After Gunnar is shipped off to El
Campesino Real High School he seems to develop this attitude of
indifference almost to the point of apathy in most things. He doesn't really
care how he performs on the basketball court; he hides from recruiters and
barely attends classes, spending most of his time in the library.
This attitude carries on to the college
process that is initiated when he takes the SAT, shocking the school officials
with his high scores. When college recruiters come to talk to him he basically
makes a fool of the Harvard recruiter and just walks away. Then he chooses
Boston University seemingly randomly after he finds the BU recruiter playing
cards with his friends and negotiates for Scoby to come along as well.
When he actually goes to college these
attitudes continue. He only attends one class where he is ridiculed and then
suddenly treated as a celebrity and then he ends up leaving the class and
stripping naked on his way home. He then allows the entire class to enter his
house where he is naked cuddling with his wife. He also doesn't seem to care that
much about basketball in college; he only joins the team after he is kicked out
or leaves all of the other clubs he was trying. He doesn't think much of his
coach and still is amused when the other players get covered in ink, because
his hands were inky and he got it on the ball.
It seems to me as though this attitude
emerges as a result of Gunnar leaving his old life behind. He leaves behind
Psycho Loco and the gang, leaves his family, he stays with Scoby, but Scoby
gets really stressed out and depressed when he gets to college. Maybe I'm just
reading too much into this but it feels like something has definitely
changed.
This might be a sad comment. From the events that you went over, I can kind of see where Gunnar begins to break down. I also think that the pressure began building after Gunnar left Psycho Loco and the rest of the gang. Not only did was he taken out from the environment where he felt most like himself and identified with, but he also is garnering this unwanted attention from basketball. When it becomes something he's expected to be good at, he loses passion. And this also carries over into college, and it happens with his poetry too. We slowly see Gunnar's enthusiasm transform into activities he cannot stand taking part in because of outside pressure.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is accurate to say that Gunnar has lost nearly everyone who means something to him in his life. Obviously the Psycho Loco, and I do not think that Scoby is really there anymore (or at least the old Scoby who was able to help Gunnar feel better). The only person he has is Yoshiko, who we see him missing very much and really depending on for his mental health. He clearly does not get along with anyone that he meets at BU, and without a group of friends to support him and no Library to hide in he is struggling to retain any humor or happiness.
ReplyDeleteI agree that something has changed. I don't know exactly when it is, but one part seems to be after the riots. I think that when he severs all ties with his dad, and proceedes to go to a mostly rich white kid school he feels out of place. With this sense of not belonging, I think he also feels a sense of not being needed. This may be what causes him to not act hinself
ReplyDeleteSomehow I don't think Gunnar's college experience is what most people experience. But it does a good job of revealing the dynamic in the book of the identity of black people, in this case Gunnar. Also it just adds to the whole surreal feeling of the novel in general, but Beatty might be trying to make a statement about college in general maybe.
ReplyDeleteI gotta say that I really think Gunnar changes after the LA Riots. His darkness really starts there, and I would say that his college experience is really just a continuation of his downward spiral that finally ends with him trying to drown himself. College is almost positive, as he gets to live with his wife and generally do what he wants.
ReplyDelete