Gorilla_My_Love_Analysis_(They's_Just_Teasin')

They’s Just Teasin’ Toni Bambara’s Gorilla My Love is a story of good natured deception, a kind that can sometimes be the most dangerous imaginable. It is the kind that often results in no consequence and, in the minds of its dealers, warrants no apologies. Strange as it may seem, these “playful deceptions” manifest themselves within the same knowledge implanted in the developing minds of children, who have virtually no way to decipher the importance of Santa Claus’s naughty list from, say, the validity of gravity. Hazel, the story’s protagonist, demonstrates a complete reevaluation in character when the very foundations on which her childhood is based are yanked from beneath her like an imitation silk rug. For the most part of this story, the reader is “playfully” deceived into assuming that Hazel’s character is male. This conclusion is not only a product of the reader’s preconceived notions of normality, but also a result of Hazel’s upbringing and subsequent lack of obligation to participate in gender roles. Though much credit must be given to Hazel’s own character, Hazel is brought up with a very logical approach to analyzing truths and their dominance over societal precepts, which is why her “great revelation” later in the story hits so hard. Hazel, whose self-assurance and “informed” outlook bring about the template of a male, deems herself fortunate enough to never have been subjected to arbitrary doctrines during her development stages. Because of this, Hazel is able to become the person she is, not the girl she’s supposed to be. The blessing is short-lived, however, and Hazel is brought to question every fiber of her philosophy. When Hunca Bubba nonchalantly reveals his “great lie”, Hazel is destroyed. She is even more taken aback at the lack of reverence and the absence of remorse with which he reveals it. “It was Hunca Bubba what told you them things”, Hazel’s uncle explains to her, “this here, Jefferson Winston Vale. That’s right . . . I’m a new somebody.” (Bambara 453) Within the same horrible moment that Hazel learns that her “trusted” family lies to her, she learns that it’s no big deal; that they’s just teasin’. With such a system, how can a child ever know what is true and what is a fib told for temporary amusement' The new Hazel, already conscious of the way adults outside her family treat children, is forced to accept that nothing is certain and that everything is controvertible. There is a multitude of ways that a child may react to moments like the one Hazel experiences, some surprisingly mild, others dangerously confrontational. While more passive children, who willingly accept the ideas given to them by their parents, may take such news lightly, Hazel, who prides herself on her ability to reason on a scale of reality, does not. That is to say that a passive child has nothing to lose in the event that they learn they’ve been lied to, as it does not conflict with any advanced ideas they, themselves, have created. They may simply accept the lesson as they continue to develop and write the incident off as a minor hiccup in an otherwise ongoing process. Hazel, however, is not raised to be a passive child. Hazel is not raised simply to accept ideas, but rather to create and present them in appropriate situations. Her ability to reason even saves her from being punished when her “point is well taken” (Bambara 452) by her mother or father. She is not forced to adhere to “because I said so” style leadership at home. She is allowed to test her wit on the adults whose respect, in her world, matters most. There is a weight to that privilege that Hazel’s parents, as well as the now Jefferson Winston Vale, do not fully understand. From Hazel’s description of her childhood, it can be gathered that she is not surrounded by luxury. Being raised in a humble southern town, Hazel does not ask for much, but insists on getting what she is promised. “It wasn’t like Hunca Bubba had gone back on his word or anything”, Hazel notes at one point in the story, “just that he was thinkin bout getting married and was usin his real name now.” (Bambara 452) Here Hazel suggests an interest not in marrying her uncle, but in the status of his “word”. She is not upset at his contemplating marriage with another woman, but at the prospect that his promise might be weakened in integrity because of it. Hazel does not show signs of being spoiled by any means; rather she demonstrates a strong and developed set of ethics. It is anyone’s guess as to how Hazel allows the confrontation with her uncle to affect the rest of her life, as the story concludes right on the brink of her temperamental shift. It can be hopefully assumed that Hazel will become what she had once believed her parents to have been. Perhaps she will grow from the experience and rise above the “cycle of fibs” associated with parenting rather than take part the madness. MLA Citation Bambara, Tony “ Gorilla My Love”. The Norton Introduction to Literature. 10th ed. Ed. Alison Booth and Kelly J. Mays. New York: Norton. Pg 449-453. Print Jones