To Prevent Flare-Ups
For my English short essay, I talked about the chapter "rocks" in Black Swan Green and its domestic "war". When reading Sag Harbor, I saw a lot of parallels between "rocks" and "To Prevent Flare-Ups", particularly because both chapters focused on family dynamics. Eventually, I became more interested in "To Prevent Flare-Ups" as a standalone narrative where it uses storytelling to show a more complicated, and sometimes negative, side of Sag Harbor, specifically in how the dad's alcoholism is treated.
One of the only characters that directly makes reference to the Cooper family's toxic dynamic is Elena. Although Elena isn't heavily featured in "To Prevent Flare-Ups", or much of the book as a whole, she makes a surprise appearance in "Breathing Tips of Great American Beatboxers". Benji only talks to Elena because he happens to see her in Southampton, visiting New York but not her family. In her one scene with Benji, her advice is to move away as quickly as possible, "do me a favor, Benji, and get out when you can" (Whitehead 285). He doesn't register (or pretends to not register) what she's saying, "I don't understand", but Elena only responds with "Yes, you do" (285).
She wants her brother to realize their parents' dynamic is toxic and move on with the same quickness that she did. It's unclear whether Benji genuinely doesn't understand her point, or if he is acting like he doesn't to avoid discussing it. Reggie already seems to be more aware of how important it is to get away from their parents, by taking excessive weekend Burger King shifts.
Benji is the "stuck" one, not being able to acknowledge that his siblings are leaving their parents--and by extension, Sag Harbor--behind. Benji isn't blissfully unaware of his father's problems; he doesn't shy away from describing his dad's alcoholism with a familiarity. Benji knows his family is fake--the first line in the chapter is "We were a Cosby family, good on paper"-- but he's become so used to his dad's toxicity that he doesn't talk about it (192).
While his parents are fighting, Benji makes the comment that his mom "never defended or protected herself", and it was "the same thing that prevented [Benji] from defending or protecting her" (228). The rest of the family could never shield themselves from mistreatment by the father, so their means of escape was simply to leave, to evade interacting with him as much as possible. Although Elena acknowledges their family's problems somewhat, Benji shuts her down because avoiding his dad's issues is how he's been taught to handle the situation.
His mom's friends, who she's known since childhood when she would go to Sag Harbor, seem to intentionally turn a blind eye too. When Benji tells his mom to come inside, her friends "nodded and looked at one another" (226). Later in the middle of their argument, Benji's mom backs into the living room "to keep her friends from hearing. As if they had not heard" (226). Benji doesn't shy away from the fact that his dad yells or uses physical violence as a way of disciplining people, but none of the characters acknowledge that his mom is being yelled at, even though they all know it.
Benji is absolutely right about the Cosby family observation, but what he doesn't commentate on is how everybody in Sag Harbor upholds that image. Benji's family, especially him and his mom, walk eggshells around the father trying to not upset him. Benji describes it as "playing the odds" (227). Even though the chicken is a sand-like charred mess, he tells him it's great, which is even more confusing considering the chapter-long build up of what an amazing meat-cooker Benji's dad is. It makes the reader wonder whether all the acquaintances and neighbors praising the father's grilling were telling the truth or not. Although Benji's dad's true grilling skills are left ambiguous, it serves as an example of the Cosby family ideal being upheld, even through something mundane. "To Prevent Flare-Ups" reveals the more complex dynamics at play not only within the Cooper family, but within Sag Harbor as a whole.
Hi Adrian! I think your blog got to Benji's knowledge of his family really well. I like how you made sure to highlight the fact that we're not sure if Benji is purposely ignoring his family's problems, or seriously doesn't understand them, but we know that he at least has some idea of the fear in his household towards his dad. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteI like the comparison to "Rocks"--indeed there is a "slow burn" quality to that chapter, with escalations in the conflict being smoothed over by euphemism and strained politeness, and the pressure finally culminates (I'd say) in Jason's profane, italicized outburst of frustration at the end, when he's finally done with ALL this fighting once and for all.
ReplyDeleteIn "Flare-Ups," the dynamic is a bit different, as you note--everything hinges on the father, and his fragile mood, and *everyone* is playing the odds. Jason has no choice but to be home in the evenings to witness the drama, but Reggie has arranged to be gone during his parents' entire waking hours this weekend, and Benji is doing everything he can to ensure that he's out of the house by the time the chicken is served. In "Rocks," we see Helena making all kinds of moves in the "war" with Michael--in fact, she initiates the conflict in that chapter when she discovers the second mortgage and confronts Michael about it. Benji's mother (as the quotes you cite indicate) is another victim of his father's dominance, and Ben the narrator wonders aloud why NONE of them appeared to try to help each other. Michael, to his credit, does not seem to get violent with his family. He just sulks and makes snide comments and treats his wife like a child, but the war mainly takes place with words. With Benji's dad, there's always the chance that the "flare-up" will entail violence, and Benji's primary interest is not in saving anyone from the violence--he just wants to close the windows so no one else will hear. And then he wants to slip back into his room unnoticed, just like he imagines Reggie and Elena doing when he's in the hot seat.