1. Ruth is the mother of Milkman Dead.
2. Ruth searches for her identity by using breastfeeding as a tool to gain a sense of power and purpose.
3. Ruth is oppressed because of her race and gender. Judgement, abandonment, and neglect not only affect Ruth, but every female character in the story. Coincidence, I think not.
4. "It was as though she were a cauldron issuing spinning gold. Like the miller's daughter-the one who sat at night in a straw-filled room, thrilled with the secret power Rumpelstiltskin had given her: to see golden thread stream from her very own shuttle." (Morrison 13)
5. Ruth's purpose is to bring life into the world. She's dependent on breastfeeding her son to gain a sense of control and to have attention from another human being. Ruth tries to hold onto her purpose and her power for as long as possible. Her role as a mother is what gives her self-worth and her identity.
6. I'm interested in Ruth's character because she gives all and receives nothing in return. And she somehow survives. The unconditional devotion of mothers is amazing. Ruth is extremely oppressed because of her race and gender in this time, and it's intriguing how her motherhood is her sole source of empowerment.
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2 comments:
I can certainly see how Ruth is oppressed in her gender as a mother but I think its important to note that she, and all the Deads, have probaly avoided the most eggregious instances of racism and racial oppresion in the North. Since they are wealthy, and Ruth was born into money, there situation is different from what Guitar or Macon went through in his early life. Its like the difference between house slaves and field slaves. I can't recall instances of Ruth being oppressed as a black except for when she was denited access to Mercy Hospital, to which she was eventually admited. Were there more instances that I'm missing?
I did like your point about the maternal importance and the power she felt when breastfeeding Macon Jr.
I agree with Hobie in some aspects. i think irony is sharpest with her character. You know much more than the breedfeeding incident. The isolation of wealth is as damaging as the racial oppression. Utilize more than the early part of the story.
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