POWER CONTINUUM
"Curzon Bellingham"
CHAINS,
by
Laurie Halse Anderson
In Laurie Halse
Anderson’s brilliant historical fiction, Chains, Isabel, the main
character, seems to be in a constant state of change on the Power Continuum
but always demonstrates Resistance and a goal of achieving Agency. It
is, however, Curzon Bellingham, a young slave boy, who captures my attention
when analyzing the power relations.
Like
Isabel, Curzon, too, is in a constant state of change. When the reader
is first introduced to the young boy, he seems to have one foot dancing
within the positions of domination (demonstrated by his position as slave)
and, simultaneously, collusion based upon his conscious awareness of the
unacceptable position as slave and the same conscious movement toward taking
action). His other foot, however, is firmly placed in resistance (he
has more responsibilities and rights than other slaves) with his goal for
agency (demonstrated by taking risks and actions to gain his own freedom).
He seems to leap into the position of Resistance at his departure for battle
and his tales of the warfare demonstrate his attainment of agency (when his
comrade was killed and he took over as an equal rebel fighter), but, almost
as quickly as he moved to the most powerful position, we learn of his capture
and, in a flash, Curzon falls to the new position of total domination within
the prison. It is only when Isabel rescues him, waking him on the
shores of freedom, that he begins to slip out of domination and back up the
ladder.
I felt
for him because he was so filled with hope, drive and determination, only to
have it all taken from him. I absolutely loved Curzon as he not only
fought for that which he believed but taught (or forced) Isabel to do the
same. If not for Curzon, would Isabel ever achieve agency?
by Linda Sue Park
The story is based on a true story about the Salva, who, during the midst of the Second Sudanese Civil War, begins his journey as one of the young men American's refer to as “The Lost Boys of Sudan.” When the author introduces us to Salva, he is an eleven year old boy from a successful family who is grateful for being able to attend school. At this introduction, we learn that, as one of many children in the family, he has responsibilities and a sense of agency, “... responsibilities depend on how old they were...” (pg 3).
He and his brothers, while tending the cattle, were in positions of power.
Throughout the story, at the beginning of every chapter, we are given a glimpse into the life of a young girl named Nya whose life revolves around the collection and delivery of water to her family. The journey for water is long and hot, filled with difficulties and consuming the entire day.
Because she is responsible for the duty, one might consider her a person with some sense of agency, but, in fact, she is in between the position of domination and collusion, as she is not able to go to school because of her gender, she has the position of water collector because of her gender and the environment in which she lives also imposes the position upon her as there is no water. The author writes
of the constancy of her position... “To the pond and back – to the pond and back – nearly a full day of walking altogether. This was Nya's daily routine seven months of the year. Daily. Every single day” (pg 20).
The constancy continued regardless
of where Nya's family was,
“Nya's job as the lake camp was the same as at home: to fetch water. Waiting for water. Here, for hours at a time, And every day for five long months...” (pg 27) and
“... They had no house... And for much of each day, they had to dig for water” (pg 33).
Throughout the story, as she learns more about and watches a stranger who comes from a tribe considered to be her tribe's enemy, she is offered higher positions on the continuum until, at last, she has reached a sense of agency, but still laced with the domination which the
environment insists upon delivering:
“'With the well here, no one will have to go to the pond anymore. So all the children will be able to go to school.' Nya stared at her father. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. When at last she was able to speak, it was only in a whisper. 'All the children, Papa? The girls, too?' Her father's smile grew broader. 'Yes, Nya. Girls, too,' he said. 'Now, go and fetch water for us.'” (pg 103).
Shortly after the first shots were fired, Salva's position immediately changed. No longer in control of his situation, he did not give up freely, demonstrating a position of resistance. He understood his status in the village and, when soldiers were separating the men from the
women and children, he paused, realizing that he
was just a boy but, because as the only representative
of his family, he was prepared to take his place.
“Salva hesitated for a moment. He was only eleven, but he was the son of an important family. He was Salva Mawien Dut Ariik, from the village named for his grandfather. His father always told him to act like a man – to follow the example of his older brothers and, in turn, set a good example for Kuol. Salva took a few steps toward the men.” (pg 11)
In those few steps, his position in the continuum melted to a sense of domination, “”The end of the barrel touched his chin. Salva felt his knees turn to water. He closed his eyes...” (pg 11) and, just as quickly flowed back to resistance: “If I die now, I will never see my family again. Somehow, this thought strengthened him enough to keep him from collapsing in terror” (pg 11) and fluctuated between the two power positions as demonstrated by the adjectives of the author, writing how he “scurried over to the women's side” (pg 12).
Throughout the book, Salva's position is in constant motion from domination, collusion and resistance.
Domination returned upon Salva's realization that the people he had met from his village had abandoned him (pg 15) but collusion built as he worked hard for an old woman in hopes that she would allow him to stay with her (pg 18) only to be replaced, again, by domination upon the realization that she would refuse to allow him to stay with her any longer (pg 18) and he was considered a burden and apt to be left behind by his own villagers (pg 21), once again, to a sense
of collusion when he was allowed to travel with the
villagers, as he was “determined not to lag behind, not to complain, not to be any trouble to anyone.
He did not even ask where they were going, for fear that his questions would be unwelcome” (pg 22).
Throughout the story, Salva's position on the power continuum continues to rise and drop, as if a feather on the waves, struggling against the relentless tides of opposition to reach a solid shore. His friendship with Marial increases his position, merely by an understanding peer, but only to the position of collusion as the concerns of the environment continue to threaten and dominate him. However, the wave surged to resistance when Uncle Jewiir appeared.
Uncle Jewirr had, among the refugees, the position of agency (“... Uncle was seen by the group as a kind of leader” [page 34]) and, as his nephew, Salva's position on the power continuum rose.
Uncle Jewirr's position of agency was never questioned and never faltered, although Salva, as they struggled to survive walking to Ethiopia, grew weak in spirit and body, and, especially after his only friend was killed and consumed by the lions, fell, once again, to the domination position of the continuum (“He clung to Uncle like a baby or a little boy, hanging on to his hand or shirttail when he could, never letting Uncle get farther than an arm's length away. He looked around constantly.” [pg 40]).
Upon coming to the Nile River, however, the requirement to work and become productive (to build canoes) created within all of the refugees, the position of resistance: “It was hard work running back and forth between those cutting and those weaving. But Salva found that the work was helping
him feel a little better. He was too busy to worry much...
he would pause for a few minutes to admire
the skills of the boatbuilders” (pg 44).
Upon the arrival of the Nuer tribe, Uncle Jawirr was stripped of his position of agency and instantly fell to domination as he was removed from the group, tied and murdered.
Salva's position fell with Uncle's death, as he was, once again, ostracized by the villagers with whom he walked. However, as he walked across Africa with the memory of his family, his uncle and his friend, he felt, within him, a rising sense of resistance, “The way they were treating him made Salva feel stronger still. There is no one left to help me. They think I am weak and useless. Salva lifted his head proudly. They are wrong, and I will prove it” (pg 66).
Upon the closing of the refugee camp, domination returned to Salva but, in the midst of the shooting, crocodiles and drownings, Salva became determined again, continuing to fluctuate between collusion and domination.
Once safely away from the threats of soldiers and crocodiles, Salva soon flowed back into the collusion position (“He did not know what he would find once he got there, but it seemed to be his best choice...” [pg 80]) and within a day “became a leader of about 1500 boys” (pg 80), throwing him
into the position of agency, “There were times when some of the boys did not want to do their share of the work.
Salva would talk to them, encourage them, coax and persuade them. Once in a while he had to speak sternly, or even shout. But he tried not to do this too often... he remembered how Uncle had encouraged him in the desert” (pg 81).
Once arriving to a new refugee camp, the environment was one of domination (“Tall fences of barbed wire enclosed the camp; you weren't allowed to leave unless you were leaving for good. It felt almost like a prison” (pg 84) but Salva' position rarely fell to the domination level again,
as he was always hoping and looking for opportunities, suggesting a power of collusion if not resistance.
Michael, an aid worker with the position of agency, offered Salva opportunities to increase his level of possibilities through lessons in English and teaching him to play volleyball. Salva, secretly, was in a position between collusion and resistance as he “was working hard because he wanted to learn to read English...” (pg 87).
However, as lists of names for people who would have the opportunity to go to American were posted, each time Salva's name did not appear, the wave of domination would, at the very least, wash over him: “He tried not to lose hope.
At the same time, he tried not to hope too much.
Sometimes he felt he was being torn in two by the hoping and the not hoping” (pg 89). Upon walking into the cold of New York with his new family, it is unclear where Salva falls on the power continuum. He was torn and the reader can feel his sense of loss and lack of any sense of power: “Leaving the airport felt like leaving his old life forever – Sudan, his village, his family...
His new family was already outside” (pg 96).
Obviously, the last position of power Salva claims on the power continuum is one of agency, a position that the reader can not imagine being stripped away from Salva again. As he addresses crowds of people, as he builds an organization and as he helps the people, including the enemy tribes, of his country gain health, prosperity and education through the building of wells, all who meet, work for and address him, including Nya, do so in the manner appropriately given to a fine leader, with power and understanding of a bigger picture.
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