By the definition of Webster’s Dictionary, Skirmishes is
defined as a minor dispute or verbal conflict between opposing parties. In the
memoir, The Mee Street Chronicles:
Straight up Stories of a Black Woman’s Life, the author Frankie Lennon
writes about her personal struggle with alcohol in the selection, Skirmishes.
The title of this selection is relevant since Frankie is the protagonist and
the monkeys that constantly bombard her with comments are in fact her own
thoughts that she has tried to escape from, is the opposing party. This selection
is set in the 1980’s in the narrator’s Alcohol Anonymous meetings in South
Central, Los Angeles.
The emotional tone is ominous throughout the selection
until the end where there is a tone shift in which Frankie has come to realize
she will not lose this battle of alcohol addiction and stands and says, “I’m
Frankie and I’m an alcoholic.”(pg. 199) As I read through this short but powerful
selection, I came to terms with the tone. Frankie walks into her Alcohol Anonymous
meetings with unease, not sure of when she will show her true colors to the
people in that room. The narrator also deals with the voices in her head who
she calls the “The Twelve Monkeys” (pg. 192) who constantly trouble and
influence her on taking another drink which was always her temptation. Frankie understood her condition when she
stated, “the chase was becoming a grind… it was something that was more work
than fun.” (pg. 187) It became a lifestyle to her and a way of life which she
no longer agreed with. According to the Six Stages of Integration, Frankie
appears to be in the second stage which is “coming out to self”. In this stage
she is realizing herself and coming to terms with what she wants in life. The
feel of the story is very secluded yet hopeful, meaning Frankie wants to keep
within herself but also open up to people by fixing her addiction problem and
letting people know who she really is.
One of the many descriptive passages that the author
writes in her memoir is her temptation to drink again in her dream. She writes,
“I watched myself putting the glass of mother scotch to my lips, smelling its
fumes, struggling not to, but finally surrendering…”. As one of the most
detailed sentences in my opinion, she writes of how she is driven by temptation
to relapse. The narrator refers to the liquor as mother scotch which represents
her willingness to offer herself to this so-called mother. She found the scotch
to be a soother of her other problem which is dealing with her same sex
attraction. Also, she describes the podium to be “edged with small, white
Christmas lights that blinked on and off”. The descriptive details provide a visual
of the setting since we see the podium and its lights which can symbolize the
road she must take to get to that final outcome which flashes right in front of
her.
The narrator’s main
struggle is realizing and accepting her condition. She does admit to herself
when she says she felt like every single person in the A.A room was struggling
to stay sober, and so was she. As she decided to give into the monkeys, which
are her conscience, and walk out from the meetings and what would be her new
sobered up lifestyle, she hears the voice of Sam who asks of her to stay. His
exact words were, written by the narrator, “Don’t leave five minutes before the
miracle.” This brought Frankie to a halt; a stop in her life, her actions and
her lifestyle which would soon enough change for the better. The struggles that
Frankie goes through in the selection Skirmishes makes tension in the story by
making the climax appear. The words that come out from Sam were true and good
enough to convince Frankie of sitting back down and they were true because as
she learned, they came from the heart. From reading this memoir of Frankie
Lennon, it made me want to know more and continue reading the book without
putting it down. The type of information that the narrator writes is very
descriptive and can be visualized which helps the reader understand and become
more engaged in her memoir.
Even though Frankie is dealing with an alcohol addiction
it can also be seen as an illness. For me, I have always dealt with being
overweight. I have struggled with it all my life and it is not something you
can ever come to terms with until you try and help yourself. What I have
learned is that you have to be willing to accept others help. I could make a connection with Frankie in the
sense that I know how it feels to be put down for having a problem. My issue
might not seem so similar yet the energy and the feedback is the same. The
negative views of others such as pity, shame, avoidance, anger, rejection are
all impacting in the same way. Once you have gotten to fixing your addiction or
finding ways to help your problem, you feel better about yourself knowing you’re
trying to make that difference.
The entire memoir of Frankie Lennon is a powerful book
that I have found to be inspiring. Skirmishes, in particular, was an
interesting selection since it dealt entirely with her addiction to alcohol and
her means of fixing her problem. The title of choice fits perfectly within the
story since Frankie deals with the inner voices, known to her as the monkeys,
and tries to win the battle. Just like in a battle, someone loses and someone
goes home victorious. In the case of Frankie Lennon in her book, The Mee Street Chronicles; Straight up
Stories of a Black Woman’s Life, Frankie has come out a winner by getting
off her seat and introducing herself as who she really is.
No comments:
Post a Comment