Earlier this week, we analyzed quotes about the character of Paul D. and the metaphor for his tobacco tin heart came up. Mrs. King brought up that she wasn't sure what it was, and I wasn't quite sure either, so I decided to do some research. Usually, they were little metal boxes that could easily be held in your hand, usually having a clasp to keep the lid shut. They would either be used to hold loose tobacco, or to store a couple cigarettes. Since loose tobacco fell out of popularity and the use of cigarettes in general has declined since it was discovered its negative effects on health, their use is almost non existent at this point and would explain why a lot of us have never heard of it. Now, they are actually collectable items and those in mint condition can sell for very high prices. Here are some pictures for reference:
4 comments:
I was thinking about a rusting tin and I thought it was interesting that the rust make it harder to open, but also lead to its eventual collapse/decay. Paul D was able to lock up his feelings for a while, and they became buried deep, but he wasn't able to push them down forever because they built up and his walls couldn't keep them at bay anymore. I was also reminded of the tin man from the wizard of oz because he was searching for his heart, but his whole body is a tin/container for it. Paul D's metaphorical tin is a part of him that he tries to keep hidden, and describing it in this physical way helps convey how he has closed it off.
Tin does rust easily. But it also gives the connotation of coldness. A cold, metal box is what he stores things in which can be hard to get to. It’s not soft and it shows just how hard his emotions are to handle. Paul D has a lot of demons and rightfully so, he and many others like him have gone through so much.
(Sophia)
Thanks for the clarification, Elise. I find it interesting that although the use of cigarettes is declining, the overall consumption of nicotine has not declined thanks to the newer forms of consuming it. In addition, I noticed that tobacco tins look very similar to altoid containers. Altoids, like love, can be either sour or provide a source of freshness (mints) which is something that Toni Morrison explores through Paul D's intimate encounters.
Bennett’s post:
Thanks for sharing, Elise. I definitely appreciate Morrison’s use of the tobacco tin as a metaphor. I think it does a wonderful job of illustrating just how much Paul D is suppressing. He has so many brutal memories from slavery. Those memories are not just the past. They are the past and the present. In the present, however, he locks them away in his “tobacco tin.” Although he has suppressed them for a while, he eventually reaches a breaking point, and the tobacco tin opens.
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