Dying for the cause
Music as Myth in _O Brother, Where Art Thou?_, or how this movie ruined my childhood.
I, like many people in this class, was born in the year 2000, the same year O Brother, Where Art Thou? was released. Like most moms, my mom sang lots of lullabies to me. O Brother Where Art Thou? is one of my mom’s favorite movies, so naturally she had the CD, and sang the songs from it as she tried to get me to fall asleep. “Didn’t Leave Nobody But the Baby” was one of my favorites, and as I got older I remember learning how to sing harmony from Alison Krauss’ performance of “Down in the River to Pray.” I always knew the recordings I loved were from a movie, but never really thought to watch it. Basically, the soundtrack to O Brother Where Art Thou? was an entirely standalone media experience for me as a kid. You can imagine my surprise upon viewing the Siren scene in the film. But that’s the genius of the Coen brothers’ use of music in O Brother, Where Art Thou? By including the traditional music of the setting in the rural American South, the film creates an immersive se
Great post! I agree that the ending just kind of felt right. After the corruption of Macon's beliefs, the irony of the reasoning behind his death, all fit to encapsulate the title of the novel. I for one, did not see this coming at all, and I thought the novel was going a different direction, but as I read it, it just made sense to me. Cheers to graduating.
ReplyDeleteYeah I also really liked the finality of the end and how it sat with the rest of the book. I especially thought it was a really, really good choice on Mansbach's part to have Macon try to reverse his "wokeness" or repent in some way, but have it not happen. Macon's spent so long complaining about white people who ditch that it provides a small amount of literary Schadenfreude to see him try to ditch the cause after swearing up and down that he would never do that.
ReplyDeleteWe'll miss you!
I think one thing that's really interesting about Macon saying 'no' right before he gets shot is that it sort of reveals that the treatment worked. Macon has accepted a retreat into whiteness, has accepted his opportunity to jump ship. But in some ways, him getting shot represents that he truly had crossed a threshold- one where he had become identified by other white people as a race traitor, and thus less able to retract such a confession. (I say 'less' over 'unable' because he definitely still has the opportunity to obtain and utilize white privilege). It's a super interesting moment in the novel, and I wonder what Macon at the beginning of the book would say if he knew this was how he was going out.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting interpretation of the ending of Angry Black White Boy. Personally, I have a few qualms with the way Macon viewed his own death -- at one point right before he dies, he thinks of himself as a martyr, which I have issues with considering the way he spent the last 30 pages of the book. But I do think there's something to be said about the way he died being connected to his cause for so long. In the end, that's what Macon made himself into, whether he wanted to or not, but I do think that he didn't really /want/ to be a racist. Anyway, this book is indeed confusing. And yes, cheers to Uni High English!!
ReplyDeleteNice post! I thought the ending of the book was really interesting, and I really like the different insights you had here. In the end, Macon got what he thought he wanted (deserved) from the very beginning: recognition and acceptance. However, the way that he finally gets that is from a white man who shot him because he was an activist rather than a black man congratulating him/honoring him. Maybe if Macon had shot himself on television he would've gotten that recognition from the black community instead. Overall, I just find it really interesting how he had to die in order to get that affirmation either way. Also, how he views himself as a martyr at the very end despite his cowardly retreat matches his history of being a hypocrite, and while I'm unhappy with that, it is a very fitting end for Macon.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on graduating!!! You will be missed <33
I like your discussion of Macon's attempts to find a group to fit in with and I definitely agree that that is his goal in life: to not be alone and to belong. I really like your thoughts on the ending and how it wrapped up Macon's life and fulfilled his goal in as much as could be possible. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteI think the concept of martyrdom is interesting for Macon. Retrospectively, seeing how his activism begins, how violent his speech is, and how much he hates white people, it seems logical for him to die for the cause in some way. When he threatened to shoot himself on live television, I really thought that’s where the story would go, just because that would certainly get a lot of attention. But the way Macon actually ends up dying is basically invisible, after he has publicly humiliated himself and his cause, yet he still frames it as a martyr’s death. I think his death reflects all the other activism Macon tries to do – in theory, it should have been loud and impactful, but ended up disappointing to himself and those around him.
ReplyDelete