Push is a novel of a girl who doesn't get the guy, is raped repeatly, gets HIV, and has two children before the age of sixteen, one with Down's syndrome. It is such a sad tale; I admire the strength she had to keep going. I admire anyone who overcomes any situation even remotely similar to Precious's.
I would argue that one of the biggest disappointing factors that could have saved Precious is the New York City public education system. How does such a red flag go unnoticed? While reading this I smiled at the littlest accomplishments that she achienved. "Listen baby, Muver love you," she writes. "Muver not dumb. Listen baby: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXY
Z. Thas the alphabet. Twenty-six letters in all. Them letters make up words. Them words everything" (66). I love that she gets how important education is. Even when her mother tells her it is stupid, that she is stupid, she persists. Education is her ticket out.
Z. Thas the alphabet. Twenty-six letters in all. Them letters make up words. Them words everything" (66). I love that she gets how important education is. Even when her mother tells her it is stupid, that she is stupid, she persists. Education is her ticket out.The book is narrated in a diary style. She writes of horrific events in her life in a blunt, honest way. Each entry of her book shows a small step in her education. Her reading level grows from not knowing all the letters, to reading at a junior high level. As a future education, the self-diligence was astounding to me. To come through so much, and then be so happy at reading a sentence, at writing a sentence. I felt so connected to her.
You can't blame her for not knowing curriculum or for reading on such a low level. Her mind is clearly not on lessons: she is revisting all the abuse and imagining herself in a happier place or circumstance.
In traumatic experiences, I turn to God and pray, but Precious doesn't have that. Precious copes witht elaborate daydreams and a fantasy world. How do you cope?
Do you think this diligence to learn is realistic? Would a girl in this situation normally break down and give up orr fight to survive? What makes Precious continue?
I think that this character is realistic, but abnormally dedicated to learning. Even in the novel people who would rather not know things than learn them, surround her. I am not only referring to her fellow students of different grades that were more interested in making fun of her than befriending her, or just leaving her alone and concentrating on their school work. I am referring to the adults who would rather let a young child piss in her chair, than ask a question that they want to pretend they don’t already know the answer to. Most people in this or a similar situation would definitely resign themselves to the role in which everyone has put them. They would listen to their mother shouting at them to “Forget school!” and “git [their] ass on down to welfare!” and they would certainly never have the conviction to break through the wall of shame and all the self-blaming like Precious did.
ReplyDeleteShe was a rare person at the point when she finally asserted the change for herself. She already did passively accomplished some things (enrolling in Alternative school) and actively received help (from Ms. Rain), but the culmination of her confidence was when she admitted to the world (her mother) what she had only recently discovered herself. After her mother screamed that Precious had stolen her husband, Precious screamed back, “Nigger rape me. I not steal shit fat bitch your husband RAPE me RAPE ME!” (74) At that point, Precious acted on the decision she made to be an independent person and to seek out those who could help her.
The fact that this attitude is so rare, even though this situation is too common, is what makes it a good story. Giving that I am in the world of the novel, I don’t expect Precious to escape. I expect her to go on welfare, continue being victimized, and keep up the tradition by abusing her own children. The fact that she doesn’t do this is what made the book worth writing and reading. No one wants to read about a girl who, having the deck stacked against her, fails. I can look out my window to see that story. I need this story to remind me about the people that make humanity worthy of getting the next go-round.
It is extremely interesting how Precious caught onto how important education is, even thouh no one taught her it's importance throughout her life. She received the opposite from her family especially. Parallel to that, she also was never taught to be a good mother, Precious didn't have an example of a good mother but somehow learned how to long for more for her children than she herself had. I love reading stories wherein characters gain wisdom and understanding against the odds. Precious had no logical chance of being a good mother, but she loved her children and wanted a good life for them. She had no encouragement to value education, and even though she herself was failing at it, desired her children to succeed. She knew what was important, even when others viewed her as ignorant.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Japheth; nobody really wants to read a story about a girl who has struggled all her life to fail at the end of the book. We like underdogs who strive for success and better themselves against the odds. I think that Precious's response to everything (success and growth) seems unrealistic to us because we have nothing so terrible and inhumane to compare her suffering to. She never knew anything but this suffering, yet she knew enough about "the outside world" to realize that her quality of life could be better, but that she would have to work for those changes.
ReplyDeleteThis discussion makes me think of "fight or flight." I would think that one can only take so much mental and physical abuse before either breaking down (possibly committing suicide...which sadly would also be realistic seeing as many choose this option every day) or breaking free from the situation. I think Precious's case may be rare, but not unrealistic. Like others have mentioned, she has the capability to look at others and recognize the injustice of her situation. I think she wants to overcome so much that she is willing to do anything to learn. Thankfully, she finally gets a teacher that cares about her well-being, not just about covering "the curriculum" or getting a pay check.
ReplyDeleteWhile Precious first tries to cope with her problems by living in a fantasy world, as you say, later writing becomes her vehicle for coping with pain. All of the students learn to use writing in this way.
Valerie,
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about it, but the writing really does take over as her coping mechansim. As she gets to be a stronger and stronger writer, she doesn't need that fantasy world. She is confident enough to manage her pain and abuse; she goes to counseling; she becomes a stronger person. As she says, words are everything.