Pot Paradise Comp

3rd Period AP English

19 September 2010

Forever Relishing on the Past

A southern charm trapped by her inner New York spirit, ridiculed for her liberal passion, aesthetic poetry, and feministic viewpoint, and a group of women brought together on the common grounds of their ahead of the times spirituality, both face daunting obstacles in the most critical time of their lives. These major characters in Pat Conroy’s coastal Carolina novel, The Prince of Tides and Toni Morrison’s novel Paradise set in Ruby, Oklahoma, both consider the troubling effects of a neglected past. The two novelists creatively explore the ongoing drama that persistently haunts each individual on a daily basis.

The isolation of both societies in each novel from the rest of the considerably modern world causes rebellious behavior to erupt in Oklahoma and South Carolina. In Colleton, South Carolina, Savannah Wingo can no longer tolerate the odious mindset of southern white men. Whether promoting racism on the football field or degrading women, the men in Colleton constantly aggravate Savannah. To her dismay, much of this intolerable behavior can be found in her own household. However, Savannah makes it clear from the beginning that she will not allow such bigotry to exist in her family. Even if it means thoroughly embarrassing her brother Tom, Savannah expresses no shame in her actions. For example, Savannah pressures Tom to accept Benji Washington as a member of the football team despite the racist attitudes of Tom’s friends at Colleton High School. On the outskirts of the same Bible belt lies Ruby, Oklahoma where a group of similar mindset women demand respect and refuse to accept the world of their elders. While Savannah considers herself a feminist and often finds fault in men, the women in the Convent almost always blame the men for everything that goes wrong in Ruby. Meanwhile, the people of Ruby who have been afflicted by catastrophe blame the women...