When the gang is trying to steal the safe from the store during the riots, Gunnar encounters his father who is pulling up with he other policemen, and tries to distract him to let the others get away. When he tries to talk to his father, his father says, "You are not a Kaufman. I refuse to let you embarrass me. You can't embarrass me with poetry and your niggerish ways" (137).
This scene way very striking to me in a couple of ways. Just looking at what his father says first, "You are not a Kaufman" gives off this very hostile vibe that you would not expect from a father to a son. The fact that he is willing to completely separate himself from his son without even knowing the situations he is in seems like their relationship was already messed up. In addition, Gunnar's father see him as only a source of embarrassment. This seems weird especially when he mentions poetry because the gang he runs with and all the other gangs have resident poets, and it seems to be fairly accepted in the society, but Gunnar's father sees it as a source of embarrassment. This puts a twist on the situation where your parents are supposed to be accepting of what you want to do with your life, and his mother is fairly accepting of everything he does, but his father is angry with him for it.
The other striking phrase is when he says that Gunnar's "niggerish ways" are an embarrassment. Previously Gunnar was ecstatic when he was called the n-word, but in this context it is very insulting. The way he acts is seen as bad and unseemly, playing into the stereotype of the aggressive. uncultured black man. Gunnar's father dislikes how Gunnar acts so much that that he is willing to hurl what could be considered one of the worst insults at Gunnar. I think this insult is so bad because it is basically telling Gunnar that his identity is wrong and wont be respected by people outside of the community.
Overall, Gunnar's father dislikes Gunnar very much, enough to basically call him out as a completely different person, completely unrelated to himself. He also harbors enough animosity towards him that he is willing to call him an embarrassment, and even call his character bad.
Honestly it almost seems like Gunnar's dad is more upset with him because of their relation. Like, he expected Gunnar to follow in his footsteps, and so now he feels betrayed." You're not a Kaufman." I think the hate he feels is probably intensified by some kind of internal strife, but of course, we aren't privy to it.
ReplyDeleteI agree that his dad seems very distant, and almost seems like he doesn't want to know Gunnar. This interaction between father and son with Gunnar's dad as the policeman and Gunnar as the guy trying to escape the police shows the gulf between Gunnar and the rest of the Kaufmans. I think this is a definitive moment, in that Gunnar finally gains an identity of his own, as a black person, and distances himself from the rest of his ancestors. He has completed the transformation from being a part of the "white" community, to fitting into his own community in Hillside.
ReplyDeleteThe way Gunnar's dad used the n-word reminds me of the way Bledsoe uses it that sends the narrator in Invisible Man into shock. When we were asked to think about the differences between Bledsoe's use of the word and Scoby's I decided that there were two key differences between the uses. First, and most obviously, Bledsoe is using it with hostility, where as Scoby is using the reappropriation of the term in a brotherly sort of way. The second difference is more subtle. Scoby would use the term to describe himself as well because he embraces his status as a black kid, and accepts his culture and disadvantaged position socioeconomically. Since Gunnar is trying to assimilate into this culture, he is very happy to be called the n-word. Since the narrator is trying to escape that position, and Bledsoe already has and is proud of it, the word is very offensive. The same is true, I think, with Gunnar's dad. In many senses, he is trying to escape his status as an African American, so the word for him has very negative connotations.
ReplyDeleteI think the line "you are not a Kaufman" has even more meaning because of Gunnar's long monologue about his family lineage of Uncle Tom's and submissive characters. At this turning point where Gunnar is becoming his own man and has found solidarity with his gang, he is simultaneously turning away from the failures of his ancestors.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand where the Dad is coming from with his initial rage, he is watching his son become one of the "villians" he has part of LAPD is supposed to stop. From our perspective though the father anger seems incredulous as we have a better understanding of what is happening. We understand why society has made him a poet and that he was pressured into taking the safe. The most shocking part to me is his comment about Gunnar's Way's for two reasons. The first is that it bothers me to have the cops thinking that way about a society (I know many cops are incredibly biased in real life, it's still shocking to see it happen though), also if he was so opposed to this way of life, why would he let his son grow up there?
ReplyDeleteHis father certainly means to insult him with the N-word here, because he aligns himself with the white racist police force. Kaufmanism, in his view, is the opposite of what the word signifies, and he's been concerned about the direction Gunnar's life is taking since he first buys him a basketball. But, akin to Gunnar's "euphoria" at being graced with the term by Scoby, he takes his father's disowning of him ("You are not a Kaufman") as a point of pride. He certainly continues with these "ways," despite being sent to the "elite" high school to try and "cure" him of them. As Gunnar points out, such an educational environment is maybe the best way to cultivate racial consciousness, rather than to cure it.
ReplyDeleteThis episode just fits with the discussion of the usage of the N-word. Different situations, different contexts can give a whole different meaning to the word. In Gunnar's case with his father, his father obviously is using the N-word to degrade Gunnar, obviously Gunnar's father isn't trying to be like Scoby and welcome Gunnar to the hood. Also where Gunnar's father is coming from plays a role. Gunnar's father is a police officer, who's skin once tingled with assimilation. So clearly Gunnar's father is using the "white" N-word.
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