On Beauty, 4/17 and 4/20

On Friday, we discussed the nature of the culture wars--how they started and where they are today. Since they began in the 1960s (roughly speaking) the culture wars have moved to being centered among universities and intellectuals. We also discussed the differences between Kiki and Claire--and the importance of these differences in relation to the infidelity of Howard. Claire, unlike Kiki, is an intellectual like Howard. Perhaps he was attracted to this "sameness" he saw in Claire that is absent from Kiki.

On Monday, much of our discussion was focused upon Claire's poem, "On Beauty." The opening lines of the poem brings up the issue of pronoun identification:

"No, we could not itemize the list
of sins they can't forgive us.
The beautiful don't lack the wound.
It is always beginning to snow."

The pronouns of the poem are not specific, so we are unsure as to whether the beautiful or the ugly people are the ones itemizing the list of sins. Perhaps this inability to distinguish between these two groups of people alludes to the idea that we cannot just draw a dividing line between beautiful people and ugly people. The two may be separated in our perceived rendering of society, but in reality the divisions are not so clear.

Ideas of difference between the "beautiful" and the "ugly" also appear in the argument between Howard and Kiki that occurs on pages 206-207. After Kiki tells Howard that she staked her life on him, she goes on to accuse him finding someone (Claire) who is the complete opposite of herself. Claire, as a tiny, white professor, is physically and intellectually different from Kiki. Clearly, this makes a huge impact upon Kiki's self-image, and leads her to reiterate the claim that she staked her life on Howard.

Finally, we discussed the idea of role reversals within the novel. After Kiki talks to Carlene, she realizes that perhaps she has been living for Howard, not with him. This goes against the supposed marital views held by the Belseys, in which the husband and wife are supposed to work together, not for one another. There will probably be more role reversals as the novel continues--Howard doesn't even seem to believe what he is teaching anymore...

As we continue the novel, we are going to see whether or not the characters defy any societal expectations.