To more specifically address the gang, it's made up of a bunch of strange characters, maybe primarily for comic effect, however I think it cements the point that this gang is about the unity of those who are outcast or unable to meld with society. Gunnar quickly falls into his role as the gang and neighborhood poet. The less serious nature of the gang also seems to indicate that the dynamic might be more representative of urban African-American culture during this time period rather than an actual gang. The GTH are not dealing drugs and conducting mass organized crime, but rather enjoying each others company in a way that kind of reminds me of the porch scenes from Their Eyes were Watching God. I think that respect to family and friends in urban African-American culture may be more important due to the subtle and direct stereotypical restrictions placed on them by whites; again, this is their place of refuge.
As a side note; if the gang is taken to be a literal gang, Beatty may be commenting on the difficulties in extricating oneself from that situation. It is the only environment where many of these people can be appreciated and successful, but it is not without its dangers as well (Psycho Loco).
I agree with the idea that the gang seems to represent a group of characters who are outcasts and unable to fit in well with normal society. However, I'm not sure if it is as benign as some people enjoying each others company, while they do things in comical ways, the gang still beat up Gunnar at the beginning of the book and is known to kill members of other gangs.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Gunnar is able to represent both sides of himself is pretty unique in itself. He can't really do this in any other situation, and it allows him to develop his identity using both characteristics. Although it may seem weird that the gang accepts poetry so much, the fact that it does really allows Gunnar's identity to develop, and I think that is one of the most important part about the gang.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, Beatty definitely has a humorous way of addressing stereotypes. He's playing with common expectations of what gang life should be like in much the same way he deals with basketball and poetry.Gunnar humorously observes how adults expect boys like him to end up in jail while we see the gang depicted as much more than those expectations, in a comically absurd yet moving way, so that it is ultimately evident how significant the bonds Gunnar form with Psycho Loco and Scoby are meaningful to him.
ReplyDeleteI disagree that Gunnar is only recognized for basketball outside of the gang, as he reads his poetry at weddings, funerals, and embodies his community in his poetry. When this was posted I'm not sure if we had read the section about Gunnar's huge following on the East coast, but his poetry is a huge part of how he appears to society. He dislikes the attention he gets for his poetry in college as much as he does the attention he gets for basketball.
ReplyDeleteThe gang really is an incubator for Gunnar. It's the gang who is so accepting and encouraging of Gunnar's exceptional talents as well as his raw personality and allows him to show his true colors. Around them, Gunnar gradually becomes more and more individualistic and cares less and less about what others think of him.
ReplyDeleteYou make an interesting point that Gunnar's poetry (initially, anyway) is not "appreciated" by the white world--or it seems to have no impact there at all. There's likewise no sense that Gunnar applies his poetic skills in school, although he does appear to do well academically, he never refers to writing poems for English class (aside from the Shakespeare monologue improvisation, which is technically part of Drama class, but which is significantly NOT a creative-writing assignment, although Gunnar rebelliously takes it in that direction). His poetry is about and "for" his community--he publishes literally on the wall that defines Hillside's borders, and he's read by gang-bangers (and eventually made the "poete maudit" for the gang that initially harasses him in Montgomery Ward).
ReplyDeleteBut once he gets to Boston, we see that he IS admired, even worshiped, by the white poetry establishment as a "street poet," and just like with basketball, the adulation is depicted with a good deal of skepticism within the novel.