In both Andrea Lee's novel "Sarah Phillips" and Stew Rodewald's film "Passing Strange," they tell the stories of confuse post civil rights black middle class young adults and how they come to understand their selves and their place in the world. Born in and after times of great struggle for African Americans in the United States these characters grow up in sheltered suburban homes with parents who are civil rights activists, teachers, doctors, ministers, and newly established middle class college educated parents who have created spaces of privilege and protection from knowing the majority of issues that concern race. After a few encounters that cause them to become aware of their race and difference, the characters begin to question their identities eventually leading them to search for the truth in themselves and the life that they have lived. Many personal issues arise out of their soul searching and travel but through their exploration of life abroad in European countries their experiences lead them to an inescapably deeper and concrete understanding of self and community.
In Lee and Rodewald's pieces it is quite obvious that traveling abroad does both strengthen and weaken the ties that bind young African Americans to the black community. Part of the characters, Sarah and Stew, journey in finding themselves is to remove their selves completely from the U.S. By leaving the country and fully immersing their selves in the cultures of other countries with new and different practices they both believe they will gain freedom and independence from the constraints of their own culture. This of course does not help them at first because it causes a slight increase in frustration and confusion within them and how they understand their situation. Eventually it allows for them to examine and appreciate their lives at home and the large investment their parents placed in them to live the best lives possible without restrictions or limitations based on their race. In "Passing Strange" Stew leaves home in search of his real identity and an unrealistic freedom that he never finds. In the process of coming to understand his appreciation of family, self, and the role of the community, he goes to Germany and Amsterdam which are two extreme opposite locations. There he finds two freedoms one that is too free and another that is militantly complex and calls for a truth a reality that he has not yet found. While in search of his song he discovers that the only thing he ever needed was to understand the love and openness that he only truly has in family and his larger family in his community. One important factor to notice in both pieces is that the characters both experienced being completely cut off from communicating with home. For their families this was an issue and definitely weakened the ties between them and their community. This also gave both characters a false sense of freedom and an ability to be disconnected with their old selves. To both characters being disconnected is exactly what they wanted but they soon find that they cannot escape who they are because they are not able to communicate with home. For Sarah Phillips she believes being in France will help define her but she soon learns she cannot escape America because at that time France is overflowing and seemingly obsessed with American culture. She finds America in her companions who travel there and try to emulate American speech and dress. She sees it in there entertainment and businesses with the opening of McDonalds. They also tease her about her origins and accent which leads her to realize the inescapable truth that she is who she is and she should never be ashamed of that. She also realizes that no matter how far she goes and how hard she tries she will never be able to change that part of her being. Like Sarah, Stew also realizes that in his attempts at recreating himself and shift in attitude and behavior he is only loosing himself more than before he left. By being honest with himself and through an argument with his lover he began to realize his mother only wanted him to be the best him he could be.
Both Sarah and Stew are future middlemen like described in Mary Pattilo’s ethnography “Black on the Block.” Their experiences and deeper understanding of self as well as their financial stability and enriched educational and social experiences provided by their parents are going to serve as tools that allow them to become effective leaders and workers for the black community. With age they will come to understand why their parents had them to be involved in certain activities and placed in certain environments with many different types of people. They will grow up and have a decent understanding of their community and better world view.
No comments:
Post a Comment