"I remembers so plain now. I not going to forget him again, no, the whole enduring time." (p.230)
Now the ultimate question... is the grandson really alive?
According to Bryan Rainey, the grandson is very much alive; however, what if the grandson was dead? In one of the questions, the author states that "Phoenix is alive." At first I was extremely confused because obviously Phoenix is alive. Maybe the author meant that many people just like Phoenix must fight their way to make a living every single day. Phoenix is alive in every single oppressed person in the world.
But this still does not answer the question. I decided that the grandson was not alive. For one, she "forgets" about her grandson when the nurse questions Phoenix. I'm not sure even an old lady could make an entire journey and forget the reason why they made it. Secondly, I believe that Phoenix possesses a sound mind because she is clever enough to create a distraction to steal the nickel. Also, in the excerpt above, Phoenix states that she will not forget her grandson this "whole enduring time." I am not sure if she is only referring to the span of the journey or her lifetime. I would not refer to the journey as an "enduring time" because it is short in comparison to the journey of life.
Suuure she can forget her journey's purpose. She's old. Old, old, old.
ReplyDeleteI'm only okay with your claim that the son is dead if your reasoning is Phoenix's out-of-it-ness. For sure, Phoenix isn't a cunning and malicious old lady. For almost sure, the grandson isn't dead.
He LIVES!
ReplyDeleteLet me phrase this better -- I believe that Phoenix believes that her grandson is alive.
ReplyDeleteWhich is what really counts.
ReplyDelete