NCHS AP English Language

Chapter 5 Reflection by Libby Negron

Sensory, sight, and smell reveal truth embedded throughout the novel, in this case throughout chapter 5. Christmas is awakened by bothersome, drunken, and loud Joe Brown and uneasily yet never been so sure sits atop of Brown with the purpose of shutting him up. This night is coincidently two nights before the murder and burn of Miss Burdens house. Instead of recaping the chapter word for word, the thoughts said throughout the chapter are intwined in between the words. When Brown stumbles into the house noisely arousing quite a ruckess, this is displayed throughout the first part of the chapter, then the silence is embedded with the thought of contemplation and silent intent. The intent of what? That is to be unfolded later. Christmas repeats to himself, "something is goign to happen, something is going to happen to me." The darkness beginning in the room then later "appears" within the chapter of the outside symbolizes confusion and utter disbelief. Disbelief of perhaps himself, or disbelief of maybe his original origin. The darkness also traces back to the ethnicity of himself. Whether he is black or white, he is displaying symbolic interpretation of a black man. He has the urge to belong yet shuns himself from the society. Joe Christmas is reminded of Joanne because of the visible buttons that she sewed back on for him. Its as if her actions let alone voice shadow Joe Christmas.

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