I am reading Sweet Cicely for my primary text. The reason for the title is explained in context very early in the book. According to Samantha Allen, the narrator of the story, "Sweet Cicely is a plant that has a pretty white posy" (13). It is also the name of one of the primary characters in the story, whose personality and nature is described as "purer and sweeter than any posy that ever grew" (13).
As I was reading the other posts in the blog, I noticed there are several common themes in The Blithedale Romance and Sweet Cicely. One of the themes is gender roles. Both of the authors described how women typically behaved in society during the time the setting took place. I am not completely sure--because I did not read Hawthorne's novel yet--but it seems like the female characters in The Blithedale Romance are not as strong-willed as the main ones in Sweet Cicely. Unlike Zenobia, who some of you guys described as wavering in her belief of a woman's power, Cicely did everything in her power to try to vote for temperance. She was using her money freely towards any and every cause that aimed to get rid of saloons, alcohol, and other "bad temptations" in order for her son, and other mothers' sons, to not end up the same dreadful fate that her husband experienced.
I am sure we will talk about the other themes in class. See you guys then!
Source: Holley, Marietta. Sweet Cicely. South Carolina: BiblioBazaar, 2006.
1 comment:
In the Conjure Woman, I don't think gender role was as obvious or significant as in the other two novels. In the Conjure Woman, there was no particular conjure woman that took most of the spotlight.
Though most stories that Julius shares are somewhat absurd, Annie listens to his story and actually considers the morals involved. John, on the other hand, takes the story at face value and frequently disregards them because they do not reflect reality. In a way, the mindset for both genders are different, though both are white folks.
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