Love, Hope, or Sin?

     It's that time of year again- homecoming. Not a day goes by without me seeing pictures of an overly dramatic "proposal" (it's just homecoming, not a wedding) or overly excited girls toting around a bouquet of colorful flowers. After all, that's what the current culture uses flowers to symbolize- love. Beautiful, fragile, easily killed. However, these words could also be applied to the concept of hope. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, a rosebush located outside of a decrepit prison is used to symbolize hope, "or some sweet moral blossom" (Hawthorne 46) in the otherwise sorrowful book.
     The Scarlet Letter isn't the only dated story that uses flowers as a symbol of hope. The Legend of the Cherokee Rose tells a story about the Cherokee tribe, traveling the trail of tears. Supposedly, the mothers of the tribe were grieving, as their children were not surviving the hardships they were forced to face. Flowers began to bloom where the mothers' tears fell, giving them the strength to carry on and hope that they would find a better future.
     While on the topic of the symbolism of flowers, I found it interesting as well that in The Scarlet Letter, Pearl claims that she "[has] no heavenly father" (Hawthorne 95) but was instead "plucked by her mother off of the bush of wild roses that grew by the prison door" (Hawthorne 108). This is, in fact, the very same rosebush used to symbolize hope. But, as we discussed in class, Pearl's name implies that she came from nature, implying that she is resemblant of sin. This fact could be applied to flowers as well, having risen up from nature, and not created by a 'heavenly father'. How is it that such a simple concept as that of a flower can symbolize not only the cliche love it is used to mean today, but also hope and, shockingly, sin? Something to think about the next time you feel the need to swoon over a bouquet of a beautifully represented symbol of sin.  
     And because no post of mine would be complete without a reference to The Walking Dead...

"It’s a Cherokee Rose. The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much ‘cause they were losing their little ones along the way from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared. So the elders, they said a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the mothers’ spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day this rose started to grow where the mothers’ tears fell. I’m not fool enough to think there’s any flowers blooming for my brother. But I believe this one bloomed for your little girl." -Daryl Dixon, "Cherokee Rose"

Still

     This week in class after reading "Black Men and Public Spaces" by Brent Staples, we discussed how black men tend to be "perceived as dangerous"  by others, especially females. I personally can attest to this statement- last Saturday while waiting outside for a concert in Detroit, some black men were walking by, and my first instinct was to be afraid. Should I have been? Is it logical to think that every black man that passes by in Detroit is out to get me? Probably not. However, unfortunate as it may be, stereotypes govern how we view things in our society.
     One stereotype that is particularly deplorable to me is the belief that women are weaker than men, not as powerful as men, and need protection from men. I find that to be ridiculous. A person's strength and self worth should not be defined by which chromosomes they happened to be born with. Yes, women lack the testosterone levels that men have. But that doesn't mean that we can't be strong and protect ourselves.
     This doesn't mean that all women need to trade in their sweaters for leather jackets, singing for football, their femininity for masculinity. That's besides the point. We need to realize that we can be both feminine and strong. In The Walking Dead, there is a wide variety of self-sufficient female characters, ranging from the katana wielding, stoic Michonne, to the optimistic Beth, a girl who still sings, who still believes in good people. While these characters provide good examples of strong females, hopefully it won't take a zombie apocalypse for us to conquer this stereotype.

"I'm not Michonne. I'm not Carol. I'm not Maggie. I survived, and you don't get it 'cause I'm not like you or them. But I made it!" -Beth Greene, "Still"

Fire!

       This week, fire played a big role in our class discussion of The Glass Castle as we discussed its many symbolic resonances. What stood out to me the most, however, is the realization that not only does fire symbolize destruction and chaos, but it also can be used to represent rebirth and renewal. This is shown in how one of Jeanette's first internships shortly after starting a new life in New York "was at The Phoenix" (Walls 248). The phoenix is a bird derived from Greek mythology that is said to burst into flames at death, then be reborn from the ashes. While it may be purely a coincidence (maybe Jeanette really did intern at a newspaper place named after a symbolic bird), I found it to be fascinating. Jeanette manages to escape her life of poverty to start anew, almost being born again as a totally different person.
       It's strange to think about this- fire, a source of potential destruction, helping to renew. Where would an idea like this even come from? The answer to this question, as I find that most answers do, comes from science. Volcanos to be exact. According to Oregon State University, when a volcano erupts in an explosion of fire, most of the plants around it are burned down. However, the volcanic ash mixed with the soil is very rich, which allows the plants to come back healthier than ever. Almost as if they had been reborn.
       I spend a lot of time thinking about the idea of fire figuratively destroying your past, allowing you to start over. That's when I went on tumblr to take a break- and I ended up finding the perfect (in my mind, at least) example of rebirth by fire: The Walking Dead. I guess procrastination isn't always a bad thing. In the clip from one of my favorite episodes, conveniently located above this post, two characters, Beth and Daryl, burn down a house. Daryl, having been abused as a child and raised by his drug addict brother, has a terrible past, one that he has had trouble moving on from. As the two survivors burn down a house that reminded Daryl of his childhood home, lighting money that symbolizes his past of poverty and theft, Daryl is allowed to start anew. He lets go of his past and embraces his new life, a life in which he has a purpose, in which he can be good.