"But to tell the truth, I don't see much wrong with hittin' a dog when it's snapping its teeth at you" (110)
This quote by Toland is a perfect parallel to the situation that he is going through. The snapping dog represents the bigoted/racist whites, who consistently undermine the rights of the blacks. I thought this was a pretty big step for Toland, who has never been comfortable with openly siding with any group. This is a conscious decision he has made about his sympathies and one that allows him to question his own actions and whether they are adequate. This quote highlights the fact that an oppressed group of people will only take so much before they lash out against the people snapping at them. It is also interesting to see the underlying futility in all this - for all their sit-ins and demonstrations, everything ends up being talked through but nothing much ends up being done. It makes me wonder what stance the book is going to take on race relations.
Question: based on what we've read so far, do you think (racially), the book will have a (relatively) happy ending? What direction do you think the book is going in?
“Now, some individuals might ask whether it’s fair to punish a dumb animal for doin’ what its trainers have taught it was the right thing to do. Given the imperfections of all the humans involved, I’ll bet those dogs were the least bigoted creatures in the park…Y’see I’m a human being with faults an’ weaknesses like anybody else, an’… well…what I’m admitting is: As long as Mabel’s purse was flying anyway, I wish I could’ve been there to see it! … A dog that gets hit with a brick, he might think twice about bitin’ his next Negro!” (111-113)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you are saying here. I feel that the conversation that follows after what you quoted is essential to the big picture of it all, as well. Interestingly enough, perhaps we can compare these people in the South who have been brought up mainly with their parent’s ideology as opposed to their own, to the ignorance of the dog and the message being expressed by Rev. Pepper. The line you quoted comes from Toland, who is currently unable to devote himself entirely with any group. Rev. Pepper however, is fully devoted to the movement; his is a voice of maturity. He starts out by saying that violence should be avoided and that the dog really shouldn’t be one to blame– that’s just the way it was raised. “Hittin’ dogs or hittin’ people- it’s the wrong way to go Toland. Really, it is!” As you go on to explain as well, the black community is just so fed up that even Rev. Pepper, through of his own “faults and weaknesses”, is entertained by the idea of getting a stinging message across, to teach the ignorant a lesson.
Q: In this same conversation, Toland was making a point about the story of Samson killing the lion. (Page 111) He is then suddenly interrupted by Rev. Pepper. What do you think was the point that Toland was about to make?
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