Mike Boitano
No place to go but up
.. common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen. - Albert Einstein
Barbara Kingsolver’s short story “Rose-Johnny” is a riveting first person narrative of an
adult who reexamines influences and events of her childhood. This story is set in rural
America with a rich cast of characters, including a precocious kid and her family
struggling to survive. The young girl confronts mean children at school, the unforgiving
white customers at the local store and then meets the young black children of town, all the
time learning how to treat them, and herself with dignity. Within these interactions,
develops a camaraderie between two kindred spirits, the young girl Georgeann and an
old woman, Rose-Johnny.
The central character of Georgeann usually concentrates internally on her thoughts and
feelings, rather than giving focus to her external details or descriptions about herself.
Only some references to a tomboy appearance (Para. 63) and being considered small for
Work (Para. 6), give clues about how the youngster feels about her outer shell. However,
this little dynamo is not shy in attitude and quickly establishes to the reader that she is
insightful for her age, has a need to assert her independence in life and is rarely afraid to
be inquisitive.
These traits may result from a simple sibling rivalry (Para. 3) or possibly a response to
comply with pressures from work on the farm. This soon manifests with internal
conflicts, about wanting to conform to pressures to work, since the sister was more
delicate than Georgeann (Para. 7,55,65). Also, the father is inclined to put the girls to
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work because there are no boys in the family (Para. 6), so it seems little Georgeann is
growing up faster than other children. Yet, to give the father and mother credit, when they
recognized their daughter’s growing independence they never try to squash it.
Unfortunately, this little girl fast turning young woman must also contend with the wider
world, which soon proves much more vexing than mere family squabbles. This is
illustrated during the first trip to the store. While Rose-Johnny went to the back for the
goods and the old shopkeeper stepped away for a minute, the strange and hostile old men
move in on Georgeann. They make her jump and uncomfortable as the men are too close
to the child, “right on top of her, so close she had to look straight up.” (Para. 15)
Were they just trying to scare her? This seems to foreshadow some kind of evil intent by
these men, What are they trying to do? Why do they wait for no adult to be around and
then sneak up on her? She is approaching adolescence, 11-12 years old (Para. 3,15).
Maybe, she is beginning to attract attention unknowingly, especially since these men do
not seem to be benevolent nor kind. So, why would these men care about what this child
thinks of an old woman?
Could these men have had something to do with Rose-Johnny’s mother, the gang rape
and the murders? Their age fit’s the timeline of the story. The one old man even mentions
Jackass creek (Para. 21) in the store when the shells are brought up and Rose-Johnny’s
reaction was unusual, to say the least (Para. 22). I wonder if she remembers her family’s
killers from so long ago? It seems to fit an unconscious moral theme to the story, one that
points out the struggles young women go through to understand their sexuality and the
hostility or violence a child can face from society as she starts to mature.
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After the awkward encounter with the strange men, the two females share a laugh when
Georgeann asks a curious question about the shells (Para. 24). Her naive and pleasant
nature win over the old woman and soon they will build lasting bonds. Even though the
friendship brings the both of them some pain, the old woman and girl only grow closer
and deepened their friendship. Rose, the old woman spares the child the pain of society’s
ignorance with her wisdom and in exchange the small child brings some joy so long
denied to the poor, mistreated soul(s), Rose-Johnny. Georgeann’s interaction with Rose is
cathartic for the old woman.
As Georgeann continues to visit the store more and more, the story begins to show a
playful yet darker nature. The girl begins to build social skills, but then starts to take risks
as well. As she evolves into an adult she also stumbles across questions common to most
adolescents. While she takes on more responsibilities, she also tends to crack a little with
pressures. To cover up the antics at work, she uses the power of her first big lie (Para. 63-
74). She then manifests a propensity to act up, as a need to improvise during the story to
her parents illustrates. With her assertion for independence in the adult world, comes a
realization that not everything works out so smoothly in life.
Slowly, as she acclimates to the job she begins to build a confidence and skill set not
afforded to her as a child (Para. 127). Then with these new found abilities it seems she
realizes not only what it takes to become an adult, but what it takes to be a person that
masterfully handles the perplexities of life, rather than be affected by them.
This in effect is where she makes her transformation from child to adult, a self awareness
and sense of destiny builds in her. A pivotal point is reached when she consciously sees
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the resemblance of “grey hair” (Para. 33,95) as a family trait and then an unconscious
theme of the Mattox males and their “shiny, penny colored eyes” (Para. 30,95,203).
Leaving the reader to wonder if the Mattox males also have a family trait of abuse and
violence; beating the red mule (Para. 94), the wife receiving the same fate as the mule and
the possible involvement with the rape?
Georgeann also learns how to handle herself when the black children come to shop at the
store (Para. 96). Rather than using the lack of money as an excuse to be prejudice against
the Black children (Para. 117), she stoically and cordially accepted the money, anyway
(Para. 119). She listened to her friend Rose-Johnny, and treated the Black children with
dignity, the same as she would anyone else (Para. 99).
This lesson to avoid bigotry was perhaps the most important one the old woman could
have taught the child. The second important lesson was to teach her how to handle the job
(and people), with dignity and grace (Para. 117). The final lesson Rose-Johnny was able
to teach Georgeann was the hardest lesson to teach a child, how to deal with the crisis of
hatred or death. From the sickness of Rose-Johnny, to the fight with the boy at school, to
the real stories of why Rose-Johnny was the way she was, until finally culminating in a
frenzy of violence and death.
At first, the Mattoxes tormented her for her choice of friends, then she has her friend die
(Para. 182), or worse is murdered (Para. 184), finally her sister was almost raped instead
of Georgeann (Para. 184-190). Amazingly, the child manages to cope with all the
violence, by healing with the passing of time. She gets over it, but she will never forget
the lessons her friend, or life taught her.
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On the surface Georgeann is an inquisitive child bent on friendship, but it seems there is
always a second almost deeper meaning to this story. For instance, by interacting with
someone she is not suppose, Rose-Johnny’s unusual appearance, only to learn of things
that her small town does not approve, “Lebanese” people (Para. 53,78). Which then only
adds agony to her interest, being punished for liking someone different.
Her struggles to understand her own sexuality are much this way as well, the more
interest, the more agony. When the sister developed a woman’s body (Para. 61), the
masked men assaulted her (Para. 208), would they do it to Georgeann as well? Isn’t that
what she thought (Para. 209)? It must take a strong spirit to overcome such stupidity and
ignorance.
The parallel between the young life of Georgeann and the young life of Rose seems to
be the core of their interaction. It is underlined in the last scenes, when the story of what
had happened to Rose’s Mother - the gang rape (Para. 175), and almost to Rose (Para.
176). When Georgeann realizes the men who attacked her sister where probably after her,
she cuts her hair like Rose-Johnny to signify her solidarity with her friend and reluctance
to give in to the tyrants (Para. 209). Finally, as the old woman makes her way out of life,
Georgeann seems to be making a transition of her own into adulthood. A marking of the
passing on of one life and another just beginning. Much like the interaction between Rose
and Johnny had been (Para. 180).
“Rose-Johnny” is a fascinating tale of small town life, the ways in which it effects
emotions and how people see themselves and each other. The moral of this story is no
matter how well you may treat someone they do not have to repay you with the same
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kindness. So, whatever happens, you and you alone possess the decision to be kind, or
not. You must be the one who controls you own fate. The author wants us to see the
transformation of an innocent child’s perspective on the world. Then watch as she
evolves into a cognitive, nearly adult being able to rationalize the difference between the
follies of this world, and the wishes of what We all want it to be.
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
- Albert Einstein
© 2007 Mike W. Boitano
All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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