Day: November 10, 2019

I chose Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend,” because many relationships in The Pagoda are seemingly “unofficial,” such as Lowe’s “friendship” with Joyce and Omar as well as Miss Sylvie’s “friendship” with Whitley.

 

As the days turned over, she no longer read or painted, nothing was of interest. Even the accounts lay there abandoned. She no longer left to play bridge and take tea and crumpets with the high-class mixed breeds who had a tendency to ignore Lowe, and they no longer visited her. She just brooded about the house, dragging her slippers, cheep-cheep, on the polished floors. She grew more gaunt, sinks appeared in her cheeks, which had always been rosy and plump, her dresses swung off her hips, which were no longer round, her eyes ached, as did her throat, her stomach was delicate, her head had to be bandaged with medicinal leaves, her nerves jangled, her voice took on the lilt of near hysteria, and one morning he pulled her into his arms and cuddled her and pushed back her white hair from her face, which was swollen and slightly yellow. She started to weep. – The Pagoda (176)

Powell’s description of Miss Sylvie’s deterioration is juxtaposed with Mr. Lowe’s youthfulness in this beginning section of chapter seven. The writing brings Miss Sylvie to life through Powell’s utilization of anaphora and sentence structure. Every sentence (after the third sentence) begins with “she” — the pronoun representing Miss Sylvie. This signals to the reader that this paragraph is directly about Miss Sylvie and written through the perspective of the narrator, who takes a third-person omniscient perspective. Focusing so directly on Miss Sylvie in this section exemplifies her importance to the plot arc of the novel as well as her significance to Mr. Lowe. Powell would not spill so much ink on Miss Sylvie’s desperate condition were Miss Sylvie “just another” background character; thus, this passage communicates Miss Sylvie’s relevance to Mr. Lowe’s life by “showing” instead of “telling.

The final sentence and penultimate sentence of this paragraph are drastically different in their length. The penultimate sentence uses an additive effect to describe each of the medical issues with Miss Sylvie compared with a “past” Miss Sylvie that had “rosy and plump” cheeks and round hips. Miss Sylvie “grew more gaunt” and “her voice took on . . . hysteria.” The many adjectives chosen in this sentence ultimately depict a woman who is becoming sick without elegance and without cure. Yet, the following sentence uses just four words to characterize Miss Sylvie’s emotional state. The illness she experiences is simply physiological; rather, the physical symptoms also spillover into her feelings and relationship with Mr. Lowe. She no longer has the same engaged and loving outlook as before. Powell draws this contrast to signal the depth of this illness, setting the stage for the visits of Mr. Lowe’s daughter and Miss Sylvie’s son and the eventual impacts of these difficult familial interactions.

When I think about artists that discuss gender in their songs, Shinsei Kamattechan comes to mind. This song doesn’t quite fit Lowe’s situation as Lowe was forced to be a man, but I think in some ways the lyrics could be relatable to Lowe, whose gender struggles lead to an inability for him (her?) to live his (her?) life to the fullest in the way that Lowe wants to. Here’s a quote from an interview with author Patricia Powell:

“Here was someone who first cross-dressed in order to survive, but then who came to live the disguise she had put on. By the end of the novel however, he wanted change, he wanted to find the real self underneath this masked identity. He wanted an authentic life.”

And here’s a segment of the lyrics:

That’s why I’m “boku” but also “atashi”
Even if I’m hated, I’m human
Right now I just want to sing honestly
Right now I just want to sing

Translator’s note: “boku” is a more masculine/neutral “I/me” and “atashi” is a feminine “I/me”

Full English lyrics (from Youtube video caption):

Like a man or like a woman
that’s how everyone says to live
But that’s something I can’t do
Because I can’t be a man or a woman
People’s harsh stares are a bit painful
I’m hated by men and by women
Because I want to live like myself
Like a man or like a woman
that’s how everyone says to live
But that’s something I can’t do
Some people want to become feminine
Some people want to live powerfully
But, I’m…
more
Because I can’t be a man or a woman
I want my hairstyle and my lifestyle to be rocking
I’m “boku” but also “atashi”
Even if I’m hated, I’m human
Right now I just want to sing honestly
I became a boy I became a girl
I became a boy I became a girl
ah, ah
yeah!
That’s right, I can’t be a man or a woman
I want my lifestyle and my existence to be rocking
I’m hated by men and by women
So I couldn’t even lie about it
Because it’s stupid
I can’t be a man or a woman
I’m like myself
I want my lifestyle and my existence to continue to be rocking
That’s why I’m “boku” but also “atashi”
Even if I’m hated, I’m human
Right now I just want to sing honestly
Right now I just want to sing