Literary Techniques
The central concept in The Third Life of Grange Copeland is the notion that individuals can undergo symbolic rebirth multiple times throughout their lives. This idea, discussed in the "Themes" section, is crucial for a full appreciation of the novel. Another significant aspect of the text is Walker's use of an omniscient third-person narrator, which allows for the exploration of the hidden thoughts and motivations of the characters. This narrative style is vital as the novel examines the different personas characters adopt to either conform to or challenge the racist stereotypes imposed on them. Through this omniscient narration, Walker immerses the reader in the multiple lives of her protagonist, Grange Copeland, illustrating various ways black men respond to the physical and economic oppression imposed by racist power structures.
Grange's initial responses are marked by a certain degree of brutality and misogyny, while Brownfield's reaction is even more violent and murderous. However, Walker does not intend to portray Brownfield as a monstrous, inherently evil character, as such a character's motivations would remain inscrutable. Instead, Walker emphasizes the impact of circumstances like poverty, racial oppression, and the absence of a loving home on the development of Grange's and Brownfield's characters.
Despite this, Walker is careful not to place all the blame on external circumstances. She strikes a balance, attributing character development to both external influences and the characters' inner weaknesses. She achieves this balance by refraining from direct authorial condemnation of even the most negative traits of Grange and Brownfield, maintaining a neutral tone in the omniscient narration. In doing so, Walker demonstrates that people, who are not born evil, can become monstrous under the pressure of historical and racial forces. To avoid such a fate, the characters must take responsibility for their actions.
Throughout the narrative, recurring symbols are employed to trace the evolution of various characters. Walker illustrates Brownfield's downfall and his destruction of Mem through detailed descriptions of their physical forms. Brownfield aims to dismantle everything that initially drew him to Mem, transforming her into someone he deems worthy of him. This destruction is symbolized by the deterioration of her once magnificent breasts, which were part of the vibrant figure that initially attracted Brownfield. These breasts symbolized the couple's earlier generative lovemaking—a gentle, joyful act of sharing rather than an act of taking.
As the story progresses, Mem's breasts shrivel, mirroring the decline of her entire body. As Brownfield's love diminishes and his lovemaking turns violent, Mem's body gradually loses its health and vitality. Similarly, Walker uses the physical decline of Brownfield's body to symbolize the destructive nature of relentless labor for the sharecropper. His body shrinks, aches, dries up, and cracks. Through this symbolism and the absence of overt authorial judgment, Walker maintains a balanced examination of character development, considering both inherent personal traits and historical influences.
Ideas for Group Discussions
The Third Life of Grange Copeland illustrates the suffocating impact of persistent racial oppression, while also suggesting that this cycle can be disrupted. The seemingly unavoidable nature of this cycle is embodied in Brownfield's dangerous resignation, which tainted the initial two lives of Grange Copeland. Both characters, whose names (Grange, Brownfield) are linked to generations of Black labor on barren land, end up dead by the story's conclusion, unable to relinquish their hatred. Through his legacy, both in experiences shared and money left behind, Grange offers his granddaughter a chance at a life of freedom and love, where the future is a horizon of hope. However, Walker leaves the hope that Ruth symbolizes somewhat ambiguous, as Ruth is the sole fragile possibility remaining from three generations of the Copeland family.
(This entire section contains 316 words.)
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illustrates the suffocating impact of persistent racial oppression, while also suggesting that this cycle can be disrupted. The seemingly unavoidable nature of this cycle is embodied in Brownfield's dangerous resignation, which tainted the initial two lives of Grange Copeland. Both characters, whose names (Grange, Brownfield) are linked to generations of Black labor on barren land, end up dead by the story's conclusion, unable to relinquish their hatred. Through his legacy, both in experiences shared and money left behind, Grange offers his granddaughter a chance at a life of freedom and love, where the future is a horizon of hope. However, Walker leaves the hope that Ruth symbolizes somewhat ambiguous, as Ruth is the sole fragile possibility remaining from three generations of the Copeland family.
1. Do you think Grange Copeland is a sympathetic character? Why or why not?
2. Discuss the various contrasts Walker draws in the book between the North and the South. Do you believe the North represents a land of opportunity in any way?
3. Does Walker clearly convey the promise that Ruth holds for the future? Do you find this element of hope convincing?
4. Discuss the politics of education in the novel. Does Mem's use of "proper English" signify a self-aggrandizing rejection of her home and heritage, as Brownfield claims? Does Walker imply that certain modes of speech are more authentic than others?
5. Some critics argue that the male characters in this work are entirely unsympathetic and that the book criticizes men as a whole. Does the text support this viewpoint?
6. Discuss Grange's attacks on Josie's promiscuity. Do you think Grange's violent disapproval reflects the author's own views? Why or why not?
7. Compare the character of Mem with that of her daughter Ruth. Would you agree that, while their capacity to love and inability to hate represent hope for the future, Mem's fate demonstrates how fragile that hope is?
Literary Precedents
In her collection of essays titled In Search of Our Mothers' Gardens (1983), Alice Walker frequently acknowledges her debt to Zora Neale Hurston, a novelist, playwright, and anthropologist of the Harlem Renaissance. Walker notes that Hurston's writing instilled in her a sense that black cultural heritage is a valid, affirming, and valuable aspect of one's identity, a perspective she found missing in the protest fiction of authors like Richard Wright. Walker's focus on black men's misdirected anger towards black women and her quest for a model of love between women and men devoid of sexism reflects Hurston's themes in Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). The development of Grange Copeland through his affection for his granddaughter Ruth can be likened to the growth of Hurston's protagonist Janie. Throughout the novel, Janie rejects all models of marriage based on female subservience, achieving financial independence and a public voice that a sexist society would otherwise deny her.
Walker's examination of the destructive effects of economic and racist oppression in the South, along with the urban North's failure to fulfill its promise as a haven for southern rural blacks, can be compared to Richard Wright's semi-autobiographical novel Black Boy (1945). Although, as mentioned earlier, Wright's work lacks the celebratory tone found in Walker's writing, he nevertheless underscores the destructive power of institutionalized racism that continually jeopardizes the potential for celebration and future happiness in Walker's work.
When focusing on the oppression inherent in the sharecropping system, it is useful to both compare and contrast Walker's depiction of black suffering with John Steinbeck's portrayal of suffering white sharecroppers in Oklahoma in The Grapes of Wrath (1939). In Steinbeck's novel, characters attempt to escape the oppression of sharecropping by moving to the promised land—not the North, but the West. In California, Steinbeck's characters find that their poverty forces them into dire conditions and severe exploitation as near-slave laborers, with wealthy white Californian landowners showing as little regard for their rights as Mr. J. L. shows for Brownfield's family in Walker's novel.