, she genuinely seems to enjoy her life, even in the midst of terrible poverty. This is especially interesting in contrast to Bessie, who is looked up to in the family for her work ethic and selflessness, but herself ends up only being miserable because of it.
What about you? Did you find Mashah’s behavior (before the loss of the piano player) selfish or self-preserving?
I think Mashah's behavior is a little bit of both. She is being selfish because she is not sharing her wages with her starving family. At the same time, she is attempting to brighten her extremely depressing life and is sacrificing food for her happiness. This is entirely understandable. However, her behavior cannot truly be compared to that of her father. He relies completely on the income of his family members but still takes the most nutritious and flavorful parts of their meals, such as the fat and onions from the soup, and constantly calls them useless sinners. The father is simply a terrible person, regardless of his faith, and I feel badly for his family, especially Bessie. She slaved to help her family and was only punished for it.
ReplyDeleteI think that Mashah is a real character in the fact that she does use her wages on herself. At least she holds only herself responsible for her well being. She buys what she wants and that is her right as the person that worked for the wages. She doesn't help her struggling family but doesn't hold them accountable for her own struggling. This is how she makes herself happy, were as Bessie just gives her wages away without taking care of herself. So, now she is in the same boat as her family. Mashah is an example of how if you take care of your own needed they are met, but Bessie is an example of family obligation that is sometimes hopelessly bad for you.
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