In both YamanakaÆs BluÆs Hanging and AllisonÆs Bastard Out of Carolina, we are treated to the stories of children who are faced with surviving extremely dysfunctional family environments. In BluÆs Hanging, Maisie, Blue, and Ivah are left to cope with their depressed and poor father after the death of their mother. They struggle to survive in a Molokai plantation town, where they are treated racism and violence. The children are physically and sexually abused. Uncle Paulo hangs MaisieÆs cat and Blu is raped. Ivah, thirteen, must find a way to fee her siblings or face starvation. Their father smokes marijuana and informs them he and his deceased wife were lepers. Ivah wonders why bad things happen to good people and not the bad ones, ôAll those years, all those years, we was nothings to nobody. Neva had one hope or one dream,ö (Yamanaka, p. 256). Despite such horrific struggles, through the aid of a teacher, Maisie will learn to speak (silent in her grief until then), Ivah will receive a scholarship to a private school, and Blu recovers from his trauma.
There is no such happy redemption or ending in Bastard Out of Carolina. Ruth Anne ôBoneö Boatwright is subjected to poverty, a mother who has been married three times, and physical and sexual abuse. We see that poor white trash as subjected to stereotypes and prejudice. We see that Bone must endure the alcoholism, violence, and incest that pervade her family environment. We are told that eventually Bone comes to view herself as stupid, ugly and ôborn to shame and death,ö (Allison, p. 206). Therefore, in each of these novels we see the destructive impact of family dysfunction, poverty, racism and violence. The Ogata children will survive these challenges while Bone will not.
Allison, Dorothy. Bastard Out of Carolina. New York: Plume, 1992.
Yamanaka, Lois-Ann. BluÆs Hanging. New York: Perennial, 1998.
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