Short Story- "The Rockpile" by James Baldwin

[Ms. Knarr]

Please open your textbooks to page 959 and read the passage following.

Remember, you cannot use the questions offered in the textbook or you will lose credit.

[jimmymahoney]

1. The overall meaning of this story is that bad things can happen to innocent people. It was Roy's fault that he got hurt at the rockpile, but in the end John is blamed for it. The father only listens to the person who he considers to be his true son and doesn't pay attention to the point of view of John. The Rockpile itself can be seen as a place of sinners, where the impressionable young men are told not to go. When Roy gets hurt for giving into temptation, he still wins in the end because he is seen as the "do-no-wrong" child.

2. I think there are a lot of themes put into this short story that can be interpreted in different ways. Roy and John acting friendly on the fire escape, and the Roy's betrayal of John so quickly tells how Roy has been convinced that he can do whatever he wants. The judging of people who don't go to church and those who do by the boys gives them a sort of God complex while they are above the world on their fire escape. I see many ways to interpret the events of this story.

3. Q1- Are there any widely known tales or stories that relate to this one?
Q2- If Roy and John are the ones being judged in the end, what does the father symbolize?
Q3 - What could the rockpile represent?

[samentwistle]

1. I believe that the meaning of this story is that bad things can happen to innocent people and that life is not always fair. Being that it was Roy's fault that he got hit in the head at the rockpile, not Johns, Roy should have taken the blame. Instead, he watches as his father screams at Elizbeth and John for not taking care of his one and only son. Being that the rock pile is not known in the town as the place that children should be, Roy set himself up for trouble. Even though Roy should have gotten in trouble, John and Elizabeth were blamed showing that innocent people can be blamed for other people's actions.

2. I enoyed reading this story becuase it was relatable to situations in real life. Being that the story is relatable to the reader makes it easier and more interesting to read. I agree with Jimmy that Roy is very free minded and did whatever he wanted, but in the end he knew he wouldn't have been blammed for his actions so he did it anyway. I felt anger torwards the character of Roy because his character is not one of reality but one being self centered.

3. In response to Jimmy's second question, I believe that the father can have many biblical references. First, I believe that the father acts as a Pontious Pilate figure, choosing between Jesus and Barabbas. Also the figure could represent a God-like figure.

My Question:
Do you believe the author made biblical references on purpose?

[kevinskocypec]

1. I completely agree with what Jimmy said above. The moral is that things can happen to do one persons fault, but be blamed on another. Just like how Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the forbidden tree in the Bible, Roy was told not to go to the rockpile but went anyway. He was at fault but blamed it on John and Elizabeth by letting them get in trouble and staying silent.

2. This story was a lot of fun to read. The meaning of the story (which is people can get blamed for actions they do not commit.. and temptation exists everywhere) is used in many different types of literature. I enjoyed reading this story and could relate to it a bit.

3. (Answering Sam's Question) When I was reading this, even before reading the responses, I remembered the Adam and Eve story and the theme of temptation. I feel like the author intentionally used biblical referenced and hoped we would find them.

My Question: How do you think the outcome could had differed if Roy had spoken up?

[jimmymahoney]

1. I agree with the way Sam answered my question, that the father represents the ultimate deciding power in a person's life. Him being God was what I expected to find.

2. Answering Kevin's question, I don't think that Roy speaking up would have made a difference, because the father obviously preferred Roy, and may not have wanted to punish him.

My new question is since there is no mother figure in the garden of Eden story, what could Elizabeth represent?

[bradoconnor]

1) To me, the meaning of "The Rockpile" is very straight forward. As presented above, i believe this story means that although a person might be good, that will not deter bad things from happening to them . Both Elizabeth and John were relatively good people but because of Roy's actions they got the blame for Roy's injury. If Roy had done what he had been told and stayed away from the rockpile nobody would have been hurt, or have gotten in trouble.

2) I enjoyed this short story because it was generally straight forward and too the point. James Baldwin did a great job in getting his point across and made it easy to understand.

3) Answering Jimmy's third question, I believe that the rockpile represents sin and wrongdoings, which is why Roy was told not to go near it, why he got hurt when he did go near it, and why the consequences were so severe when he was caught.

My Question: If someone else had gotten hurt, such as Elizabeth or John, would Roy had gotten in trouble the same way John and Elizabeth had?

[seanpalen]

1. I agree mostly with what brad said. It is obvious that John and Elizabeth should of stopped Roy, but Roy getting hurt is not their fault. It was Roy's decision to go to the rockpile and Roy alone is at fault. Only because Roy is Gabriel's real son is he not blamed and this may relate to how sometimes life is truly unfair and innocent people get blamed because of injust prejudice.

2. I liked the story. Baldwin did an excellent job of getting across a serious deep meaning while using language that could be easily understood by the people. I think "The Rockpile" is an outstanding literary piece.

3. Brad's Question: Probably not. Because they are not Gabriel's true son they probably would of been solely blamed again.
My Question: How does this piece relate to the Civil Rights movement?