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Midwife's Apprentice -Reply -Reply
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From: Kathleen Horning <horning>
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 10:39:00 -600
On Nov 30, Nina Lindsay wrote: So I keep on looking back to the moment when she names herself. The man who mistook her for "Alyce" wanted her to read something for him, and that was one of the reasons she took that name. "Alyce" sounded like someone who could read. "This, then, is me. Alyce." she says, and in speaking those words names herself, and names herself as someone who could be literate. She defines herself, instead of others defining her ("Brat", "Beetle"). This is the first moment the reader is sure she can take charge of her own future -- from here everything leads to the final scene.
KT Horning's response: While I agree with Nina that this is a pivotal moment in the novel and a big turning point in the main character's life, when you think about it, it really is another case of Beetle accepting someone else's view of her. A stranger mistakes her for someone named Alyce who can read and Beetle takes on that name and outward appearance just as easily as she had previously taken on the name "Beetle" when villagers refer to her as "Dung Beetle." This is an example of Cushman's technique that makes Beetle/Alyce's growth and transition so believable throught the novel. Had the girl just been walking along and all of a sudden made the decision to change her name and identity, it would have been much less credible. That the stranger was able to mistake her for someone named Alyce who could read might also show that Beetle had already undergone at least part of the transition without realizing it herself, a subtle detail which suggests the midwife's nurturing of her apprentice. Again, there are many complexities to explore beneath this novel's simple surface.
KT Horning, CCBC
UW-Madison
Received on Thu 30 Nov 1995 10:39:00 AM CST
Date: Thu, 30 Nov 1995 10:39:00 -600
On Nov 30, Nina Lindsay wrote: So I keep on looking back to the moment when she names herself. The man who mistook her for "Alyce" wanted her to read something for him, and that was one of the reasons she took that name. "Alyce" sounded like someone who could read. "This, then, is me. Alyce." she says, and in speaking those words names herself, and names herself as someone who could be literate. She defines herself, instead of others defining her ("Brat", "Beetle"). This is the first moment the reader is sure she can take charge of her own future -- from here everything leads to the final scene.
KT Horning's response: While I agree with Nina that this is a pivotal moment in the novel and a big turning point in the main character's life, when you think about it, it really is another case of Beetle accepting someone else's view of her. A stranger mistakes her for someone named Alyce who can read and Beetle takes on that name and outward appearance just as easily as she had previously taken on the name "Beetle" when villagers refer to her as "Dung Beetle." This is an example of Cushman's technique that makes Beetle/Alyce's growth and transition so believable throught the novel. Had the girl just been walking along and all of a sudden made the decision to change her name and identity, it would have been much less credible. That the stranger was able to mistake her for someone named Alyce who could read might also show that Beetle had already undergone at least part of the transition without realizing it herself, a subtle detail which suggests the midwife's nurturing of her apprentice. Again, there are many complexities to explore beneath this novel's simple surface.
KT Horning, CCBC
UW-Madison
Received on Thu 30 Nov 1995 10:39:00 AM CST
