Even after only reading the first few chapters of Sag Harbor, I can already see similarities between it and Housekeeping. This may be because Benji and Reggie are/were as close as Ruth and Lucille. but one big similarity I can see is how both siblings tend to drift apart. In Housekeeping, Lucille tells Ruth that they need to start socializing with the other kids instead of each other. During this time, we can see that Ruth doesn’t want to socialize with other people besides Lucille and Sylvia. So, in the end, Ruth ends up just hanging out with Sylvia instead. Even though Ruth ended up coming of age in the end (or at least has started the process), in the beginning, she would probably have much rather followed Lucille around Fingerbone.
In Sag Harbor, although it seems that Benji and Reggie have a mutual agreement to start separating, I can sense a little discomfort on Benji’s end. Unlike Ruth, Benji does know how to make friends at his school, even if he may be the only black one there. But he always comments on how Reggie is becoming different and more like their friends in Sag Harbor. Because of this, I think Benji may feel a little detachment from his friends in Sag Harbor. He wonders how Reggie learned about shoe care and such, and then notices that his friends in Sag have the same shoes. We also see this in Benji’s taste in music, where he definitely stands out because of his knowledge of different kinds of music.
As time goes on, I think Benji will continue to drift apart from his friends in Sag as he tries to revamp himself over the summer for the approaching school year.
I noticed this relationship as well. I think it is cool that such similar narratives appear in the two books. I think it shows how the coming of age process is different for everyone, even if they have lived together forever. There must be something else besides experience driving these kids to split off.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of sad to see how Reggie is learning new things and not sharing them with Benji. I think Benji is okay if Reggie is with the times, but he wants to be with the times too and it hurts when Reggie doesn't share that knowledge with him.
ReplyDeleteYes I totally see this relationship between the two sets of siblings. Benji and Reggie are separating much slower it seems than Ruth and Lucille did, but it is definitely still prevalent. One difference that I have noticed is that in "Housekeeping" Lucille was the one that was trying to look out for Ruth, even though Ruth was older, and trying to help Ruth dress better and make friends, but in "Sag Harbor" it is Benji, the older one, that is looking out for Reggie and trying to make sure he stays safe.
ReplyDeleteYes I totally see this relationship between the two sets of siblings. Benji and Reggie are separating much slower it seems than Ruth and Lucille did, but it is definitely still prevalent. One difference that I have noticed is that in "Housekeeping" Lucille was the one that was trying to look out for Ruth, even though Ruth was older, and trying to help Ruth dress better and make friends, but in "Sag Harbor" it is Benji, the older one, that is looking out for Reggie and trying to make sure he stays safe.
ReplyDeleteI definitely see the connection that you're making. Reggie seems more intent on impressing his friends whereas Benji is just going through life, day by day. This is similar to how Lucille and Ruth behave. But a significant difference is that Lucille actually leaves Ruth whereas Reggie doesn't leave Benji. After Benji gets shot in the eye, Reggie is there for him, and he defends him. The sibling relationships of Housekeeping and Sag Harbor start out similarly, but diverge later in the novels.
ReplyDeleteThe separation and difference between Benji and Reggie do seem to be quite similar to Ruth and Lucille's relationship. One this that is important to note is that Benji and Reggie do show signs of standing up for one another such as when Benji gets the BB stuck in his eye. In Housekeeping it is obvious that their bond must not be that strong as Lucille chooses to abandon Ruth.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Benji and Reggie are rather similar to ruth and Lucille. It's interesting how the desire to distance themselves from each other can almost drive Benmji and Reggie in different worlds. Benji, in this case, seems to be driven away from his Sag friends. Perhaps that's one reason why he is so intent on impressing his school friends.
ReplyDeleteOne effect of the Reggie/Benji split, which is under way already as the summer begins, is that we actually don't see much of Reggie in the novel. The "split" here is presented as a more natural effect of self-definition in _Sag_, whereas in _Housekeeping_ it's a more total and permanent rift in life-philosophy. There's still goodwill--Benji is glad to see signs that Reggie has found "his people" in his school--but they'll each be going their own way after this summer, like Elena did before them. Childhood is a time to be waited out until one can escape and find one's tribe.
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