Madeleine proposed some questions about Old Nick and his motives. Although he is certainly a difficult character to comprehend, here Is what I would guess goes on in his head. Nick clearly still enjoys having sex with ma, otherwise he would have stopped. Presumably, he would find it less enjoyable if he allowed Ma's mental state to deteriorate. I know it sounds very despicable and its possible that old Nick actually cares, but I personally feel that Nick operates under strictly selfish motives.
It does seem to me that he feels some guilt at Jack's perceived death, but I don't think that he is feeling sympathy for Jack or for Ma. I think that Nick has been trying to tell himself that he is not as evil as he could be. He has clearly argued this over and over to Ma, telling her to appreciate how good she has it, and lthough he is not convincing her, I think he convinced himself. but now he thinks he is a murderer in addition to a kidnapper and rapist. Murder, I would argue, is a whole other level. In stead of sympathy, I would hypothesize that Nick recognizes a distinction between and rape and kidnapping on the one hand, and murder on the other, and that he feels some moral qualms at having taken this extra step. This would also explain why he was so angry at having been deceived, instead of simply being scared. Although the fear prevailed in the end, Jack said that Nick had "the angriest face I ever saw." If someone tricked you into thinking you were a murderer, thereby outting you into danger, you would be pretty upset at them, more so than if you had simply been tricked and put into danger.
Anyway all of this is hypothesis. there is no way we can actually comprehend how Old Nick's mind functions, especially because none of us share his motives (I hope).
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Saturday, November 29, 2014
Can We Tell That Jack is Old Nick's Son?
Obviously, Old Nick is Jack's father, but will we be able to tell based on Jack's personality? Jack's behavior and personality are clearly very unique, but as far as I can tell, most of this can be attributed to his upbringing in such a closed environment and his contact with only one (two if you count Nick) other human being. Jack certainly draws sympathy from the reader, but nonetheless, it bothers me that Jack supposedly inherited old Nick's genes. In the reading for Tuesday, (Spoiler until the end of the paragraph) Ma's Dad from Australia comes to visit, and he cant look at Jack because he reminds him of Old Nick. Maybe if we didn't have Jack's point of view, this would be a more natural way to think about him. Nonetheless, everyone sending cards seems to be sympathetic. Clearly some people more than others share my apprehension toward Jack's genetics, and some, like Jack's grandpa take it too far.
This ties into the whole Nature vs Nurture Debate. Here is the link to the Wikipedia article in case you want to familiarize yourself with it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_versus_nurture. I think most people, including I, believe that the adult personality is shaped both by a person's genes and through their upbringing. How large of a role each plays, however, is more subject to controversy. On the nature side, I would imagine Jack growing up perhaps slightly twisted, because after all, he has half the genes of a kidnapper and rapist. On the nurture side, I Jack's childhood plays a large role in his adult personality and I would imagine that the first 5 years might have a more detrimental role than expected. Either way, the circumstances are less than ideal, but I hope that the rest of the book will shed a bit of light on what direction Jack is headed. Unfortunately, we are two thirds of the way through the book, and only a week or so has passed, so at this rate, we will not get to see very far into Jacks future. Hopefully, though we will get a clear enough picture to predict how things will end up for Jack and Ma.
This ties into the whole Nature vs Nurture Debate. Here is the link to the Wikipedia article in case you want to familiarize yourself with it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_versus_nurture. I think most people, including I, believe that the adult personality is shaped both by a person's genes and through their upbringing. How large of a role each plays, however, is more subject to controversy. On the nature side, I would imagine Jack growing up perhaps slightly twisted, because after all, he has half the genes of a kidnapper and rapist. On the nurture side, I Jack's childhood plays a large role in his adult personality and I would imagine that the first 5 years might have a more detrimental role than expected. Either way, the circumstances are less than ideal, but I hope that the rest of the book will shed a bit of light on what direction Jack is headed. Unfortunately, we are two thirds of the way through the book, and only a week or so has passed, so at this rate, we will not get to see very far into Jacks future. Hopefully, though we will get a clear enough picture to predict how things will end up for Jack and Ma.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
A comparison of Suzanne and Smithy
The last of the three books we hear about is Suzanne of the Aspens. On page 265, Kate gives Suzanne of the Aspens to Smithy, telling him it is an appropriate book for him. Smithy says "It was a fat book, and I hoped I would like it." On the next page he starts telling us about Suzanne of the Aspens. It is a true story of Suzanne Bowen, who left Boston with her husband, Captain John Bowen and their son, John Jr. The cross the country with a wagon train to settle in California. When Captain John gets sick, the other settlers think it s smallpox, so the Bowens are forced to leave the wagon train. Captain John dies that night in middle of nowhere. Suzanne and John Jr. buy the captain, and they start back towards the wagon train but they get lost and John Jr. gets really sick and dies the next morning. At this point, Smithy stops reading for the night.
He resumes his book on page 274 on the evening of his first day in the bike tour thing. For the second time in three days Suzanne had to bury a loved one and it was driving her crazy. For several days she lay over the grave of her dead son, not moving. Finally with the wagon horses starving and thirsty, she realized that no matter how much she willed him back, John Jr. was gone. Something inside her made her start doing the things she would need to do to survive in the Rockies alone. She got her act together and started preparing for the winter. She built a house and a stove for herself. She stockpiled wood and and started to ration her food.
Just like Suzanne, Smithy lost all of his relatives in a very short amount of time. He feels very depressed and is unable to cope with the situation. Something, however, pulls him together, just like something made Suzanne start preparing for the Winter. Although they start their journeys at different times in the story, they still traveled roughly the same path (from the New England to Colorado). Once again we see a connection, but Smithy is actually picking up on it this time. He says he is not sure if the book is really about him.
Snow fell every day and elk ate part of her firewood store. She claims that this "state of grace" was what led her to survive. She is shy towards the Indians, who are always watching her, but she showed no fear. She often left them small offerings, and in return she was often left with a feather.
Like Smithy, she is willing to help strangers, who may seem scary, but she doesn't show fear. We get many examples of Smithy's selflessness, just like Suzanne's.
We don't hear much more about Suzanne of the Aspens for a while until page 329. She sees two old Indians walking in the snow, and she wants to help them, but they turn and run away. She was confused. Unfortunately page 329 is the last page that contains any material about Suzanne of the Aspens, but nonetheless, we got a pretty good sense for the story, and saw some similarities to Smithy's journey.
He resumes his book on page 274 on the evening of his first day in the bike tour thing. For the second time in three days Suzanne had to bury a loved one and it was driving her crazy. For several days she lay over the grave of her dead son, not moving. Finally with the wagon horses starving and thirsty, she realized that no matter how much she willed him back, John Jr. was gone. Something inside her made her start doing the things she would need to do to survive in the Rockies alone. She got her act together and started preparing for the winter. She built a house and a stove for herself. She stockpiled wood and and started to ration her food.
Just like Suzanne, Smithy lost all of his relatives in a very short amount of time. He feels very depressed and is unable to cope with the situation. Something, however, pulls him together, just like something made Suzanne start preparing for the Winter. Although they start their journeys at different times in the story, they still traveled roughly the same path (from the New England to Colorado). Once again we see a connection, but Smithy is actually picking up on it this time. He says he is not sure if the book is really about him.
Snow fell every day and elk ate part of her firewood store. She claims that this "state of grace" was what led her to survive. She is shy towards the Indians, who are always watching her, but she showed no fear. She often left them small offerings, and in return she was often left with a feather.
Like Smithy, she is willing to help strangers, who may seem scary, but she doesn't show fear. We get many examples of Smithy's selflessness, just like Suzanne's.
We don't hear much more about Suzanne of the Aspens for a while until page 329. She sees two old Indians walking in the snow, and she wants to help them, but they turn and run away. She was confused. Unfortunately page 329 is the last page that contains any material about Suzanne of the Aspens, but nonetheless, we got a pretty good sense for the story, and saw some similarities to Smithy's journey.
A comparison of Ringo and Smithy
I know I said I would cover all of the books Smithy reads, but it turns out that we dont actually know much about one of them. In chapter 29, we see Smithy browsing the Lovella Loveland books. He says that he had "never heard of Lovella Loveland, which wasn't a surprise, because Iggy was the first book [he] had read in years. Smithy counts forty titles, lists a few, and notes that each cover had had "a drawing of a beautiful woman, her full breasts ripping and pushing to escape her shirt fabric, and standing over her was a man, a bulging, heavy sort of man." As we brought up in class, the book with the woman whose face and defiant expression resemble Norma's catches his eye. He buys it, although he doesn't actually tell us the name of the book.
As far as I can tell, the next time he mentions his reading is on page 201 when he is talking to Norma. Presumably, he lost his old book (the Norma faced girl one) in the car accident. He tells her that he bought a book called Ringo by the same author as Iggy. So we never really hear much about this Lovella Loveland book. So without further adieu, I will move on to Ringo.
On page 207, he tells us more about Ringo. He says that he didn't have to get into reading shape again like he did with Iggy. Smithy describes Ringo in some detail:
"Like Iggy, it was the story of a guy who has a good and interesting life despite all the odds that ares stacked against him. Ringo was a cowboy in 1900 Wyoming who had lost his left leg and right arm in an accident. Even though some of the other cowboys made fun of him, he relearned how to ride as well as anybody and fell in love with an Indian girl. named Doris Redleaf who had gone to Carlyle Indian College in Pennsylvania and had come back to Wyoming to teach little Indians English. It was, I guess, a heartwarming story. I wondered, if I were Ringo, could I have taken all that he did?"
Ringo loses an arm and a leg, and it looks like all hope is lost for him. His fellow cowboys make fun of him, but, he perseveres in relearning how to ride. At the end of the book, he sits taller in the saddle than anybody else, and is able to ride again, even it takes him a bit longer to get up there. Smithy's life falls apart as he grows fat and worsens his condition as a chain smoker and alcoholic. But he gets his act together and rediscovers his old self, just like Ringo. He starts riding his old bike and sheds his weight, quits smoking, and quits drinking. just like Ringo learning to ride his horse again. The similarities are very clear.
On page 236, Smithy finally hints at the logical between himself, Ringo and Iggy. He imagines how Harold Becker, the author would describe him: a little flowery, but very majestically. He says "Iggy, with all the prejudice and stuff from being black in 1878, never felt sorry for himself at all. And Ringo, with one arm and one leg, sat taller in the saddle than anyone. It just took him a lot longer to get up there. I didn't have anything to overcome, except maybe my fat ass--which dropped off somewhere in Missouri, or at least part of it did."
As far as I can tell, the next time he mentions his reading is on page 201 when he is talking to Norma. Presumably, he lost his old book (the Norma faced girl one) in the car accident. He tells her that he bought a book called Ringo by the same author as Iggy. So we never really hear much about this Lovella Loveland book. So without further adieu, I will move on to Ringo.
On page 207, he tells us more about Ringo. He says that he didn't have to get into reading shape again like he did with Iggy. Smithy describes Ringo in some detail:
"Like Iggy, it was the story of a guy who has a good and interesting life despite all the odds that ares stacked against him. Ringo was a cowboy in 1900 Wyoming who had lost his left leg and right arm in an accident. Even though some of the other cowboys made fun of him, he relearned how to ride as well as anybody and fell in love with an Indian girl. named Doris Redleaf who had gone to Carlyle Indian College in Pennsylvania and had come back to Wyoming to teach little Indians English. It was, I guess, a heartwarming story. I wondered, if I were Ringo, could I have taken all that he did?"
Ringo loses an arm and a leg, and it looks like all hope is lost for him. His fellow cowboys make fun of him, but, he perseveres in relearning how to ride. At the end of the book, he sits taller in the saddle than anybody else, and is able to ride again, even it takes him a bit longer to get up there. Smithy's life falls apart as he grows fat and worsens his condition as a chain smoker and alcoholic. But he gets his act together and rediscovers his old self, just like Ringo. He starts riding his old bike and sheds his weight, quits smoking, and quits drinking. just like Ringo learning to ride his horse again. The similarities are very clear.
On page 236, Smithy finally hints at the logical between himself, Ringo and Iggy. He imagines how Harold Becker, the author would describe him: a little flowery, but very majestically. He says "Iggy, with all the prejudice and stuff from being black in 1878, never felt sorry for himself at all. And Ringo, with one arm and one leg, sat taller in the saddle than anyone. It just took him a lot longer to get up there. I didn't have anything to overcome, except maybe my fat ass--which dropped off somewhere in Missouri, or at least part of it did."
Sunday, November 9, 2014
A comparison of Iggy and Smithy
I think a meaningful comparison can be drawn between Smithy and the books he reads. I plan to make a post about each of the books Smithy reads. .
The first book Smithy reads is Iggy. Smithy initially gets reading headaches after very short periods of reading. Smithy tells us the following about Iggy. Iggy never knew his father and he abandoned his mother when he was freed after the civil war. His mother was a "kind but powerful" woman named Esther Booklook. "She had gotten her last name from her father who got it from his father who got it from the nine year old daughter of a plantation owner because he liked to look at books." In 1878, Iggy changed his name to Hannibal, after the Carthaginian hero, because he liked it better than his mother's name, Booklook. After that he headed west. He was fourteen at the time. (page 131)
Beyond that, we don't hear much until the very end of the book, because Smithy interrupts his description of Iggy by announcing the onset of his "reading headache." It goes all the way until the end when Iggy is sitting under a Colorado cottonwood eating an apple. Smithy says "Everybody would think he was just another old black man, but all of us who had read the book knew that he was a giant. A great man at the end of his life. In was a tender kind of secret and I loved knowing it" (page 154).
Iggy's story is quite related to Smithy's. Iggy faced prejudice and discrimination, but was a great man inside; a giant. Smithy is just the same. People judged him throughout his journey, but he continued performing good deeds, humbly refusing to accept credit. There is no doubt that Smithy was a great man who looked just the opposite from the outside.
The first book Smithy reads is Iggy. Smithy initially gets reading headaches after very short periods of reading. Smithy tells us the following about Iggy. Iggy never knew his father and he abandoned his mother when he was freed after the civil war. His mother was a "kind but powerful" woman named Esther Booklook. "She had gotten her last name from her father who got it from his father who got it from the nine year old daughter of a plantation owner because he liked to look at books." In 1878, Iggy changed his name to Hannibal, after the Carthaginian hero, because he liked it better than his mother's name, Booklook. After that he headed west. He was fourteen at the time. (page 131)
Beyond that, we don't hear much until the very end of the book, because Smithy interrupts his description of Iggy by announcing the onset of his "reading headache." It goes all the way until the end when Iggy is sitting under a Colorado cottonwood eating an apple. Smithy says "Everybody would think he was just another old black man, but all of us who had read the book knew that he was a giant. A great man at the end of his life. In was a tender kind of secret and I loved knowing it" (page 154).
Iggy's story is quite related to Smithy's. Iggy faced prejudice and discrimination, but was a great man inside; a giant. Smithy is just the same. People judged him throughout his journey, but he continued performing good deeds, humbly refusing to accept credit. There is no doubt that Smithy was a great man who looked just the opposite from the outside.
Friday, October 17, 2014
A post about the movie and in defense of Anse Bundren
In this post I want to cover two things. The first: After seeing some clips from the movie in class today, I noticed a few differences between the movie and the book. The second: Many people have been posting about what a bad person Anse is, and, although he does deserve criticism, I don't think he deserves it to such an extent.
1. I get the feeling that the Bundrens aren't really portrayed as eccentrically in the movie. Of course, I only have several minutes of material to make this judgement about. Perhaps it was the fact that the movie really lacked the comedic aspect of the book. The book often ridiculously portrayed the Bundrens, and since movies have a harder time combining comedy with more serious material, the filmmakers were forced to eliminate some of this ridiculousness. I also think that the movie clarified some aspects of the plot. I think the scene where Darl is taken away was a lot more clear in the movie than in the book. I also got a clearer picture of what was going on during the river crossing.
2. In case you are unfamiliar with some of the criticism of Anse, I recommend you read Shaleen's latest post. His post was well written and really made some great points. I understand people's frustrations with Anse, and let me make clear that I hold no respect whatsoever for the man. I do not, however think he is as bad as some people portray him in their posts. Remember that Anse Bundren always had luck against him. He may not have been the smartest of men, or even at all rational, but that is something we need to accept in some people. The decision to go bury his wife was not a very good one, but really he did not really hurt his family until the river crossing. Sure, he should have turned around, but Anse is not smart. Once he crossed the river, most of his actions were justifiable. He had to buy a new team. What choice did he have? He couldn't simply leave the wagon and all the stuff. Once he got to town, his actions become a bit more difficult to justify. He took Dewey Dell's money, but he didn't know she was pregnant. He almost certainly blamed Addie for his troubles both before and after the journey. Perhaps he believed he deserved some compensation for his troubles. If nothing else, it at least justified his acquisition of a new wife. Anse definitely does not come across as malicious. We get no such sense from his narration. Sure, Anse was not the brightest of men. Sure, Anse could be somewhat inconsiderate of his family's needs. Sure, he made some bad decisions. Sure, he could have been a better husband and father. He just does not seem to me like that terrible of a guy.
1. I get the feeling that the Bundrens aren't really portrayed as eccentrically in the movie. Of course, I only have several minutes of material to make this judgement about. Perhaps it was the fact that the movie really lacked the comedic aspect of the book. The book often ridiculously portrayed the Bundrens, and since movies have a harder time combining comedy with more serious material, the filmmakers were forced to eliminate some of this ridiculousness. I also think that the movie clarified some aspects of the plot. I think the scene where Darl is taken away was a lot more clear in the movie than in the book. I also got a clearer picture of what was going on during the river crossing.
2. In case you are unfamiliar with some of the criticism of Anse, I recommend you read Shaleen's latest post. His post was well written and really made some great points. I understand people's frustrations with Anse, and let me make clear that I hold no respect whatsoever for the man. I do not, however think he is as bad as some people portray him in their posts. Remember that Anse Bundren always had luck against him. He may not have been the smartest of men, or even at all rational, but that is something we need to accept in some people. The decision to go bury his wife was not a very good one, but really he did not really hurt his family until the river crossing. Sure, he should have turned around, but Anse is not smart. Once he crossed the river, most of his actions were justifiable. He had to buy a new team. What choice did he have? He couldn't simply leave the wagon and all the stuff. Once he got to town, his actions become a bit more difficult to justify. He took Dewey Dell's money, but he didn't know she was pregnant. He almost certainly blamed Addie for his troubles both before and after the journey. Perhaps he believed he deserved some compensation for his troubles. If nothing else, it at least justified his acquisition of a new wife. Anse definitely does not come across as malicious. We get no such sense from his narration. Sure, Anse was not the brightest of men. Sure, Anse could be somewhat inconsiderate of his family's needs. Sure, he made some bad decisions. Sure, he could have been a better husband and father. He just does not seem to me like that terrible of a guy.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
As I Lay Dying Heros and Anti-Heros
Who is the anti-hero in As I Lay Dying? There is no obvious anti-hero, but there are a couple of people who I consider to be potential candidates.
Anse could in some ways be regarded as an anti-hero, because despite being somewhat determined to bring Addie to town, he is always bringing misfortune upon the family. His lethargy is highly detrimental to the Bundrens' well being.
I also think as Addie as a potential anti-hero candidate. While she didn't purposefully send the family out on a journey to town, none of it would have happened if she had just accepted her family. Yet, she felt uncomfortable being buried with them, and instead insisted (even if it was a while before) on being buried in town. Furthermore, even though Addie is dead, she is still causing problems for them when she is in the coffin. She attracts attention, falls off, and even smells bad (presumably).
While it is really impossible to say who is a definitive anti-hero (if there is one), I definitely consider both Anse and Addie as candidates.
Likewise, there are a couple of people who I consider candidates to be hero.
Anse could make a pretty good hero, despite his many excuses and his tendency to bring misfortune. He is pretty determined to get Addie to town, even though he recognizes and anticipates a lot of the difficulties they may have (up to the river)
Jewel could very arguably be the hero. He is the only one of the Bundrens who is not travelling to town for some other motive besides burying Addie. Furthermore, we get more background on Jewel than on any of the other characters. The fact that we learn about the work he put into his horse makes his sacrifice for the wagon team seem more significant. Furthermore, even if he does not know it, he arguably has a more personal reason to go bury Addie away from the farm.
There are several people who stand out as heros or antiheroes, but I don't think it is possible to select a single individual for either title.
Anse could in some ways be regarded as an anti-hero, because despite being somewhat determined to bring Addie to town, he is always bringing misfortune upon the family. His lethargy is highly detrimental to the Bundrens' well being.
I also think as Addie as a potential anti-hero candidate. While she didn't purposefully send the family out on a journey to town, none of it would have happened if she had just accepted her family. Yet, she felt uncomfortable being buried with them, and instead insisted (even if it was a while before) on being buried in town. Furthermore, even though Addie is dead, she is still causing problems for them when she is in the coffin. She attracts attention, falls off, and even smells bad (presumably).
While it is really impossible to say who is a definitive anti-hero (if there is one), I definitely consider both Anse and Addie as candidates.
Likewise, there are a couple of people who I consider candidates to be hero.
Anse could make a pretty good hero, despite his many excuses and his tendency to bring misfortune. He is pretty determined to get Addie to town, even though he recognizes and anticipates a lot of the difficulties they may have (up to the river)
Jewel could very arguably be the hero. He is the only one of the Bundrens who is not travelling to town for some other motive besides burying Addie. Furthermore, we get more background on Jewel than on any of the other characters. The fact that we learn about the work he put into his horse makes his sacrifice for the wagon team seem more significant. Furthermore, even if he does not know it, he arguably has a more personal reason to go bury Addie away from the farm.
There are several people who stand out as heros or antiheroes, but I don't think it is possible to select a single individual for either title.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Pride in Odysseus and Ulysses Everett McGill
O Brother, Where Art Thou and The Odyssey share numerous similarities. One of the most striking is the fact that Odysseus and Ulysses Everett McGill undergo very related heroic journeys. Although neither man’s personality is profoundly altered as a result of their journey, certain aspects of their characters show development as their stories progress. At the beginning of both men's journeys they are very proud and snobbish.
At the beginning of the Odyssey, Odysseus frequently shows his pride in frequent swaggerish bravados. For example, he arrogantly insults Polyphemus, drawing the wrath of Poseidon. He also often thinks of himself as almost superhuman. He essentially cheats the sirens by tying himself to the ship so he can listen and live to tell the tale. Not only was this unnecessary risk perilous to Odysseus, it also put his crew in danger.
Everett’s pride takes a more vain and self-advocating form. During the first few scenes of O Brother, Where Art Thou, Everett makes it obvious that he thinks himself smart, clever, and good looking. He is constantly making smart alecky comments, like when he interrupts the blind man on the rail car with some economics jargon. Furthermore, he is always buying hair gel and combing his hair. Ultimately, his hair gel gets him and his friends into trouble, because it lays down a scent for the slave tracker dog to follow.
Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus learns to check his bold and glory-seeking manner. At Scheria he demonstrates some self restraint by hiding his identity to the king and queen. He finally learns some respect for the gods by trying to steer his crew away from the cattle of the sun.
Similarly, throughout O Brother, Where Art Thou, Everett develops some humility and learns to respect his colleagues. Although it may have been easier to ditch his friends along the journey, he never tries to.
At the end of both heroic journeys, Everett and Odysseus’s newly acquired modesty is put to the test as a deciding factor in the climax of both stories. Odysseus dresses up as a beggar, hiding his identity to his most loyal swineherd, his own son, and his very own wife. He lets the suitors insult him, yet still keeps his cool, resisting any urge to immediately shatter the ruse and slaughter them immediately. His self-control makes the quick and effective slaughter at the end of the book possible. Had he failed to control his pride and self esteem, there’s no telling whether he would have successfully ousted the suitors to his satisfaction.
Similarly, as the climax approaches in O Brother, Where Art Thou, Everett has started to act significantly more considerately. He no longer looks down on his companions, but instead considers them his friends. At the beginning of the book, his companions were simply a burden, but Everett clearly thinks of them as more towards the end. He risks his life twice to save two of his friends. In the end, his willingness to do so made possible the revival of the Soggy Bottom Boys and turned the tide in the election, winning Everett back his wife.
At the beginning of both stories, pride is a major flaw in both main characters. As the stories progressed, however, both characters started to learn some humility and selflessness. Finally, at the end, both Odysseus and Everett prove that they have corrected their arrogant and selfish ways, effectively transforming both of them into stronger characters
Note about this post: This post essentially summarized my essay, so any comments about the general ideas or any examples that you can think of would be appreciated. Thanks!
At the beginning of the Odyssey, Odysseus frequently shows his pride in frequent swaggerish bravados. For example, he arrogantly insults Polyphemus, drawing the wrath of Poseidon. He also often thinks of himself as almost superhuman. He essentially cheats the sirens by tying himself to the ship so he can listen and live to tell the tale. Not only was this unnecessary risk perilous to Odysseus, it also put his crew in danger.
Everett’s pride takes a more vain and self-advocating form. During the first few scenes of O Brother, Where Art Thou, Everett makes it obvious that he thinks himself smart, clever, and good looking. He is constantly making smart alecky comments, like when he interrupts the blind man on the rail car with some economics jargon. Furthermore, he is always buying hair gel and combing his hair. Ultimately, his hair gel gets him and his friends into trouble, because it lays down a scent for the slave tracker dog to follow.
Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus learns to check his bold and glory-seeking manner. At Scheria he demonstrates some self restraint by hiding his identity to the king and queen. He finally learns some respect for the gods by trying to steer his crew away from the cattle of the sun.
Similarly, throughout O Brother, Where Art Thou, Everett develops some humility and learns to respect his colleagues. Although it may have been easier to ditch his friends along the journey, he never tries to.
At the end of both heroic journeys, Everett and Odysseus’s newly acquired modesty is put to the test as a deciding factor in the climax of both stories. Odysseus dresses up as a beggar, hiding his identity to his most loyal swineherd, his own son, and his very own wife. He lets the suitors insult him, yet still keeps his cool, resisting any urge to immediately shatter the ruse and slaughter them immediately. His self-control makes the quick and effective slaughter at the end of the book possible. Had he failed to control his pride and self esteem, there’s no telling whether he would have successfully ousted the suitors to his satisfaction.
Similarly, as the climax approaches in O Brother, Where Art Thou, Everett has started to act significantly more considerately. He no longer looks down on his companions, but instead considers them his friends. At the beginning of the book, his companions were simply a burden, but Everett clearly thinks of them as more towards the end. He risks his life twice to save two of his friends. In the end, his willingness to do so made possible the revival of the Soggy Bottom Boys and turned the tide in the election, winning Everett back his wife.
At the beginning of both stories, pride is a major flaw in both main characters. As the stories progressed, however, both characters started to learn some humility and selflessness. Finally, at the end, both Odysseus and Everett prove that they have corrected their arrogant and selfish ways, effectively transforming both of them into stronger characters
Note about this post: This post essentially summarized my essay, so any comments about the general ideas or any examples that you can think of would be appreciated. Thanks!
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
After discussing Odysseus's character traits this week, I have come to conclude that Telemachus, Odysseus's son, is generally a much better hero compared to Odysseus (at least from a normal reader's perspective). There are many unlikable things about Odysseus's character. First of all, he is arrogant and is often quite full of himself. We can tell he cares quite little about his crew and often risks their lives for no concrete reason. Furthermore, he receives all the sympathy for his continuous misfortune, while his shipmates receive none. After all, aren't his shipmates just as eager to get home? In addition, Odysseus has a clear sexual double-standard. While he expects Penelope to be loyal, he sleeps with numerous women/nymphs/goddesses on his trip. While this may have been more normal in the day, it certainly seems like quite a despicable quality to the modern reader.
Telemachus, on the other hand is a much more likable hero (at least to me). While Odysseus has a rather personal goal, Telemachus steps up to defend his family and his household. While Odysseus sometimes cries and sometimes masterfully conceals his emotions, we see a more consistent personality in Telemachus. The reader witnesses Telemachus transforming from a helpless child into a more assertive prince. This transformation really helps sell Telemachus as a character, and we fail to see such a profound development in the character of Odysseus.
Telemachus, on the other hand is a much more likable hero (at least to me). While Odysseus has a rather personal goal, Telemachus steps up to defend his family and his household. While Odysseus sometimes cries and sometimes masterfully conceals his emotions, we see a more consistent personality in Telemachus. The reader witnesses Telemachus transforming from a helpless child into a more assertive prince. This transformation really helps sell Telemachus as a character, and we fail to see such a profound development in the character of Odysseus.
Wednesday, September 3, 2014
Lukas as a Bad Guy
Just writing a quick post about a misconception I had about Lukas. Before we saw Lukas's point of view, I was pretty convinced he was a bad guy. Not the main antagonist, but definitely not a good guy. I'm not sure why, but he really seemed quite suspicious to me.
When Juliette first meets him, his initial tone seems a bit hostile. I thought he was trying to lead Juliette astray by sitting her down and teaching her stargazing. Honestly I was practically 99% sure that he was working for Bernard when he bumped into Juliette on her way down to IT to find Scotty. It seemed too coincidental. Besides, why else would Howey incorporate that passage, if not to give the readers a hint? Clearly, I was mistaken, but I'm wondering if anyone else thought the same thing perhaps?
Luck
I know its getting a little late for the Wool posts, but I wanted to discuss something that I found interesting throughout the book. In almost any book, luck plays a huge role. In hero stories, however, at least for me, it is sometimes easy to forget about how big of a role luck plays, and to attribute the hero's success exclusively to the hero's talents and personality. Personally, I often get super irritated when the major plot events of a book boil down to luck. For this reason, I didn't really enjoy the Harry Potter books, because it felt to me that the whole plot was practically driven by luck alone Granted, some of these plot turns had "magical" explanations, which I didn't really appreciate either. Wool was not like this at all for me and I actually had to stop to remind myself that luck did indeed play a role.
Perhaps one of the reasons why I particularly appreciated this story is that Hugh Howey managed to make the luck in this story very discreet. For example, when Juliette learned about the screen and the program to generate images, she got lucky. Allison spent a long time researching this program, and she was led to conclude that the wall screen image was fake. Juliette even considers Allison smarter than Scotty. Had Scotty not worked out that the program was intended for a smaller screen, Juliette would, in all likelihood, have followed Holston and Allison outside for the exact same reason. Of course, this wasn't very obvious, but nonetheless was of quite substantial importance to the plot.
There are some more obvious places where Juliette has luck on her side (when she is breathing from the air pockets under the steps, or when she uses the metal pipe to open the airlock). Nonetheless, Hugh Howey sells these parts of his story very well because Juliette uses her cleverness and cunning to find these solutions. If those steps had been designed more like a grate or if that pipe had not been there, Juliette would have been toast, but that is not really the way it is portrayed. In fact, without thinking about it objectively, the reader has a hard time recognizing Juliette's luck.
In conclusion, I think Hugh Howey did a better job than most writers about making his plot seem less up to chance. Although Juliette is a very heroic character, who doesn't need a bit of luck on their side?
Perhaps one of the reasons why I particularly appreciated this story is that Hugh Howey managed to make the luck in this story very discreet. For example, when Juliette learned about the screen and the program to generate images, she got lucky. Allison spent a long time researching this program, and she was led to conclude that the wall screen image was fake. Juliette even considers Allison smarter than Scotty. Had Scotty not worked out that the program was intended for a smaller screen, Juliette would, in all likelihood, have followed Holston and Allison outside for the exact same reason. Of course, this wasn't very obvious, but nonetheless was of quite substantial importance to the plot.
There are some more obvious places where Juliette has luck on her side (when she is breathing from the air pockets under the steps, or when she uses the metal pipe to open the airlock). Nonetheless, Hugh Howey sells these parts of his story very well because Juliette uses her cleverness and cunning to find these solutions. If those steps had been designed more like a grate or if that pipe had not been there, Juliette would have been toast, but that is not really the way it is portrayed. In fact, without thinking about it objectively, the reader has a hard time recognizing Juliette's luck.
In conclusion, I think Hugh Howey did a better job than most writers about making his plot seem less up to chance. Although Juliette is a very heroic character, who doesn't need a bit of luck on their side?
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