The Member Of The Wedding Sparknotes

The Journey Through Adolescence in The Member of the Wedding

In Carson McCullers’ The Member of the Wedding, Frankie observes her surroundings, often interacting with or making opinions on them. Many of these instances illustrate her journey growing up as an adolescent. For example, at the beginning of the book, Frankie exhibits an uneasy attitude toward the kitchen, displaying her restlessness with her current life. As the story progresses, her descriptions and actions reveal her hastened attempts to mature. However, in the end, while she appears to have grown up, the covered objects in her surroundings show how she merely suppressed her childhood, showing how she did not fully mature. Through vivid depictions of Frankie’s perception of

Jasmine’s hastened attempts to assimilate into adulthood through artificial means. As F. Jasmine walks into the Blue Moon, she notes that “after the fresh brightness of the street, the Blue Moon seemed dark. Blue neon lights burned over the dim mirror behind the counter, tinting the faces in the place pale green, and an electric fan turned slowly so that the room was scalloped with warm stale waves of breeze…The place smelled of dead beer and morning coffee” (58). The juxtaposition with the shift from the “fresh brightness” and the “dark[ness] of the Blue Moon shows F. Jasmine’s attempt to transition from the familiarity of her childhood — the street — and the unfamiliarity of adulthood — the Blue Moon. Likewise, the sharp and abrupt contrast of the change in light reveals that she is not adjusted to it, depicting her unreadiness to entirely welcome maturity. The “blue neon” and “pale green” lights depict the artificiality and F. Jasmine’s detachment from reality and how altered or manufactured the scene is. Conjointly, the lights “tinting the faces” indicates the lack of clearness reflects her mindset and how she is looking through a “tint,” convincing herself that she is mature. The environment is also muggy and uncomfortable, as shown by the “electric fan turn[ing] slowly,” making things feel static and motionless, representing the uncanniness of the situation. “Waves” come and go, showing how F. Jasmine’s

Before moving houses, she revisits the kitchen: “It was not the same kitchen of the summer that now seemed so long ago. The pencil pictures had disappeared beneath a coat of calcimine” (158). The phrase “not the same” emphasizes the shift in time and the contrast between the past and present. In addition, by saying that the “kitchen of the summer…now seemed so long ago,” McCullers further stresses Frances’s journey. Furthermore, the “pencil pictures” that represent her childhood, self-expression, and vulnerability. By “disappear[ing],” Frances withholds her childhood and the associated memories. Therefore, this act of suppression exhibits how Frances tries to align herself with societal expectations and fit into the adult world. However, by neglecting to come to terms with her childhood, Frances may never fully emotionally mature since she attempts to abandon parts of her identity. The “pencil pictures” remain under the “coat of calcimine” and thus are not gone, revealing how she can not throw the past away. Calcimine has a problem with peeling away after some time, hinting that her past immaturity may resurface and impede her complete maturation. To conclude, the lingering photos in the transformed kitchen of Frances’ old house represent the temporary suppression of her past and premature attempts to