In “John Redding,” happiness is portrayed through weeping (p. 6) and, at the end, Alf claims to be “happy” for his son because he is going to the sea (p. 16). Additionally, Hurston describes the many things that black laughter can mean in Mules and Men (p. 62). Why is emotion portrayed this way and does that change the way we relate this work to keening, another emotive action?
What is the significance of the sea as a hopeful thing in “John Redding” against the depiction of the sea as dangerous (to people and cultures) in Synge and the history of the slave trade?
Julian, can you expand on what you mean by “that way,” in terms of the portrayal of emotions? Do you mean the range of emotions? Or the visual and physical display of emotions? In that the characters in both Mules and Men and “John Redding Goes to Sea,” and thus consequently in Riders to the Sea, are emotive rather than reserved?
Absolutely. I am referring to the range of emotions portrayed by a single emotive act. For example, in “John Redding Goes to the Sea,” weeping portals the emotions of sadness and happiness at different points. Similarly, in Mules and Men, Hurston says, “His laugh has a hundred meanings. It may mean amusement, anger, grief, bewilderment, chagrin, curiosity, simple pleasure or any other of the known or undefined emotions (p. 62).” In this question, I’m referring to the idea that the emotive action doesn’t match the feeling. I don’t know if this has anything to do with keening, but I’m genuinely interested in seeing if there is a connection there.