"Until
you walked into my office that afternoon, I would have never called
myself a superstitious man. Far from it. To believe in fate or
predestination means you have to believe there's a future, and I grew up
without one" (22).
Unpack
these lines. What does George mean by "growing up without a future"?
How does this compare to Cocoa's upbringing? How did she grow up? How
might the differences explain the way they act?
In the novel, these lines serve as a sort of introduction to the trials and tribulations of George’s childhood. Raised as a charity case in the Wallace P. Andrews Shelter for Boys, the narrator was often subject to hearing the repeated mantra of his less-than-loving guardian, Mrs. Jackson: “Only the present has potential, sir.” This motto carries with it the implication that Mrs. Jackson has very little confidence that the boys who call the shelter home will experience a successful future rife with lucrative opportunities. Rather, she would prefer that the boys fix their focuses on improving themselves today, as they are not guaranteed a particularly happy tomorrow. Sometimes harsh in her methods of correction, often beating the boys or depriving them of meals, the caretaker maintains an attitude of realism in her attempts to prepare the boys for their uncertain futures, not expecting impressive feats. In fact, the narrator infers that the state-mandated den mother’s main objective is to keep the boys off death row.
ReplyDeleteCocoa, however, was brought up with every expectation of a prosperous adulthood. Though the Day family tree initially boasted eight women, each likely to further the lineage with children, very few survived to adulthood. Therefore, when Cocoa was born, her elderly surviving female kin, Grandmother Abigail and Mama Day, held high hopes for the last surviving member of the newest generation. Unlike the wholly austere environment in which George grew up, the atmosphere of Cocoa’s childhood was likely one in which she was showered with encouragement and praise. Once it was certain that the child would survive infancy, I imagine that emphasis was placed on the future, a luxury that was not afforded to the members of the family who did not escape childhood. The concern for Cocoa’s future is further underscored by her family’s willingness to allow the young woman to pursue a career in the far-off metropolis of New York.
Arguably the most striking difference between the characters comes as a result of the disparities in their upbringing: their senses of superstition. George’s opinion on the supernatural is tersely summarized in the provided passage; because he was raised with little promise of a future, there was (and is) no reason for the man to believe in forces that may affect it. However, for Cocoa, the belief in the supernatural played an integral role in her childhood and in her adult life. Indeed, the time that she has spent with Mama Day, proficient in all things folklore and superstition, has ensured the prevalence of this trait.
George did not just grow up without a future, as the quote suggests; he also grew up without a past. Growing up, he had no family to remind him where he came from, and being an orphan, he had no promise that his future was bright. All we had was Wallace P. Andrews and the people that lived there with him. They taught him that “only the present has potential.” With this motto, they were trying to teach the children something about the past, the present, and the future. This motto told the children that they could do nothing about the past and that the future depended entirely on the present. Ergo, the present was the only thing that they should dwell on. Because of his upbringing, George grew up with a pragmatic outlook on life in which every problem had a logical solution which he could arrive at himself. He did not dwell on the past, and he did not focus on the future; he lived his life in the present, the only thing with potential. Cocoa, on the other hand, had the luxury of a family with a rich history. In fact, she could take a walk through the woods and arrive at the house that her great-grandfather was born in. Her family’s rich past brought with it a rich future for Cocoa, whether she wanted to accept it or not. The Day women were notorious for breaking men’s hearts, and even if she did not know it, Cocoa was meant to break George’s heart. That aspect of her future was inescapable. These differences in their upbringings made noticeable impacts on the way the two characters act throughout the book. As I mentioned earlier, George picked up a pragmatic, individualistic outlook during his formative years. Throughout their marriage, George always considered the arguments he had with Cocoa to be black and white. He tried to identify the root of the problem whether it was separate vacations, a misplaced medicine bottle, or Cocoa asking him for his honest opinion when she really did not want it. Cocoa dwelt on the past much more than George did. For example, they had many arguments about Shawn, George’s ex-girlfriend. George claimed that his relationship with Shawn was the past and therefore, no longer relevant. Cocoa, who was more inclined to focus on the past, was skeptical that George was over her. Little did she know, George was over Shawn. When he said that she was the past, he meant it. After all, only the present had potential for George, and Cocoa was his present.
ReplyDeleteCocoa had entered George’s office after they had encountered each other earlier in the day at a restaurant in New York. Neither had actually acknowledged the other, yet both felt an extreme interest. The fact that they happened to meet again later that same day after they had neglected to speak to each other was the fate George was speaking of, because now they could seize the chance to talk to one another.
ReplyDeleteWhen George talks about “growing up without a future”, he is referring to his upbringing at Wallace P. Andrews Shelter for Boys. The most common phrase used by Mrs. Jackson, the strict older lady in charge, was “only the present has potential, sir.” This phrase left a lasting impact on George, for when he was little he never dreamed of his future, but of what he could do then. In that way he seemed to have no future, because he never thought about what his would hold. Also, because he grew up in a shelter many may have discounted him while growing up. But instead of following the stereotypical path of failure he became successful and provided a good future for himself.
Cocoa, on the other hand, always had people believing in and supporting her. Although she also had neither of her parents while growing up, both Mama Day and Abigail provided Cocoa with all she could ever need. She constantly had support and people who were trusting in her. When she chose to leave the island to pursue her education her family was not completely happy with the decision, yet they supported her fully. She was an extremely spoiled child, with her Grandmother Abigail providing her with everything. Yet she did have to work hard, though, because Mama Day would not have her grow up completely spoiled. She became a very strong woman who could do things for herself and knew what she wanted in her life, and always believed she would have a future with which to do those things.
George was working completely to fulfill himself and his dreams, while Cocoa had her family and friends back home with hopes for her. The differences in their upbringings show why George likes a repetitive schedule and doesn’t believe in the impossible. He likes having a schedule he can stick to and for things to always be the same so nothing will catch him off guard. This character flaw is eventually his demise, because when at first he doesn’t believe in what is happening to Cocoa at the end of the novel he wastes valuable time in saving her. Cocoa, however, does not care if things are in perfect order, and believes anything is possible. She was raised to believe in the impossible for growing up with Mama Day it was almost impossible not to do so.
George grew up without the belief of a future, or the ability “to believe in fate or predestination.” Living in a boys shelter stripped this ability. His parents apparent disregard for him robbed him of a childhood filled with ambition of the belief (or the rather cliché saying) that one can achieve anything they put their mind to. The only thing he learned to believe in was his self. He grew up without a history as well. He had no idea where to go in the future without any reference to his past. He couldn’t rely on his father’s occupation for a guide as to what he should do. All he knew of his father was negative, and from the sounds of it, he didn’t have any positive male role models. The group home may have made some tight ties between the boys, but George makes no references to these, or to keeping in contact with the woman in charge of the shelter.
ReplyDeleteCocoa grew up the exact opposite. She was provided not only a history but a belief in the future. Whenever she doubted her future, she always had a history to rely on. Her childhood sounds plagued by parent’s early deaths that left her to rely on her great aunt and grandmother. Asides from that, she seems to have been raised in a good, loving environment.
The environment is a large part of their differences. George relied on the boys and the woman in charge of the shelter, but Cocoa had a whole island of people who knew who she was, who her family was, and therefore had some amount of close contact or at the least respect for her. However, both of their environments taught them to rely on themselves. George had no choice, but Cocoa was brutally teased for her appearance. They were both in places where they couldn’t escape, there was no alternative plan.
When it was all said and done though, George grew up to be thoughtful and wise beyond his years. Cocoa became a woman full of sass and attitude, quick to the tongue, and overall without much regard for others. George held a patience that Cocoa wouldn’t find until George died. To be frank, she was immature. She had been in such a rush to escape her childhood teasing, that in turn she somehow missed how to treat others properly. George, who came from nothing, valued things highly, held onto the things that he loved. Cocoa, who maybe had too much love, too much close neighbors, pushed people away, didn’t realize what they meant to her until it was too late.
Instilled in George's brain from the time he was a child was the unpromising idea that the present is all you truly have in live and can live for, infused in him by his non-affectionate guardian Mrs. Jackson. Because this cynical woman was the only partially parental figure in his life, George in turn lacked the idea that he had any potential for the future. Therefore he held his faith in this belief in striving for the best in the moment and lived by it due to the lifestyle in which he was raised: in a boys home with no real family to encourage, support, or give him hope for his future aside from excessively realist and often abusive caretakers.
ReplyDeleteCocoa, unlike George, grew up in an entirely different environment. While George was conditioned to live just for the moment and have little expectations for the future, Cocoa had a support system that provided her with both assurance of her past and hope for the future. Though she did not live in the conventional family with parents, who tragically passed away in Cocoa's early years, her grandmother and great aunt who take on the caring for her endow her with the similar loving support system. These drastically differentiating upbringings played a major role in how they both came to act and how those differed. As a child, in result of this cushioning childhood, Cocoa was spoiled and not as independent and realistic as George. Mama Day, however, would not allow her to take her privileges for granted and be unprepared for the world, and forced her to work hard which attributed greatly to her success as a women and choice to leave the island. Cocoa's philosophy of living juxtaposes George's in that due to how he was raised he enjoys having a predictable and structured schedule that, though redundant, keeps him on track in what he is doing with no possibility of surprise and failure; a characteristic of him that proved erroneous. Cocoa went day to day dwelling on the past, enjoying the present, and looking towards the future, always maintaining hope and dreaming large, while George kept his focus on solely the present, making his dreams small and realism abundant.
The usual dreams of becoming something fantastical were ripped at the seams by George's upbringings in the Wallace P. Andrews boys shelter. Engraved into his mind since a young child George was told "Only the present has potential." by his overbearing caretaker Mrs. Jackson. For George the idea of a happier future than living in a boys shelter was prohibited from entering his head. Therefore instead of working towards a much desired job, George worked for a company that keeps your peas on your knife.
ReplyDeleteDrastically contrasting with George's upbringing, Cocoa's young childhood was one filled with love and whimsy. Her rich family history provided her with knowledge yet forlornness. Her mother was deceased and her father had gone, yet she was in the hands of the all loving and strong Mama Day. Cocoa was raised in believing in all she could do. Unlike George she was provided with hope and self assurance which gave rise to her pursuing a career in New York city.
The most apparent difference between the two due to their upbringings is arguably their attitude. Cocoa's sassy and cheeky personality is derived from the abundant self confidence and hope for success provided to her since childhood. George's contrasting bleak, realism developed because of the lack of hope for a future life that would provide itself to be more satisfying than his years in the boys shelter.
When George was underage he lived in Wallace P. Andrews Shelter for Boys, where the present was emphasized and the future or past insignificant. Mrs. Jackson, one of the supervisors of the boy’s shelter, impacted George by saying, “Only the present has potential, sir.” These words were permanently stuck in Georges head and influenced his thought process. George couldn’t change his past that seems so unfortunate to many or know what the future held for him. Ultimately, he felt that he could control his present. The future seemed too unpredictable and a waste of time to think about. George didn’t want to believe meeting Cocoa for the second time had to do with either fate or predestination. Predestination or fate means that the events in time are already laid out for people. George cannot believe that his life is already decided for him because to him, he decides his future by his actions in the present.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Ophelia, otherwise known as Cocoa, was raised with a rich family history which made the past very much a part of her life. Her grandmother, Abigail, and great aunt, Mama Day, raised her in a life full of superstition and fate. Abigail and Mama Day didn’t dare call Ophelia by her name but instead nicknamed her Baby Girl and when Baby Girl resented to be called that at five years old dubbed her Cocoa. The girls in the Day family were thought to be cursed because hardly any of them survived for very long. So, they thought detaching themselves by not calling Ophelia by her given name would help them cope with her death if she ended up dying t a young age. The future was a big deal to the Day family because of all the tragedy it had seen in the past. Cocoa was the Day’s future. She was the only offspring that survived and without her the Day family tree would die out. Cocoa, at a young age, saw Mama Day use great power in the other place that convinced her that there was a greater power in this world. She was often taunted because of her superstitious and magical beliefs. Hence, Cocoa would have no problem with believing in fate.
George couldn’t possibly believe in fate with his ideology of not having a planned future. He acts in the present while Cocoa has a different point of view. Cocoa believes in fate and all kinds of magical stuff such as curses and even the fact that her island has magic. She is pushed into thinking about her family’s future with her great aunts pushiness in wanting her to find a husband.
George was obviously brainwashed as a child into believing that the future was unimportant and ultimately did not exist. His guardian Ms. Jackson implanted the concept that the only stage of life that can yield positive outcomes and has potential is the present. He was taught to not look forward to anything, and to not dwell on things in the past. With George's new found presence in Cocoa's life, he is overwhelmed with the new logic he encounters. Magical principles are based upon fates, prophecies, and the future. For someone who believes that the present is the only thing to be considered as important, something so surrounded with the future is shocking and unbelievable. Cocoa, on the other hand, has always been around this kind of thinking. Dating back to her ancestor Sapphira Wade and the slave days, her family has believed in magical power and its use. Her grandmother, Mama Day, on moving to Willow Springs, instills these beliefs on the island's inhabitants. So, for Cocoa, it must have been hard to understand any other reasoning than what she has been immersed in her whole life.
ReplyDeleteI think that the way these two were taught to believe about the future and magic can account for a major characteric they each exhibit. For George, this could account for why it took him four years to visit Cocoa's family at Willow Springs. He was not ready to embrace his role as a future member into this married family, and therefore elected to stay home while she visited the island. Cocoa's belief of the future could suggest a different aspect of her life entirely. Early in the book, Mama Day comments on the fact that Cocoa should be searching for a husband. After seven years of living in New York, though, she had not encountered someone to marry. Finding a husband was obviously not a high priority for Cocoa. Based on her views toward the future, she most likely felt that she had plenty of time to find a man worth marrying. She greeted this time with open arms, and trusted that one day she would find a husband.
George was taught at a young age that "only the present has potential". This taught George not to dwell on the past and not look forward to the future, but to take what the day gives you and make the most of it. In practicality this is exactly what George needed. George worked and lived in New York city, a place where this kind of mindset is perfect. George never sought to understand his past nor to ponder his future because there was no need to in New York. One may also contribute to George's lack of a "future" to his absentee parents. Many children strive to be like their parents "when they grow up", yet George had no one to look up to and therefore no future to imagine. To achieve his goal of curing Cocoa, George must go against everything he was taught growing up and forget everything that he knows of his life and trust a crazy old woman in a crazy land.
ReplyDeleteThe island magic is filled with prophesies, age old medicinal practices, and Mama Day who seemingly knows everything about the Day's. Cocoa is juxtaposed with this city boy by having a rich background. Cocoa is told countless stories and tales of the previous Days by Mama Day and Abigail. Many times throughout the book, the story of the unknown slave Day breaking her master's heart is mentioned among other stories of the Day's past. Cocoa is meant to live on the island and to eventually live in the masters house. Cocoa has a place to call her own in which everyone knows her and her family while George is lost in the huge city of New York.
Obviously the phrase George states "growing up without a future" refers to his deprived upbringing at Wallace P. Andrews.
ReplyDeleteThe upbringings of both Cocoa and George are near opposites. Cocoa is brought up with a loving family but in backwards seclusion, yet George on the other hand is brought up with no family but in the "present" in the modern Western culture. Their backgrounds create an interesting paradox, placed deliberately by the author representing the theory that "opposites attract," confirmed later by their marriage. Their unlike backgrounds explain how they act towards each other: why George is fascinated with Willow Springs and even speaks of moving; why George does not understand Cocoa's anxieties and insecurities about visiting Willow Springs; and why they fight at the wedding dinner.
Naylor presents this paradox to highlight the theme of culture and heritage. George has no roots, no heritage. Cocoa has a family, a sense of belonging, but also has an idea of the outside world. Cocoa connects these two polar worlds, George's New York and Mama Day's Willow Springs, together. This trio of characters, George, Cocoa, and Mama Day, as well the dual settings provide many examples for the reader to compare and contrast the idea of culture and heritage, which contributes to the books message, which I think is: one needs to remember where one came from, but not to let it drive their future.
This passage is referring to the differences between the upbringing between George and Cocoa. George, raised in a shelter for boys, had a very different childhood than Cocoa. Cocoa came from a southern, African American home that placed value in spirituality and family bond. This helps define Cocoa and her beliefs as well as, I feel, have a love for George. This passage can be seen as an examination of the relationship between George and Cocoa. Gloria Naylor has established an obvious paradox. A city boy raised in New York paired with a Southern girl raised in Georgia sets a scene that can examine the relationships between north and south, family and non-family, as well as future and present.
ReplyDeleteGeorge was raised to put trust only in himself and the abilities of himself to succeed in life. Cocoa, on the other hand, has been raised knowing that she will have the family as well as the island to love her. This is Naylor’s avenue through which she examines the paradox of upbringing and family relationships. African American literature often places value on family, but it cannot be seen as the driving factor of our lives.
I know I keep drawing comparisons to Song of Solomon, but I feel that this is once again a great place to connect the two texts. While in both novels we see the bond of family, we also the final ascension of Milkman Dead as one that he does alone. He is the driving force at the end of the day. Similarly, Cocoa must define her life on her own after the death of George. She must move on both literally and figuratively and appears to somewhat accomplish that while still maintaining the family bond with George by naming her son after him.
George says that he grew up without a future because he grew up as an orphan in a foster home where the motto was "Only the present has potential." This implies that the boys should not worry about the future because it is not guaranteed and there is no potential in the future. In this sense, George did grow up without a future or belief in the future, so he had to create a future of his own. He was not able to rely on any superstitions to help himself create a future. He had to constantly worry whether or not he would make it in life and whether or not he did indeed have a future.
ReplyDeleteGeorge's upbringing is starkly contrasted with Cocoa's childhood. She grew up in a place where they probably focused on the future and there was a strong belief that the future would be bright. She believed in superstitions and fate so she believed that regardless of what might happen to her, everything would work out for her in the end.
George and Cocoa were brought up in completely different atmospheres with only a few similarities. Both lost their parents before they can remember but while one was sent to live with strangers, the other was handed lovingly on to family members. This difference proved to be hugely important as we see the distinct personalities in these characters in their adult lives. George was taught to live in the moment, to use his head and take nothing for granted; he is shrewd and practical and isn’t one to “follow his dreams” or “shoot for the stars.” On the other hand, Cocoa, or Baby Girl, was spoiled as a child, given everything she could wish for and taught to believe and trust the mysteries that surround not only Willow Springs, but every aspect of daily life. These distinctions in personality explain why George was so disbelieving of Mama Day and her “hoodoo” remedies. How could someone so logical and scientific trust something as ridiculous as magic? He didn’t think about what his future could possibly hold and he certainly didn’t think about spirits or witches; he was a statistic, he was a lost cause, he was an orphan of a prostitute with nothing going for him but the knowledge that in each moment he was okay. While George was living through the motions of each moment and day- taking his medicine, eating breakfast, going on a walk,- Cocoa was stressing about the past or about the future. Cocoa would be constantly suspicious of George’s interactions with his ex-girlfriend, Shawn, and always preoccupied with the future status of her and George’s relationship, misgivings that show Cocoa’s inclination to live out of the now and in another time, much like the island she was raised on.
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