I Had To Face the Truth

I cannot with a clear and confident mind say that Fermina Daza does not love Dr. Urbino. Although this love does not move me, it is present and burning. I could first tell that Fermina loves Dr. Urbino when she is genuinely upset about the affair he is having with Barbara Lynch.

Throughout the first part of the marriage, I feel as though it is Fermina’s time to recover from her love with Florentino, but I realize that she is not only recovering, but falling in love all over again. I think that I chose to ignore the signs of her passion because I feel for Florentino’s character and desire. Florentino’s path to love and acts of adoration run far deeper and travel much further than those of Dr. Urbino’s. Everything that surrounds Florentino’s love is so bright and powerful while I see Dr. Urbino’s love as having a perpetual overcast. Maybe I feel this way about Dr. Urbino because his initial meeting with Fermina was introduced to me after Florentino’s irresistibly luring and convincing courting of Fermina. To me, the reader, this is the shadow that makes Dr. Urbino’s love dark— the reader’s condolences lie with Florentino throughout the entire novel.

Gabriel Garcia’s choice to first show the arguments present in Fermina and Dr. Urbino’s marriage and then show the more favorable man being rejected allows the reader to think that Urbino is not actually in love with Fermina. This is not in fact the case. Being a enormous advocate of Florentino Ariza’s, it took me until the moment that tears fell from Fermina’s face when she learned of the affair to face the truth that Urbino and Fermina Daza are truly in love. This love does not begin to travel to the supernatural level of the love of Fermina and Florentino, but it is not to be denied or pushed aside as superficial.

I now see that I can use the love between Fermina and Urbino as a “foundational love”. I view this love as basic and predictable. With this basic love present, I am able to see how truly dominant the love is between Fermina and Florentino. These loves stand as foils for each other in my mind. I am able to see similarities in the beginning, but these loves grow apart and distinguish themselves as separate entities. The love between Florentino and Fermina clearly translates through the novel as the most prevailing and important character. (447)

If this is not love, then what is?

What truly happened to our generation’s belief in chivalry? As I sat in class the other day clinging on for dear life in support of love versus obsession, it hit me. Has our generation become so cynical that we cannot see true and powerful love when it is so eloquently written before our eyes? The words alone that Garcia Marquez uses to illustrate Florentino and Fermina is enough to convince me that these two characters are truly and deeply connected.

I feel that it is my duty as seemingly one of the minorities in this generation that still believes in true love to defend the blatant love that consumes Fermina and Florentino. Garcia Marquez uses the idea and message of “love” as symptomatic. Love is a disease that has taken over the mind of Florentino. It is clear that Marquez wishes to portray love and not obsession as he compares the symptoms of love to the symptoms of cholera. At the time, Cholera had whipped out a significant part of the population. Cholera controlled the people of Latin America just as love has controlled Florentino. Signs of obsession may come out of his desire to cure himself of his love, but, bottom line, love is too powerful to cure.

This incurable disorder that takes over Florentino’s mind and soul begins to drive him to insanity. Florentino physically suffers as a victim of love. The obstacles and trials that Florentino is willing to push past can only be fueled by his burning desire for Fermina. Obsession will take a man far, but love will absolutely take a man further. After Fermina rejects Florentino, he makes a vow to himself that he will forever wait for his true love. This, I must admit, is in fact an obsessive comment, but he is not truthful to his word. The fact that Florentino moves on to have many sexual relationships without true emotional connections, only further supports the idea that he used up all of true love on Fermina. By sleeping around meaninglessly, I believe that Florentino wishes to truly escape the obsessive elements of his relationship with Fermina. He wants to find a sexual escape in nameless women leaving him with mere feelings of naked love and passion for Fermina. He hopes to free his mind from Fermina’s suffocating hold in an endless search for happiness and liberty. It is impossible for him to let go.

Obsession is an enormous part of the love that Florentino feels for Fermina. Obsession fuels the love, but does not control the love. Florentino is not in control of his love. He seems to be controlled by a force, possibly a force of obsession. He is driven to Fermina. But, what is love without obsession? Obsession in one form or degree is present in all great relationships. Florentino yearns for his love with Fermina, just as anyone would yearn for someone they love. I can only hope that one day I have a love that is as romantic and grand as the one between Florentino and Fermina.(522)

A Journey Through Jason's Mind

After finishing Sound and the Fury, I felt like a detective that had just navigated my way through the details that consume these people’s lives.

I find myself fixated with Jason. It is a fixation of pure hatred, but I have strong interest in his character. Psychologically, I feel as though Jason can not help the way the he turned out— he never fit in with the other children. One of the most interesting and somewhat understandable aspects of Jason’s being is the fact that he is unable to experience “true love”. Jason is unable to emotionally connect to a woman. He will not let himself get close enough. He expresses his cynical views towards women when he states, "I never promise a woman anything nor let her know what I'm going to give her. That's the only way to manage them. Always keep them guessing. If you cant think of any other way to surprise them, give them a bust in the jaw" (193). This pessimistic and somewhat distrustful view of women can only stem from the failure and hatred his has for the women that are already in his life. We get the notion that Jason hates Caddy from the very beginning of his narrative. He wants to bring Caddy down. In addition, even though Mrs. Compson cared for Jason, he does not treat her with the respect that a loved family member deserves. Jason steals the money that Caddy sends to Quentin and keeps it from his mother, Mrs. Compson. This nonchalant attitude of deceiving your family is understandable on a completely different level when Jason states, "I'm glad I haven't got the sort of conscience I've got to nurse like a sick puppy all the time." Maybe, with this lack of self reflection that a conscience provides, Jason has yet to realize that he truly is a cruel and twisted individual.

Another aspect of Jason’s characters that plagues me is his lack of accomplishments. He seems to be career minded, but he continues to steal money. Jason blames a lot of his misfortunes on the fact the he was not given what all of the other children were given. Jason is constantly preoccupied with the fact the he was not the one that went to Harvard. Jason is clearly a smart and witty man, but he seems to have no drive to apply his intelligence to anything. He wants a life that he does not have, but he does not know how to get there. Because he is unable to attain improvement in his life, I feel as though Jason just stews in his misfortunes and, out of pure frustration and distain, makes the worst out of the situation that he is in. (489)

Putting The Pieces Together

I think that Faulker has chosen to tell his story in the most convoluted way possible. He has a plethora of twists and obstacles that the reader must navigate his way through. We start the story being immediately introduced to an extremely unreliable narrator. Benjy’s life and clearly present disability is complicated, but as a narrator, he brings this baggage into his story. We are getting the “Benjy side” of the story, not the reality of the situation.

There are many idiosyncrasies intertwined into Benjy’s character. These idiosyncrasies that make up Benjy, are important to understand. If you are able to understand the way Benjy lives his life and the way Benjy’s extremely different and independent mind thinks, the understanding of time and place becomes much simpler. Benjy has an extremely strange relationship with time— he seems to have a strange relationship with all things set and stone and abstract. Benjy does not rely on time the way many narrators in books do, but instead, he seems to be very instinctual. Without time, the reader is left to put situations and places into the correct chronological order. The reader has to sift through this pandemonium— the pandemonium that is also consuming Benjy’s psychological mind. Instead of time, Benjy tends to rely on human traits such as his senses. Benjy is very keen and aware of sounds, smells, and most importantly human experience.

Benjy experiences human actions and progressions through his sister, Caddy. He is tied to her every move. He can sense her mood. He can sense when something is wrong or when something is different. But, he can most importantly sense when change has occurred. It seems that Benjy’s sense of time is circled around and based upon the pivotal moments in Caddy’s life. Benjy mentions particular incidents in which he is incapable to accept Caddy’s actions. Some of these incidents include: Caddy’s first kiss and Caddy losing her virginity. This shows me that Benjy is forever a child. He does not want to experience change. He does not want to change and he does not want the people and the places around him to change. This is an additional aspect that creates Benjy as an unreliable narrator. Benjy tends to look at the people around him and their actions. Benjy does not give the reader a glance solely into his perspective of a situation. Benjy’s perspective is often neither the realistic nor the rational perspective. (472)

Worn But Not Torn

Upon first glance, “A Worn Path” is the story of elderly black woman’s bumpy path into town, but with a more thorough look, the story yields endless themes. Phoenix Jackson, the protagonist of the narrative, is going into town to buy her grandson medicine. This road that Phoenix is traveling on is all too familiar to her. She can close her eyes and navigate her way accurately. This road is so familiar to Phoenix because this path represents her life— her life of eternal determination and perseverance.

“A Worn Path” slyly shows issues of racism in mid-20th century society. While on the way into town, Phoenix Jackson runs into only one person. After falling into a hole, putting Jackson into a weak and vulnerable position, she must depend on the assistance of a white hunter. This hunter speaks down to Phoenix. His superiority is clearly present. This young white man refers to Phoenix as “Granny” (38). The term granny was often used to address African American women in the 1940s and 1950s. This term establishes Phoenix as a frail and aimless woman, which proves to be far form the truth. In addition, the hunter, throughout the entire interaction, is laughing to himself about Phoenix Jackson. He does not think that she is capable of such a journey. Her journey and, metaphorically, her life are a joke to him. He is putting himself on a pedestal when he chuckles, “I know you old colored people! Wouldn’t miss going to town to see Santa Claus!” (48). In assuming this about Phoenix, the hunter is referring to her as a child. Phoenix is no more experienced in life than a typical child— her venture is no more pivotal than a child going to see Santa Claus.

Along the rough road to town, Phoenix must overcome many unexpected obstacles. This parallels the impediments that African Americans had to fight to conquer every day. In addition, this uneven road reflects the road blocks of Phoenix Jackson’s life. One of the obstacles made apparent to the reader, is Jackson’s struggle with poverty. Jackson is an elderly woman, alone in the woods, on an immense trek to retrieve medicine for her ill grandson. Jackson is desperate for money to buy the medicine. When talking to the hunter, Jackson sees a nickel fall from the pocket of the hunter. Her eyes are drawn to this heavenly sight. She, with great care and secrecy, moves this morsel of money into her pocket. Having had to fight for what she has, we see how incredibly moral Ms. Jackson is, “God watching me the whole time. I come to stealing” (54). She must do what she can for the survival of her grandson— even if that means diverting from her own moral compass. She will not only fight for her own life, but she will fight for the life of her loved one.

Poverty was not the only obstacle that attempts to slow Phoenix Jackson. From the beginning of the novel, I assumed that Jackson was blind. Although this is never specified by the author, there are a few key areas that trigger this theory. Jackson carries a cane with her on this journey “… and with this she kept tapping the frozen earth in front of her” (1). This makes the reader think that Phoenix Jackson has impaired vision. This is just another example of how determined and strong this aged woman is. Nothing is going to stop her in this journey, just as nothing is going to stop her in life. She will succeed in what she sets her mind on.

Phoenix Jackson was not only blind, but she is consumed by her mind. She often talks to herself on her expedition. In its most extreme form, her mind produces a hallucination that Jackson had to battle her way through. But, one again, not even the strength of her own mind could slow this aggressive woman down.

Phoenix Jackson, although confronted with many potentially altering problems, never so much as mentions her misfortunes. She looks to her goals. She needs that medicine and she will attain the medicine. She reaches for the future and what it has to offer her. She will not be slowed down by the past and its hardships. She appreciates everything good that comes her way. When the woman at the clinic offers Phoenix five pennies Phoenix thinks not of the charity, but of the present she will buy her deserving grandson. Phoenix is optimistic and looks at the brighter side of her often gloomy life. With great drive to progress in life, Phoenix Jackson had no time for tragedy. (788)

Questions:

1.)Is Phoenix Jackson a heroic character? Do you think the author intended on making her heroic?

2.)What is the significance of the boy that she hallucinates?

3.)Do you see any allusions to Christianity?

4.)What issues of racism are present in the story?

A Silent Story

Giving me the liberty to write about whatever is running through my head is dangerous. I promise not to abuse my new and shiny privilege.
I recently read an article in New York Magazine. Anderson Cooper is the author. Being somewhat of a groupie of Anderson Cooper’s, I know his dedication to service and his love for travel. I was immediately enthralled. This brief article talks about the mementos that Anderson Cooper picks up when on the road. He speaks respectfully of his souvenirs. He says that along his path, he picks up items that are of interest to him: a Buddhist pendant from Bangkok, a smooth stone from Somalia. He always ends up losing these items though. Anderson Cooper says that he is okay with losing these items because he recognizes that they never truly belonged to him. Losing an item means that it is not meant to be in his possession anymore— someone else is in need of its healing powers. There is a particular item that Mr. Cooper has failed to loose through the years. While in Rwanda, Anderson Cooper found a picture lying in tall grass on the side of the road. This was 1994 and the genocide was in full swing. The picture was of three women. He explains his thoughts about these intriguing strangers, “Two of the women seem uncomfortable, but the one in the center stares right into the lens. Her expression I find impossible to read…. I don’t know if the women are Hutu or Tutsi. Victims or killers.” The time captured in this picture tells the entire story of the genocide— their faces project pain, their clothes elicit poverty. The three women that Anderson Cooper totes around “…cocooned in the soft leather of my [his] wallet, or sometimes between the pages of a book,” represent a tragedy. I do not know these three women and neither does Anderson Cooper, but looking at the picture in the magazine, I can imagine what they are thinking just through the expressions on their faces. Anderson Cooper picked up this photo because of what it represented. To him, it represented the disappearance of countless victims in this never-ending genocide. He did not want this picture to disappear with the many victims. To me, this picture represents what was not lost in the tragedy. This picture was probably taken by a loved one of loved ones. When I look at pictures, I often forget what a picture really is. These hardy women stood still for a moment in time during a life changing disaster. These are people that are still alive today, hopefully walking around this very moment. They have lives and loves that I do not know or even need to imagine. Although Anderson Cooper has yet to lose this photo, its presence in the center of the article has affected me. I do not need to possess this treasure to feel what he feels. Anderson Cooper realizes that the privilege he has been granted of being able to glance at this photo daily will not last forever, “Someday the picture will probably disappear. Left behind in a hotel room, or on a city street. That is, I suppose, how it should be. After all, the photo does not belong to me; I’m simply holding it until it’s needed somewhere else.” I am glad that he shared this picture with the world because I needed it and I am sure that many others felt the same. I hope that I often think about these women and their ultimate destiny. (595)

Run Where Told

There are a couple of scenes in "Battle Royal" that strike me as extremely interesting. The author of "Battle Royal", Ralph Ellison, does not illustrate his message with his words; instead, he leaves it to the reader to decipher his convoluted implications. It takes a comprehensive understanding of the time period, the context, and message for the reader to solve this puzzle.
The first excerpt of the story that puzzled me was the purpose of the dancer in the boxing ring. At first I thought that she was just a dancer and symbolized nothing, but then, after reading the entire story, I found that she acted as a foil for the narrator. The dancer in the ring was a beautiful white woman. Although she was white, she did not receive the respect from the white community that a typical white woman did. This was woman was an object— an object of lust and affection. The only other people that acted as objects in the narrative were the black people. The white woman, because of her profession and circumstance, was taken down to the low level of the black community. She was an object performing in the boxing ring for the white community just as the black people were an object performing in the boxing ring for the white community. This is strange to me because the black community was not allowed to look at the white woman, but the white woman was subjected to the same level as the black community.
The other part of the story that startled me upon first glance was the ending. At the end of the story, the grandfather, through a dream, says to his grand son the message, “Keep This Nigger-Boy Running” (536). It is not the words themselves that startled me, but instead, the tone of mockery in which they were projected. This makes me think that the grandfather is not all that proud of his grandson for earning a scholarship to the black college. This is in fact the case, the grandfather is laughing at the boy for falling for the white people’s trick. He is going to go to college, but he is going to go to the college that the white people want him to go to. He will make a difference in the black community— not the white community. I believe that the grandfather is laughing because the boy will continue to run indeed, but he will continue to run where he is meant to run— where the white people want him to run. (425)

Are We All Introverted?

During our discussion of summer reading books, a book called The Perks of Being a Wallflower came up. This narrative was brought up in relation to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. Having read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime during summer, I was able to see how these two books are incredibly integrated within each other.
In both of these novels, the main character is somewhat of a recluse or “wallflower”. They are very introverted and self-sufficient protagonists. The reader is introduced to more of their inner thoughts than their relationship and interactions with other characters. With this method, a deeper understanding of the idiosyncrasies that plague these two characters allows the reader to latch on to their innocence and naivety. Having most recently read The Perks of Being a Wallflower, certain excerpts from this book are still fresh in my mind.
The main character of the narrative, Charlie, forms a deep relationship with his freshman English teacher. The English teacher understands Charlie and gives him advice on a consistent basis. At one point in the book, after the teacher realized that Charlie is an “over analyzer”, he gives him a suggestion to clear his over-crowded mind. The teacher tells Charlie that thinking and analyzing is an excuse to avoid human interaction. This instantly stunned me. I am a deep thinker and I often find myself thinking and analyzing instead of interacting. I do not believe that I make a conscious decision to think in order to avoid conversation, but that is often the outcome. I, also, do not consider myself a wallflower, but I see myself mirrored in many of Charlie’s actions. His teacher tells Charlie what he cannot always observe life from the sidelines and that Charlie must “view life from the dance floor” from time to time. Charlie finds that he is more of an extrovert than he could have ever imagined, but his inner thoughts are in a constant flow. He thinks before he acts, because when he does not, he often makes irreversible mistakes. I find that, for me, this is the case on numerous occasions. I am so used to over-analyzing situations, that when I do not, I feel out of control, just as Charlie did, and act on an impulse. I think that this is a self-imposed destruction because I later convince myself that if I had thought about my words before I acted on them, I could have avoided the uncomfortable situation entirely.
As I noted, I do not view myself as a wallflower. I see myself as an even mixture between an extrovert and an introvert. The Perks of Being a Wallflower points out that if a character is extremely well developed and his inner thoughts are made known to the reader, then anyone can find a tad of himself or herself in that character. (482)

Indifference or Love?

The narrator of “The Cathedral” strikes me as an extremely multidimensional character. Upon first impression, the reader is presented with an apathetic and somewhat— for lack of a better word— boring character. He is presented as an extremely flat character with little insight. He is emotionally detached from both his wife and from real life situations. The narrator and protagonist’s name is not given through out the entire story. Without an identity, this character is extremely distant from the reader. I think that this method is extremely affective in establishing the relationship between the narrator and the reader— a relationship of both misunderstanding and aloofness. In the narration, the main character’s wife is graciously opening her house to a friend from the past. The narrator of the story is not confident in the arrival of this distant friend. We, the readers, are notified that the narrator’s wife is emotionally connected to this man and that their relationship has been steadfast throughout the ten years they have been apart. The narrator of the story acts detached and careless about the arrival of this stranger, but the emotions that he shares with the reader proves otherwise. The narrator cracks wise remarks about the stranger’s disability only bringing attention to his insecurities and jealousies. We see these wise remarks when the narrator is talking about what he will do upon the arrival of the blind stranger. He smugly comments on this man’s disability when he says, “Maybe I will take him bowling”. I think that the narrator is using humor as a defense mechanism. He is using his humor to create a wall between him and his wife. He is feeling insecure and jealous about the arrival of this man and he knows no other way to deal with his emotions, so he resorts to humor. By making fun of this man’s disability, he is psychologically putting himself on a pedestal as if he is better than the stranger.
This air of indifference that we first get from the narrator is not who this man actually is. We begin to see a glimpse of his inner tenderness and workings when he talks about the blind man’s wife, “A woman who could never see herself as she was seen in the eyes of her loved one.” This depth is who this character truly is. He is not the shallow character we are made to believe he is—he is extremely intuitive.
This modern character, with his hidden intuition and sensitivity, is able to put himself into the position of this blind stranger and experience and appreciate his world. He closes his eyes to put himself in the position of this blind man and realizes that maybe the blind man is on a pedestal. He realizes tha this “misfortune” is not as debilitating as it seems. He gains great appreciation for this man and his lifestyle. The reader, at the end of the narrative, is proud and content that this originally bland and disconnected character has found emotional attachment in the stranger that he had so feared. (511)

For a Little Power

John Updike does a fabulous job of tapping into the caddy world of adolescent girls. For being of the male breed, he understands the trivial games that young girls generation after generation succumb to. His intense and sometimes too familiar accounts of these girls takes you right back to remembering “that girl” from grade school. John Updike’s description of one of the girls pin-points emotions that I myself have experienced, ”…you know, the kind of girl other girls think is very "striking" and "attractive" but never quite makes it, as they very well know, which is why they like her so much”. I now regard these feeling with far more caution because, with Updike’s assistance, I realize what a twisted yet common situation this is.
On the surface, John Updike seems to be solely concerned with the doings of these young girls; I believe that he uses them merely as a prop to get across his deeper message. John Updike’s description of these girls and his mental accounts of them seem superficial and intended merely for entertainment purposes, but his deeper message resonates. I think that there is an underlying message of authority and power. The owner of the store makes it his duty to inform the girls that they are dressed inappropriately and he shuns them for their poor choice in clothing. Weak men often will do anything to get power and this seems to be the case with the owner of the A&P store. He is asserting his authority of these girls because he knows that he can do so without confrontation. This ends up not being the case. The “queen” senses the owner’s insecurity and feels that she can make a rebuttal. She speaks for the girls that she is with. This is indicative of how she is the voice of her “group” in other situations. The tables are turned, and the queen is the one with the power. (324)

An Unconventional Love

I have yet to decide what Lahiri’s main theme is in “Interpreter of Maladies”. Although its main message is not readily apparent to me, there are many excerpts from the narrative that stick out in my mind as significant.

Jhumpa Lahiri’s use of realistic and relatable people that succumb to human pressures is pertinent to the reader’s emotional attachment. Her description of and insight into her characters’ minds and beings creates an extremely deep relationship between the reader and these fictional characters. Mr. Kapasi, an Indian tour guide, expresses that he is unhappy in his marriage. He, then, out of his own misery and disillusionment prejudges an American tourist. Mr. Kapasi begins to assume that Mrs. Das possesses what his own wife lacks. He begins to presume that she, like he, is miserable in her own marriage. Mr. Kapasi fantasizes about a future relationship with this stranger. Mr. Kapasi thinks about communicating with this woman as if in the few hours they had spent together on the tour they had fallen in love. Mr. Kapasi is clearly a lonely desperate man who is unappreciated at home. He is looking for comfort in an idea— an idea of a relationship with Mrs. Das. Perhaps, this fantasy that he has created in his mind serves as a tool to keep Mr. Kapasi occupied and mentally with company. But the company that Mr. Kapasi is keeping is a stranger and his presumptions of Mrs. Das prove to be incorrect. Mr. Kapasi finds that Mrs. Das is in fact unhappy in her marriage, as he predicted, but it is what follows that brings his fantasies to a halt. Mr. Kapasi’s imaginings are fruitless when finds out that Mrs. Das is unhappy in her marriage because she keeps a secret illegitimate child in her company. Mr. Kapasi realizes that his own unhappiness and loneliness had driven him to feel connected to this person that is not who he thought she was. He snaps back to reality and is quick to let his fantasy shatter to pieces.(341)

The Trials of Motherhood

Teenage Wasteland is a story about the hardships that accompany being a mother with a troubled child. Daisy, that mother of delinquent Donny, with the help of an outside narrator, shares her trials and tribulations. Daisy, having somewhere along the road lost the son she once knew, attempts to revitalize her relationship with Donny.
Anne Tyler, an author that I favor, spends an incredible amount of time getting into the depths of her characters for such a short narrative. With the presence of such detailed characters, the reader cannot help but become emotionally attached to the story. Tyler starts the narrative by describing the late physical aspects of Donny, “He used to have very blonde hair— almost white— cut shorter than other children’s so that on his crown a little cowlick always stood up to catch the light (36).” Through this description of Donny’s past physical appearance, it is implied that it is not only his physical appearance that has changed, but also his internal structure. Without Daisy knowing, her son has grown into someone that she does not recognize.
There are a number of reasons that Donny became who he is today. Daisy talks about the arrival of her second daughter and how all of her attention was diverted from Donny and to her new daughter, Amanda. Upon reflection, Daisy realizes that she, not consciously, neglected Donny while trying to tend to Amanda’s needs. Tyler expresses this notion when she writes, “She remembered when Amanda was born. Donny had acted lost and bewildered. Daisy had been alert to that, of course, but still, a new baby keeps you so busy (37).” An additional reason that could have possibly led to the “failure” of Donny is his lack of self-confidence. Donny was not receiving assurance and encouragement at home so he turned to an outside source to get the love and comfort that he needed.
With the help of Daisy, Donny finds a tutor to help him lift his failing grades. Donny’s tutor is named Cal. Cal offers Donny what he has been yearning for, love and appreciation. Cal consumes Donny’s life and takes the broken boy under his wings. He creates a relationship with Donny that seems inappropriate at times. Cal brainwashes Donny in many areas and Donny absorbs every cult-like lesson that Cal throws his way. Donny begins to question his parent’s lack of leniency professing that more independence would cause less rebellion on Donny’s part. Donny is a moldable soul and Cal is willing to pick Donny up from the hole he has fallen in to. With self-confidence at a minimum, Donny holds tightly to anything or anyone that alleviates the pressures of his life. Cal acts as this force of relief for Donny.
Anne Tyler immerses the reader in this twisted world and leaves the reader feeling even more convoluted inside when she ends the narrative with little progression. Donny runs away from home and the reader is left with the impression that he will not be returning to repair his warpath anytime soon. (519)

The Reality of The Lovely Bones

In my opinion, the characters that are illustrated through the words of Alice Sebold in The Lovely Bones, are as realistic and ultimately human as any fiction character can be. The Lovely Bones portrays a family dealing with the omnipresent repercussions of losing a family member. Although, each individual family member deals with his or her loss differently, everyone is affected. There is one particular character, although not a favorable one in the least, that represents all that is human.
Abigail Salmon, the mother of murder and rape victim Susie Salmon, finds it impossible to deal with the absence of her daughter. Before the death of Susie, Abigail had already lost her identity in exchange for motherhood. She is held captive by her children and their needs. After the death of her daughter, Abigail began to look for comfort in people and places that were hopeful. She did not want to deal with the pain and suffering that went along with the death of her daughter. She needed to escape, even if that meant leaving the rest of her family to dwell in their loss. Abigail found her first escape in her daughter’s murder detective, Detecive Len Fenerman. There is nothing more human than wanting to forget and escape the pressures of life. The author never vocalized the escape method that Abigail seemed to be using in her recovery, but the vivid descriptions that Alice Sebold gave about Abigail were enough to get the message across to the reader.
I believe that looking for comfort and relaxation in areas that are not a part of your everyday scene is a very human action. Abigail needs an escape and she needs it to be from an outside source. Sebold shows this sense of relaxation in Abigail when she is in the presence of Len Fenerman when she says, “When she saw Len approaching from the end of the long white corridor, she relaxed.... his name had been the sigh she needed.” Abigail needs someone to lean on that is not is the midst of the tragedy that has befallen her and her family. It is almost like an act of rebellion. Something she is doing to feel alive after feeling dead inside for so long. Sebold describes Abigail’s eyes as being deep sea blue but dead and empty.
Lindsay salmon, Abigail Salmon’s daughter, is an additional a character that is using her own individual way of coping with the death of her older sister and mentor, Susie. Lindsay does not want to be associated with the death of her sister. Lindsay wants to look strong and unaffected. She doesn’t want to be known as “the dead girl’s sister” for the rest of her life. She deeply loved her sister, but Lindsay is her own person and she wants to be treated has a human— an equal— not one in mourning. Lindsay deals with the loss of her sister realistically. When she is called in to the principal’s office at her school, Lindsay is not afraid to use the word “dead”. At such a young age, Lindsay has come to face what it takes her parents years to face. This is very human because, in my experiences, children are more capable of facing reality for what it is. Children often do not connect with the sentimentality that is involved with such a loss. Lindsay felt no need to “sugar coat” the death if her sister. It happened and she is prepared and mature enough to deal with this reality.
Alice Sebold, having gone through the situation that her protagonist Susie Salmon goes through, is able to put such life and reality into her characters. She is able to identify how exactly different personalities cope with such a dark and meaningful loss. This insight that Alice Sebold has, serves as an amazing basis in getting the reader emotionally connected to the characters in The Lovely Bones. (657)

Reading and Writing

I have a history with reading that runs hot and cold. I love books once I start them, but I hate having to dive into a new story. It causes me great stress and anxiety to know that in starting a new book, I must acclimate myself to an entire cast of characters. Because I have this paralyzing anxiety, I seem to have developed a cycle. When assigned a book to read, I sit and stress about starting the book, but when I finally do begin to read, I immediately fall in love. I, then, read the book from cover to cover in a matter of days. Surprisingly, this is not the case for pleasure reading. I am always in the middle of reading a book that interests me and that has not been assigned to me. The pleasure books that I read, although not in the least bit educational in subject, throw me into the world that they illustrate. I tend to read books that are about powerful women in prestigious jobs. These books usually talk about relationships, work, and basically the psychology of life. Although these books are often considered “trash novels”, I find them to be a great and reliable escape. I try not to limit myself to just these particular types of novels. For example, I recently read The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom, and found that it proved to act as an escape as well.
I have not always seen books as an escape. When I was younger, I took pride in my ability to NOT read whatever books were assigned to me, but still be able to write papers and take tests on them (and do pretty darn well). I truly did find that this only hurts me. Literature is fabulous and it is a part of everyday conversations. If I were to continue to proceed with that apathetic attitude towards reading I would only be limiting my own knowledge.
Writing is an entirely different situation. I absolutely adore writing. I love how powerful words can be and I often notice and envy people that use words beautifully. There are so many different elements that you can touch upon in writing and I am eager and willing to investigate all of these fields. I think that my affair with writing began during freshman year. When I was assigned creative writing assignments, I could not stop words and ideas from immediately filling my head. Creative writing and I clicked immediately. I found that I could insert my opinions and my personality into my creative writing assignments and there was no more that I could ask for from a school assignment. When an idea or string of words pops into my head, I often write them down. I later elaborate on those words. I do not write as much as I would like, but I try to do it as much as possible. I do have weaknesses in writing. I do not have a passion for writing research papers. I also find that I do not have great strength in analyzing works of literature and nor do I have the ability to articulate my conclusions in words. I do know that I value and enjoy writing enough to further my skills to realize a more complete writing style. (556)