Dreamers in a Dead Language by Grace Paley
"Dreamers in a Dead Language" by Grace Paley explores the complex dynamics of family, love, and aging through the conversation between Faith Darwin and her boyfriend Philip. The narrative reveals Faith's reflections on her past, including a poignant poem by her father, which expresses his sorrow over the loss of his wife and his yearning for freedom. Central to the story are themes of nostalgia and disillusionment, as Philip grapples with his responsibilities and regrets while Faith navigates her own romantic ideals versus the harsh realities of life. The interactions with Faith's parents in a retirement home illuminate the struggles of aging and the expectations placed on individuals within familial roles. As Faith confronts her father's criticisms and societal pressures, the story captures her yearning for connection and the bittersweet nature of memories. The tale culminates in a playful yet significant moment on Brighton Beach, juxtaposing childhood innocence with the weight of adult concerns. Overall, this narrative invites readers to contemplate the interplay between dreams and the realities of life, particularly within familial relationships.
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Dreamers in a Dead Language by Grace Paley
First published: 1977
Type of plot: Satire
Time of work: The late 1950's
Locale: Coney Island, New York
Principal Characters:
Faith Darwin , a single parent, recently divorcedAnthony (Tonto) , andRichard , her sonsPhilip Mazzano , one of her boyfriendsMr. and Mrs. Darwin , Faith's parents
The Story
From a conversation between Faith Darwin and one of her three boyfriends, Philip, the reader learns of a poem written by Faith's father ("one of the resident poets of the Children of Judea, Home for the Golden Ages"), lamenting the loss of his wife but expressing the desire "to go sailing in spring among realities." It also alludes to "a young girl who waits in a special time and place/ to love me." This reference becomes a topic of debate between Faith and Philip.
Philip likes "old people" (for example, his former wife's dad) and hopes to talk to Faith's father, which he does at the end. He is a worldly businessperson who bewails his being forced into "low practicality" by "the thoughtless begetting of children, and the vengeance of alimony." Faith chides him for ascribing malice to Anita Franklin, her old friend and Philip's former wife. She warns Philip not to disillusion her parents about Anita, whom Philip "dumped." In passing, Faith confesses her romantic disposition, preferring John Keats's and Percy Bysshe Shelley's fantasies to John Milton's moralizing.
Visiting her parents in a retirement home, Faith is scolded by her father for criticizing her former husband in front of the children. Her son Richard wonders whether the home is a hospital. "Worry and tenderness" characterize Faith's attitude. When she was a child, she was "a constant entertainment" to her parents—her father tells her children. Mrs. Darwin enjoys Richard's sense of humor; Faith's other son, Tonto, however, reveals the truth about his mother's gloomy moods. While the father takes the boys on a tour, Faith visits her mother, "the saint," who is ministering to the bedridden Mrs. Hegel-Shtein. The latter launches into a litany of complaints centered on the responsibility of keeping "a sick old man alive." Faith responds with "What you mean is—life has made you sick," to which Mrs. Hegel-Shtein assents. Mrs. Darwin thinks that that is a "lopsided idea," revealing her concern for Faith's mental health following the collapse of her marriage.
After showing Faith and the children around the roof garden, Mr. Darwin returns, praising Faith's former husband, Ricardo: "such an interesting young man." Eventually he confesses that he wants to leave the place (and his wife) because he feels that he is not old; he resents his wife's fancying the home a Grand Hotel. Faith flees from her father's scolding, and her father compares Faith to her mother's "crazy sister Silvia," who "died in front of the television set." The story ends with a memorable scene: Faith playing with her children in the "old Brighton Beach of her childhood," the boys burying her in the sand but "giving her lots of room for wiggling and whacking."
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