The Member Of The Wedding": Carson Mccullers' Exploration Of Belonging And Identit

Carson McCullers' novel 'The Member of the Wedding' was inspired by a boozy Thanksgiving dinner in a communal house in Brooklyn, which she shared with the likes of Paul and Jane Bowles, Gypsy Rose Lee, WH Auden and Benjamin Britten. After hearing a fire engine's siren, McCullers and Rose Lee gave chase through the streets, and McCullers had an epiphany about the central concept of her book.

The novel centres on 12-year-old Frankie Addams, a lonely tomboy who feels disconnected from the world and yearns to be part of something bigger. McCullers herself was an awkward, lanky child, and there is a sense in which the protagonist is a self-portrait of the author.

The story takes place over a few days in late August in a small Southern town. Frankie's mother died giving birth to her, and her father is a distant, uncomprehending figure. Her closest companions are the family's African American maid, Berenice Sadie Brown, and her six-year-old cousin, John Henry West. Frankie has no friends and dreams of going away with her brother and his bride-to-be on their honeymoon in the Alaskan wilderness.

The novel explores the psychology of its three main characters and is more concerned with evocative settings than with incident. Frankie does, however, have a brief and troubling encounter with a soldier. Her fantasy is ultimately destroyed, and a short coda reveals how her personality has changed.

Carson McCullers' own life experiences influenced the novel

Carson McCullers' own life experiences influenced her novel "The Member of the Wedding". McCullers' turbulent love life, her time in a communal house in Brooklyn, and her childhood in Georgia all played a role in shaping the story.

McCullers married Reeves McCullers in 1937, divorced him in 1941, and then remarried him four years later. In 1953, he tried to persuade her to join him in a suicide pact; when she refused, he took his own life. This tumultuous relationship may have influenced the complex family dynamics and sense of isolation depicted in the novel.

During her separation from Reeves, McCullers lived in a communal house in Brooklyn that was frequented by artists and writers such as Paul and Jane Bowles, Gypsy Rose Lee, WH Auden, and Benjamin Britten. It was during her time in this creative environment that McCullers had an epiphany about the central concept of her book. One night, after a boozy Thanksgiving dinner, she chased a fire engine through the streets and suddenly envisioned the story of a 12-year-old girl, Frankie, who feels disconnected from the world and longs to be part of her brother's wedding.

McCullers' own childhood in Georgia may have also influenced the setting and themes of the novel. McCullers grew up in Columbus, Georgia, and her Southern roots are evident in the novel's depiction of small-town life and racial tensions in the South during World War II. The character of Frankie, with her tomboyishness and struggle to find her place in the world, may reflect aspects of McCullers' own adolescence.

In addition, McCullers' health issues may have influenced the themes of illness and physical limitations in the novel. McCullers contracted rheumatic fever at 15 and suffered two severe strokes before turning 30, leaving her paralysed in her left arm. She also underwent a mastectomy and broke her hip in her 40s. These health struggles may have informed the portrayal of physical and emotional pain in the novel.

The protagonist, Frankie, is based on McCullers herself

The protagonist, Frankie Addams, is based on Carson McCullers herself. McCullers, like Frankie, was a tall, slender, and awkward girl. McCullers' mother died when she was 15, and Frankie's mother died giving birth to her. McCullers' father was largely absent from her life, and Frankie's father is a distant figure. McCullers also suffered from various health issues, including rheumatic fever and strokes, which left her with a paralysed left arm.

The novel is set in a small Southern town in Georgia, where Frankie is consumed with worry that she doesn't belong anywhere or with anyone. McCullers herself grew up in a small town in Georgia. Frankie's closest companions are the family's African American maid, Berenice Sadie Brown, and her six-year-old cousin, John Henry West. McCullers also had a close relationship with her family's maid, and she lived in a communal house in Brooklyn with several other writers.

The novel is more concerned with evocative settings than with incident. McCullers captures the Southern flavour and mixes it with an interesting story. She paints pictures with words and creates a sense of place with her evocative descriptions. The novel is told from Frankie's point of view, and she is a troubled adolescent. McCullers captures the inner turmoil and exploration of the boundaries between youth and adolescence, between life at home and the world outside.

The novel centres on Frankie's inner life and her desire to be part of something larger and more accepting than herself. McCullers herself said of the novel: "it must be beautifully done. For like a poem, there is not much excuse for it otherwise."

The novel explores themes of racial and sexual identity

Berenice is a mother figure to Frankie, and the two have deep conversations about race and identity. Berenice wishes for a world where "there were no separate coloured people in the world, but all human beings would be light brown colour with blue eyes and black hair." Frankie also wishes for a world where people could instantly change back and forth from boys to girls.

The novel also explores the theme of sexual identity through Frankie's cousin, John Henry, who, at six years old, is already struggling with his place in the world as someone who is half boy and half girl. Frankie's desire to join her brother and his new wife on their honeymoon can be interpreted as her longing to escape her own identity and find a sense of belonging elsewhere.

The Member of the Wedding is a novel that delves into the complexities of racial and sexual identity, presenting a thoughtful and nuanced exploration of its characters' inner worlds.

The novel is more than just a coming-of-age story

Carson McCullers' novel "The Member of the Wedding" is more than just a coming-of-age story. It is a complex exploration of identity, belonging, and the desire for connection. The novel centres on the inner turmoil of its protagonist, 12-year-old Frankie Addams, who feels disconnected from the world and yearns to be part of something larger than herself. This desire is heightened by her mother's absence, her distant father, and her exclusion from the social circles of her peers.

The novel delves into themes of racial and sexual identity, with Frankie wishing for a world where identity is fluid and changeable. McCullers also challenges gender and sexual norms by queering the human developmental schema and depicting personal difficulties with narrativizing.

"The Member of the Wedding" is set in the American South during World War II, and critics have noted its dark humour and political heft. The novel is more than a simple coming-of-age tale; it is a profound exploration of the human condition, the complexities of adolescence, and the desire to belong.

The novel's structure and narrative methods challenge gender and sexual norms

The structure and narrative methods of Carson McCullers' novel, 'The Member of the Wedding', challenge gender and sexual norms in several ways.

Firstly, the novel's tripartite structure, with its three distinct sections, disrupts the linear progression of a typical coming-of-age narrative. This structure, along with the novel's depiction of personal difficulties with narrativizing, its refusal of dynamism, and its use of repetition and analepsis, queers the human developmental schema of childhood-adolescence-adulthood. This challenges the norms and expectations associated with each life stage, particularly the idea that tomboyishness in girls should be outgrown as they transition into adulthood.

Secondly, McCullers challenges gender and sexual norms by exploring themes of racial and sexual identity. The protagonist, Frankie, wishes she could change back and forth from boys to girls, while her cousin, John Henry, wants people to be half boy and half girl. Their caretaker, Berenice, imagines a world without racial divisions, where all human beings would be light brown color with blue eyes and black hair. These characters' desires point to a world where identity is fluid, changeable, and amorphous, challenging fixed notions of gender and sexuality.

Additionally, McCullers subverts expectations by portraying Frankie, a twelve-year-old girl, as a troubled and awkward tomboy who is in love with her brother and his bride. Frankie's obsession with her brother's wedding and her desire to join them on their honeymoon highlight her longing for acceptance and belonging. This pre-teen awkwardness and self-delusion attract youthful fans who can relate to Frankie's struggles with identity and her search for a sense of "membership".

Furthermore, McCullers challenges gender norms by giving significant narrative space to Berenice, a Black woman who serves as both a mother figure and an oracle in Frankie's life. Berenice's conversations with Frankie and John Henry about existential topics, racial inequality, and personal experiences offer a counterpoint to Frankie's story, showcasing the importance of their interracial bond.

Finally, McCullers' narrative methods, such as her evocative descriptions of place and her focus on interiority, contribute to the novel's atmosphere of numbness and fever, blurring the boundaries between reality and Frankie's imagination. This blurring challenges the reader's sense of stability and normativity, inviting them to question their assumptions about gender and sexual norms.

Frequently asked questions