Thoughts?
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
She writes of strangers and herself
While reading chapters 4 and 5 of AABT I came upon a short sentence that was actually a quote from The Making of Americans. The quote was "I write for myself and strangers." (70). After reading that I spent the rest of my reading trying to figure out who this book is for. Is it for Gertrude Stein? Part of me thinks so, especially because everyone introduced in the book seems to lead back to her. The characters are only important because of things they said about her or because of things she distinctly remembers about them. Or could the book be about strangers? Is she really criticizing the format in which autobiographies are written?
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In my opinion, the answer is the book is about both. Herself and strangers, as she says. I think what you see more and more clearly throughout the book is that one cannot separate oneself from others. Our lives are inevitably intertwined with the presence and actions of the others around us. The focus of the book is on herself, but she introduces so many characters that you realize her ideas, success, and stories would not be what they are if it weren't for the other people around.
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