The Intuitionist and the End

    The Intuitionist, by Colson Whitehead, is an interesting book.  It tells the story of Lila Mae Watson--the first black female elevator inspector--who sets out to unravel the plot behind an elevator crash that occurred on her watch. 

     Her identity as a woman, and as a person of color, and as an Intuitionist is at the very core of this book.  She was proud to be an Intuitionist, and she believed heartily in all of Fulton's work.  Being a woman, she often slid under everyone else's radar, and also being colored caused her to blend into the segregated background of people in service positions.  She worked hard to make good grades in school and get a good job, even though she struggles with the feeling that "her role...is limited to window dressing--evidence for the new, progressive face of the Elevator guild..." (15).  And she also feels that sometimes her status as a colored woman might get her assignments she otherwise would not have obtained, "the colored gal gets the job" (14). 

     Whitehead's book is a detective novel that challenges the "stereotypical white male in a trenchcoat and fedora" model.  Lila Mae Watson is a colored woman who is almost invisible to everyone around her.  (And her last name reminds readers of Sherlock Holmes's sidekick, Watson.)  But she is no less determined or cunning than any white detective has been.  The book also has its share of surprising twists, like double agents. 

     This is a very difficult book to read.  It has beautifully (or frighteningly) detailed and original descriptions that really add to the flavor of the book and make it outstanding.  One example is "as if pain were a viruoso and his screams the very libretto of hell" (95).  But it is so full of symbology and double meanings that it is hard to decipher.  It could be read as "a book about elevators and elevator inspectors," which is what it seems to be on the outside.  But it really tells a deeper story about segregation and the utopian dream of equality. 

1. Do you think Lila Mae would have been as passionate about solving the mystery if she were not black or a woman or either?  If she were a white man, would her sense of identity have been invisible to herself like she, as a black woman, was to everyone else? 
2. Have you read any other detective novels that were deep or allegorical, or a book from another genre that completely broke the mold? 
3. What was your favorite original description in The Intuitionist? 

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    The Intuitionist was our final reading for Dr.Olmsted's class.  So, this will be my final post.  I hope that you (our classmates and any other readers who might have stumbled upon this blog) have enjoyed reading our posts and found them to be interesting. 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  May you all be safe and warm and have a wonderful New Year!

Let's Tie It In A Bow

This will be my last blog post. I have enjoyed the literary works, poems, films and dialogues with the class. The last novel that we read was The Institutionist by Colson Whitehead. Lila Mae Watson was the main character who struggled with being a black woman in her era, and in her place of employment. Her dilemma was much like that of the woman in a film we were asked to view, "For Colored Girls". If you haven't seen it yet, whether you're a woman of color or not, you should.


One of the most important lines of the film, describes in so much detail what Whitehead wanted us to see was Watson's dilemma.
"Being Colored is a metaphysical dilemma that I haven't conquered yet"; such a profound statement made by actress Thandie Newton. Lila Mae was the first Black Elevator Inspector, and woman. However, as we continued the read it became obvious that these were "theoretical" elevators.

This novel was chocked full of suspense, drama, racial satire, and religion. I enjoyed following the mental journey that Whitehead took us on. It was as if you had to get into character so to speak to even understand where he was going with each scene, and flashback.

I hope that everyone that took this class has become more culturally aware, and has found something valid to take away from this multicultural literature class. I have enjoyed it.


I wish everyone good fortune. Have a wonderful Holiday Season. Merry Christmas!!!

Wrapping it up

This will be my final post of the semester so I wanted to close with some thoughts on this past semester. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know several of my classmates through the Db and blog posts. I have also thoroughly enjoyed the readings I was introduced to during the course of this class and appreciate what I will be moving forward with in my future classes and career as an English teacher.

As I've said before, I've gotten several ideas, such as implementing Ms. Rain's journal idea in some form in my classroom, and wonder if anyone else who plans to teach will take any ideas with them specifically because of this class.

I also wonder what your favorite book/poem/movie of the entire semester has been.

My favorites have been The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and Push. I also enjoyed the Langston Hughes poetry, because I've never been exposed to it before. I guess with the current emphasis on testing, teachers don't get to delve into multi-cultural literature so much these days.

I hope to share some of these things with my future students so they can learn some of what I have learned about multi-cultural literature and about racial prejudice in general. I have a newfound respect for multi-cultural authors and I look at people very differently now because of this class.

I hope others have been impacted in some way as well, and I hope you will take this (final) opportunity to share on the blog.

A Woman Of Color

This will be my last blog post for the semester so I'm going to make it short, sweet, and good!

This class has really been interesting and enlightening for me. I enjoyed the books, poems, videos, and discussions about every type of culture. I think reading the Intuitionist last was a really good idea because I think it ties everything up that we've been learning and talking about in the class.

I will just post part of my DB post about being A Woman of Color that I did this week. I loved the ending up the book and how you realize Watson's biggest issue is she has no idea about her own race issues within the city and we learn them with her. I have enjoyed reading the book for the third time and maybe not the last. I hope everyone was able to take something from each subject we read. Have a great holiday break and next semester! :)

Explanation of what it means to be a Colored Girl to me:

"I would have to say that I did like Freeport’s character a lot and I can see why Watson was able to open up to him. He seemed to not have a motive and was equally happy with the connection they have formed but ironically he had issues as well and that had to do with the color of his skin. He wanted to blend in with the “white world” and I can completely understand that at a time like that. Today as a woman of color no longer feels the need to blend in as a white person but I would be lying if I say that hasn’t crossed my mind when I was younger. Growing up seeing white people on T.V and in so much power kind of made me think about what it would be like if I was white. I also remember going to the store to pick out dolls and all of the other white dolls were really pretty and had amazing clothes. The colored dolls looked fake and cheap. My mom always wanted to stress how special I was because I was of color. I remember for my 10^th birthday my mom bought me a specialty made doll named, Christina. It was $100 and when I saw the doll it made me cry because she was beautiful. She was the size of a real baby and her hair was long and beautiful just like mines. That doll meant so much to me because I could actually relate myself to it. I still have her and plan to pass it to my nieces when they’re older. So I can certainly understand conforming to being a white person but I’m so happy my mother always stressed that no one is better than the next and you’re special just the way you are. I smile now because I know for a fact this is true and I’m grateful to be a individual. "

The Intuitionist - what's in the hidden meanings?

I've had a tough time with this book, as others have commented on the Db, but it's clear that there is more than meets the eye. Beyond the racial undertones, there appear political and religious metaphors as well. I can't help but wonder as I'm finishing up the book what other meanings there are.

Does anyone have any thoughts beyond what's been posted on the discussion board?

The names of the two sections, Up and Down, could signify the ups and downs of everyday life, the ups and downs of racial progress. We can't go down without going up and we can't have any kind of progress without getting past the struggles.

Even the elevator fall signifies the disaster that can happen when changes are in progress.

There are also numerous quotes that are throughout the book that are super descriptive and mysterious. Such as when Lila Mae refers to her destroyed apartment as "raped"; the description of the snapping fingers of the screaming man...

What are some of your favorite quotes or passages from the book?

I'm marking some as I go along and will post more as some comments are posted!

The Intuitionist

The last book of the semester and it has really been a semester for me and I'm sure it has been for you, too! I read this book a year ago for fun and then turned around and had to read it for another English class a couple months later...now I reread it for this class because I had forgotten so much and wanted to re jog my memory.

There is no thought that this book is filled with many issues about race, class, feminist issues, and rank inside the job world. The setting is when African-Americans are called "colored" and integration is being talked about.

When I first read this book the number one question that came to mind is: If I were, Watson, how would I handle the situation she's facing?

Are there still jobs without women? If so, why?

We has women know there are still plenty of jobs that women aren't able to work and some jobs that are in the United States that are still considered "men" jobs. I don't have to even take the time out and defend the fact that women can do anything a man can do...it's been proven. I just know that yes, we have progressed a lot from the time of the book but just how much. It's scary to think about how Watson had to deal with being black and in a all male job as a woman. I think her character is really powerful.

Precious

In reading Push and watching Precious for the second time, I couldn't help but wonder how I would feel if I were in that situation. What would I have done if I were Precious? How would I have reacted if I were Ms. Rain? I would like to think if I had been Precious I would have spoken up, that someone would have somehow detected my cries for help. I can't imagine what it would be like to suffer through that life every day.

As an aspiring teacher, I have to consider the possibility that there will be students making those cries for help. How will I hear them? I've already learned many things in this class and have gotten several ideas of things I would like to implement in my classroom. One of my main ideas came from Ms. Rain. I want to have my students journal daily and I will respond to them.

I think the best way to connect to students, especially high school students, is through writing. They are at a stage of rebellion. They don't want to talk about their problems, they don't care about many things, they think they are invincible, but if you can get them to open up through writing you might be able to reach out to them if they need help with something. Maybe they are simply sick of school, or maybe they have problems going on at home that are affecting their abilities at school.

One thing I have learned is you never know what could be going on with a student at home.

So, for those of you who plan to be teachers, or for anyone who has any ideas to share, what do you plan to do in your classroom to try and reach out to students?

Also, if you suspected abuse or some other danger in the student's life, how would you react?

What ideas have you gotten from this class that you plan to incorporate into your classroom?