The Lazarus Project Analysis

Vocabulary Words:

· Esoteric: restricted to initiates; secret

· Carmine: deep red color

· Bequeathed: left something to somebody in a will; handed down to posterity

· Pogrom: organized killing of minority

· Exudation: release through pores or cut

One thing that stuck out to me during the beginning of this passage was the reference to eggs. First, it discussed how Lazarus used to work in an egg-packing plant. Secondly, the narrator said, “Rora and I had breakfast at the hotel restaurant-boiled eggs, butter, pieces of dry rye bread.” Also, it says, “There were various Virgin icons, craftily carved crosses, and ornately painted Easter eggs.” This repetition of egg references was interesting because eggs hold a lot of representation. They can be an important part in a diet, and they represent new life. The qualities that eggs symbolize contrast with the other themes in the book. While eggs represent sustenance and development, the novel overall has an undertone of breaking down. For example, anarchism is being against, or wanting to break down the government.

Another thing that I found to be interesting was the repetition of the line “has a brother or sister,” or a variation of this line. For example, in describing the prostitute, it says, “she had a family somewhere, a mother or a brother. Everybody comes from somewhere.” Also, “The men’s clothes enfold the winter dampness; they pull their hats down to their eyes, for it has been a long time since they’ve seen the sun. The women take off their gloves to touch the rags; their cheeks are still red from frostbite; they bargain tenaciously. Every one of them is somebody’s brother or sister or child; all of them are alive; they know the good ways of not dying.” One thing really present in both of these quotes is the loss of innocence. In both cases, the quotes are referencing the fact that if their families knew what was happening to these people, that they would be disappointed. Likewise, this theme is present in the line describing Lazarus’ mother; “She cried as she went through pair after pair of threadbare socks: Lazarus died with his feet cold; the politsey exhibited him, and everybody saw him with his socks torn. Mother would never forgive her that, if she ever found out.”

Lastly, some of the major themes in this book are themes of Jewish religion and different cultures and countries. Chaim Gruzenberg says, “When I was growing up, there were all kinds of people here. No more. Now everybody is independent, or gone.” I thought that this quote was interesting because it shows the change in dynamic between how Gruzenberg viewed the different cultures and their degree of independence during his childhood and how he views them now during his adult life.

The Lazarus Project

Vocabulary Words:

Vociferates: shouts out

Vestibule: entrance hall; enclosed area at rail car entrance

Dubious: possibly dishonest or immoral

Nascent: just beginning to develop

Resin: substance from plants

Claret: deep red; red wine

Rucksacks: bags carried on back

Sheitan: satan; the devil (in Islam)

In reading the first part of this novel, there were two contrasts that really stuck out to me. The first was the contrast between the American culture and the Bosnian culture. It was my impression that the Bosnians had a harder time adjusting to American culture, and often found themselves in adverse circumstances. For example, Hemon says, “Americans, we are bound to agree, go out after they wash their hair, with their hair still wet-even in the winter! We concede that no sane Bosnian mother would ever allow her child to do that, as everybody knows that going out with your hair wet can result in a lethal brain inflammation.” This is just one example of how Bosnians are portrayed as having greater worry; Americans go outside with their hair wet, but Bosnians are too worried that they will contract a brain inflammation. Hemon also describes the trouble that Bosnian children have to maintain their Bosnian culture, “A choir of kids of uneven height and width (which always reminds me of the Chicago skyline) struggles with a traditional Bosnian song, their hearing and accent forever altered by American teenagehood.” These children have been exposed to American culture for so long that it makes it difficult for them to remember their traditional Bosnian songs.

The other key contrast I found while reading this book was the contrast between genders. Not only were Bosnians portrayed as “having it harder” than Americans, as minorities and immigrants often do, but men in the story were portrayed as having more worries and stress than women. For example, Hemon describes the mother, “Mother used to soak her varicose legs in a tub of hot water, but she would always forget the towel. He would be the one to fetch it, wash her feet, and wipe them dry. Her soles were ticklish; she would squeal like a little schoolgirl.” Pedicures, and soakings are a luxury; a luxury that is more common for women. The fact that the mother forgets the towel, and the male would be the one to fetch it, wash her feet, and wipe them dry portrays the man as having a greater responsibility. Also, the Mother is described as having ticklish feet, and “squealing like a schoolgirl.” Hemon compares the mother to a schoolgirl because schoolgirls are carefree, and do not have anything to worry about; they are young and their parents care for them. Similarly, the mother is shown through her soaking her feet and always forgetting the towel to be carefree. Also, relating back a bit to the contrast between Bosnians and Americans, Hemon says, “Whereupon I could show Mary that I was not a wastrel or a slacker or a lazy East-European, but a person of talent and potential.” This not only shows the contrast between gender, because he feels like he has to prove himself to Mary, but it also relates to the Bosnia-America contrast. He feels as if since he is from Bosnia, he might be automatically viewed by Mary as a “wastrel or a slacker.” He is a male from Bosnia, and therefore feels as if he has to work extra hard to compensate. Lastly, in describing the young man at the beginning of the novel, it reads, “Never trust a hungry man, his eyes tell her.” Again, this shows a contrast between Bosnia and America because the reason the man is hungry is that he is a poor immigrant. In addition, there is a great contrast between the male and female pronouns “he” and “she” that helps add to the theme of passing judgments, and accentuates the distinction between men and women and their roles.

Writer's Harvest

Overall, I really enjoyed attending the Writer’s Harvest and getting to listen to all of the different readers. I had never been to a formal reading before tonight, and I thought that it was a good experience. Of course I have heard students read their poetry and prose out loud in class, but listening to established writers in an auditorium was new to me. One of the things that I found to be interesting was the individual personalities and how it came across through their readings. Their reading styles captivated me in unique and different ways. Some used humor, while others were more serious. This contributed to the newness of the experience because often in class, we read the works of other writers, so we often do not comprehend the tones of the words until after they have left our tongues. Also, when we do read our own work, since it is not something we are used to, we can read it in a shy manner and not be very emphatic, or show our true emotion. With that being said, I will go ahead and delve into some of the thoughts I had about the individual readers. I came for the first half, so I was able to listen to John Pursley III, Lindsay Jones, Steve Katz, and Keith Lee Morris.

John Pursley III

Being an Animal Science major, I found his references to horses, cattle, and the German Shepherd interesting. I also noticed his contrast in gender, in using the female character Sally and the boy. He also made use of textures and relatable images with the line, “Beak or teeth, nail or bittered bone.”

Lindsay Jones

I really loved the introduction to her story “Fall in Love with Lutney.” She made me want to read the rest of the book, and her love for the girl was so evident in her writing. Starting out, she describes how she was a foster parent for a 3-year-old girl from Haiti last year. The girl calls her “momma,” even though that isn’t really her role. She uses the themes of motherhood and Creole language, which are both new entities to her. She also references pumpkins, and how Lutney does not understand what they symbolize; that they are here for Halloween and will be gone by Thanksgiving. She uses this to show transience, and Lutney’s childhood innocence. After discussing the pumpkin, she begins describing Lutney’s physical appearance. She describes her as beautiful; as having perfect skin, big brown eyes, long eyelashes that sit at an attractive angle like black curtains, and full lips. She then talks about Lutney’s personality, and establishes a bridge of shared features through their humor and similarities. She says Lutney is “just like me,” because Lindsay has an editor’s mind, always looking for mistakes, and likewise Lutney examines her bowl of cheerios and says “this one is broken.” After this, Lindsay goes back to the pumpkin reference, and then surprises the audience by telling them of Lutney’s operation. She waits until this point to describe Lutney’s physical impairment because she loves Lutney and does not see her as less because of her defect. Her placement of this in the story, after her descriptions of Lutney as being physically beautiful really help convey Lindsay’s love for the child. Like a mother, Lindsay loves Lutney without condition.

Steve Katz

One thing that stuck out to me about Katz’s poems was his use of repetition. In his first poem, he makes reference to physical descriptions of the mind and eye. In his second poem, he repeated the line “never out of touch,” and he used the theme of communication. In his third poem, “Cab Driver Dreams,” he uses repetition with reference to the clock, and time. He uses the themes of sleep and time in relation to the life of a cab driver. He uses repetition to portray the monotony of their jobs; how they perform the same duties, day after day, rain or shine. In his fourth poem, “Virtual Gloves,” he uses sexual sensory images, and the contrast in pronouns “you” and “me.” In his sonnet “Alien Love,” he uses rhyme, and the major themes of technology, love, and touch. Lastly, in his last poem that he read, he again uses the theme of time, and repetition of the line “I’ve always been a wanderer of time.”

Keith Lee Morris

I found this man’s story, “My Roommate Kevin is Awesome,” to be absolutely hilarious. This is one story where the author’s personality especially resonated in his reading. The story had a casual, conversational tone, and really captured typical college life and language use. He also included alcohol and marijuana references, which can be an element of college life, and may even be considered “typical.” He had vivid descriptions and dialogue, and he brought in a fascinating element of mystery. The reference to Kevin as a trapeze artist, and the “grizzly old black guy on the futon” kept the audience guessing what would happen next. I really enjoyed this story, it held my attention and was great to listen to aloud.

The Bridegroom Analysis

Vocabulary Words:

· Capons: castrated chickens

· Brazen: bold and unashamed

· Manifesto: declaration of principles

· Bourgeois: conventional; capitalist

· Boluses: intravenous injection of drug

· Spittoon: receptacle for spittle

One thing that I noticed while reading this story was Ha Jin’s use of color imagery. He uses colors to portray emotion, setting, and ultimately the process of dealing with Baowen’s homosexuality. Below I have listed different color categories and different quotes that pertained to these colors. There were more color references, but these were the ones that I thought related most to the plot and major themes.

Blue

1. “She must have gained at least a dozen pounds since the wedding. Her blue dungarees had become so tight that they seemed about to burst. Viewed from behind, she looked like a giant turnip.”

2. “As I was wondering about the nature of Baowen’s crime, a middle-aged man came in. He had a solemn face and his eyes were half-closed. He took off his dark-blue tunic, hung it on the back of the chair, and sat down at the end of the table.”

Both of these quotes show uneasy anticipation. These quotes came from the time after when the uncle found out that Baowen did not come home for the night, and before Baowen’s sexual orientation was known. I thought that these references to blue were ironic, since blue is often associated with calmer, more soothing emotions.

Green

1. “”I don’t know. I looked for him everywhere.” She licked her cracked lips and took off her green work cap, her hair in a huge bun.”

2. “A policewoman conducted us into a conference room upstairs where green silk curtains hung in the windows.”

3. “He smiled at us and said rather secretively, “I want to ask you a favor.” He rolled his eyes as the dark-green van rounded the corner, coming towards us.”

4. “After taking off our shoes and putting on plastic slippers, we entered a small room that had pea-green walls and a parquet floor.”

Green was the most common color referenced in the story. The first quote and third quote show the uniformity of the color; it is the color of her work cap and the van, as it is an official color often used for uniforms, such as the army, and is a very common color found in nature. Quotes 2 and 3 refer to the setting, and the references cause the reader to guess at what the significance of the color will be; looking back, it can be considered a form of foreshadowing.

Black

1. “Affixed along the interior wall of the tub were rectangles of black, perforated metal.”

2. “Baowen was noiseless in the electrified water, with his eyes shut and his head resting on a black rubber pad at the end of the tub. He looked fine, rather relaxed.”

These quotes conflict with each other in a way; the first quote with “black, perforated metal” has an intimidation factor, causing the reader to have anticipation of what the electric bath will be like. The 2^nd quote shows a more calming side of the color, with his head resting on the black rubber pad.

White

1. “With a white towel Nurse Long wiped the sweat off Baowen’s face and whispered, “I’ll turn it down in a few minutes.”

2. “The sun was high and the sun blazingly white”

The first quote ties along with the general associations that come with the color white; purity. The nurse is using the white towel to clear away the sweat. The second quote was ironic because you usually think of colors such as red or orange as describing the sun, and “blazing,” but here he uses white.

Mixed Colors

1. “In one corner of the living room was a coat tree on which hung the red down parka Baowen had bought her before their wedding, and in another corner sat a floor lamp…Near the inner wall was a large sofa upholstered in orange imitation leather, and next to it, a yellow enamel spittoon. A black-and-white TV perched on an oak chest against the outer wall. I was impressed, especially by the floor, inlaid with bricks and covered with bright red paint.”

2. “Startled, he closed his brown notebook and looked up.”

3. “Outside, in the distance, firecrackers, one after another, scattered clusters of sparks in the indigo dusk.”

These quotes simply represent some other color references in the story. The first quote stood out to me because it showed all of the colors represented in the couple’s house. It showed the “black-and-white,” that could be related to their differences as people. It referred to the bright red paint, which could be taken as a symbol of their love despite their strong differences, since red is the color of love. There are many ways that these colors can be analyzed, and I think that his color reference is definitely a unique addition to the story and it adds a deeper layer of meaning to his descriptions.