#lit 243

The character named the Persian struck me as odd. Out of anyone in the book (so far), he is the only one without an addressed name aside from the Phantom itself. This could be because the Persian supposedly knows the Phantom very well and that maybe their personalities mirror each other (we’ll see).

However, on page 16, it is said that the Persian has “the Evil Eye” as everyone knows. In the notes on the book, it is said that the Evil Eye is the “Islamic notion that certain individuals with malicious intent can gain ascendancy over other people, animals, or things by the sheer power of their gaze” (288). Clearly, this implies the Persian (perhaps the only non-white, non-French person) is evil/monstrous. This is supported through the ballet-girls who make “the gesture of the horned hand” when thinking of the Persian (16); this hand gesture is specifically used to “conjure supernatural power, protecting the person... from the Evil Eye” (288). The characters do not feel comfortable around the Persian and even present him as a being with powers (and not in a positive light).

When I first started writing it was writing through my hatred for the pain I went through. it was dark statements and anger. It was not beautifully put and flowed, instead it was short fragmented statements about a life I thought I was stuck in. 

I then found my favorites poets. Sylvia Plath and Maya Angelou. They both offered a balance in my life. 

Maya taught me that I should channel all my anger and hurt, to rise. To use my words and explain that I have gone through hell and back, but damn it I am back. Reading her essays again gave me goosebumps and really motivated me to finish up this poetry book. In honor of Maya Angelou here is a piece that will give off vibes of her work. 

This book has a weird way that it confronts and explores mental health, patriarchy, and misogyny, especially through the lens of its protagonists. She is very aware and makes commentary on the ways that people perceive her mental illness and the fact that she takes anti-depressants; she’s receptive towards Richard Bullmar because he takes her concerns seriously and doesn’t discredit her because she takes anti-depressants (versus the head of security). While it’s fantastic that she is taking agency of her mental health and the way that people perceive her, I think that the way that she handles misogyny and patriarchy is not as clear cut.

The fact that Lo abuses alcohol in the beginning of the novel highly stresses me out as a reader. Especially when stuff like medication is involved and she’s using alcohol as a way to self-medicate, then something is wrong. If you’re not safeguarding yourself and locking your apartment, you’re setting yourself up for failure. And that’s stressful. What if your cat got out? Could you live with yourself if something happened?

Elsie, my home girl, is doing such a fantastic job navigating the world. She does a lot of maturing over the course of the novel, which comes from her lived experiences. I think for this small town animal, going abroad was a good move for her. It allowed her to grow and resolve some of her curiosities and allowed her to explore (with as much as depth as she allowed) some of the difficulties of our world (i.e. Palestine v. Israel, classism and population density, career v. dreams, etc.)

In the end, she still comes to wrestle with the how to shape her life as a woman. She debates whether she wants to have a child and have some happy years out at pasture with her or if she wants to continue exploring and being a public figure. I think this is a line that every woman has to cross at some point and a way that makes Elsie’s journey relatable. Because even if women have these rich experiences of traveling or building a career, at the end of the day, family is a constant nag in future planning.

This doesn’t reduce the importance of family or wanting to have a family, but I think there is an unfair weight attached to it (thank you patriarchy) that extends beyond women but tends to fall onto them.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Elsie and Mallory. It was a healthy relationship between two maturing cows and because the relationship (and the book) is so compact, we were able to see them grow together and separately.

They were supportive of each other and didn’t judge one another. When Mallory was getting a little bull crazy, Elsie didn’t understand it, but she didn’t shame her for it. Much like Mallory didn’t shame or ostracize Elsie for wanting to travel and leave the pasture and Elsie didn’t shame Mallory for wanting to stay on the pasture and have a simple life raising her baby girl.

Normally, as I'm sure everyone has gathered, I tend to isolate a moment in the text and kind of analyze it for broader connections, but this time, I just want to explore more of my emotional reactions to the text, especially since I'm familiar with the musical (particularly the 2004 movie version).

I remember watching this play in high school and we got to meet the cast, but I never was able to read the book.