Sag Harbor: Elena
Sag Harbor is one of my favorite books we read this semester. In one of the most recent chapters that we read we finally meet Elena, Benji's older sister. While we only see her for a few minutes I became really interested in her. I was sad that we could not take more time to talk about her in class because she seems really important to Benji.
Elena is in collage and does not come out to Sag Harbor anymore because she is off working in her collage town. Benji even says "She hasn't been here much because she'd already moved on". I think the reason she does not come out anymore goes deeper then that. She tells Benji "get out when you can, work hard and get into a good school. That way you're out of the house and that's it". Elena seems to be more attuned to the family issues with their dad. She hints at it to Benji but he does not seem to fully understand yet.
Elena also reminds me a lot of Julia from Black Sawn Green because they are both older sisters to our protagonist. They also know more if the family dynamics, are in or about to go to collage, and they give their old music to their little brothers. Benji also seems to really like her and want to spend time with her. We see that relationship forming with Jason and Julia as well once she has gone to collage.
What I think is also very interesting is that Elena seems to have separated herself from not just her parents but Sag Harbor as well. Benji even says, "Her final summer, she was too hip and strange and 'white-acting' for the Sag Harbor boys and girls she'd grown up with, and went out to find others like her, her fellow unlikelies". Elena seems to have gone in a completely different direction then Benji and Reggie who still seem close with their group of Sag Harbor friends. We also know from Ben that when he goes to collage and it transforms him. While we do not know how both Benji and Elena seem to have changed a lot from when they were still going to Sag Harbor.
Elena is in collage and does not come out to Sag Harbor anymore because she is off working in her collage town. Benji even says "She hasn't been here much because she'd already moved on". I think the reason she does not come out anymore goes deeper then that. She tells Benji "get out when you can, work hard and get into a good school. That way you're out of the house and that's it". Elena seems to be more attuned to the family issues with their dad. She hints at it to Benji but he does not seem to fully understand yet.
Elena also reminds me a lot of Julia from Black Sawn Green because they are both older sisters to our protagonist. They also know more if the family dynamics, are in or about to go to collage, and they give their old music to their little brothers. Benji also seems to really like her and want to spend time with her. We see that relationship forming with Jason and Julia as well once she has gone to collage.
What I think is also very interesting is that Elena seems to have separated herself from not just her parents but Sag Harbor as well. Benji even says, "Her final summer, she was too hip and strange and 'white-acting' for the Sag Harbor boys and girls she'd grown up with, and went out to find others like her, her fellow unlikelies". Elena seems to have gone in a completely different direction then Benji and Reggie who still seem close with their group of Sag Harbor friends. We also know from Ben that when he goes to collage and it transforms him. While we do not know how both Benji and Elena seem to have changed a lot from when they were still going to Sag Harbor.
Interesting comparison between the Jason/Julia and Elena/Benji relationships. I feel like there is also sort of a parallel in the distaste of the older sister for the father. Julia's come from the fact that her dad cheated on her mom while Elena's comes from the fact that her dad is an alcoholic and p abusive.
ReplyDeleteI too wish we'd had a chance to talk about Elena's brief appearance near the end of the novel, when she happens to be in Sag for reasons that have nothing to do with the family, and Benji is shocked that she's not even going to stop by and say hi. When you stop coming out, the implication is, you really stop coming out. I like the moment where she seems to call Benji out for being in denial about the dysfunctional family dynamic--"You know what I'm talking about." She gives him really good advice, and in the final section you quote, we can see her as a kind of model for Benji to carve out a "paradoxical" identity for himself--a "black boy with a beach house" who digs rap but really likes mopey British post-punk and still has a soft spot for B-movies and comics. High school (and summer vacation) is to be endured and survived; college is the time to "find your tribe" and get out.
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