I believe that Sugar Cane Alley is--in part--a coming of age story for Jose. We not only watch Jose grow as he experiences what could quite possibly be his last year before he has to take on some serious responsibilities, but also get insight into what his future would be whether or not he passes his exams.
Jose starts off as a young, seemingly carefree boy who spends his time playing with the other children--this takes place in the country (the sugar cane fields) and the village. More towards the middle of the film, there is a significant amount of time centered around Jose's time spent in school, which takes place in the town. Lastly, towards the end of the film, we witness Jose in school at an academy, which takes place at this academy and in an even nicer town--inhabited with a great number of white-skinned people. A main film style to notice here is that each different arena that the film takes place in is relevant to a stage of development that Jose is in--each one as crucial as the next. Additionally, the people in each stage offer different paths in which Jose's future could head.
If Jose were to stay in the country/town and never progress to the next stage--as noted prior--he would most likely turn out to be like the people that inhabit this setting. A key example of what Jose's future could become is Medouze. Medouze is a seemingly typical--for the most part--character of the sugar cane fields. He lives in poverty, is malnourished, is alone, and seems to have little to no future. So if Jose does not go to school or does not pass his exams, he can easily turn into a character like Medouze--one which he even feels like he can, in some ways, relate to. On the other end of the spectrum, once Jose has grown into an academy student, his options are much broader. For example, a reasonable estimate for someone that he could become is his dark-skinned professor. This professor is a well educated man that is more well off than those who live in the sugar cane fields and Jose seems to share a bond with him. However, it must be noted that in this day and age, although Jose may be an excellent student, his options for his future are--at some point--limited due to his ethnicity and skin color.
Hi Natalie,
ReplyDeleteI think you were spot on with your theme of the movie, José's gradual maturation is very clearly depicted in the movie. I also really like your comparison between José, Medouze and his professor. Those two characters definitely represents the polar opposites of the society as José knows it. He could have easily fallen apart and ended up working the fields like the rest of his village. But instead, he carried out his education and definitely broadened his horizons for the future. It really shows the power that education has on an individual.
I agree that Sugar Cane Alley is definitely a coming of age story. Jose started off as a very immature boy, who spent most of his time with the other village children. His only care in life was to feed himself, and to make sure his grandmother did not beat him. He definitely transitioned as he gained an education as you mentioned. Sugar Cane Alley represents how education and opportunity can drastically change a community and the individuals in it, and how oppression stunts the growth of the people living in that nation.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the film follows who and what are important to Jose's maturation throughout the story, which was very interesting because it showed his potential future through the eyes of many people. I also really like the note that Jose is taught by two men who each portray a potential future for Jose- one as a worker like Mendouze or as an educator like his teacher. Because of this, it seems like he has an insight into what he future is and can be, which gave him a reason to excel in school.
ReplyDeleteSugar Cane Alley is definitely a story about José growing up and developing as a person. I really like that you noted the transition of the setting as José transitioned through his life. I also liked that you paralleled the two ends of the spectrum with the two people in José's life. I think that was an excellent way to embody the possibilities that José faces in his life. In an imperialistic society like the one José lives in, failure at attempting to get an education can be extremely frightening because then, there is no hope of breaking the cycle. I think the movie highlighted the sadness of never breaking that cycle perfectly with Medouze.
ReplyDeleteI also agree it is a coming-of-age story, but also a unique one. Jose is not the most self-aware character and seems to abide by much of the encouragement of his grandmother. We can acknowledge that he has grown and accomplished much, but it is not entirely clear he has the wisdom to acknowledge these changes himself. But we didn't see the very end, so I may have missed this moment of realization.
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