This novel is extremely tedious to read. I find its characters uninteresting and lacking in depth, the story plods along at a maddeningly slow tempo, and the writing style is mundane. The only positive note that I can make about Who Would Have Thought It? thus far is that it does well in revealing the complex and nonsensical notions that people of that era held about race. As the story progresses, we observe what the racial hierarchy looked like at this time, how people perceived the race of others and themselves, and how different races corresponded to different opportunities in life.
At first, it does not seem that the white family can differentiate between people of African, Hispanic, or Native American descent, as they all marvel at how black Lola is and make speculations about her ancestry (17). It is clear that they are profoundly racist, associating Lola with a zoological specimen and contagious disease. It is also clear that they, especially the imperious Mrs. Norval, are hypocrites when it comes to their racial prejudices. Despite her horror that her husband has taken in a “black” child, Mrs. Norval is considered to be “a great abolitionist” by others (46).
The novel portrays a societal fixation with whiteness and shows how people needed to assert their whiteness in order to gain access to the privileges enjoyed by that identification. The authour initially tells us that “Lola was decidedly too black and too young for Julian Norval to take a fancy to her,” which implies that a lesser degree of “blackness” would be preferable to him (51). Later we find out that Julian does love Lola and that her skin only appeared to be black because it was “stained by the Indians” who had captured her (100). At this point Julian asserts the importance of her being “of pure Spanish descent” (100). For Lola, the whiteness that she had temporarily lost and her full European heritage are important assets for fitting into upper class New England. This is a useful case for reflecting upon the ways that place of origin, skin colour, and lineage interact in a highly prejudiced society.
2 comments:
I agree with your last paragraph wholeheartedly. I can't imagine how frustrating it must have been for those unfortunate enough not have white skin in that time. What strikes me about this book, that you have pointed out, is the unique look behind the psych of the members of this society. Lola serves as a vital function in this book as a literary device that enables us to directly observe this contradictory fixation on skin color.
I think you draw some very interesting conclusions about the novel, particularly those regarding the skewed racal hierarchy of the era. In fact, I agree with almost every observation you have made. What I find most interesting is that while we have come to many of the same conclusions about Ruiz de Burton's writing, you find it tedious whereas I am utterly enthralled. I can not put this book down! I think when reading texts as old and removed from our modern society as Who Would Have Thought It?, one can pretty much expect it to go at a much slower pace than that to which we are accustomed. I am thoroughly enjoying it. As someone said in class, I feel as though I am reading the work of a Spanish Jane Austen. As much as I agreed with your insights and respect your opinion, I do, however, feel as though Julian should be given a bit more credit. We can infer that perhaps Julian would not have taken as much of a fancy towards Lola had she been legitimately "black", but I can not think of any particular point in the novel where Julian was found to hold the same horrendously racist ideals as his mother. The citation you provided, while it definitely backs your opinion, I feel doesn't quite give us Julian's point of view on the issue of Lola's race. I feel as though it was more of a general narration from Ruiz de Burton, for the purpose of emphasizing his original love for Emma. That was my take on it anyway. I find it interesting that our interpretations varied and I thought you made some very good points.
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