I am normal

     I felt the most profound line, in " Foundations of the earth " by Randall Kenan, to be " Mrs. W., I am normal"(64). These words are spoken by Gabriel after his deceased boyfriend's grandmother, Mrs. Maggie MacGown William, asks him if he wished to be "normal". It was this scene that first made me realize the depth of this piece. Not only does Maggie learn to accept her grandson's sexuality, but also to accept everyone's differences, no matter what they be. I believe this idea that normal is a relative term and that you shouldn't judge others can be seen in Maggie's dream sequence and her conversation with Morten Henry, a farmer who works on Sunday.
     In Maggie's dream, God says to her, " where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare if thou hast understanding" (59). This suggests to Maggie and the reader, that she (or any other human) is not capable of comprehending all the difficulties or complexities of life. Therefore we are not able to be the judge of what is right, what is wrong, or what is normal. Maggie's dream helps her accept her grandson for who he was. However, we are able to see that her revelations have gone past just the acceptance of homosexuality, when she tells Morten, "You do what you got to do, just like the rest of us" (72). Maggie isn't judging Morten for working on the Lord's day. She understands that life is hard and whatever anyone else is or does, is their own business. Whether gay, straight, black, white, male, female, boisterous, or shy and quiet, we are all normal.