"Sugar Baby took the other chair, and they sat there in silence as though attending a wake. Sugar Baby couldn't tell Gus the truth. Gus was his only friend in the world and he didn't want to lose him. He knew Gus meant to use that gun and, if he did, he'd probably be sent away forever. Then, the Peaces would be destroyed and Sugar baby would be completely alone" (245).
This is right after Paul was raped in the woods and Gus ended his hunt for the attackers. Sugar Baby, who saw the event, welcomes Gus into his home to stop him from doing anything tragic. He does not want to tell his one friend, Gus, the truth about what he saw in the woods because he knows that Gus will reciprocate with violence.
To me, Sugar Baby represents the community as a whole. He always seems to see and hear everything that occurs around the town. He watches the attack that precedes the expert above, he also sees Eva Mae running from the fire she set on the attackers' home. The small town in Arkansas that the story takes place in is a breeding ground for gossip. Especially for Paul, who drama seems to follow like a lost dog. Sugar Baby and his ominous, "I am everywhere" role in the book, could easily be a symbol for the community as a whole. Like the rest of the town, he sympathizes with Paul and his predicament and only wants what is best for him and his family (despite it's brokenness).
This is a good scene to have chosen for this assignment because the reader can really see the traumatic effects of the gender switching. I like that you focus on the idea of gossip as a sort of way for everyone to have all-seeing eyes in the backs of their heads. The problem with that, is that it obviously can be very poisonous and decieving, at times.
ReplyDeleteI really like your idea of Sugar Baby's role within the community...the whole "I see everything" character. This is a really good scene that you chose too. I find it interesting that you think that the rest of Paul's community was sympathetic and/or apathetic towards Paul's predicament. For whatever reason I did not get that impression at all. If anything, Sugar Baby, for me, represents the imperfection that is community and the hypocracy that can often times be a part of community. No one person is perfect, as is emphasized by the church and it is unfortunate, the way that they treat Paul, as if his predicament is somehow his fault. The view that Sugar Baby allows for the reader to have is one of open-mindedness in a way. It's both positive and negative: some people rape and attempt murder, other people stand up for what they believe is right, etc; communities stick together and fall apart. However, we need community to survive. Great post!!
ReplyDelete