“The
Palatski Man” by Stuart Dybek presents the loss of innocence as a
catalyst for the maturation into adulthood. While the phrase “loss
of innocence” may carry with it a negative connotation, it is in a
broader sense the newfound understanding of concepts and realities
that all children must face when on the cusp of adulthood. Dybek
portrays these concepts and realities through the eyes of a 12
year-old girl, in a story rife with religious symbolism.
Innocence,
by definition, is a “lack of knowledge; ignorance”
(“Merriam-Webster”). It is through Mary’s eyes that we witness
that lack of understanding and knowledge that generally only exists
in the mind of a child. The first such moment of innocence appears
in the story as Mary describes receiving the Eucharist from Father
Mike during Sunday mass. The narrator describes how the Father’s
hand would on occasion brush against her lower lip, causing her to
feel a spark. A Sister has to inform Mary that what she felt was not
the Holy Spirit, but merely static electricity. Generally, only a
child would consider such a notion and believe it. As Mary returns
to her pew the narrator whimsically describes her thoughts as she
holds the host in her mouth – a “warm, wheaty snowflake” that she
“swallows into her soul” (Dybek 72). Further into the story the
narrator states that Mary “couldn’t bear it if [John] thought she
was a dumb girl” (Dybek 74) in reference to her decision not to
snitch on John’s neighborhood pranks. The narrator relays these
thoughts in such a way that we cannot help but assume that they
represent how Mary thinks. They are innocent thoughts, lacking the
deeper understanding that comes with maturity and experience.
It
is also in Mary’s actions that we see how the innocence of a child
can demonstrate a lack of knowledge or understanding. It is upon
Mary’s insistence that she and her brother John follow the Palatski
Man through parts unknown and to the wheat field that leads to the
Palatski Man’s shanty town. John remarks more than once that they
should return home, but it is Mary’s playful attitude and pleading
that keeps the pair going. It is not until they reach a scarecrow in
the field of wheat, covered in crows, that Mary considers turning
back. When John and Mary are caught and brought to the Palatski Man,
she accepts the red candy apple and palatski that are offered and
eats them both, finding that the palatski now tastes bitter, whereas
John refuses to bite into either treat. Later, John says “I tried
to stop you,” and “… it might have been poisoned” (Dybek 81).
While
we as the readers are able to discern Mary’s innocence as a child,
we must ask what purpose it serves. Why is all the information
important, and when does this loss of innocence occur? The moment of
loss, as one might imagine, is the culmination of the story. After
the experience in the Palatski Man’s shanty town, John and Mary
return home and are punished by their parents for arriving home late.
Mary lies in bed “feeling the sad, Sunday-night feeling when the
next Monday is morning and the weekend is dying” (Dybek 81), in
other words not only the end of a day but the end of a period of time
(the weekend). As she tries to remember her nightly prayer Mary is
interrupted by a vision of Gabriel’s wings. Gabriel, the messenger
of God referred to as St. Gabriel the Archangel in Catholicism, or
the angel of death, appears before individuals to make important
revelations of the future (“Gabriel”). Mary’s inability to
remember the prayer suggests that something has occurred to alter her
religious views, and the appearance of Gabriel supports that while
Mary still references the religious teachings of her childhood she
now feels that a change is coming. The revelation coming from an
“angel of death” signifies that something in Mary’s life is
going to die or come to an end.
When
she is unable to return to sleep Mary hears the wind blow and
approaches her window to look outside. As she gazes at the moon
behind the branches of a bare tree she sees a vision of the
all-important palatski. It is then that she hears the bell and looks
down to find the Palatski Man, silent as always, surrounded by a
swirl of leaves from an evening wind and offering Mary what else but
a palatski. Unlike her past tastes of the wafer and honey treat,
Mary has now tasted the bitter palatski offered to her at the
Palatski Man’s shanty town. The palatski ceases to represent
something good, as it did before when it brought the church and Holy
Spirit to mind, and becomes something to be wary of. We as the
readers see that Mary gained new knowledge or understanding based on
her experience and going forward will not tread as lightly. She
retreats to the mirror in her room (the same mirror in which she
attempted to understand motherhood earlier in the story) and looks at
herself, only this time she no longer sees herself as she did before.
Mary’s physical form changes before her very eyes as a result of
puberty, the physical manifestation of adulthood and maturity. The
sudden physical growth in front of the mirror is perhaps meant to be
more surreal than realistic in its approach, but it nevertheless
serves as a vivid portrayal of Mary’s cathartic moment of
understandings.
When
Mary hears the wind stop and the bell ring once again she accepts the
changes that will occur. She has a new understanding of what she is
meant to be, an adult, and at that moment we as the readers
experience the loss of her innocence along with her. We have
experienced childhood through the eyes of a child, and it is at the
conclusion of the story that the child ceases to be. It is then when
innocence is lost and newfound knowledge and understanding are
gained.
Works Cited
Dybek, Stuart. “The Palatski Man.” Living
Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama.
Ed. John C. Brereton. New York: Longman, 2007. 71-81.
“Gabriel.” Wikipedia: The Free
Encyclopedia. 24 Feb 2008. Wikimedia
Foundation, Inc. 25 February 2008.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gabriel&oldid=193668849>.
“Innocence.” Merriam-Webster
Online Dictionary. 2007-2008.
Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. 25 February 2008. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/innocence>.