Hello my fellow blog readers!!
Redeeming Love has been such a good book so far and I am so
glad @livslitblog recommended it and is reading it with me! As I have been reading
so far, the main character, a girl, has been given about five different names
in a span of about 20 years: Sarah, Angel, Mara, Tirzah, and Amanda. In
general, a name is what helps identify a person; so how on earth can this one
girl have so many “identities”? Could these names be considered as titles of
her? What is the meaning behind all of these names?
To me, I feel like that each name is symbolizing or
representing her at a moment in her life. Every name change is of her becoming a new person. In the beginning, as a little girl,
her name was Sarah. She was pure and innocent, but yet full of confusion. She
felt abandoned by her father and a burden to her mother. Next, her name changed
to Angel because of how angelic she looked. “Eyes blue as violets and hair like
an angel” (Prologue. 25). She was a
beauty to everyone around her, but to her nothing was beautiful. Although her
appearance was a great attraction, she was not living a life she was proud of.
She was a prostitute who had no hope or desire for anything, living day by day
being closed off from others, like a tall brick wall with no way of getting
around it. She then had her name changed, by a man named Michael Hosea, to
Mara, Tirzah, or Amanda. I don’t quite understand why he has chosen three
different names instead of just sticking with one, but I am hoping I can find
out as I read more of the story. Michael mostly calls her Mara though because
he felt that she was going to grow a whole new identity, wanting her to change
from her past self. “‘Angel is who I am [Angel said].’ His face hardened.
‘Angel was a prostitute in Pair-a-Dice, and she doesn’t exist anymore” (chapter
7. 105). I think that the changing of names help show the different personalities
that Angel has gone through so far in her life. What are your thoughts on the meanings of the different names in the story?
All the different names are so interesting but I want to go more in depth of the name Sarah. As we know, Angel’s original name is Sarah, but at the end of the book she wants to identify herself as Sarah again. “‘Sarah, Michael. My name is Sarah. I don’t know the rest of it. Only that much. Sarah’” (Chapter 34. 462). Why Sarah though? Why not pick a name that Michael had picked for her? Well, I think the name Sarah holds a strong meaning to Angel and also stands as a Biblical representation in the book. First off, this was Angel’s first name. I think Sarah represents her life before she became a prostitute. Her life was not easy when her name was Sarah, but she still had joy and hope. “Sarah tried to cheer Mama up by bringing her bouquets of flowers. She found pretty stones and washed them, giving them to her as presents” (Prologue. 17). As Angel, she was closed off from the world, only living just to be there on earth, feeling as if there was no meaning in life. At the end of the book, she gains hope and love, finding a purpose in everything she did. “Warmth swept over her. This was the love she’d been waiting for all her life” (Chapter 32. 427). By being Sarah it meant that she was a person who wanted to live. She wanted to make the effort of being someone that mattered in the world and not letting people use her.
ReplyDeleteI also think that name Sarah is a connection with Sarah from the Bible. Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was a woman who could not bear children but had still brought forth Isaac and other children. Just like Sarah, Angel could not bear children due to traumatic events that occurred during her childhood. “She clenched her fist. ‘I wish Duke hadn’t ruined me! I wish no one else had ever touched me!’” (Chapter 27. 362). However, at the end of the book, Angel gave birth to four children!!! “On their seventh anniversary, their prayers were answered with the birth of a son, Stephen. Stephen was followed by Luke, Lydia, and Esther” (Epilogue. 463). I thought this connection was really cool and how it was associated with an individual from the Bible.
Do you think that there is another character from Redeeming Love that could have gone through a similar obstacle as someone from the Bible?
I love your insight about the multiple names that are given to Angel in Redeeming Love. I find it quite fascinating though how the author did not really only use Sarah until the end of the book, but the few times Angel thought about her real name or it was mention in a conversation was a true foreshadowing to how the book was really going to end. It gave me hope throughout the whole novel that there was going to be a happy ending for Angel and not just the ghosts from her past constantly in her mind. I also found it quite interesting how the "devil" character mainly called her by Angel (which was an Angel at one point), but one or two times mentioned her real name as well. To me it seemed as if he was trying to infiltrate every single aspect of her life. Not just her future with Michael, her past that she was ashamed of, but the one piece of dignity she had left through her name, he tried to use as well to doubt herself.
ReplyDeleteNow, for your second question, in Exodus 2: 1-10 the character MIRIAM is mentioned and saves baby Moses from the Nile River. I think it is very fascinating how when the character Miriam shows up in Redeeming Love it seems as if God had sent her to Angel to be the one who pulls her out of her dark past. The one who saves her from drawing in her own Nile River. In the middle of chapter 18, Angel finds herself telling Miriam exactly how she met Michael expecting there to b shame and judgment to follow but Miriam responded "Id like to be friends," and that shows the connection between the Miriam in the Bible and the Miriam in the novel.
I do have a question though... why do you think God did not give Angel the push earlier on in the novel to accept Michael's love for her and the way God shined through him. In my opinion it was almost like God was making Michael suffer more if anything- do you agree? Or do you think Michael needed to be taught a lesson as well as Angel?
DeleteThat is a pretty good question. Although Michael does suffer from Angel being so unpredictable, I think that it is a good choice for Angel to have been brought to God more towards the end of the book.
DeleteI think God comes at the right time and place for her to see His presence. Her whole life, Angel was in the position of prostitution, and although that is a depressing atmosphere, I feel like that is where God wants to show Himself to her. I do not think that God trying to show Himself while Angel is living on the farm with Michael would make a difference because she is not accustomed to that lifestyle. Even if she is reminded of God, she does not feel compelled to change – because nothing will feel different. “[At the church] She had to get out!” (226). Even when given the opportunity, she does not feel like it was necessary for her to be part of the Church, to be with Christ. When she is in prostitution though, she knows the way of life. She knows how men act and how people treat her. God comes to her when she is a much stronger person and is in a place she is familiar with; where she will notice God’s presence. When Angel is brought back into a brothel, ran by Duke himself, she then sees God working in her life. She is given the spotlight in front of men, but God had told her to sing, resulting into a man singing with her and saving her from the sinful, unsafe place. “‘It was what you sang. The Lord couldn’t have made it any more clear that I was to get you out of there” (417). I think Angel knows that God was work because not only does she hear Him calling for her but also notices what is out of the ordinary in the brothel.
I understand that Michael is suffering through this, feeling like there is no hope in the relationship, but I think God is testing Michael’s faith. Although Michael shows his faith throughout the whole book, God still gives Michael challenges to see if he sticks by Him.
Since we both have mentioned Micheal's suffering, and how it is mostly Angel's through her actions, do you think Micheal would have been happier without Angel? Would it have been better for Micheal to not have met Angel in the first place? Would Miriam have given him a better life than Angel did?
DeleteOk, I love what you said in the beginning about "God wanting to show Himself to her". And that did help me get my answer in my previous question!!! But, now to answer your question. I have very strong feelings about this so here I go. I think when Michael saw her on the street even without the voice of God telling Him to choose her, he would have tried to at least pursue her anyway. Rivers writes, "Michael couldn't take his eyes off her"(1). That in itself tells me that from the moment he say her his heart made the decision to love her. I believe it would have bothered him for many years not to know her, not to love her. Especially after God told him to choose her as well. And as a reader I was also lead to believe that anything the voice of God said as foreshadowing was bound to happen. So, when God said "This one, beloved"(1), I felt as if God were saying choose her and everything would be alright. God will always place us in the right place at the right time and for Michael to have been standing on the street and to notice Angel taking her daily walk was not by accident. That was his destiny, his forever and God saw to it. Whether it be that day, hour, or minute Angel was the one that was meant for Michael.
DeleteI also do NOT believe Miriam would have given Michael a better life. Sure it would have looked picture perfect and seemed like the ultimate match, but I will forever believes God's sovereignty and knowing that if Michael had possibly married Miriam his faith might have been too easy. Majority of Michael's trials and tribulations came through the meeting and marriage of Angel and without the doubt of God he had faced in the process, " Michael swore for the first time in years. 'Let her go back! I don't care.Im sick of the struggle" (203), without the testing of his faith he might have plateaud. So, God had his ultimate plan and it did not waiver.
So, for my next question, how long do you think it would have taken Angel to accept Michael and Christ if the Altmans hadn't entered the picture and if they had treated her like she was nothing like she thought they would?
I completely agree with what you said! I strongly believe that when God is telling you something and wants you to go after it, it will benefit your life in the long run. God KNOWS ALL!!! He sees every single part of your life and knows how you can prosper through Him. I think it was good that Michael listened to God because if he had not picked Angel, his life and “faith would have been too easy”, just like you said.
DeleteTo answer the question you asked, I think that it would have taken a lot longer for Angel to have gotten close to Michael and actually fall in love with him if the Altmans never showed up. I think the Altmans were meant to be put in Angel’s life to help break her brick wall that Michael could not do alone. They showed love and compassion towards her, treating her like she was a human being who deserved to be loved. “Miriam came over with two quilts and handed one to Angel. Bending, she whispered, ‘See? She’s likes you, too’” (238). With their first interactions, the Altman’s treat Angel with kindness and respect, something that she had not had much experience with. Of course Michael treated her with gentleness… he treated her like a queen! I think that Michael’s kindness and attention was not enough though. She was hurt by so many people to the point where she thought majority of individuals would not care for her. The fact that the Altman’s treated her like a human being and not object helps push her to realize that some people are not as sick as others.
If the Altmans did come but treated her as if she was nothing, I think hope would have never entered her life. It would have only proved her point of how selfish men were and that she was an object that will forever be trashed. If the Altmans treated her like she had no worth, she would then assume that Michael’s kindness and generosity was just an act, considering him to be like every other man that she met.
Speaking of kindness and generosity towards Angel, do you think she deserved it? Why were people kind to her even though she had such a rigid personality? Did she ever show kindness in return?
Although throughout the whole book pretty much Angel gives almost no one the benefit otf the doubt, I truly believe she deserved some kindness and generosity at first. She was taken away by Duke when she was only 8. And Im 17 right now and I could not even imagine being taken away from my family and being treated so poorly like she was. Everything she had to go through as a young child shows she deserves some grace and mercy. Even if in the beginning when she was with Michael she treated him so poorly. I genuinely believe that it was from all of the baggage she carried with her up until her hear changed. Like Miriam said when she first met Angel, " ... children can see the true heart of a person." (240) little Ruthie was able to see the person Angel truly was inside, but it was just going to take time to reach that her true self. Now, if she had just been a rigid person with the childhood of Miriam I would have to say no she didn't deserve the kindness and grace she received but overall I felt for Angel and what she had to go through as a child. And, I would say she tried to show kindness In the best way she knew how. Sometimes it came off a little offensive but she was learning what it meant to treat people with love. So, I think she did the best with the cards she was dealt.
DeleteSo, do you think after all the love and kindness shown to her it was right of her to leave Michael TWICE for pair-a-dice? I mean despite the intentions of getting the money she deserved and not feeling worthy. She had all she could have ever wanted with Michael? Do you think it was worth it for her to have that time away?
Ok, so from an outsiders perspective I think it was wrong of Angel to leave Michael, but that is also because I would love any man treating me the way Michael treats her. On the other hand if I were to put myself into Angels shoes I would also understand why she ran away the first time. But, the second time I still can't quite grasp. I get it life gets a little tricky and scary and sometimes the best option seems like just to bail but seriously when has life been so horrible and not eventually gotten back to normal/good? Michael cries out to God an says, "She was just a child, Lord. Why idd you let it happen? Jesus, I don't understand. Why? Aren't you supposed to protect the weak and innocent? Why did you protect her? Why did you help her? Why?" (213) Seeing the pain he feels when crying out to God also conflicts my opinion of her running away because obviously it pains him to see that she ran away from him but also the fact that he acknowledges that she is this way because of her past. So he understands all points of views and I guess that helps me understand a little bit better. Also, I do think it was worth her running away only because she was able to see the influence Michael and Jesus had on her life and without them and the way the softened her heart she would have never felt worthy enough and be able to live on her own for a little while :)
DeleteOlivia and Rachel, good job using quotations to ground your analysis in specific moments. Interesting how writing all your entries at the end of reading the book allows you to range freely through themes as they appear over the course of the story. In terms of "sophistication" from the AP rubric (not a requirement for MOR), you folks are definitely placing this story in a broader context (Biblical and theological ideas) to make sense of Rivers' MOWAW's. Thanks. Grade on Portals.
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