Fascination with the Unknown
700 words
After reading Heart of Darkness and Waiting for the Barbarians, I have come to a conclusion that both exhibit fascination with the unknown. The Magistrate’s overwhelming curiosity with the barbarians seemingly parallels Marlowe’s curiosity in relation to Kurtz and the Congo.
From the first chapter in Waiting for the Barbarians, the Magistrate was immediately intrigued by the “two little discs of glass suspended in front of his eyes in loops of wire” (1). This demonstrates that the Magistrate has a strong sense of curiosity with unfamiliar aspects of life. His intrigue is further developed and understood by the reader as he begins to become enthralled by the Barbarians. Because he knows nothing about these people who “live on the other side,” he sets out to learn about their ways of life. As a result, we see the Magistrate persistently asking questions to prisoners, such as when he continued to ask the boy, “who beat you?” (3). Likewise, the Magistrate’s relationship with the Barbarian woman demonstrates his interest in a woman he does not understand. The Magistrate tries to figure her out when she says, “ I cast my mind back, trying to recover an image of her as she was before. I must believe that I saw her on the day she brought in by the soldiers roped neck to neck with the other barbarian prisoners” (33). The Magistrate’s thought process demonstrates his need and authentic desire to truly understand her.
Similar to the Magistrate, Marlowe is attracted to the unfamiliar. In this case, Marlowe is fascinated by Kurtz, a man believed to have brilliant abilities. Marlowe also appears to be an introspective and curious individual from the beginning of the book. His descriptions of the others on the ship demonstrate how he is very aware. For example, he notes that the Director of Companies resembled a pilot, “which to a seaman is trustworthiness personified” (5). Thus, Marlowe appears to be in-tune with others from the beginning. Likewise, Marlowe began to question Kurtz’s seemingly “divine” attributes when the Russian said that Kurtz can not be held to the same moral standards as others. This came after the fact that Kurtz had brainwashed natives and taken ivory to bring back home. Marlowe is able to recognize and see Kurtz for what he is as the novel continues. Lastly, Marlowe is fascinated by the vast darkness within the novel. The dense jungle brings uncertainty and unfamiliarity as Marlowe and the Company travel down the river. The jungle, just like the barbarian territory, are subjects of intrigue in the novels.
Marlowe and the Magistrate’s fascination both turn into a quest for something greater. The two start of curious but then become overwhelmed by the brutality and unjust occurrences that happen in the Congo with slaves and in the Empire with the barbarians. The Magistrate continuously refers to the “tone of truth” (5) just as Marlowe unveils the negative aspects of imperialism- he too finds truth. When observing human nature, I believe that a quest for truth is a product of enchantment and inquisitiveness. If Marlowe and the Magistrate had not been fascinated by their surroundings and took time to explore the miseries of their surroundings, they would have never been able to actually find the brutalities and understand the corrupt nature of European imperialism and the Empire. This idea is further shown when the gossip and stories travel around the town about the barbarians. We can see how the majority of people think when the Magistrate says, the “children in their dreams see the shutters part and the fierce barbarian faces leer through, the barbarians are here!” (120) However, the Magistrate is able to see past what most people think because of his intense curiosity to explore and find truth. Marlowe is the same: A man he conversed with said that he would kill himself in Kurtz’s name; however; Marlowe can see that Kurtz is just part of the brutal European imperialism. Finding truth takes a devotion to both going again the “norm” and truly wanting to dig deep to unveil desired questions.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Its Universal Message.....
Its Universal Message…..
After reading the first three sections of “Waiting for the Barbarians,” I stopped to ponder why I am engrossed in this book. Was it the descriptive language that tirelessly describes the emotions of the characters? Was it the anguish I felt for the abused prisoners that made my want to read more to see if they were ok? Was it the Magistrate’s story and his quest to find truth? While I thought about why I loved this book so much, I realized that the answer is simpler than I thought. This book is universal: everyone can relate to something or someone. Because the language is simple, the plot is easy to follow, and there is not a lot of “guess work” that the reader has to put in while reading, the reader can essentially take ample time to just think about the meaning of the book. While Sound and the Fury was also a captivating novel, I spent a majority of my time just trying to figure out what was going on. So, after more easily reading “Waiting for the Barbarians,” – in comparison to other novels—I had more time to ponder the novel. What I realized was, as I said before, everyone can relate to it. Everyone has a story: a story that involves the quest for truth and honesty, a story that involves setbacks and the measures taken to overcome these setbacks, and a story in which morality and principles are upheld even when the “norm” says otherwise.
To me, the Magistrate's story caught my attention right away. His inquisitive nature surrounding the eye glasses; "his demand that "the prisoners be fed, that the doctor be called into do what he can, that the barracks be returned to being barracks" (24), and his hard journey out of the empire all demonstrate the positive aspects of human nature: honesty, care, concern, etc. I read his story and was captivated when he returned his love to her tribe. He cared about her, yet he knew she needed to go back. Likewise, the Magistrate’s uncomfortable account of the abused boy illustrates the cruelty, torture, and the taking away of a child’s innocence that plagues our world today. “Waiting for the Barbarians” represents stories like these. The ones that make you think, reflect, and genuinely care about both the story and the real world that is beyond the comfort of our homes.
400 words
After reading the first three sections of “Waiting for the Barbarians,” I stopped to ponder why I am engrossed in this book. Was it the descriptive language that tirelessly describes the emotions of the characters? Was it the anguish I felt for the abused prisoners that made my want to read more to see if they were ok? Was it the Magistrate’s story and his quest to find truth? While I thought about why I loved this book so much, I realized that the answer is simpler than I thought. This book is universal: everyone can relate to something or someone. Because the language is simple, the plot is easy to follow, and there is not a lot of “guess work” that the reader has to put in while reading, the reader can essentially take ample time to just think about the meaning of the book. While Sound and the Fury was also a captivating novel, I spent a majority of my time just trying to figure out what was going on. So, after more easily reading “Waiting for the Barbarians,” – in comparison to other novels—I had more time to ponder the novel. What I realized was, as I said before, everyone can relate to it. Everyone has a story: a story that involves the quest for truth and honesty, a story that involves setbacks and the measures taken to overcome these setbacks, and a story in which morality and principles are upheld even when the “norm” says otherwise.
To me, the Magistrate's story caught my attention right away. His inquisitive nature surrounding the eye glasses; "his demand that "the prisoners be fed, that the doctor be called into do what he can, that the barracks be returned to being barracks" (24), and his hard journey out of the empire all demonstrate the positive aspects of human nature: honesty, care, concern, etc. I read his story and was captivated when he returned his love to her tribe. He cared about her, yet he knew she needed to go back. Likewise, the Magistrate’s uncomfortable account of the abused boy illustrates the cruelty, torture, and the taking away of a child’s innocence that plagues our world today. “Waiting for the Barbarians” represents stories like these. The ones that make you think, reflect, and genuinely care about both the story and the real world that is beyond the comfort of our homes.
400 words
Sunday, November 16, 2008
"It was too dark, too dark all together...."
"It was too dark, too dark all together..."
The line, "it was too dark, too dark all together" truly caught my attention as I finished reading "Heart of Darkness." After Marlowe lies to the Intended about Kurtz's final words and justifies his lie by saying it would have been too dark to even admit, I finally realized the meaning of the novel's title. We initially see the wilderness as being an "empty stream, a great silence, an dimpenetrable forest" (59) as well as "monstorous, free, and unearthly" (62). As Marlowe is describing the beautiful aspects of the earth, the reader is almost blinded by the fact that the wilderness can also bring darkness, terror, and greed. Throughout the entire novel, events unfold to show that maybe even the most serene parts of life are not always as perfect as they may seem. People are human; therefore, human nature brings many imperfections. While Marlowe is both reliable and trusted throughout his storytelling, he tells a terrible lie to the Intended at the end of the novel. Likewise, the reader initially sees Kurtz as an idol to others: a man almost let Kurtz shoot him. However, we learn that once Kurtz saw that he could have power in the jungle, he ran with the idea. The title makes perfect sense: things that can seem so real, so true to the heart can still be plagued by darkness (as seen through the wilderness).
The line, "it was too dark, too dark all together" truly caught my attention as I finished reading "Heart of Darkness." After Marlowe lies to the Intended about Kurtz's final words and justifies his lie by saying it would have been too dark to even admit, I finally realized the meaning of the novel's title. We initially see the wilderness as being an "empty stream, a great silence, an dimpenetrable forest" (59) as well as "monstorous, free, and unearthly" (62). As Marlowe is describing the beautiful aspects of the earth, the reader is almost blinded by the fact that the wilderness can also bring darkness, terror, and greed. Throughout the entire novel, events unfold to show that maybe even the most serene parts of life are not always as perfect as they may seem. People are human; therefore, human nature brings many imperfections. While Marlowe is both reliable and trusted throughout his storytelling, he tells a terrible lie to the Intended at the end of the novel. Likewise, the reader initially sees Kurtz as an idol to others: a man almost let Kurtz shoot him. However, we learn that once Kurtz saw that he could have power in the jungle, he ran with the idea. The title makes perfect sense: things that can seem so real, so true to the heart can still be plagued by darkness (as seen through the wilderness).
Women in the "Heart of Darkness"
Women in the "Heart of Darkness”
Pages 405-414
Jeremy Hawthorn
1. Women stayed out of the man’s world:
In Heart of Darkness, the women illustrate the corrupted side of imperialism. Women, as seen through the role of the Intended, were kept closed off from knowing what their men did during their imperialistic adventures. The Intended represents sterile idealism because she is shut off from Kurtz’s role and lives a naiive life, hopeful that he will return to be with her. Likewise, when Marlowe finally meets the Intended and she asks what Kurtz’s last words were, Marlowe lies and says that his final words were her name. Marlowe’s lie demonstrates how men did not involve women in what happens in Africa. Marlowe chooses to lie to the Intended not really to protect her, but rather to just not tell her what happens because it is easier to leave her out of what happened with Kurtz.
2. Women represented the division of race and culture of the time:
The juxtaposition between the Intended and the African woman illustrates how race was viewed. While the Intended as seen as refined and sterile, the African woman is seen as a mystery, as part of the wilderness, and as passionate. Essentially, Hawthorn argues that women are separated into those who are devoted and pure and those who are sensual and passionate. Thus, women are dehumanized because of the separation between spirit and body and the inability for them to possess both. Likewise, the women accurately illustrate how middle-class European women acted at the time. Many, just like the Intended, only saw the good in their loved ones that traveled abroad and failed to recognize the darker sides. The culture of the time, as depicted through the women, resulted in a split between reality and idealism as well as a separation between truth and lies. This idea links back to the main idea that Hawthorne explores: women just stayed out of the man’s world.
3. Conrad uses extensive imagery related to women to demonstrate how ideas of good and bad cannot be easily nor compartmentally understood:
The black and white imagery is first used to contrast the blank spots of Africa on the map to the darkness that the place actually causes. The Intended is also first seen as pale and fair; however, she wears black at the end of the novel to mourn the loss of Kurtz. In addition, the Intended personifies life, even though she has an “odour of death” around her. Conrad’s contrasts and comparisons, that are evident through the imagery surrounding women, illustrate the complexity of the wilderness and the imperialistic lifestyle. While we first see the wilderness as being silent, open, and mysterious, we learn that the wilderness also brings a host of problems: greed and destruction, to name a few. The imagery surrounding the Intended shows that life is not just good nor bad; it is not simple.
Pages 405-414
Jeremy Hawthorn
1. Women stayed out of the man’s world:
In Heart of Darkness, the women illustrate the corrupted side of imperialism. Women, as seen through the role of the Intended, were kept closed off from knowing what their men did during their imperialistic adventures. The Intended represents sterile idealism because she is shut off from Kurtz’s role and lives a naiive life, hopeful that he will return to be with her. Likewise, when Marlowe finally meets the Intended and she asks what Kurtz’s last words were, Marlowe lies and says that his final words were her name. Marlowe’s lie demonstrates how men did not involve women in what happens in Africa. Marlowe chooses to lie to the Intended not really to protect her, but rather to just not tell her what happens because it is easier to leave her out of what happened with Kurtz.
2. Women represented the division of race and culture of the time:
The juxtaposition between the Intended and the African woman illustrates how race was viewed. While the Intended as seen as refined and sterile, the African woman is seen as a mystery, as part of the wilderness, and as passionate. Essentially, Hawthorn argues that women are separated into those who are devoted and pure and those who are sensual and passionate. Thus, women are dehumanized because of the separation between spirit and body and the inability for them to possess both. Likewise, the women accurately illustrate how middle-class European women acted at the time. Many, just like the Intended, only saw the good in their loved ones that traveled abroad and failed to recognize the darker sides. The culture of the time, as depicted through the women, resulted in a split between reality and idealism as well as a separation between truth and lies. This idea links back to the main idea that Hawthorne explores: women just stayed out of the man’s world.
3. Conrad uses extensive imagery related to women to demonstrate how ideas of good and bad cannot be easily nor compartmentally understood:
The black and white imagery is first used to contrast the blank spots of Africa on the map to the darkness that the place actually causes. The Intended is also first seen as pale and fair; however, she wears black at the end of the novel to mourn the loss of Kurtz. In addition, the Intended personifies life, even though she has an “odour of death” around her. Conrad’s contrasts and comparisons, that are evident through the imagery surrounding women, illustrate the complexity of the wilderness and the imperialistic lifestyle. While we first see the wilderness as being silent, open, and mysterious, we learn that the wilderness also brings a host of problems: greed and destruction, to name a few. The imagery surrounding the Intended shows that life is not just good nor bad; it is not simple.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
The End to the Compson Family
The ending section of “The Sound and the Fury” concludes the slow destruction of the Compson family. While the reader expected either Caddy or Disley to narrate this section, it is interesting that Faulkner chose the narration to be in third person. This demonstrates that Faulkner chose to step out of the Compsons’ minds to view their family tragedy as a whole. The conclusion to the novel is seen in both the structure and the text. The third person narration represents an ending through the structure because the reader can now step back from the characters’ narration and see how the Compson family has declined from an outsider’s perspective. If Caddy had narrated the 4th section, we might have not gotten as clear an image of what has happened to the Compson family as a whole. In addition, the final scene truly symbolizes an ending to both the novel and the tiny amount of unity the family had (the unity through Dilsey and her “glue” of keeping the family running). When Luster is driving the carriage past the cemetery and veers left instead of right, we see the typical responses of each family member. We see Jason criticizing Luster, Benjy crying, Luster acting confused, and mother—mother is home weeping as usual. Little Quentin and Caddy are of course absent because they managed to escape from their brutal family life. This is the Compson family. At least for me, it took me almost the whole novel to truly understand the family dynamic and what was going on. This section represents the ending because the reader understands each character and recognizes that the Compson family cannot really be explained anymore—Jason will be mean-hearted, manipulative Jason; Benjy will, sadly, be lost without his Caddy; Dilsey will hold on to whatever ounce of energy she has left; and Mother will be overdramatic in her bedroom, bible in hand.
(317)
(317)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
The Cycle that Never Ends
“Caddy and the infinite loop: The dynamics of alcoholism in the Sound and the Fury”
Gary Storhooff, The Faulkner Journal, Spring 1997, Vol. 12, Iss. 2.
The Cycle that Never Ends
After reading Storhoff’s article on the Compson family, I now have a newfound understanding on how family dynamics influence one’s actions and motives. While reading “The Sound and the Fury,” I had trouble connecting how events impact and influence one another. Storhoff addresses this issue through explaining how Mr. Compson’s addiction to alcohol influences every family member. He calls this cycle the “infinite loop,” which is centered around this addiction. The infinite loop is a metaphor that describes how each child’s behavior is a product of his or her father’s addiction. John Earl Bassett describes the Compson family as “physically and mentally sick” (410). This sickness appears to be the mechanisms that the children develop to escape: they engage in mischeiveous behavior, fight, join together, and eventually break apart. This family system, particularly for the children, is based around the escape of Mr. Compson’s alcoholism. Storhoff’s argument makes sense. We see Caddy as a victim: she takes on the role as a mother at an early age, has a disconnected relationship with Jason and Mother, and eventually rebels by engaging in sexual acts, getting pregnant, running away, and abandoning her only daughter.
However, Caddy is not seen as a “bad” person. Rather, Caddy attempts to escape her exhausting life of living in disconnected family and having the responsibility to care for Benjy. Thus, she “copes” by distracting herself with boys and eventually running away from her family life all together. Storhoff notes that “individual behavior has its origin in the patterned and systematic interactions of all family members” (3). This idea demonstrates that Caddy’s behavior is a result of the “loop” that circles back to her father’s alcoholism and resulting dysfunctional family.
Lastly, Storhoff introduced a new idea about Mr. Compson and how he affected his family. Storhoff argues that Mr. Compson’s control over the family is apparent through his inability to allow those around him to have emotions. Storhoff continues by explaining the rule of silence in the Compson Household. I realized that this idea is visible through Caddy’s character. Before she begins her intense rebellion, it seems as if she lived her life without feeling anything--- except guilt for Benjy--- and never responded to her family and forced role as a mother. Storhoff explains that “hushing becomes his [Mr. Compson’s] major weapon of control of the other family members (4): “father was there, in his shirt sleeves. The way he looked said Hush” (Faulkner 61). This hush mechanism, a result of the infinite loop, seems to be a way for all relationship problems and family hardships to be dismissed. It is interesting to note that no family member can stand up to the alcoholic Mr. Compson. His apparent control over the household is effective because no one speaks up and thus the characters suffer internally.
Overall, Storhoff addresses how Mr. Compson’s problem is the core of the Compson family dynamic. Every outburst of Caddy, yell from Jason, and paranoid moment from Mother all link back to the alcoholism. Likewise, because no family members are able to effectively communicate and stand up to Mr. Compson, the family remains disconnected and bruised.
(543 words)
Gary Storhooff, The Faulkner Journal, Spring 1997, Vol. 12, Iss. 2.
The Cycle that Never Ends
After reading Storhoff’s article on the Compson family, I now have a newfound understanding on how family dynamics influence one’s actions and motives. While reading “The Sound and the Fury,” I had trouble connecting how events impact and influence one another. Storhoff addresses this issue through explaining how Mr. Compson’s addiction to alcohol influences every family member. He calls this cycle the “infinite loop,” which is centered around this addiction. The infinite loop is a metaphor that describes how each child’s behavior is a product of his or her father’s addiction. John Earl Bassett describes the Compson family as “physically and mentally sick” (410). This sickness appears to be the mechanisms that the children develop to escape: they engage in mischeiveous behavior, fight, join together, and eventually break apart. This family system, particularly for the children, is based around the escape of Mr. Compson’s alcoholism. Storhoff’s argument makes sense. We see Caddy as a victim: she takes on the role as a mother at an early age, has a disconnected relationship with Jason and Mother, and eventually rebels by engaging in sexual acts, getting pregnant, running away, and abandoning her only daughter.
However, Caddy is not seen as a “bad” person. Rather, Caddy attempts to escape her exhausting life of living in disconnected family and having the responsibility to care for Benjy. Thus, she “copes” by distracting herself with boys and eventually running away from her family life all together. Storhoff notes that “individual behavior has its origin in the patterned and systematic interactions of all family members” (3). This idea demonstrates that Caddy’s behavior is a result of the “loop” that circles back to her father’s alcoholism and resulting dysfunctional family.
Lastly, Storhoff introduced a new idea about Mr. Compson and how he affected his family. Storhoff argues that Mr. Compson’s control over the family is apparent through his inability to allow those around him to have emotions. Storhoff continues by explaining the rule of silence in the Compson Household. I realized that this idea is visible through Caddy’s character. Before she begins her intense rebellion, it seems as if she lived her life without feeling anything--- except guilt for Benjy--- and never responded to her family and forced role as a mother. Storhoff explains that “hushing becomes his [Mr. Compson’s] major weapon of control of the other family members (4): “father was there, in his shirt sleeves. The way he looked said Hush” (Faulkner 61). This hush mechanism, a result of the infinite loop, seems to be a way for all relationship problems and family hardships to be dismissed. It is interesting to note that no family member can stand up to the alcoholic Mr. Compson. His apparent control over the household is effective because no one speaks up and thus the characters suffer internally.
Overall, Storhoff addresses how Mr. Compson’s problem is the core of the Compson family dynamic. Every outburst of Caddy, yell from Jason, and paranoid moment from Mother all link back to the alcoholism. Likewise, because no family members are able to effectively communicate and stand up to Mr. Compson, the family remains disconnected and bruised.
(543 words)
Saturday, October 4, 2008
My Dad and I debate: Is the glass half full or half empty??
John Updike "The Full Glass"
The New Yorker
May 26 2008
I stumbled across "The Full Glass" by John Updike and immediately knew I would be interested. Last week, I had a philosophical debate with my dad about whether a class being half full or half empty indicates one's outlook on life in terms of being pessimistic or optimistic. He says it is an indicator. I say it is not. If I drink a glass of milk, then half is left. The glass would be, in my mind, half empty. However, I would not say I am pessimistic; my dad would call me a pessimist because I say the glass is half empty. This debate between my dad and me could go on forever, so I decided to read John Updike's short story to try to find some answers.
John Updike immediately starts "The Full Glass" by describing an older man who has reached an age of retirement and is now wanting to reflect on his life. His job for 30 years has "conditioned him against digging to deep" (1) into his life because he was so busy dealing with clients, "electric sanders," and refurnishing floors. The narrator, an unnamed man, then details his nighttime routine of brushing teeth, taking pills, and "leaving a water glass already full" (2). Immediately, after my debates with my dad, I sighed and assumed, as my dad almost convinced me, that he was an optimist with his full glass: this story would be predictable and boring. I could not have been more wrong.
The full glass that the narrator refers to symbolizes memories from his childhood and earlier years. He recalls "that full-glass feeling" (3) when he was in a relationship with a woman who had a husband. She was a "glass full" memory because he made her happy; yet, she proved to be poisonous when they got pulled over after a reckless night out on the town and when she cheated on her husband multiple times. THe narrator was not an optimist during these times because he lived in the moment with this woman and did not assume things would happen in their future. The times he shared with her, both happy and sad, illustrate a time in the narrator's life when he was content, no matter the circumstance nor consequence. In addition, the narrator remembers another "full moment" (5) he recalls his crush that he had from Kindergarten to high school. He knew he would probably never date her though: she was a cheerleader, a "star hockey player" a singer, and had a plethora of boyfriends (5). However, she made him happy, and he eventually got one dance with her (6). An optimist would believe that he could date the girl, just give it time and she will come around. A pessimist would doubt any chance at all. But the narrator just enjoys the dance and this moment with his long-time crush. The examples of full moments continue with references to his wife, first love, and holidays.
John Updike ends his short story by having the narrator "life his glass" and make a toast to the world he is in: the "visible world" (7. The narrator is toasting with his full glass to show that he is not a pessimist nor optimist; rather, he is an elderly man who is reflecting on the happy and sad times and memories of his life. While I assumed he was an optimist at first, I now understand that the glass being empty or full has nothing to do with one's stance on life: it has to do with one's memories, setbacks, and understandings. The full glass at his night stand was a channel, rather than an indicator, into his earlier years.
(740 Words)
The New Yorker
May 26 2008
I stumbled across "The Full Glass" by John Updike and immediately knew I would be interested. Last week, I had a philosophical debate with my dad about whether a class being half full or half empty indicates one's outlook on life in terms of being pessimistic or optimistic. He says it is an indicator. I say it is not. If I drink a glass of milk, then half is left. The glass would be, in my mind, half empty. However, I would not say I am pessimistic; my dad would call me a pessimist because I say the glass is half empty. This debate between my dad and me could go on forever, so I decided to read John Updike's short story to try to find some answers.
John Updike immediately starts "The Full Glass" by describing an older man who has reached an age of retirement and is now wanting to reflect on his life. His job for 30 years has "conditioned him against digging to deep" (1) into his life because he was so busy dealing with clients, "electric sanders," and refurnishing floors. The narrator, an unnamed man, then details his nighttime routine of brushing teeth, taking pills, and "leaving a water glass already full" (2). Immediately, after my debates with my dad, I sighed and assumed, as my dad almost convinced me, that he was an optimist with his full glass: this story would be predictable and boring. I could not have been more wrong.
The full glass that the narrator refers to symbolizes memories from his childhood and earlier years. He recalls "that full-glass feeling" (3) when he was in a relationship with a woman who had a husband. She was a "glass full" memory because he made her happy; yet, she proved to be poisonous when they got pulled over after a reckless night out on the town and when she cheated on her husband multiple times. THe narrator was not an optimist during these times because he lived in the moment with this woman and did not assume things would happen in their future. The times he shared with her, both happy and sad, illustrate a time in the narrator's life when he was content, no matter the circumstance nor consequence. In addition, the narrator remembers another "full moment" (5) he recalls his crush that he had from Kindergarten to high school. He knew he would probably never date her though: she was a cheerleader, a "star hockey player" a singer, and had a plethora of boyfriends (5). However, she made him happy, and he eventually got one dance with her (6). An optimist would believe that he could date the girl, just give it time and she will come around. A pessimist would doubt any chance at all. But the narrator just enjoys the dance and this moment with his long-time crush. The examples of full moments continue with references to his wife, first love, and holidays.
John Updike ends his short story by having the narrator "life his glass" and make a toast to the world he is in: the "visible world" (7. The narrator is toasting with his full glass to show that he is not a pessimist nor optimist; rather, he is an elderly man who is reflecting on the happy and sad times and memories of his life. While I assumed he was an optimist at first, I now understand that the glass being empty or full has nothing to do with one's stance on life: it has to do with one's memories, setbacks, and understandings. The full glass at his night stand was a channel, rather than an indicator, into his earlier years.
(740 Words)
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Seeing and Imagining Through the Yellow Wallpaper
In class, we began to discuss whether John contributed to his wife's breaking point in "The Yellow Wallpaper," or if she would have had a mental breakdown regardless of her husband's overcontrolling demeanor. After re-reading the first few pages of the text, I have come to my own conclusion that her downfall and mental breakdown were a direct result of her husband's intense interference. There is no direct evidence that the narrator was crazy within the first half of the story, ie before and right after she moved into the upstairs room. The narrator's ability to critique the colors of the wall (33), sneakily write without her husband knowing (15), and to be aware of John's loving nature towards her (28) all demonstrate that she was not crazy before she was confined to bed rest. The only evidence of a possible mental condition is her "nervous condition" (24). Still, the narrator notes that she is frequently angry with John and that he says she lacks "proper self-control" (25). The ability of the narrator to both notice John's behavior and her own emotions illustrate that she not crazy nor unstable. Yes, she might have been a little bit uneasy-- this could be related to her baby or a previous event in her life-- but she was not crazy.
However, by the end of the story, the narrator is facing extreme hallucinations in which she sees a woman-- probably herself-- through the wallpaper. The woman behind the paper who is "crawling fast" and "trying to crawl through" (186) is clearly trying to escape from something. The narrator stresses that this woman is always creeping around can sometimes escape during the day. Her description of this unnamed woman would most logically be a description of herself. The narrator wants to escape from her room, her husband, and her restricted life in which she is not allowed to write or see anyone. She truly has gone crazy from being forced to stay in the upstairs area and stare at the yellow wallpaper all day. In addition, the wife's reluctance to open the door for her husband at the end of the story illustrate that she is trying to shut him out of her life. She notes with a seemingly relieved tone that she "got out at last in spite of [her husband] and Jane" (261). This suggests that by locking her husband out, she was able to feel free from all of the constraints in her life.
She was driven to insanity by her husband. John had no malicious intent; however, his extremely invasive technique for curing his wife proved to be fatal. The narrator's joys of writing and analyzing turned to the horror of seeing and imagining. She went insane.
However, by the end of the story, the narrator is facing extreme hallucinations in which she sees a woman-- probably herself-- through the wallpaper. The woman behind the paper who is "crawling fast" and "trying to crawl through" (186) is clearly trying to escape from something. The narrator stresses that this woman is always creeping around can sometimes escape during the day. Her description of this unnamed woman would most logically be a description of herself. The narrator wants to escape from her room, her husband, and her restricted life in which she is not allowed to write or see anyone. She truly has gone crazy from being forced to stay in the upstairs area and stare at the yellow wallpaper all day. In addition, the wife's reluctance to open the door for her husband at the end of the story illustrate that she is trying to shut him out of her life. She notes with a seemingly relieved tone that she "got out at last in spite of [her husband] and Jane" (261). This suggests that by locking her husband out, she was able to feel free from all of the constraints in her life.
She was driven to insanity by her husband. John had no malicious intent; however, his extremely invasive technique for curing his wife proved to be fatal. The narrator's joys of writing and analyzing turned to the horror of seeing and imagining. She went insane.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tattoos as a way to Cope
"Parker's Back" by Flannery O' Connor (begins on 383)
AP English- 2
September 17
530 words
Tattoos as a way to Cope
Much of Flannery O' Connor's work pertains to one's quest to finding grace. After reading "Revelation" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find," there seemed to be a pattern in her work in which often prejudiced and judgmental characters reach a revelation and turning point after struggling internally. Mrs. Turpin's defining moment in the pigpen as well as Grandmother's pleading for her life before Misfit demonstrate times in which G-d, grace, and religion come into play. I wanted to explore another one of O' Connor's short stories to see how she delves into the lives of more disturbed and unhappy characters who find their revelations through interesting and seemingly odd ways.
"Parker's Back" was by far my favorite of O' Connor's short stories. Her depiction of Parker in the first few pages was brilliant: the way Parker lies to his wife by saying he worked with an attractive blonde in his office, his previous understanding of why he married his wife/current confusion to why he is still with her, and his reference to her as "ugly women" all demonstrate his discontent and frustration with his marriage. Instead of merely stating that Parker was in an unhappy marriage, O' Connor jumps right into examples of why Parker is suffering with his wife. On this note, O' Connor begins "Parker's Back" by immediately narrowing in on a scene on Parker's front porch-- O' Connor's other stories have these quick starts also ie doctors office-- to demonstrate how Parker was immersed in his thoughts about why he was still married to Sarah Ruth.
After introducing the tension and internal struggle surrounding keeping his marriage to Sarah-- remember that she is pregnant-- O' Connor introduces the beginnings of Parker's coping mechanisms. His mechanism is tattoos. Tattoos of what ever he is spontaneously feeling at the moment, tattoos when he needs to act on impulse because he is upset, and tattoos when he needs a way to escape his confused lifestyle, such as when he randomly joined the Navy and married Sarah Ruth. His tattoos were his way to escape from the realities of life in order to enter the mysteriousness and comfort of his "unnamed universe." I call it an "unnamed universe" because its where Parker finds his connection with G-d. His tangible connection is evident through his religious tattoos (389); however, his tattoos allow him to transcend and connect with G-d. This "universe" can be seen as Parker's place to reflect and find his religious connection. While he may not be religious in a traditional way, his tattoos are his outlets to seemingly find his needed answers about his marriage and lifestyle.
However, even though Parker receives tattoos to connect with G-d, his quest to relieve his pains is not fully achieved at the end of the story. After his wife yells and beats him for idolatry, Parker is seen "leaning against the tree, crying like a baby." (394) So maybe the tattoos did not allow him to transcend into an unnamed universe and maybe his pains were not fully relieved; but in the end, it was his coping mechanism that got him through the day. His spiritual connection through his tattoo of Christ on his back truly symbolizes how he attempted to connect with G-d.
AP English- 2
September 17
530 words
Tattoos as a way to Cope
Much of Flannery O' Connor's work pertains to one's quest to finding grace. After reading "Revelation" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find," there seemed to be a pattern in her work in which often prejudiced and judgmental characters reach a revelation and turning point after struggling internally. Mrs. Turpin's defining moment in the pigpen as well as Grandmother's pleading for her life before Misfit demonstrate times in which G-d, grace, and religion come into play. I wanted to explore another one of O' Connor's short stories to see how she delves into the lives of more disturbed and unhappy characters who find their revelations through interesting and seemingly odd ways.
"Parker's Back" was by far my favorite of O' Connor's short stories. Her depiction of Parker in the first few pages was brilliant: the way Parker lies to his wife by saying he worked with an attractive blonde in his office, his previous understanding of why he married his wife/current confusion to why he is still with her, and his reference to her as "ugly women" all demonstrate his discontent and frustration with his marriage. Instead of merely stating that Parker was in an unhappy marriage, O' Connor jumps right into examples of why Parker is suffering with his wife. On this note, O' Connor begins "Parker's Back" by immediately narrowing in on a scene on Parker's front porch-- O' Connor's other stories have these quick starts also ie doctors office-- to demonstrate how Parker was immersed in his thoughts about why he was still married to Sarah Ruth.
After introducing the tension and internal struggle surrounding keeping his marriage to Sarah-- remember that she is pregnant-- O' Connor introduces the beginnings of Parker's coping mechanisms. His mechanism is tattoos. Tattoos of what ever he is spontaneously feeling at the moment, tattoos when he needs to act on impulse because he is upset, and tattoos when he needs a way to escape his confused lifestyle, such as when he randomly joined the Navy and married Sarah Ruth. His tattoos were his way to escape from the realities of life in order to enter the mysteriousness and comfort of his "unnamed universe." I call it an "unnamed universe" because its where Parker finds his connection with G-d. His tangible connection is evident through his religious tattoos (389); however, his tattoos allow him to transcend and connect with G-d. This "universe" can be seen as Parker's place to reflect and find his religious connection. While he may not be religious in a traditional way, his tattoos are his outlets to seemingly find his needed answers about his marriage and lifestyle.
However, even though Parker receives tattoos to connect with G-d, his quest to relieve his pains is not fully achieved at the end of the story. After his wife yells and beats him for idolatry, Parker is seen "leaning against the tree, crying like a baby." (394) So maybe the tattoos did not allow him to transcend into an unnamed universe and maybe his pains were not fully relieved; but in the end, it was his coping mechanism that got him through the day. His spiritual connection through his tattoo of Christ on his back truly symbolizes how he attempted to connect with G-d.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Judgments to Realizations
Jessica Gordon
AP English
Judgments to Realizations
Flannery O’ Connor begins “Revelation” by introducing Mrs. Turpin, a judgmental middle-aged woman who appears to, on the surface, “wear the pants” in her relationship with husband, Claud. Waiting with her husband in the doctors’ office, she “puts a firm hand on [his] shoulder” and tells him, “you sit in that chair there” (1).Her controlling nature turns myopic: while waiting in the doctors’ office with her husband, Mrs. Turpin is quick to label innocent bystanders who are waiting for their own appointments. The victims include: “pleasant lady,” “ugly girl,” “old lady,” and the “colored boy.” Her judgmental temperament is blatantly obvious: She does not know these people, yet provides one-word stereotypes for them. The comments turn degrading and prejudiced when Mrs. Turpin says, “There’s a heap of things worst than a nigger, it’s all kinds of them just like it’s all kinds of us.” (60). In addition to stereotyping the patients as well as controlling her husband, Mrs. Turpin goes so far as to criticize the tangible items in the doctors’ office. She is not a fan of the cluttered table with the “limp-looking magazines” and the “big green glass ash tray filled with cigarette butts” (10). It’s as if Mrs. Turpin is caught in a downward spiral, insulting every one and everything even though she has no business doing so. However, despite the surface appearance that Mrs. Turpin is controlling and prejudiced, her acts are merely reflections on her internal struggles and the battles against herself to find out who she truly is.
We see Mrs. Turpin in her own struggle after Ugly Girl attempts to attack her in the waiting room. When Ugly Girl both physically lunges at her as well as says, “Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog,” (110) Mrs. Turpin is hit with a ton of bricks. Losing her appetite that night and tearfully defending herself to her husband, Mrs. Turpin is both hurt and defensive surrounding this comment. However, her revelation begins to take place when she realizes who the comment was directed to. While she wants it to be aimed at the hopefully flawed patients in the room, she knows it is directed at her other half: “the respectable, hard-working, church-going woman.” Despite this newfound understanding, Mrs. Turpin is not fully relieved from her internal pain and struggles at this point. In fact, she falls back into her previously characteristic mold by criticizing once again: “it’s too late for me to be a nigger, but I could act like one.” (180) The comment from Ugly Girl appeared to have taken a small emotional toll on this struggling woman, who remembers when she was the well-liked, pious woman.
Mrs. Turpin begins to symbolically find a way to communicate with G-d as her next step to find answers. After being described as going into battle (the hog pen) weaponless, the “mysterious hue” and “visionary lights” began to set in. The moment hits her when she notes, “the gaze bent to [me] as if [I] was absorbing some abysmal life-giving knowledge.” (190). Her intense realization of her human place in society is further shown when the souls—these were the people she was judging before—were marching towards heaven. A religious woman at some point in her life, Mrs. Turpin appears to now, through the powerful imagery and signs of G-d, understand that she is no better than other humans. The truth has finally reached her after she remained motionless in the pig-pen as the fates of those she had judged flashed before her eyes. Seeing those she had criticize “climbing upward into the starry field and shouting hallelujah (190)” proved to affect her because she sees the people she judged going to heaven. Her communication with G-d in the pig pen proved to be her turning point and moment of realization that she is part of human kind too, no better and no worse.
G-d’s communication with Mrs. Turpin through the visions and flashing lights demonstrated her needed “reality check” of who she appears to be and who she used to be. While we still do not know why she reverted from being a respectable, church-going woman, it is clear that Mrs. Turpin needed outside influences to remind her who she is in society.
(721)
Questions:
1. Does Mrs. Turpin actually reach a turning point/revelation, or is she just in the moment of the gaze and will probably go back to her old ways?
2. Why is this story set in the waiting room of the doctors’ office?
3. Why is Ugly Girl the only one who O’ Connor gives a real name/identity?
AP English
Judgments to Realizations
Flannery O’ Connor begins “Revelation” by introducing Mrs. Turpin, a judgmental middle-aged woman who appears to, on the surface, “wear the pants” in her relationship with husband, Claud. Waiting with her husband in the doctors’ office, she “puts a firm hand on [his] shoulder” and tells him, “you sit in that chair there” (1).Her controlling nature turns myopic: while waiting in the doctors’ office with her husband, Mrs. Turpin is quick to label innocent bystanders who are waiting for their own appointments. The victims include: “pleasant lady,” “ugly girl,” “old lady,” and the “colored boy.” Her judgmental temperament is blatantly obvious: She does not know these people, yet provides one-word stereotypes for them. The comments turn degrading and prejudiced when Mrs. Turpin says, “There’s a heap of things worst than a nigger, it’s all kinds of them just like it’s all kinds of us.” (60). In addition to stereotyping the patients as well as controlling her husband, Mrs. Turpin goes so far as to criticize the tangible items in the doctors’ office. She is not a fan of the cluttered table with the “limp-looking magazines” and the “big green glass ash tray filled with cigarette butts” (10). It’s as if Mrs. Turpin is caught in a downward spiral, insulting every one and everything even though she has no business doing so. However, despite the surface appearance that Mrs. Turpin is controlling and prejudiced, her acts are merely reflections on her internal struggles and the battles against herself to find out who she truly is.
We see Mrs. Turpin in her own struggle after Ugly Girl attempts to attack her in the waiting room. When Ugly Girl both physically lunges at her as well as says, “Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog,” (110) Mrs. Turpin is hit with a ton of bricks. Losing her appetite that night and tearfully defending herself to her husband, Mrs. Turpin is both hurt and defensive surrounding this comment. However, her revelation begins to take place when she realizes who the comment was directed to. While she wants it to be aimed at the hopefully flawed patients in the room, she knows it is directed at her other half: “the respectable, hard-working, church-going woman.” Despite this newfound understanding, Mrs. Turpin is not fully relieved from her internal pain and struggles at this point. In fact, she falls back into her previously characteristic mold by criticizing once again: “it’s too late for me to be a nigger, but I could act like one.” (180) The comment from Ugly Girl appeared to have taken a small emotional toll on this struggling woman, who remembers when she was the well-liked, pious woman.
Mrs. Turpin begins to symbolically find a way to communicate with G-d as her next step to find answers. After being described as going into battle (the hog pen) weaponless, the “mysterious hue” and “visionary lights” began to set in. The moment hits her when she notes, “the gaze bent to [me] as if [I] was absorbing some abysmal life-giving knowledge.” (190). Her intense realization of her human place in society is further shown when the souls—these were the people she was judging before—were marching towards heaven. A religious woman at some point in her life, Mrs. Turpin appears to now, through the powerful imagery and signs of G-d, understand that she is no better than other humans. The truth has finally reached her after she remained motionless in the pig-pen as the fates of those she had judged flashed before her eyes. Seeing those she had criticize “climbing upward into the starry field and shouting hallelujah (190)” proved to affect her because she sees the people she judged going to heaven. Her communication with G-d in the pig pen proved to be her turning point and moment of realization that she is part of human kind too, no better and no worse.
G-d’s communication with Mrs. Turpin through the visions and flashing lights demonstrated her needed “reality check” of who she appears to be and who she used to be. While we still do not know why she reverted from being a respectable, church-going woman, it is clear that Mrs. Turpin needed outside influences to remind her who she is in society.
(721)
Questions:
1. Does Mrs. Turpin actually reach a turning point/revelation, or is she just in the moment of the gaze and will probably go back to her old ways?
2. Why is this story set in the waiting room of the doctors’ office?
3. Why is Ugly Girl the only one who O’ Connor gives a real name/identity?
Sunday, September 14, 2008
"A Rose For Emily"
If the beginning had started off with the ending, she would have seemed crazy. No reader would have sympathized with a woman who killed her lover and then slept next to his decomposing body. And no one would be content with the fact that [he] was "rotten beneath what was left of a night shirt." Readers would begin to think, "What IS this?"
"A Rose for Emily" is brilliantly written in that such an eerie and disturbing story is introduced in such generic and "make-your-own-conclusion" terms. Faulkner starts off by having the narrator speak on the town's behalf to honor the mysterious death of an apparently aloof neighbor. We see Miss Emily Grierson as a "fallen monument" and the owner of a house that is curiously inspected by the town women. As her story had yet to be unfolded and understood, I began to draw my own conclusions about who this woman was. I decided that she was famous and wealthy, yet private about her life; the town was dying to see what her closed-off life entailed. I then learned that she had been "a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town." I thought I was right: she was respected and famous in this seemingly small town.The inferences I drew were a result of Faulkner's attempt to slowly bring the reader into the mysterious, disturbing life of Emily. His organization and ability to start with a broad idea and then provide subtle hints before presenting the big finale allows the reader to want to find out about Emily's mysterious demeanor.
In class, we discussed Faulkner's organization of the story. I began to realize that if he had began his story with Emily's murdering her lover and then sleeping next to his decomposing body, we-- as the readers-- would have been scared off. Uncomfortable with grotesque imagery and chilling ideals, we would have sided against Emily because she would have seemed weird. However, almost the exact opposite happened. Faulkner introduced Emily as a ghost-like figure and then began to explain her respected role in society-- she continued to argue against paying taxes that she was originally exempt from-- to allow the reader to begin to identify with this woman. After Faulkner allows the reader to begin to like Emily's strong and well-respected character, he dropped hints about Emily's eerie nature. We read that she wanted to by arsenic from a druggist, she had a falling out with her family, and a stench developed from her house. However, we still take her side and even sympathize with a woman who appeared to be going through some rough times because we want to see the best in a respectable woman. When Faulkner eventually hits the reader with the ending of what Emily had done to her lover, we don't immediately think she is a crazy, cold-blooded murderer. Her sad struggles allow us to see her acts as ways to be loved in a society that repeated, "Poor Emily."
Overall, Faulkner's organization of "A Rose for Emily" was beneficial to his writing of such a shocking short story-- I was definitely wrong in my original interpretation of Emily-- because he was able to describe Emily as an outcast in society who needed sympathy before announcing her disturbing act. We, as readers, unite with Emily because we see that she had struggled and just wanted to be with the man she loved.
(578)
"A Rose for Emily" is brilliantly written in that such an eerie and disturbing story is introduced in such generic and "make-your-own-conclusion" terms. Faulkner starts off by having the narrator speak on the town's behalf to honor the mysterious death of an apparently aloof neighbor. We see Miss Emily Grierson as a "fallen monument" and the owner of a house that is curiously inspected by the town women. As her story had yet to be unfolded and understood, I began to draw my own conclusions about who this woman was. I decided that she was famous and wealthy, yet private about her life; the town was dying to see what her closed-off life entailed. I then learned that she had been "a tradition, a duty, and a care; a sort of hereditary obligation upon the town." I thought I was right: she was respected and famous in this seemingly small town.The inferences I drew were a result of Faulkner's attempt to slowly bring the reader into the mysterious, disturbing life of Emily. His organization and ability to start with a broad idea and then provide subtle hints before presenting the big finale allows the reader to want to find out about Emily's mysterious demeanor.
In class, we discussed Faulkner's organization of the story. I began to realize that if he had began his story with Emily's murdering her lover and then sleeping next to his decomposing body, we-- as the readers-- would have been scared off. Uncomfortable with grotesque imagery and chilling ideals, we would have sided against Emily because she would have seemed weird. However, almost the exact opposite happened. Faulkner introduced Emily as a ghost-like figure and then began to explain her respected role in society-- she continued to argue against paying taxes that she was originally exempt from-- to allow the reader to begin to identify with this woman. After Faulkner allows the reader to begin to like Emily's strong and well-respected character, he dropped hints about Emily's eerie nature. We read that she wanted to by arsenic from a druggist, she had a falling out with her family, and a stench developed from her house. However, we still take her side and even sympathize with a woman who appeared to be going through some rough times because we want to see the best in a respectable woman. When Faulkner eventually hits the reader with the ending of what Emily had done to her lover, we don't immediately think she is a crazy, cold-blooded murderer. Her sad struggles allow us to see her acts as ways to be loved in a society that repeated, "Poor Emily."
Overall, Faulkner's organization of "A Rose for Emily" was beneficial to his writing of such a shocking short story-- I was definitely wrong in my original interpretation of Emily-- because he was able to describe Emily as an outcast in society who needed sympathy before announcing her disturbing act. We, as readers, unite with Emily because we see that she had struggled and just wanted to be with the man she loved.
(578)
Monday, September 8, 2008
"Stop Testing Fate"
Jessica Gordon
AP English
Short Stories:
“The Lie” by T. Coraghessan Boyle: Published April 14, 2008: The New Yorker
“Stop testing fate”
He was unfulfilled with his life and possibly not ready for the responsibility of being a father. She was tired; the baby kept her up each night, yet rationale was still part of her daily routine. His boss assumed again, “are you sick today?” He was still unfilled with his life: he missed his pre-baby days and the days where responsibility was minimal.
This short story by Boyle surrounds the life of a new father, Lonnie, and his internal struggle to balance the multiple responsibilities in his life as well as keep sane with all of the things he is counted on to complete. His wife, despite her tired, wornout nature, has it together: she cares for baby Xana and still manages to find time to drink margaritas with friends and relax.
Boyle, instead of merely stating that Lonnie is overwhelmed, takes the reader on this father’s emotional rollercoaster to show that sometimes people aren’t ready to take on life. The short story encompasses Lonnie’s lie after lie about why he can not go into work on a given day. He had already used up his sick and personal days; however, he could just not get himself to go to work. The lies started innocent: his daughter was sick. Then they take a convoluted path from his daughter is in the hospital, has Leukemia, and finally…. Died. I stop reading for a minute because I live by a very strict rule: you cannot test fate. I spend the rest of the 5 pages in the short story worrying that something bad will happen to the father or the baby. Although it is fictional, it makes me cringe when I read about the myriad of lies. What guilt would this innocent dad, who clearly doesn’t mean to hurt anyone or ruin anything, have if something happened to his baby? Boyle describes Lonnie’s compulsive lies as similar to “bile leaking out of a liver gone bad.” This figurative language depicts Lonnie’s uncontrollable problem: he didn’t mean to test the fate of his newborn child; he just needs an escape, an escape from this new life, and an escape from the stresses of having a wife, child, and a demanding job.
As I finished this short story, I came to the conclusion that is was one of my favorite short stories. Boyle’s ability to depict the life of a stressed-out, scared father through innocent lies that turned dangerous and corrupt demonstrates that sometimes people are not ready for life; however, embracing that life to the best of one’s ability is the best way to get through. I want to tell Lonnie something, “Promise you will never test fate again.”
462 words
AP English
Short Stories:
“The Lie” by T. Coraghessan Boyle: Published April 14, 2008: The New Yorker
“Stop testing fate”
He was unfulfilled with his life and possibly not ready for the responsibility of being a father. She was tired; the baby kept her up each night, yet rationale was still part of her daily routine. His boss assumed again, “are you sick today?” He was still unfilled with his life: he missed his pre-baby days and the days where responsibility was minimal.
This short story by Boyle surrounds the life of a new father, Lonnie, and his internal struggle to balance the multiple responsibilities in his life as well as keep sane with all of the things he is counted on to complete. His wife, despite her tired, wornout nature, has it together: she cares for baby Xana and still manages to find time to drink margaritas with friends and relax.
Boyle, instead of merely stating that Lonnie is overwhelmed, takes the reader on this father’s emotional rollercoaster to show that sometimes people aren’t ready to take on life. The short story encompasses Lonnie’s lie after lie about why he can not go into work on a given day. He had already used up his sick and personal days; however, he could just not get himself to go to work. The lies started innocent: his daughter was sick. Then they take a convoluted path from his daughter is in the hospital, has Leukemia, and finally…. Died. I stop reading for a minute because I live by a very strict rule: you cannot test fate. I spend the rest of the 5 pages in the short story worrying that something bad will happen to the father or the baby. Although it is fictional, it makes me cringe when I read about the myriad of lies. What guilt would this innocent dad, who clearly doesn’t mean to hurt anyone or ruin anything, have if something happened to his baby? Boyle describes Lonnie’s compulsive lies as similar to “bile leaking out of a liver gone bad.” This figurative language depicts Lonnie’s uncontrollable problem: he didn’t mean to test the fate of his newborn child; he just needs an escape, an escape from this new life, and an escape from the stresses of having a wife, child, and a demanding job.
As I finished this short story, I came to the conclusion that is was one of my favorite short stories. Boyle’s ability to depict the life of a stressed-out, scared father through innocent lies that turned dangerous and corrupt demonstrates that sometimes people are not ready for life; however, embracing that life to the best of one’s ability is the best way to get through. I want to tell Lonnie something, “Promise you will never test fate again.”
462 words
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
I Wish You All A Long and Happy Life
Jessica Gordon
Mr. Coon
AP English
26 August 2008
I Wish You All a Long and Happy Life
I have never had such strong, negative emotions after reading Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold as I have had with any other novel. While I have read many books in the past that were unfulfilling, Lovely Bones took a common feeling of disappointment to a new level. Even though I read this novel months ago, I am still aroused by emotions of anger and hatred when I think about the conclusion to this day.
When I first began reading Lovely Bones, I was engrossed in Sebold’s ghost-like murder mystery that encompassed graphic imagery surrounding the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl. I read the novel in two days, only putting it down for small breaks. As I became captivated in understanding Suzie’s heaven, feeling the Salmons’ pain, and supporting Jack’s endeavor to capture Mr. Harvey, I continued to wait for Mr. Harvey to be brought to justice. As each page passed, I truly believed that closure would finally be brought to both Suzie and her family after such a disturbing and shocking event occurred. When I got to the last sentence of the last page, I was not merely disappointed; rather, I was overcome with anger and rancorous feelings. This was the first time that I had actually thrown a book on the floor and stormed out of my room after reading the last line, “I wish you all a long and happy life.” I was not disappointed in the ending; rather, I was filled with hatred: hatred towards Alice Sebold for providing no feelings of security and closure to the reader.
Sebold’s lack of a true conclusion was more disturbing than the graphic, chilling imagery that was present throughout the storyline. The point of a conclusion is to not only to end a story but to also bring some sort of closure to the reader. Sebold’s last line of “ I wish you all a long and happy life,” provided no closure; in fact, I was angry that nothing was brought to Suzie Salmon and her family. This is because the disturbing and brutal nature of Suzie Salmon’s murder--- She narrated and recalled her own rape throughout the novel from her Heaven--- should not be left without justice being brought against her rapist Mr. Harvey. Sebold’s extremely detailed, graphic account of Suzie’s rape needed to be accounted for: Mr. Harvey’s receiving legal punishment, Suzie’s father receiving closure that his assumptions and intuitions were correct about Harvey, or Len Fenerman’s personal realization that Mr. Harvey was the murderer could have all been possible endings. These alternative conclusions would have given the reader a sense of security and closure after struggling to read about Mr. Harvey’s raping and shredding Suzie’s body to pieces. Because Sebold effectively conveyed emotions of fear, shock, suspicion, and pain to her readers, her last line seemingly reversed her work and dismissed her entire novel. This is shown through Jack’s persistent work with Lindsey to break into Harvey’s house to find evidence, Suzie’s narrating what she longed for from her own heaven, and the overall emotional struggle of family in friends to cope with such a disturbing death of a young girl. The emotional struggles that the characters faced were downplayed by such a generic, non-specific ending. In my opinion, the ending should have provided a profound, strong statement as to the disturbing realities that life presents and how individuals cope with these unimaginable events. Suzie’s statement of wishing a nonspecific person a happy life seemingly takes away the emphasis of the pain and shock that her family went through.
More specifically, Sebold’s language sets up her novel to need a strong, even provocative, ending that brings closure to such an extreme, disturbing event. When Suzie states from her heaven that, “part of me wished swift vengeance, wanted my father to turn into the man he could have never been—a man violent in rage” (Seybold 58). This suggests that Suzie wanted her father to become angry and almost hysterical to bring justice to Mr. Harvey. Suzie’s continuation puts extreme emphasis on the guilt that Jack had: “the guilt on him, the hand of G-d pressing down on him, saying, You were not there when your daughter needed you” ( Sebold 58). These two recounts of a pained father grieving over his murdered daughter need closure in the conclusion; the reader feels the pain of the father and needs to feel a sense of relief after being strung through the disturbing murder of Suzie.
Overall, closure was needed to conclude this unsettling, graphic novel. My anger stems from the fact that, as a reader, I feel the pain in the novel, yet there is no effective conclusion to help settle my disturbed, unsettling feelings. My having such a powerful emotional response to Sebold’s writing as the reader symbolizes that a strong ending needed to be in place.
836 words
Summer Reading:
1. Salem Falls By Jodi Picoult
2. Change of Heart By Jodi Picoult
3. Stolen Innocence By Elissa Wall
4. This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin
5. Namesake By Jhumpa Lahiri
6. Lovely Bones By Alice Sebold
7. The Brain that Changes Itself By Norman Doidge ( Unfinished)
8. Reading Lolita in Tehran By Azar Nafisi (Unfinished)
9. About 10-15 articles on epilepsy, seizure suppressor genes, and drosophila
Mr. Coon
AP English
26 August 2008
I Wish You All a Long and Happy Life
I have never had such strong, negative emotions after reading Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold as I have had with any other novel. While I have read many books in the past that were unfulfilling, Lovely Bones took a common feeling of disappointment to a new level. Even though I read this novel months ago, I am still aroused by emotions of anger and hatred when I think about the conclusion to this day.
When I first began reading Lovely Bones, I was engrossed in Sebold’s ghost-like murder mystery that encompassed graphic imagery surrounding the rape and murder of a 14-year-old girl. I read the novel in two days, only putting it down for small breaks. As I became captivated in understanding Suzie’s heaven, feeling the Salmons’ pain, and supporting Jack’s endeavor to capture Mr. Harvey, I continued to wait for Mr. Harvey to be brought to justice. As each page passed, I truly believed that closure would finally be brought to both Suzie and her family after such a disturbing and shocking event occurred. When I got to the last sentence of the last page, I was not merely disappointed; rather, I was overcome with anger and rancorous feelings. This was the first time that I had actually thrown a book on the floor and stormed out of my room after reading the last line, “I wish you all a long and happy life.” I was not disappointed in the ending; rather, I was filled with hatred: hatred towards Alice Sebold for providing no feelings of security and closure to the reader.
Sebold’s lack of a true conclusion was more disturbing than the graphic, chilling imagery that was present throughout the storyline. The point of a conclusion is to not only to end a story but to also bring some sort of closure to the reader. Sebold’s last line of “ I wish you all a long and happy life,” provided no closure; in fact, I was angry that nothing was brought to Suzie Salmon and her family. This is because the disturbing and brutal nature of Suzie Salmon’s murder--- She narrated and recalled her own rape throughout the novel from her Heaven--- should not be left without justice being brought against her rapist Mr. Harvey. Sebold’s extremely detailed, graphic account of Suzie’s rape needed to be accounted for: Mr. Harvey’s receiving legal punishment, Suzie’s father receiving closure that his assumptions and intuitions were correct about Harvey, or Len Fenerman’s personal realization that Mr. Harvey was the murderer could have all been possible endings. These alternative conclusions would have given the reader a sense of security and closure after struggling to read about Mr. Harvey’s raping and shredding Suzie’s body to pieces. Because Sebold effectively conveyed emotions of fear, shock, suspicion, and pain to her readers, her last line seemingly reversed her work and dismissed her entire novel. This is shown through Jack’s persistent work with Lindsey to break into Harvey’s house to find evidence, Suzie’s narrating what she longed for from her own heaven, and the overall emotional struggle of family in friends to cope with such a disturbing death of a young girl. The emotional struggles that the characters faced were downplayed by such a generic, non-specific ending. In my opinion, the ending should have provided a profound, strong statement as to the disturbing realities that life presents and how individuals cope with these unimaginable events. Suzie’s statement of wishing a nonspecific person a happy life seemingly takes away the emphasis of the pain and shock that her family went through.
More specifically, Sebold’s language sets up her novel to need a strong, even provocative, ending that brings closure to such an extreme, disturbing event. When Suzie states from her heaven that, “part of me wished swift vengeance, wanted my father to turn into the man he could have never been—a man violent in rage” (Seybold 58). This suggests that Suzie wanted her father to become angry and almost hysterical to bring justice to Mr. Harvey. Suzie’s continuation puts extreme emphasis on the guilt that Jack had: “the guilt on him, the hand of G-d pressing down on him, saying, You were not there when your daughter needed you” ( Sebold 58). These two recounts of a pained father grieving over his murdered daughter need closure in the conclusion; the reader feels the pain of the father and needs to feel a sense of relief after being strung through the disturbing murder of Suzie.
Overall, closure was needed to conclude this unsettling, graphic novel. My anger stems from the fact that, as a reader, I feel the pain in the novel, yet there is no effective conclusion to help settle my disturbed, unsettling feelings. My having such a powerful emotional response to Sebold’s writing as the reader symbolizes that a strong ending needed to be in place.
836 words
Summer Reading:
1. Salem Falls By Jodi Picoult
2. Change of Heart By Jodi Picoult
3. Stolen Innocence By Elissa Wall
4. This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitin
5. Namesake By Jhumpa Lahiri
6. Lovely Bones By Alice Sebold
7. The Brain that Changes Itself By Norman Doidge ( Unfinished)
8. Reading Lolita in Tehran By Azar Nafisi (Unfinished)
9. About 10-15 articles on epilepsy, seizure suppressor genes, and drosophila
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