A. To say that one has unconscious Oedipal feelings is to say that one is unaware of having any sexual thoughts, impulses, wishes, or motivations towards one’s parent of the opposite sex. Through Oedipal feelings, one tends to perceive the same-sex parent as a rival.
B. Brenda exhibits attraction to her father directly on page 26, and indirectly by pointing out all the things that her father does for her. Brenda shares secrets with her father, such as the $300 mentioned on page 68 and the warning letter on page 127, that distance her from her mother. In addition, Mr. Patimkin gives Brenda everything she wants, particularly more attention (i.e. additional free throws, as noticed on page 29) and material possessions. Mr. Patimkin’s special treatment of Brenda further separates her from bonding with her mother.
C. Neil sums up Brenda’s relationship with her mother by stating, “[Mrs. Patimkin] gave me the feeling of some captive beauty, some wild princess, who has been tamed and made servant to the king’s daughter – who was Brenda” (page 21). Brenda first expresses the rivalry between herself and her mother on pages 25 and 26 by simply stating that her mother was jealous of her. Brenda’s rivalry with her mother is further emphasized in their argument on page 64 and through her desire to cut up the three one-hundred dollar bills on page 69. However, another aspect of the Oedipal conflict is seen on pages 66 and 88, where the reader gets a glimpse of Brenda’s desire to be loved by her mother. This is the conflicting part of the Oedipal conflict – Brenda sees her mother as an opponent in gaining Mr. Patimkin’s affection, yet still loves her and wants her love.
D. Brenda uses Neil to be rebellious against her mother, as well as to get rid of the sexual frustrations that she feels. Brenda also desires Neil’s love, but is willing to have sex with him whether he loves her or not (page 51). Brenda’s frustration of not getting what she wants entices her to have sex on the old couch from her family’s home in Newark (page 69). It is made clear to the reader that Brenda truly disliked her home in Newark when she states, “Make love to me, Neil. Right now. …Do it! Here. On this cruddy cruddy cruddy sofa.” Wanting to have sex on the sofa from their old home may be an outlet for Brenda to relieve the frustration she had from not fulfilling her sexual desires that she had towards her father as a child.
2. Fruit Theme
A. “Though I am very fond of desserts, especially fruit, I chose not to have any. I wanted, this hot night, to avoid the conversation that revolved around my choosing fresh fruit over canned fruit, or canned fruit over fresh fruit; whichever I preferred, Aunt Gladys always had an abundance of the other jamming her refrigerator like stolen diamonds. “He wants canned peaches, I have a refrigerator full of grapes I have to get rid of…” Life was a throwing off for poor Aunt Gladys, her greatest joys were taking out the garbage, emptying her pantry, and making threadbare bundles for what she still referred to as the Poor Jews in Palestine. I only hope she dies with an empty refrigerator, otherwise she’ll ruin eternity for everyone else, what with her Velveeta turning green, and her navel oranges growing fuzzy jackets.” (page 6)
B. “And when we went back to Brenda’s we filled a bowl with cherries which we carried into the TV room and ate sloppily for a while; and later, on the sofa, we loved each other and when I moved from the darkened room to the bathroom I could always feel cherry pits against my bare soles. At home, undressing for the second time that night, I would find red marks on the undersides of my feet.” (page 56)
1. The symbolism of cherries:
2. It is interesting that Brenda and Neil choose fruit to be their snack of choice, considering its sensuality. Cherries are just one of the many fruits that have been found to increase sexual pleasure. Brenda and Neil also snacked on peaches, which are believed by the Chinese to be extremely sensuous because of its color and juiciness.
C. Symbolism
Example #1:
- Neil likes fruit, discovers and awesome supply of fruit, and enjoys eating it for a while. However, at the wedding, he discovers that even the best looking fruits, which is put out for show, can be squashed and no longer seem appealing.
- Neil finds Brenda attractive, falls in love with her and becomes intimate, but discovers that he no longer can be with her once she exposes her true nature and her relationship with her family.
Example #2:
- Fresh fruit v. Canned fruit as a symbol of Neil’s relationship with Brenda and as a symbol of Newark v. Short Hills
3. The Patimkin Way of Life
A. Vanity
Neil realizes the importance of appearance to the Patimkin family immediately. Among the objects of their vanity that are mocked by Neil is the diamond-shaped bump on each nose. Neil does not mock the actual bump, but the idea of paying $1000 to have it removed. Neil becomes infatuated with the idea of “getting things fixed.” Brenda becomes frustrated when Neil jokes of her eyes needing to be fixed.
B. Competitiveness
Neil is first exposed to the Patimkin competitiveness while watching Brenda’s tennis match with Simp. Although he does not voice his opinion of this competitiveness, his thoughts are made obvious to the reader. Other examples of Patimkin competitiveness include Ron’s quest to find an opponent in a race across the pool (page 20) and Julie’s obsession with winning, as seen during the game of table tennis that she played with Neil on page 45. The high standards that result from Brenda’s competitiveness are also imposed on Neil when she starts making him run a four-minute mile within two weeks (pages 71-72).
4. The Little Boy
A. The little boy is first discovered, on page 32, growling at the lion statues outside of the library. When the boy comes to speak to Neil, his race is mentioned and his dialect implies that he has not had adequate education (page 33). However, despite the suspicion of the other librarians (as shown on page 35), Neil befriends the little boy and helps him in learning more about art. Despite Neil’s help, the boy becomes very defensive when questioned on pages 59 and 60. The boy’s defensiveness may imply that he has had previous experiences of being judged by the color of his skin. After the first encounter with the boy, Neil notices that the boy has an interest in a book with paintings done by Gauguin (pages 36, 37, 47, and 120). As a result of this knowledge, Neil takes every measure possible to not allow the book to be checked out of the library (pages 48, 59, 119). A few days after Neil begins his vacation away from the library, he has a dream involving the little boy (pages 74-75).
B. The little boy’s lifestyle is made to resemble Neil’s new lifestyle. The little boy finds comfort being in a place not typical of someone from his background and neighborhood – a place beyond the oppression he probably feels in the outside world. Similarly, Neil escapes to the upper-class world of the Patimkins. Later, Neil’s dream of floating away from an island paradise with the little colored boy symbolizes his inevitable breakup with Brenda and the loss of his ideal lifestyle, and may also symbolize the little boy’s inability to prevent the disappearance of the Gauguin book. From a Freudian perspective, the little boy exhibits an id personality by wanting to escape reality and live in his ideal world without being inhibited by his race, education, or social class. Similarly, Neil experiences his ideal world, where food is at his disposal, sex is unlimited, and money is not an issue, without moral inhibitions. Neil has sex when he wants to and focuses on his own selfish desires rather than on the desires of his partner.
5. Questions and Comments
1. What might the title imply?
- Peek of Ron’s athletic career – What symbolism could this have in relation to the pressures placed on the children by their parents and the traditions held by the Patimkin family?
- Ship in the dream v. Columbus’ ship: Columbus experienced what most people of his time considered a dream/not possible. The ship in the dream was docked in the dreamland/unattainable world of the little boy, but sailed away out of the control of its captain and his mate.
2. What role does Julie Patimkin play in the novel?
- Symbol of Brenda’s inner thoughts
- Example of Brenda as a child – Julie lets Neil get a look at how Brenda was raised.
- Symbol of Neil’s ego/superego – To some extent Julie makes Neil rationalize his actions and think of them in a moral perspective.
- Symbol of the Id – Julie wants to have her way, without considering those around her.
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Things to Watch for in the Book (Freud's Three Basic Stages):
