Oprah's Book Club (Official) discussion

What do you think the author intended by making Six's true relationship to God/preaching so ambiguous? Is he a religious person, or does he just like the power his preaching has over others?

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I really like questions 6 and 7. I hope its okay if I post #6.
Do you think Floyd will come out as a gay man after the scene with Lafayette on page 33, or do you think his temperament and experience, and the times, will prevent this? Or will he hang himself "like Judas"?

The relationship reminds me of James Balwin's Giovanni's Room. There is a similar relationship.I gathered that the "experience" was somewhat awkward and and not very menaningful. Floyd almost seems ashamed and embarrased by it. I felt for Layfayette it was like a one night stand and that he shrugged it off. Floyd I think is conflicted and I am not sure if he really processess what happend after. He doesn't seem to know how to deal with all that happens. We have come along way with things but still have far to go. I think the times will definatley be a factor for Floyd's struggle and I am not sure if he can overcome the shame.

Six I think wants to be religous but like many of us and others who have said. We wrestle with the flesh. He seems to have some self doubt about his preaching/healing. I think the abiguity is to make us think and wonder about how religious persons use and abuse this power. It makes me wonder if Six will continue in the ministry.

I think Six has a calling, but by him being young he is torn in between the word of God and the flesh. I think Floyd will stay a closeted gay man.

Both of these chapters were very frustrating for me to read. Floyd upset me because it was clear there was a connection between him and Lafayette and he wouldnt accept it. As I was reading I kept having to remind myself that the reason he behaved the way he did was due to the times in which he was living. I also didn't like reading about all the women and men he had had a sexual relationship with. It didn't make me think to highly of him.

Six frustrated me because he was so tormented and so full of self loathing he didn't realize the gift he had. I don't believe Six was extremely religious but I think that when he was preaching that was one of the few times he felt powerful and confident. It says further along in the book that he ends up having his own church in the South and was married but it also hints that he slept around so I don't think he ever fully embraced his work for The Lord.

Lolly wrote: "Both of these chapters were very frustrating for me to read. Floyd upset me because it was clear there was a connection between him and Lafayette and he wouldnt accept it. As I was reading I kept h..."

Thank you for sharing with us, Lolly. It seems like you and Ebonie have similar feelings about Six. He was very torn and may have been preaching for all of the wrong reasons.

I think Floyd will remain a closeted gay man, he just doesn't have the inner strength to handle the fact that he is gay and what it means to be gay. As for Six, he may have a calling, but he is not embracing it. He's too young to realize what it is that is calling him, plus he enjoys the idea of having these 'fits' and feeling outside of himself. He enjoys what these 'fits' bring him - confidence and a voice.

RE: FLOYD 1948

Once the decision to change reaches from our minds to our heart. There is no reconciling with the person you once where. Opportunity has been introduce into your life, and is a life source for humanity. The cycle of change has begun, and it is through this process that a person rediscovers themselves. -M.

The chapter on Floyd states that Hattie wishes he would marry. And I feel Floyd and Hattie have a closer relationship than the others as it also says "Hattie was the only person in the world with whom Floyd was serene. He missed her stillness." He seems to have sensed the depression in Hattie. Because of this I feel he would stay in the closet, afraid to let his mother down, especially considering the times during this book.

I agree with Charlene above about Six. He is more enamored with the power preaching brings him than he is with God.

Lexy wrote: "The chapter on Floyd states that Hattie wishes he would marry. And I feel Floyd and Hattie have a closer relationship than the others as it also says "Hattie was the only person in the world with ..."

Thanks for sharing with us, Lexy. What advice would you give to Floyd?

I would advise Floyd to follow his heart. I would imagine during the times of this book, many parents disowned their children when they disagreed with their sexual preferences, but I don't feel Hattie would. She had already lost two children, I don't think she would chose to lose another.

Six I think needs to run into a true woman of God to lead him back. Floyd I think is seriously confused and caught up in his issues of his home life and dot know how to handle it. I don't think he is gay.

Ebonie wrote: "I think Six has a calling, but by him being young he is torn in between the word of God and the flesh. I think Floyd will stay a closeted gay man."

I agree!

I thought Six was a shy and confused young man. He wanted to do what pleased people, but he wasn't always sure of himself. I also think he just wanted to be alone. He never professed to know the word but he wasn't sure of the power of the Holy Spirit either. I think he will end up just going along with what people want of him and not him knowing what he wants.

"what did it mean that he felt more in three hours with Lafayette than he ever had with any of his women?" It must be terrible to be LGBT in a society that demonizes and rejects you. We all have enough problems with our self-esteem without getting the message that we are fundamentally 'nasty'. Floyd's experience with Lafayette brings back his earlier experience with a friend, Carl. He calls his mom in the wee hours of the morn to ask after a boy he knew years ago, another friend that he turned from, and felt powerless to reconnect with. I predict Floyd will develop some seriously self-destructive behaviour.

Six is confused he'snot sure what his spiritual roll is, but he loves the affect his position has on people.

I also think Six is preaching for the wrong reasons. He wants the attention and loves the power from it.

I have an inkling that Floyd does not fully embrace who he is. It could be a sign of the times, or it could be his own shame.

I think that he loved to preach to others as it was his way of being heard and that the love that he felt from the people, who worshipped his words of wisdom.

During the Great Migration, the city of Philadelphia alone increased its population 500% between the years 1910 and 1920 (history.com). This would have set the stage for Hattie's neighborhood in Philadelphia. I found it interesting that although she moved north with her family, her sons Floyd and Six returned to the south. By crossing the Mason-Dixon line in the book, Ayana Mathis was able to paint a picture of the differences between the north and south. In the south there were Jim Crow laws and African Americans had to use segregated facilities. Avoiding the eyes of white people was a way to avoid trouble. Hattie's hard life in the north showed that living in the north was no paradise. I like the way that this part of American history was woven through the book, giving you something more to think about than only the story of Hattie's family.

OBC 2.0 wrote: "What do you think the author intended by making Six's true relationship to God/preaching so ambiguous? Is he a religious person, or does he just like the power his preaching has over others?
..."

Six is ambivalent about his power. It's not something he can control and so he is fearful of it. Because of his appearance, Six would rather be normal, would rather not be noticed the way his scars make him noticeable. His power to preach and heal is God-given but Six wants God to take it away. It's another way he is different.

Nell wrote: "Six is ambivalent about his power. It's not something he can control and so he is fearful of it. Because of his appearance, Six would rather be normal, would rather not be noticed the way his scars make him noticeable. "

Six is a difficult character to understand. He has a preaching gift that moves people yet he would rather be hiding in his cubby under the stairs. Mathis speaks of his power being so strong that if he didn't share it he would explode. Perhaps thats why he is so afraid of himself, because he saw what he could do to Avery.

Anne wrote: "Six is a difficult character to understand. He has a preaching gift that moves people yet he would rather be hiding in his cubby under the stairs. Mathis speaks of his power being so strong that if he didn't share it he would explode. Perhaps thats why he is so afraid of himself, because he saw what he could do to Avery. " I agree he is difficult to understand. I like that he is honest about his limitations and his relationship, or lack thereof, with God. It's not really clear if his preaching fits are the same as the fit he had when he beat Avery. It seems like he's going to take advantage of his gift and use if to his advantage. Again, at least he's aware that he's doing it.

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