One
of the most pressing questions I have from reading this novel, is why Aloma
chooses to stay with Orren and on the old farm. Aloma is miserable throughout
the entirety of the book, but seems to accept it rather than try to fix it.
Aloma knows that there are opportunities beyond the farm. Additionally, she has no feelings
for Orren, their relationship is strictly physical, so why does she stay? While
she has insufficient funds to move anywhere she wants, she has money saved from
her piano playing to give her some opportunity to leave, yet she stays in a
place that she hates. Bell even
notices this and tells Aloma, “you can’t decide if you want to run off or get took
in” (141). The idea of leaving the farm
is always lingering in Aloma’s mind, to the point where both Bell and Orren are
able to notice, so why doesn’t she just leave?
The
opportunity that Aloma has to play the piano is her escape from the farm and
from her misery, but sometimes being at the Church playing is not enough. She
knows that she would be happier elsewhere, not doing the monotonous chores
around the farm, but cannot drive herself to leave. One of the ways she gets
herself to stay is by looking down and not at the horizon, mountains, and the Earth
ahead of her. Aloma can only grasp the thought of spending her life in the farm
“So long as she did not look up” (110). When Aloma looks in the distance, she
realizes that she could leave if she wanted to and that there are many other
places for her to go other than this farm.
Moreover,
Orren and Aloma are constantly spiting each other. There is no sense of companionship, support,
or cooperation in their relationship, it is strictly physical. Even in their physical intimacy, Aloma still
does not find herself emotionally connected to Orren. During sex, Aloma “felt
she did not know this face, this stranger, not at all” (109). Aloma also constantly blames Orren for her
unhappiness and “she blamed him for her restlestness” (110). If Aloma has no
attachment to Orren and blames him for her misery, why does she choose to stay? Both Aloma and
Orren seem to get in the way of each other’s goals. Aloma screws things up on the farm for Orren,
such as the chicken incident, and Orren is technically the reason that Aloma
gets fired from the church.
Morgan
writes of Aloma, “no matter where she found herself, she would be nowhere”
(155). Maybe for this reason, Aloma decides to stay in her misery. Perhaps
Aloma knows that even in a world full of opportunities, she would not find herself
belonging anywhere or content and so why bother to leave? Aloma has a “stupefied,
grieved hate for her life,” but rather than do something about it, she chooses
to accept it (158).
I think it’s interesting to point out of Aloma that “no matter where she found herself, she would be nowhere” (155). Aloma has always been alone, and when Bell talks to her about her family she notes, “I never even think about them. I don’t feel anything about it one way or the other way” (137). By saying she doesn’t “feel anything,” it suggests that she suppressed her loneliness and has learned to deal with her unhappiness, which has allowed her to accept her life with Orren. Bell’s response then provides clarity to what Aloma is feeling, noting “Hearts don’t do that of their own according, it takes some kind of effort to make them stop behaving properly” (138). By suggesting Aloma’s heart has “stopped behaving properly,” Bell indicates that Aloma should feel more and want more than simply accepting unhappiness as inevitable. However, in this scene, Bell takes Aloma to his favorite place and reveals to her personal details about quitting college, “Got so I could get out of bed. So I came back home. Never felt no need to go back” (140). By saying there was “no need to go back,” Bell is showcasing his attachment to the town as well. In this way, the only man who gave her some form of escape by giving her access to the church piano does not provide Aloma an avenue to leave either, providing Aloma with no options to escape Hansonville, and because of this, I think Aloma staying is not a choice but rather stems from her lack of options.
ReplyDeleteAloma stays with Orren because she cannot see herself anywhere else, and because she believes it is better to change her attitude toward Orren rather than to keep searching for love, or simply a life, elsewhere and failing. Her alternative to Orren was Bell; however, after discovering Aloma’s relationship with Orren, Bell tore her down leaving her “shivered with shame.” (173) Upon returning to the house, which she once described parts of as “ragged” (3) and “empty” (4), she now sees its imperfections as “not beautiful … but bearable in its unremarkable way.” (173) After Bell, her alternative to Orren, left her so broken, she is willing to accept what she once hated so much simply because it is somewhat familiar to her. So, she comes back to Orren with a new outlook. She begins to genuinely laugh at little jokes from Orren (183/184), a reaction dissimilar to the Aloma presented throughout the previous 90% of the novel. She may not have convinced herself that this house or her life is perfect, even good for her; but, she might be able to make it work for her. Her line to Orren asking “…don’t let’s fight this day or ever again” shows that she is aware of how problematic life has been and that she wants to make this home their own rather than just his. (196) Bell is the catalyst that leads Aloma to a realization: things can get better if she and Orren can find common ground.
ReplyDeleteI feel that even at the root of their conflict, they both understand that they have a mutual appreciation of each other because of their similar situations. Neither of the two have a family anymore, and their past romance is the only aspect that keeps them together. At the end of the day, they are the only family the other has. When Aloma strays into Emma and Cash's house with the idea of renting it out to make extra money, Orren confronts her and is still occupied with the notion that the house is still his mother's. Aloma is forced to bluntly tell Orren that "Emma and Cash don't live here anymore," which causes Orren to become lost in his thoughts (157). As its been throughout the novel, the death of Orren's loved ones has continued to haunt him and impact his lifestyle. He doesn't engage with Aloma throughout the novel, and only speaks either to complain about something Aloma did such as burn the rice, or to speak about his work.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, Bell's realization of her deceit also plays a crucial role in her staying with Orren. After Bell finds out that she lives with Orren but has not married him, her opportunity to leave Orren for Bell vanishes and now she has no choice but to stay with Orren. As a prominent member of the community, Bell could easily spread word through the town about her and Orren, which would prevent Aloma from finding a way out of her relationship with Orren. As Bell mentions, "you are bound for better or worse whether you know it, or you don't" (171).