Lucy is a character that constantly evolves. After reading the chapter Cold Heart it is clear that Lucy has problems with intimacy. She not only separates herself from personal relationships, but also the situations that occur around her. Lucy is an observer of people, places, and art. In the beginning of the novel Lucy states that she loves to visit the museum. Not only does she admire the art found there, but she admires the lifestyle of the artists themselves. When Mariah gives Lucy a book of photographs she states that she would sit in her room and pour over the book. Her decision to take photographs herself represents the evolving nature of Lucy as a character because she makes an attempt to connect to something that reminds her of her past. When at a Paul's party, she admires the lifestyle of the artists but believes that because it is "a position that allowed for irresponsibility...it was much better suited to men" (98). At this point in the novel she did not view herself as an artist, but later attempts to recreate a piece of work that touches her-the book of photographs. Placed on her bedroom wall are all the black and white pictures that she took herself. Her photographs tend to not meet her expectations, just like her expectations of America, but she still finds them beautiful. The photos still represent the intimacy issues of Lucy because a photographer is still an observer. I am hoping that Lucy will continue to evolve into a person that turns the camera on herself in order to embrace the people around her.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Photographs
Lucy is a character that constantly evolves. After reading the chapter Cold Heart it is clear that Lucy has problems with intimacy. She not only separates herself from personal relationships, but also the situations that occur around her. Lucy is an observer of people, places, and art. In the beginning of the novel Lucy states that she loves to visit the museum. Not only does she admire the art found there, but she admires the lifestyle of the artists themselves. When Mariah gives Lucy a book of photographs she states that she would sit in her room and pour over the book. Her decision to take photographs herself represents the evolving nature of Lucy as a character because she makes an attempt to connect to something that reminds her of her past. When at a Paul's party, she admires the lifestyle of the artists but believes that because it is "a position that allowed for irresponsibility...it was much better suited to men" (98). At this point in the novel she did not view herself as an artist, but later attempts to recreate a piece of work that touches her-the book of photographs. Placed on her bedroom wall are all the black and white pictures that she took herself. Her photographs tend to not meet her expectations, just like her expectations of America, but she still finds them beautiful. The photos still represent the intimacy issues of Lucy because a photographer is still an observer. I am hoping that Lucy will continue to evolve into a person that turns the camera on herself in order to embrace the people around her.
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4 comments:
I enjoyed reading your thoughts about the connection between Lucy taking pictures and her being an observer. It ties back into what we were talking about in class on Monday about how the difference between a viewer and a viewee (i just completely made up that word, but let's roll with it).
I definitely feel as if Lucy is a viewer because she's constantly taking note of the people around her, such as Mariah. It's ironic though because even though she's the viewer, we as the readers act as viewers of HER life, thus making judgements about Lucy, who is usually the one having opinions about others......hmmmmm this could make a good blog entry!
Nice points. Why do you think photography became her medium vs. painting or something else?
I think that a lot of people today have the same problem Lucy has. Like you said, she doesn't like to be intimate and seperates herself from meaningful relationships. It is interesting that her taking pictures could be seen as her first step away from that lifestyle. It is indeed a way to connect with something.
However, even though Lucy tries to alienate herself from such relationships, she still brings them up. She mentions many past relationships that she tried to escape. I hate to see someone act and feel the way Lucy does.
I think that she chose photography because it allowed her to snap pictures of the people she normally observes. The view behind a camera is more objective than painting or drawing. I feel that people tend to analyze the people found in pictures over the artist who captured the art. With painting, sculpting, etc. the questions like who, what, and why in reference to the artist are more likely to be discussed. Also, she mentions that she hopes her photos "would reveal...some of the things I had not seen" (160). Capturing a moment on film is a way for her to look at a particular moment over and over again. The meaning and influence can change over time. What impact this may have on Lucy I do not know. Because she is an observer I feel that photography is the best medium to capture the events that speak to her.
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