The chapter “Gangsters” in Sag Harbor is a stand alone story within a novel that addresses adolescent through racial issues. Our class discussion of the chapter elaborated on the central theme of the chapter and what Benji’s permanent souvenir of his close encounter with blindness truly represents within the scope of the novel if anything.
A quick analysis of the chapter reveals that it is likely that the boys are balancing their privileged lifestyle with cultural influences. Aside from Benji, the boys glorify their BB guns as a physical representation of power. We can observe this kind of reverence through Randy, who was the main facilitator of the BB gun trend, as well as the character who let the power go to his head. Randy had the shooting location chosen, convinced tow other friends to purchase their own guns, and eventually became so cocky that he became incredibly bossy with others. Randy was living off of the power the gun gave him and I believe that he may serve as a representation of an unhealthy obsession.
In contrast, Benji mentions consistently how much he is not jazzed about going shooting. I think I counted five times in which Ben mentions his desire to just go see a movie forget about the dumb BB gun stuff. He nearly instantly sees through the false appeal of the guns. Although Benji eventually finds a way to enjoy playing with the guns, he is still skeptical, and even until the end insists on “uncool” practiced such as wearing glasses in order to counteract the illusion of power.
The boys attempt to assert that they are not taking the BB guns to be real guns by shooting each other and being dangerous. I am sure that they would claim that if they had real guns, the would not act so immature. The reality is, though, that although the guns are not as fatal, they are still extremely dangerous. The mixture of a weapon and immaturity created a volatile environment that was just waiting to turn into a bad situation.
What disappointed me about the ending of this chapter was that Benji gave in to peer pressure. I don’t think I really have a right to complain very much since I’m pretty lame and I bet you are too sometimes and peer pressure if tough to overcome in some instances. It was clear that Ben was not interested in the guns, and really only went along because he thought they would all hang out later, and then got caught up in the game later because he was encouraged to be his friends. He failed to insist on safety because his ideas were dismissed. As a result of his personal weakness, he suffered the consequences. Though I believe that Benji did not deserve his punishment, and a character like Randy should have received the bullet instead, it is a strong message to send about trusting one’s self and being confident in your own positions not only on social issues but on anything. By succumbing to the group mentality and surrendering his agency to the game, Ben loses himself and nearly loses his eye.
I agree with you, I too was disappointed in Benji, but as a reader I felt that it was coming. Benji might do his own thing, and embrace his nerdiness, but when it comes to group mentality he always follows. As we see Ben mature, this aspect of his character seems to fade a little, but this chapter seemed to be the culmination of "following your friends off a cliff".
ReplyDeleteYeah, I agree it was a bit upsetting. In a stand-alone chapter it would be a sad ending, but if anything this allows for a larger gap between where he was and how much he has developed over the course of the book. so maybe this part is just sad so the rest of the book can show how far he has come. Cool last post Lark
ReplyDeleteI think this is when ben and benji become distinct personalities. Ben speaks with a maturity and distance from matters that makes indicates that later on and as the summer draws to a close, he can be more of his own person. I think this is a really important reflection on the dynamics of alot of teenager relationships not just specific to ben. Great post!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I totally agree with you about the peer pressure in this chapter. I think it's interesting though that Benji /doesn't/ lose his eye and moreover doesn't even get in trouble. Benji and Reggie keep waiting for the consequences to come and they really don't. In some ways that sort of undermines the message of the chapter you've laid out here. I still don't think the message is "give in to peer pressure cuz there are no consequences", though, so I don't know what it is.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting aspect of Benji's concern for safety is his explicit worry about Reggie and his participation in the big gunfight--he even justifies his participation at one point as being so he can keep an eye on Reggie. And it's nice to see Reggie come to Benji's defense after he's shot in the eye, when he declares it "uncool" that Randy pumped the rifle too many times (one of Benji's rules that did get accepted). So at least part of his succumbing to peer pressure here is also him being a semi-responsible big brother.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you- it sucks to see Benji let himself be silenced by peer pressure. I also understand where the boys are coming from though, in that they feel the need to live up to the street culture to make up for their identity issues. I've been on both ends of this (to a much lesser degree!) and i agree that both suck but ultimately saying screw cultural expectations and peer pressure- being yourself is always the best method. I wonder how Benji's problems with peer pressure developed as he grew up?
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