Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Doubt11-12
There were many new themes that I noticed the second time through that I glazed over before, specifically the basketball analogy and the emphasis on Flynn’s fingernails. I’m still not quite sure what to think of them… but I know there is something important here. Another thing I noticed was the juxtaposition between Aloysius and James: both have great faith in their convictions, such that neither can come to terms that the other may be right. Since I already knew the plot and the events, I could concentrate more on the symbolism contained within each event, each word. Like Schopenhauer said, “all books should be read twice”, the first time to get the “general idea”, and the next to “find the truth contained within”.
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5 comments:
Yeah, the fingernail reference interested me too. Probably because after watching that movie The Ring fingernails gross me out.
But why does the Father emphasize on long nails, and clean nails? Its probably of some significance, I would think.
I took note of the fingernail symbolism as well. Similarly, on my blog I also articulated that I don't really understand it. The nearest I can figure, though, is that short fingernails must represent tradition and propriety, perhaps. Because Sister Aloysius tells him, at one point, to cut his nails, and that is what I think she presents. Not to focus on the minutia, but I feel like there are different meanings attached to the nail length and the nail cleanliness because Sister is concerned about the length, but he talks to the boys about the cleanliness, saying that it is okay to wear them long.
I wonder if short nails represent functionality instead of appearance.
I was thinking abot the nails too. Like we said in class, long nails usually have dirt underneath them, so maybe, it is a symbol of his character?
In retrospect, could his long nails represent personal vanity, as opposed to modesty? This deviation from the norm clashes with Aloysius' insistence upon reserved conformity.
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