When asked for his definition of the human body is, Eduardo Galeano said, “The Church says: the body is a sin. Science says: the body is a machine. Advertising says: The body is a business. The Body says: I am a fiesta.” This quote ties into the depiction of the female body in Alice Walker’s novel Meridian. Walker paints the human body as a vital element in the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s in her novel Meridian. The novel’s protagonist, Meridian, struggles with internal and external struggles throughout the entire novel, thus leaving her body feeling battered and bruised. While Walker’s novel was met with much critical acclaim, some critics were rather dissatisfied with the ending of the novel.
Meridian continually stresses her desire …show more content…
She looks for personal fulfillment from toxic relationships. In her article “Listening to melancholia: Alice Walker’s Meridian”, Leigh Anne Duck states that Meridian’s relationships play an important role in the novel. She states, “Still, it can hardly be described as a typical protest novel, given that so much of the text concerns intimate relationships and internal pain; as Madhu Dubey notes, there are even moments when Meridian’s body…fades off into a mystical haze that blurs the novel’s political focus (440).” Meridian’s relationships with the people surrounding her play an important role because it allows the reader to not only see the political turmoil African Americans were faced with during the 60s, but also the life adversities that plagued them. Alice Walker intended for this novel to center around not only the Civil Rights Movement, but also the personal struggles Meridian faces during the political climate surrounding the movement. The main struggle Meridian faces is conforming to the biased roles of marriage and …show more content…
Meridian first shows signs of her disconnect when she gives away Eddie Jr. due her inability to properly care for him. Sampada Chavan explores the reasoning of Meridian resisting her maternal roles in her article “Natural Woman, Unnatural Mother: The Convergence of Motherhood and the “Natural” World in Alice Walker’s Meridian”. Chavan states, “Her [Meridian] rejection of the traditional role of a mother can also be seen in parallel to the critics’ rejection of nature being a nurturing mother. Meridian’s pregnancy is unplanned, and while her body is physically capable of bearing a child, she doesn’t have the emotional conditioning of a mother (193).” While Meridian is refusing to accept her internal forces, she also begins to change her outwards appearance to be less-feminine. Meridain also begins to compare herself to other women and ultimately feels unable to compete for Truman’s affection because she is not like Lynne, as in she is not white like Lynne, thus making her inadequate according to Truman standards. Meridian makes a critical move in her journey when she has her tubes tied after her abortion of her second child fathered by
Meridian continually stresses her desire …show more content…
She looks for personal fulfillment from toxic relationships. In her article “Listening to melancholia: Alice Walker’s Meridian”, Leigh Anne Duck states that Meridian’s relationships play an important role in the novel. She states, “Still, it can hardly be described as a typical protest novel, given that so much of the text concerns intimate relationships and internal pain; as Madhu Dubey notes, there are even moments when Meridian’s body…fades off into a mystical haze that blurs the novel’s political focus (440).” Meridian’s relationships with the people surrounding her play an important role because it allows the reader to not only see the political turmoil African Americans were faced with during the 60s, but also the life adversities that plagued them. Alice Walker intended for this novel to center around not only the Civil Rights Movement, but also the personal struggles Meridian faces during the political climate surrounding the movement. The main struggle Meridian faces is conforming to the biased roles of marriage and …show more content…
Meridian first shows signs of her disconnect when she gives away Eddie Jr. due her inability to properly care for him. Sampada Chavan explores the reasoning of Meridian resisting her maternal roles in her article “Natural Woman, Unnatural Mother: The Convergence of Motherhood and the “Natural” World in Alice Walker’s Meridian”. Chavan states, “Her [Meridian] rejection of the traditional role of a mother can also be seen in parallel to the critics’ rejection of nature being a nurturing mother. Meridian’s pregnancy is unplanned, and while her body is physically capable of bearing a child, she doesn’t have the emotional conditioning of a mother (193).” While Meridian is refusing to accept her internal forces, she also begins to change her outwards appearance to be less-feminine. Meridain also begins to compare herself to other women and ultimately feels unable to compete for Truman’s affection because she is not like Lynne, as in she is not white like Lynne, thus making her inadequate according to Truman standards. Meridian makes a critical move in her journey when she has her tubes tied after her abortion of her second child fathered by