Oprah's Book Club (Official) discussion

This is your place to sound off about anything in the Floyd or Six chapters. Ask a question or offer your thoughts.

These were my two least favorite chapters of the book. I wanted Floyd to stand up for Lafayette at his music gig and I wanted Six to realize what a gift he had and to embrace it.

Reading about Six had me cringing at Six's sinful behavior and plans for the future. My own religious belief system caused me to have problems with this chapter. To me Six was took a gift from God and twisted it into a dark thing that he used for sexual gratification and future plans to take over as a Pastor in a local church. To me Six may have been working in a Christian position but he was a fake preacher whose belief system didn't match his preachings.

Well said Lynn I agree.

I agree as well Lynn

I agree with Lynn. However, in keeping with the book, shows degree of dysfunction in the home. Also made me glad I do read God's Word to understand what we are to do as Christians. Thanks.

I went back and reread this chapter, and I don't think Six chose the ministry. His parents' actions chose that life for him. If Hattie would had not had the relationship with Lawrence, Avery had never made the comment, "Your mama Hattie's a whore. If August had not been out and about, Avery wouldn't have been able to say,"August wasn't shit."

Later, Six even tells Reverend Grist he didn't know if he had found the Lord. I think he was a confused young man, and everybody was trying to tell him who he was.

I also think the scene with Coral and Six is the same as Floyd and Lafayette's encounter in the forest. When he is with Rose at the end of the chapter, he is more aware of intentions. I think it is first choice that he makes on his own.

I agree with Irene. Hardship affects people in different ways. Some people come out the other side stronger, but Six's pain warped him. He is a broken young boy and doesn;t understand why this happened to him. He didn't see his 'fits' as a gift but rather as a curse setting him apart from other people in yet another way.

Perhaps this final sexual encounter makes him feel as though he finally belongs somewhere, urging him to stay on doing the only thing he knows how to do.

Angela wrote: "I agree with Lynn. However, in keeping with the book, shows degree of dysfunction in the home. Also made me glad I do read God's Word to understand what we are to do as Christians. Thanks."

I agree that the dysfunctional home life of the children ultimately led to some choices they made down the road.

I can relate to Six. His internal struggle caused him such grief. I see his humanness. I feel his pain. We don't choose God, God chooses us. He was chose, he had a gift. Yet he struggled and fought against his calling. I see his insecurities, his low self esteem. Yet this calling, that he doesn't even feel he deserves, is the thing that makes people love him. How difficult his dilemma

Floyd was living a lie. What's worst is he believed his own lie. He suffered the most from that belief.

I wonder if Hattie and August knew about Six's "gift?" I remember her saying, "oh, you can't stop yourself, can you?" (view spoiler)[after he beat up the neighborhood child, Avery. (hide spoiler)] At that point, I thought she was referring to anger management issues and wanted to send him off with Rev. Grist for some discipline or to protect him "until things blow over," or maybe to see if he really did have a gift, or in hopes of him being saved by Rev. Grist?

As for Floyd, I think it was the times, he was black and gay, two strikes against him. But, he could've come to terms with his sexuality and entered the secret world like most did at the time.

Both Floyd and Six are evidence of Hattie's life and how affected she was after the death of her twins. It is truly sad, how parents damage their children - some willingly and some unwillingly...

The Character Six in The Twelve Tribes of Hattie brings a spiritual dimension towards Ayana Mathis’ masterpiece. In his youth, Six explores the office of being a minister. After an emotional childhood, the chapter’s theme, to me, is a psychological contemplation and a battle of good and evil. His life is poetically foreshadowed in his name with reference to “The Holy Bible.” The numerical value six is symbolized in Genesis of being sorrowful and labor of man. Six’s imperfect life bears holy and evil events that illustrate his battle and struggle to live a happy life.
Six fell into a baptism of turmoil when he was a baby. A tub of boiling hot water melted his flesh and inhibited him from growing. The irony in this event is that Six nearby died from the hot water that his late siblings, Philadelphia and Jubilee, needed in order to survive from pneumonia in chapter one. As a result of his morphed body image, his esteem was bare and fragile and his parents’ hardly showed love contributed towards his developed isolation. Therefore, he built dense walls of emotional barriers and become introvertly shy. Analytically, his physiological limitations correspond with his psychological limitations of growing. He did, however, find comfort in the embellishment of woman pitying his predicament. This would ultimately influence his life as we find out in chapter “Sala.”
Six experiences an intellectual and spiritual spark when he visits the south to attend a tent revival were he leaded a prayer session and ministered. He saw himself as societally worthy; he was exposed to the power that he possessed by becoming eminent with himself and syncing with his soul. When he consecrated himself and became self-aware when he spoke at the tent revival, “He had so much power that he could afford to share it, had to share it, or it would explode in him.” When Six was praying, he biblically referenced to the Jericho walls being brought down by marching around them. Mathis uses a significant imagery to describe Six’s emotional walls and social barriers that correspond to the Jericho story.
Six’s supernatural spark of power and authority when he was speaking is what I like to call the book’s “Six moment.” He was shown how significant he was, his purpose in life, and the power he possessed as an individual. This moment is a moment that we all should want and anticipate because it is a pivotal revelation for our life’s destiny. Amid his troubled emotions, physical appearance, and isolation, I am sure Six questioned prior to the revival, “why me?” The “Six moment” is significant because it shows us that “why me?” is not the question or philosophy that should surface our consciousness. The essential question in life should be: what power do I possess and how will I use it? The second part of this two-part question was not fulfilled in Six’s life. Following the tent revival, Six did not know how, or what to do with his power when he was speaking and praying for people. While he was ministering, he defaulted to revisit his fear and low self-esteem that caused him to flee from the tent and hide. He was still entertaining good and his possession of fear.
His battle with evil is depicted when Mathis uses Six’s fight. Six has an evil impulse when he attacks a boy for insulting him and physically assaulting him. He unexpectedly reacted and seriously harmed the other component. Rage and vengeance boiled and erupted into a potential catastrophe.
His young elevation as leader was premature because he had no ethical or strong moral foundation as a youth; he was not well rooted like Reverend Grist – Six’s spiritual leader. He even said that he did not want to preach anymore after the tent revival, but his desire to be sociably accepted encouraged him to keep preaching. Six’s 30-minute anointment caused him to use his blessing in vein for the love of man. This must have developed a strong form arrogance and self-pride. He let his past fears as a youth overcome him. Six’s revisiting his emotional past is also imaged in the location of him going to the south, the place where his parents long-fought to leave. It reminds me of the Israelites who wanted to go back to Egypt because they did not like the struggle of waiting for a change. Later in “Sala,” we learn that he became a womanizer while preaching, prostituting his 30minute anointing for the love of an unrighteous life.
Six brings into The Twelve Tribes of Hattie the contemplation of good and evil. It shows us to understand what power we poses, and how to use it in the intent that it was given to us. The chapter also reminds us not to embellish on the past as it can trouble your future.

I think they were unfortunately a product of their homelife circumstances

I agree with Lynn and Irene.

Six didn't choose the reverend lifestyle; Hattie and August's decision to send Six away with Reverend Grist did. Six admitted to not really knowing the Lord, yet tried to heal the sick, then continue in sinful ways. Although his chapter ends imagine that he becomes a well-known reverend that abuses his power. Sounds like a few real-life reverends in the world.

I agree with the other readers, that was family with struggles. It must of been extremely hard for Floyd to try and understand his sexuality and especially in a time when being gay was not accepted and also, it must be even that much hard for him in his community.

Floyd was my favorite chapter. After finishing Floyd I put the book down for a day in order to think about him and the consequences of his actions, his choices, his life, etc. I learned a lot from him and found the following chapters didn't live up to his chapter.

I agree with Lorrie, Floyd was absolutely my favorite chapter. In addition to Floyd's struggles, Ayana Mathis described the Southern music scene so vividly, that I felt I was right there surrounded by the smoke, heat & pulsing music. Loved it!

Me too, Anne. My pulse stopped a couple of times during the Floyd chapter. I'm not sure what it was. Was it the topic, the new experience for me, the education, the words, the atmosphere....? I'm not sure but it was the best. I would have loved to have been in that bar listening to Floyd play.

Lorrie- Although I felt connected to Floyd's story and moved by this chapter too, I found that I had to put the book down for awhile after I read Ella's chapter. Again, Hattie had to say goodbye to one of her babies. August says it's not the same as with the twins, but I think it will be worse. Ella is alive and well and Hattie will never again be able to rub her back, be tickled by her hair, soothe her when she cries. It's definitely worse.

If it wasn't hard enough to be poor and black and in the south during this time in America -- Floyd must also deal with being a gay man. Floyd wanted desperately to love Lafayette and make a life with him after a single sexual encounter- but they both know that this would have been a bad decision for them both in many ways. It is difficult to make a life and make a family for many lgbt Americans today, I cannot begin to imagine how nearly impossible it must have been for them during Floyd's lifetime.

I can already feel a major book hangover coming on when I'm done with this one.

Alex, I cannot imagine what Floyd & Lafayette had to go through way back; but, I do not know what it was like to cross the color barriers back in the 60s and live with those results....it only makes you stronger.

Some of the readers have suggested a sequel and others have suggested they would prefer not. My vote is "yes".

I'm reading through the posts and had to remember the Floyd chapter, which tells me that little about it grabbed my full attention . With Six I kept thinking he was older, a man not a child. It seems that he felt a lot of responsibility-, and was given a lot for a boy, yet behaved so irresponsibly when he attacked Avery. I found myself trying to "figure him out" the whole time.

Irene wrote: "I went back and reread this chapter, and I don't think Six chose the ministry. His parents' actions chose that life for him. If Hattie would had not had the relationship with Lawrence, Avery had ne..."

Agree with you on this one Irene! Well said.