The novel All the Living by C.E. Morgan centers around the character Aloma and her experiences living as a poor farmer in rural America. Aloma is orphaned at an extremely young age and spends most of her childhood at a Mission school. While at the school, feeling alone and worthless, she finds something that she can attach herself to; the piano. Aloma develops an incessant passion for the instrument. As she describes: “She had never been good at anything - not rotten, but not gifted either… her new skill damped somewhat the sullen disposition her uncle had warned her teachers about” (Morgan 13). After the discovery of this skill, the piano transforms into something else within Aloma's mind. It becomes a possibility of a way out of her lacking life, and represents something more than a mere hobby.
The best example of how Aloma views the piano comes after she lands a job at the local church playing for their congregations. The minister, Bell, allows Aloma to come in during the week to practice on the parish piano and soon takes an interest in her playing. She discovers, “how she played not quite as pertly, not as accurately, when [Bell] was not in the building” (Morgan 132). Bell’s interest in her playing abilities leads her to have an interest in him. As if his caring for her craft is an affirmation of his character. However, Aloma’s feelings regarding him soon sour when she visits his home. While inside she finds a piano that created “pitches sagging and unclean” (Morgan 135). Aloma thinks, after discovering the piano in disrepair, “she would have thought Bell a better man than that, a man who could care especially for something - a piano, an old house, a woman” (Morgan 136). Aloma is directly relating Bell’s ability to take care of a piano to his potential to take care of a woman. As if because of his inability to take care of this inanimate object, there is no way he could take care of her as his wife. Later, when Bell refers to Aloma as pretty she “Thought of the piano, she did not feel gorgeous” (Morgan 137). Aloma directly replaces the status of the piano with how she views herself. Since Bell is unable to keep the piano in working condition, unable to keep it beautiful, she can’t see herself as beautiful either. It is apparent that the piano is more than just some passion Aloma developed when she was a child.
I believe that, to Aloma, the piano represents her self worth. This is why, upon discovering pianos in the story decrepit and forgotten, she often takes personal offense. How characters within the story, especially the men, treat the instrument shows Aloma how she feels they would treat her.
The piano is a powerful symbol throughout the novel and serves as both an escape for Aloma and a foil of Orren's and Bell's characters. Her view towards the piano changes as a result of the men in her life; I agree that she becomes frustrated due to lack in the pianos Orren and Bell own, which are similar to the men's own personalities, and link the two men together. I think also Aloma’s expectations for both Orren and Bell ultimately cause her downfall and loss of her dreams. She wants Bell to be different, but he ultimately proves himself to be hollow, just like the rest of the characters. The stark contrasts between Aloma and the other people in the novel emphasizes Aloma’s appreciation for beauty and inherent innocence. Morgan often describes the characters as silhouettes, utilizing imagery to insinuate the emptiness in characters. Many of the other characters, Orren especially, are jaded and bitter towards the world, but Aloma’s character begins as innocent and hopeful. However, throughout the novel, bitterness settles in, and she eventually becomes like the other characters when she agrees to Orren’s proposal, “She looked up to the sky as if her salvation was there, but it was not. It never was, she thought bitterly” (187). When she relinquishes her dreams and accepts her fate, she becomes more content in her situation.
ReplyDeleteI was struck by the ending of the novel, after Bell has cut off Aloma and Aloma has married Orren, when Aloma tells Orren she wants to get rid of the piano in the old house. I found this especially bleak considering the role of the piano as almost a savior for Aloma, or her self-worth like you said in this post (which I agree with). Furthermore, by the end of the novel Aloma has lost any connection with the piano, because Bell has fired her from the church. He fired her because of her relationship with Orren, which is significant because both men - Bell and Orren- have taken away her self-worth; her sense of identity. This suggests some interesting things about the role of men in Aloma's life and how they have both given and taken away her identity. As you mention, both pianos that the men try to offer her are decrepit and in disrepair - the men try to offer her the part of her life she finds so much comfort in, yet it is not enough. When she finally regains the piano, it is lost due to her relationship with Orren and Bell's jealousy of their cohabitation. Even though Aloma loses her relationship with the piano, she seems resigned and almost peaceful with her new fate as Orren's wife on the farm. Perhaps this is hopeful - Aloma has gained a stronger sense of self beyond the piano - or perhaps it is sad, because Aloma has lost herself to the farm.
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