the invention of wings analysis

An individual's decisions and behavior can affect the course of his or her life, and even the smallest of those actions can have a significant effect. Sue Monk Kidd's novel "The Invention of Wings" advocates the idea that a person's decisions and behaviors affect the course of his or her life. Kidd discusses this crucial theme in some of the vocabulary he uses to characterize his characters, the atmosphere of the plot, and the tension that occurs within the characters. The protagonist character, Sarah Grimke is born in a wealthy family where she meets many slaves, including Handful who is presented to her as a gift to be her handmaid during her 11th birthday. From an early age, Sarah is determined to make a choice and an action in quest for freedom for the slaves. She wants to have a voice in the world that will end slavery in early 19th century (Kidd 12). Similarly, there are characters in the novel who have decided to take actions that we later on we see to change their lives. Handful is a slave in Grimke’s house; she is even presented as a birthday gift to Sarah. At the beginning of the novel, Sarah endures loss and sorrow in life, but the actions she takes in life makes her to find courage and gain a sense of self. Angelina, younger sister to Sarah is described as a fearless girl. She equally takes an action and a stern change towards slavery in their home and beyond.

Part two

Kidd explores the idea of transformation throughout his novel as can be depicted through the characters, the choice of words and the relationship that exist among characters. Many characters in the novel have gone through transformation; however, this study will categorically look at some of the transformations that Sarah Grimke has undergone.





Part one

The choices and actions of an individual can influence the direction of his or her life and even the smallest of such actions can leave the greatest of impacts. The novel “The Invention of Wings” by Sue Monk Kidd supports the notion that the choices and the actions that a person takes influence the direction of his or her life. Kidd explores this important idea through some of the word choices that he employs to describe his characters, the setting of the story and the conflict developed among the characters. The protagonist character, Sarah Grimke is born in a wealthy family where she meets many slaves, including Handful who is presented to her as a gift to be her handmaid during her 11th birthday. From an early age, Sarah is determined to make a choice and an action in quest for freedom for the slaves. She wants to have a voice in the world that will end slavery in early 19th century (Kidd 12). Similarly, there are characters in the novel who have decided to take actions that we later on we see to change their lives. Handful is a slave in Grimke’s house; she is even presented as a birthday gift to Sarah. At the beginning of the novel, Sarah endures loss and sorrow in life, but the actions she takes in life makes her to find courage and gain a sense of self. Angelina, younger sister to Sarah is described as a fearless girl. She equally takes an action and a stern change towards slavery in their home and beyond.

Sarah protests the idea of having Handful as her handmaid; however when she realizes that she cannot protest anymore, she agrees to take Handful but she has a mission to accomplish. She decides that she will not view Handful as a house cleaner in their house, instead they will develop friendship. She teaches Handful to read and through thirty- five years of their lives, they struggle for a life of their own, shaping one another’s destinies (Kidd 16).

An individual’s decisions and action dictates the direction of his or her life, however those very actions and decisions are influenced by the environment in which one grows. Throughout the novel, the idea of home is made prominent. Home is not only the physical house we can see, but it is the environment in which one lives. Sarah and Handful are not satisfied with the environment in the Grimke’s home as it reinforces slave roles. It is because of the environment that makes Sarah to make a decision. She lives their home to go and live in slave quarters. At the age of 4, Sarah witnesses a slave being beaten and distressed. Later on at the age of 11, Sarah is denied in access to his father’s library only because she taught Handful reading. It is because of these incidences together with other that Sarah decides to take an action. She goes on a hunger strike on several occasions and she even refuse to talk to her mother (Kidd 17). When things get worse Sarah walks out of their home never to return again. Through the actions of Sarah, she becomes a historic figure after she moved to Philadelphia and becomes a Quaker. She begins to speak publicly against slavery, and even hold crusade for women rights.

Presence of conflict takes a center stage in the actions and decisions that individuals take in the novel. Sarah is in constant conflict with her family members because they promote slavery. She goes to the extent of not talking to her mother. When she finds the situation in her home unbearable, she makes a stern a decision of walking out of their home. After walking out, she goes ahead to influence her sister, Angelina to accompany her. She actually succeeds in fighting for slavery with the help of Angelina and Handful.

Handful, from the very beginning identifies herself with the Grimke’s family as a slave which implies conflict. Handful feels that she does not get the best treatment from the whites just because she is black. This makes her to be in conflict with herself and Grimke’s family. She is determined to get out of her situation and find a better life for herself. It is because of the conflict that exists in Grimke’s home that makes Handful to make a decision to quit.







Part two

Kidd explores the idea of transformation throughout his novel as can be depicted through the characters, the choice of words and the relationship that exist among characters. Many characters in the novel have gone through transformation; however, this study will categorically look at some of the transformations that Sarah Grimke has undergone. At the age of 4, Sarah gets temporarily mute when she sees a slave beaten and traumatized. She develops a stutter after she begins to speak which latter on disappears. It is at this age where we see her begin to transform when she stutter because of the mistreatment of fellow human being. At this age she does not understand the reason as to why a fellow human being has to be treated differently. When she grows older, at the age of 11, she is given a fellow human being as a birthday present, which she strongly detests. Sarah, from an early age has realized that she has a duty reform the situations of the slavery (Kidd 13). Sarah has taken a different path from her siblings. Instead of hunting for a husband that her mother advices her to do when she grows old, she wants to be a lawyer because according to her it is the only way by which she is going to win her war.

Further, Sarah has distaste for owning slaves unlike her father and this prompts her to make a transformation. She feels that the riches in her father’s home do not bring comfort anymore as slavery is still practiced (Kidd 19). She walks out of their home to go and live in the slave quarters where she finds more comfortable. Sarah Grimke ended up as historical figure, a brisk slave abolitionist. After she moved from her home to Philadelphia, she began to speak in public against slavery. She holds crusades in fight for the rights of women. Her quest for transformation made her to get her sister Angelina and Handful out slavery.

Conclusion

Kidd presents Sarah and Handful in the novel as some of the characters whose lives are shaped by the actions and decisions that they make in life. The author further uses specific word choices and conflict to signify how the choices of individual’s actions shape the direction of their lives. Sarah, particularly reminds us that whenever that every day in our lives we are faced with difficult choices whose actions will forever affect the direction of our lives. The author has further highlighted the theme of transformation through the protagonist, Sarah.



Works Cited



Kidd, Sue M. The Invention of Wings, 2014.