"You know it makes one feel rather good deciding not to be a bitch." -pg. 249
Brett was my favorite character because she was so eccentric. The way she even phrased this line was very catchy. She seems to have quite a few male followers, and she relies on them to get her places. In that time period however, many women did that. But as much as she relied on them monetarily, she was very independent socially. She hated how much Cohn loved her, because she had to be mean to him just to get him to go away. It is awful when someone who's company you don't enjoy will not leave you alone. People who have negative dispostions but then change for the better have a sense of relief.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Sun Also Rises: Rescue
"That seemed to handle it. That was it. Send a girl off with one man. Introduce her to another to go off with him. Now go and bring her back. And sign the wire with love. That was all right." -pg. 243
After all of his trying to get over Brett, trying to move on because she will never settle for him, he gets a telegram from him. In the end, he is the only one she knows for sure will come to her rescue. His love is not just for her looks, like Michael, or for infatuation, like Cohn, but is actual feelings. She has walked all over him, paraded other men in front of him, and yet he still goes back. I guess I never understood why she was so hesitant to be with him when he obviously loved her. Even he knew that his feelings were ridiculous, but he could do nothing about them. She had him on a short leash, but he didn't seem to mind. That is a dangerous place to be, because she will keep him there as long as he allows it.
After all of his trying to get over Brett, trying to move on because she will never settle for him, he gets a telegram from him. In the end, he is the only one she knows for sure will come to her rescue. His love is not just for her looks, like Michael, or for infatuation, like Cohn, but is actual feelings. She has walked all over him, paraded other men in front of him, and yet he still goes back. I guess I never understood why she was so hesitant to be with him when he obviously loved her. Even he knew that his feelings were ridiculous, but he could do nothing about them. She had him on a short leash, but he didn't seem to mind. That is a dangerous place to be, because she will keep him there as long as he allows it.
The Sun Also Rises: Debt
"Probably he owes them money. That's what people usually get bitter about." -pg. 193
It is crazy how much power has in our world today. You can buy a jury, you can buy someone to spend the night with, you can pay to have someone killed. So when you are in debt with someone, not giving them back their money, you are also taking away part of their power. People do crazy things to get their money back. It seems like morals and human conscience go out the window when payment is on the line. It causes fear, it makes people bend to your will. So when you owe someone money, you also have power over them. .That is why people get angry when you don't pay back debts, because it takes away part of their power.
It is crazy how much power has in our world today. You can buy a jury, you can buy someone to spend the night with, you can pay to have someone killed. So when you are in debt with someone, not giving them back their money, you are also taking away part of their power. People do crazy things to get their money back. It seems like morals and human conscience go out the window when payment is on the line. It causes fear, it makes people bend to your will. So when you owe someone money, you also have power over them. .That is why people get angry when you don't pay back debts, because it takes away part of their power.
The Sun Also Rises: Cohn
"I hate him, too...I hate his damned suffering." -pg. 186
Cohn never bothered me, but everyone in the book seemed to have a bone to pick with him. Mike hated him because he was obsessed with his fiance. Bill hated him because he was a Jew with a superiority complex. Jake hated him also because he was with Brett. The poor guy was uninvited everywhere he went. The book started out talking about him, and how he was a boxer. It eventually came back to that towards the end of the novel when he punched Mike and Jake. No matter what the other characters thought, I thought he was just a guy who had two bad marriages and thought maybe he had found someone who really loved him.
Cohn never bothered me, but everyone in the book seemed to have a bone to pick with him. Mike hated him because he was obsessed with his fiance. Bill hated him because he was a Jew with a superiority complex. Jake hated him also because he was with Brett. The poor guy was uninvited everywhere he went. The book started out talking about him, and how he was a boxer. It eventually came back to that towards the end of the novel when he punched Mike and Jake. No matter what the other characters thought, I thought he was just a guy who had two bad marriages and thought maybe he had found someone who really loved him.
The Sun Also Rises: Friends
"Don't be difficult. You're the only person I've got, and I feel rahter awful tonight." -pg. 185
Everyone has that one person that they go to when they feel desperate. It's the person who will understand your problems, or even if they don't, will sympathize with you. They will be there for you when all the others have abandoned you. Brett and Jake are the characters that you know have the realist deepest connection. They are the ones who stay friends throughout the novel. Even when they are apart, they think of each other. At the end of the novel, Brett is in trouble and Jake doesn't think twice about going to rescue her. Having those friends is something that people should never take for granted.They are the best asset for anyone to have.
Everyone has that one person that they go to when they feel desperate. It's the person who will understand your problems, or even if they don't, will sympathize with you. They will be there for you when all the others have abandoned you. Brett and Jake are the characters that you know have the realist deepest connection. They are the ones who stay friends throughout the novel. Even when they are apart, they think of each other. At the end of the novel, Brett is in trouble and Jake doesn't think twice about going to rescue her. Having those friends is something that people should never take for granted.They are the best asset for anyone to have.
The Sun Also Rises: Fiesta
"...and the streets wet and dark and deserted; yet the fiesta kept up without pause. It was only driven under cover." -pg. 174
I didn't really understand nor enjoy the constant need to party. Just reading about how they spent their days made me tired. The fiesta was actually a metaphor for the overall "party feeling" which arrives after a war. The characters in this book represent the victims or recipients of this party. And so when it rains, or things start to look a little gray again, the party just moves under cover. All of the countries and places that they visit show the long arms of the war and it's after effects. This novel does not aim to teach, only to show how things were. It is a timeless novel because war is timeless; its after effects seem also to be a generational cycle.
I didn't really understand nor enjoy the constant need to party. Just reading about how they spent their days made me tired. The fiesta was actually a metaphor for the overall "party feeling" which arrives after a war. The characters in this book represent the victims or recipients of this party. And so when it rains, or things start to look a little gray again, the party just moves under cover. All of the countries and places that they visit show the long arms of the war and it's after effects. This novel does not aim to teach, only to show how things were. It is a timeless novel because war is timeless; its after effects seem also to be a generational cycle.
The Sun Also Rises: Karma
"I had been getting something for nothing. That only delayed the presentation of the bill. The bill always came. That was one of the swell things you could count on." -pg. 152
Karma is either comforting or unnerving, depending on how you act. Hemingway does a good job in comparing it to a bill at a restaurant. You pay only after you have already taken part. There is no getting out of it, however. In this case, Jake is talking about his relationship with Brett. He knew that for all of the pleasure, there would have to be pain. The time had come for him to cash in. I found the last sentence, that it was something you could count on the come, to ring very true. I find comfort in thinking that cuts you off on the freeway will themselves be cut off. Karma is a force which goes beyond what we can imagine, but Jake only wants to pay his bill so that he can be at peace.
Karma is either comforting or unnerving, depending on how you act. Hemingway does a good job in comparing it to a bill at a restaurant. You pay only after you have already taken part. There is no getting out of it, however. In this case, Jake is talking about his relationship with Brett. He knew that for all of the pleasure, there would have to be pain. The time had come for him to cash in. I found the last sentence, that it was something you could count on the come, to ring very true. I find comfort in thinking that cuts you off on the freeway will themselves be cut off. Karma is a force which goes beyond what we can imagine, but Jake only wants to pay his bill so that he can be at peace.
The Sun Also Rises: Bull Fighting
"Montoya could forgive anything of a bull-fighter who had aficion. He could forgive attacks of nerves, panic, bad unexplainable actions, all sorts of lapses. For one who had aficion, he could forgive anything. At once he forgave me all my friends." -pg. 137
During this book, they spent a lot of time in Spain for the bull fights. I have never seen the magic in it. But for Montoya, the inn owner, it has a very powerful grab. The last linee of this passage shows how for Jake's friends, the magic is not there. It is simply something interesting to watch while they party in Spain. Very few people have the passion for bull fighting, and you connect instantly with others who share it. I am this way with horseracing. Not many people in Indiana like it, but i find it exhilirating. If you can find somebody you can talk about it with, it is easier to overlook their faults. This is probably not good, but with instant friends, your guard goes does. Montoya nd Jake are only connected through the bull fighting, so that is the only thing they will talk about. These kinds of friendships are very simple.
During this book, they spent a lot of time in Spain for the bull fights. I have never seen the magic in it. But for Montoya, the inn owner, it has a very powerful grab. The last linee of this passage shows how for Jake's friends, the magic is not there. It is simply something interesting to watch while they party in Spain. Very few people have the passion for bull fighting, and you connect instantly with others who share it. I am this way with horseracing. Not many people in Indiana like it, but i find it exhilirating. If you can find somebody you can talk about it with, it is easier to overlook their faults. This is probably not good, but with instant friends, your guard goes does. Montoya nd Jake are only connected through the bull fighting, so that is the only thing they will talk about. These kinds of friendships are very simple.
The Sun Also Rises: Manifest Destiny
"Every woman ought to be given a copy of this face as she leaves the alter. Mothers should tell their daughters about this face. My son...go west with this face and grow up with the country." -pg. 108
The last line of this excerpt refers to the idea of manifest destiny. It is the theory that Americans are meant to spread ourselves and our customs across the entire continent. This alone shows the readers that Hemingway is seeking out. Granted that at that time more people would have been accustomed to this idea, it still would take a certain intelligence. Bill is portrayed as intelligent in the way he talks. He is also making fun of his own looks, showing that he may be the least restricted character of the novel. His intelligence is at the level of many people who would have been in his social circle post WW1. He is the brainy, journalistic traveller who has no doubts about himself. He drinks a lot, but it was not so frowned upon at that time. The war had given birth to a generation of uninhibitied citizens. Bill is the example of this.
The last line of this excerpt refers to the idea of manifest destiny. It is the theory that Americans are meant to spread ourselves and our customs across the entire continent. This alone shows the readers that Hemingway is seeking out. Granted that at that time more people would have been accustomed to this idea, it still would take a certain intelligence. Bill is portrayed as intelligent in the way he talks. He is also making fun of his own looks, showing that he may be the least restricted character of the novel. His intelligence is at the level of many people who would have been in his social circle post WW1. He is the brainy, journalistic traveller who has no doubts about himself. He drinks a lot, but it was not so frowned upon at that time. The war had given birth to a generation of uninhibitied citizens. Bill is the example of this.
The Sun Also Rises: Jealousy
"Why I felt that impulse to devil him, I do not know. Of course I do know. I was blind, unforgivingly jealous of what had happened to him." -pg. 105
Jealousy is a powerful force. It causes us to be mean, bold, and canniving. Jake is jealous that Cohn got to be with Brett. He loves her, but knows that he can't be with her. This thought causes him to be mean to someone who was supposedly his old friend. I found it odd that all of these men who had been with Brett were still able to be friends. This jealousy angle, this display of true emotion, was the most realistic part of the novel I found. Their friendship, travels, and general lives are all irrational. Jealousy, however, is the most rational feeling in the world. Everyone experiences it, because everyone wants something they can't have.
Jealousy is a powerful force. It causes us to be mean, bold, and canniving. Jake is jealous that Cohn got to be with Brett. He loves her, but knows that he can't be with her. This thought causes him to be mean to someone who was supposedly his old friend. I found it odd that all of these men who had been with Brett were still able to be friends. This jealousy angle, this display of true emotion, was the most realistic part of the novel I found. Their friendship, travels, and general lives are all irrational. Jealousy, however, is the most rational feeling in the world. Everyone experiences it, because everyone wants something they can't have.
The Sun Also Rises: Ladies
"You know how the ladies are. If there's a jug goes along, or a case of beer, they think it's hell and damnation." -pg. 92
Women at that time did not hold high positions. They were not entrusted to make important decisions. They held no voice in the community or the court systems, or even at home in most cases. They were not given the chance at a good education. This line shows the opinion that was common of men in the era. Perhaps the women didn't have a problem with the liquor. Rather, they disliked that their men went off together, leaving them at home and not listening to their advice. And the only reason they thought it was "hell and damnation" was because most of the time it probably was. These men put no limitations on themselves and too many on their wives.
Women at that time did not hold high positions. They were not entrusted to make important decisions. They held no voice in the community or the court systems, or even at home in most cases. They were not given the chance at a good education. This line shows the opinion that was common of men in the era. Perhaps the women didn't have a problem with the liquor. Rather, they disliked that their men went off together, leaving them at home and not listening to their advice. And the only reason they thought it was "hell and damnation" was because most of the time it probably was. These men put no limitations on themselves and too many on their wives.
The Sun Also Rises: Americans
"It was crowded with Americans and we had to stand up and wait for a place. Some one had put it in the American Women's Club list as a quaint restaurant on the Paris quais, as yet untouched by Americans, so we had to wait forty five minutes for a table." -pg. 82
This was so typical of American back then. Even now, when we travel, we all go to the same places so that you are never truly emersed in another country's culture. Everywhere Americans go, we can find someone from Iowa or Ohio just one table or seat over. We are all attracted to the most popular places, and so we migrate there in herds. It must be very annoying to find that your favorite restaurant has been over run by tourists. Americans, being the hypocrites that we are, find this to be anooying but we still do it. It is ironic that even back then other country's saw us as a nuisance. My guess is that in another hundred years, they will still feel the same way.
This was so typical of American back then. Even now, when we travel, we all go to the same places so that you are never truly emersed in another country's culture. Everywhere Americans go, we can find someone from Iowa or Ohio just one table or seat over. We are all attracted to the most popular places, and so we migrate there in herds. It must be very annoying to find that your favorite restaurant has been over run by tourists. Americans, being the hypocrites that we are, find this to be anooying but we still do it. It is ironic that even back then other country's saw us as a nuisance. My guess is that in another hundred years, they will still feel the same way.
The Sun Also Rises: Daunted
"Ought not to daunt you. Never be daunted. Secret of my success. Never been daunted. Never been daunted in public." -pg. 79
By daunted he meant drunk. But what was irnoic is that he was always drunk.He was drunk in public many times, at the bar or at the bullfights. Even on the bus to Spain. I thought maybe he was just joking, or exceptionally dense, but maybe he was just naive. No one corrected him. For the entire book, he and his associates were wasted. It never brought them to their downfall. He was right there. However, it couldn't have been the secret to their success, because as far as I saw they were never very successful. They seemed to coast right along in the middle, not amounting to much of anything but satisfied with that because it meant they weren't screwing things up past repair.
By daunted he meant drunk. But what was irnoic is that he was always drunk.He was drunk in public many times, at the bar or at the bullfights. Even on the bus to Spain. I thought maybe he was just joking, or exceptionally dense, but maybe he was just naive. No one corrected him. For the entire book, he and his associates were wasted. It never brought them to their downfall. He was right there. However, it couldn't have been the secret to their success, because as far as I saw they were never very successful. They seemed to coast right along in the middle, not amounting to much of anything but satisfied with that because it meant they weren't screwing things up past repair.
The Sun Also Rises: Stuffed Dogs
This entire page was hysterical. Bill is a funny man who tries to convince Jake to visit the taxidermist. But if you extract this quote from the book, I can see it as an anti-fur statement. He claims that the road to hell is paved with dog pelts. Therefore, people who use animal pelts are helping pave the way to hell. Anyways, I found that Bill was the most interesting and likeable character. His good time never depended on anybody else. He was independent, and was not effected by the love square of Brett, Mike, Cohn, and Jake. His conversations are more interesting, although they normally don't add to the depth of the book. He is a good static character.
The Sun Also Rises: Michael
"I'm going to marry him...Funny. I haven't thought about him for a week." -pg. 69
Michael was one of my least favorite characters. I was confused as to whether he was rich or whether he had blown all of his money away by the end of the novel. Brett didn't really love him, but found security in him. He was mean when he was drunk, which was a lot of the time. No matter how annoying he was, he was just cruel to Cohn. Also, how was he okay with hanging around with so many of Brett's ex's, and letting her go off with some nineteen year old bullfight? He obviously didn't love Brett like Jake or Cohn, because he didn't feel jealous regarding her other men. He was the epitome of an annoying man you marry just for the money.
Michael was one of my least favorite characters. I was confused as to whether he was rich or whether he had blown all of his money away by the end of the novel. Brett didn't really love him, but found security in him. He was mean when he was drunk, which was a lot of the time. No matter how annoying he was, he was just cruel to Cohn. Also, how was he okay with hanging around with so many of Brett's ex's, and letting her go off with some nineteen year old bullfight? He obviously didn't love Brett like Jake or Cohn, because he didn't feel jealous regarding her other men. He was the epitome of an annoying man you marry just for the money.
The Sun Also Rises: Drinking
"This win is too good for toast-drinking, my dear. You don't want to mix emotions up with a wine like that. You lose the taste." -pg. 66
The most noticeable part of this book was all the drinking. They were drunk all of the time. They spent most of their time in bars. Liquor was the first thing they looked for everywhere they went. I thought it was annoying. Was drinking really that much a part of that era? With all of the drunkeness, how could half of what they said be taken seriously? This book never really went anywhere, and I think it mostly had to do with how much they consumed. It felt like a recurring scene, always doing the same thing, just in a different place with different people. The characters did, however, say more of what was on their minds when they were drunk. Mike told Cohn how pathetic he was, Brett confessed her love to everyone, all of that. It was the only positive outcome of their drinking.
The most noticeable part of this book was all the drinking. They were drunk all of the time. They spent most of their time in bars. Liquor was the first thing they looked for everywhere they went. I thought it was annoying. Was drinking really that much a part of that era? With all of the drunkeness, how could half of what they said be taken seriously? This book never really went anywhere, and I think it mostly had to do with how much they consumed. It felt like a recurring scene, always doing the same thing, just in a different place with different people. The characters did, however, say more of what was on their minds when they were drunk. Mike told Cohn how pathetic he was, Brett confessed her love to everyone, all of that. It was the only positive outcome of their drinking.
The Sun Also Rises: Jake
"I misjudged you...You're not a moron. You're only a case of arrested development." -pg. 51
Jake is a very smart man, but he does have a weakness. He doesn't really know what to do with himself because he is not confident in his abilities. He wanted to be with Brett but she rejects him, and he wants to be successful in his job but he doesn't apply himself enough for that to be the case. He has never fully discovered himself, and he never does throughout the novel. But most his generation felt that way. They were the "lost generation" for a reason. After the high stress of the war and the need to get things done, a chilling temper set in. People were not pressed to do things, so they didn't. Hence, they were not developed into the full person that they could have been.
Jake is a very smart man, but he does have a weakness. He doesn't really know what to do with himself because he is not confident in his abilities. He wanted to be with Brett but she rejects him, and he wants to be successful in his job but he doesn't apply himself enough for that to be the case. He has never fully discovered himself, and he never does throughout the novel. But most his generation felt that way. They were the "lost generation" for a reason. After the high stress of the war and the need to get things done, a chilling temper set in. People were not pressed to do things, so they didn't. Hence, they were not developed into the full person that they could have been.
The Sun Also Rises: Brett
"She was looking into my eyes with that way she had of looking that made you wonder whether she really saw out of her own eyes. They would look on and on after everyone else's eyes in the world would have stopped looking." -pg. 34
There are some people who had a deep soul, and that is an easy quality to give a charcter in a book. Brett thinks beyond what is happening or who she is with. That is why she has such an overqhelming personality and a stronghold on men. She represents the people who looked beyond that era, to what the future might hold for not only themselves, but their acquaintances also. She was a free spirit, but a grounded one. Those are the kinds of people who kept society from falling to pieces. They knew that eventually the post-war party would end, and they had to be prepared. She never got too drunk, and she kept an idea of who could help her the most. That is why she could always move on.
There are some people who had a deep soul, and that is an easy quality to give a charcter in a book. Brett thinks beyond what is happening or who she is with. That is why she has such an overqhelming personality and a stronghold on men. She represents the people who looked beyond that era, to what the future might hold for not only themselves, but their acquaintances also. She was a free spirit, but a grounded one. Those are the kinds of people who kept society from falling to pieces. They knew that eventually the post-war party would end, and they had to be prepared. She never got too drunk, and she kept an idea of who could help her the most. That is why she could always move on.
The Sun Also Rises: Georgette
"She grinned and I saw why she made a point of not laughing. With her mouth closed she was a rather pretty girl." -pg. 23
I don't know why Georgette was even in the book. She was only there for a little while, and she had no qualities to add complexity or a new angle. It didn't seem like anyone even cared that she was a prostitute. She was a funny character but only because she had bad teeth and Jake made fun of them. Her entrance into the novel shows how open everyone was, willing to accept a new person into their pack. It also shows how shallow all of their connections. They were just as friendly with the new girl as they were with their old pals. She fell in and out of the picture without so much as a ripple from the main characters.
I don't know why Georgette was even in the book. She was only there for a little while, and she had no qualities to add complexity or a new angle. It didn't seem like anyone even cared that she was a prostitute. She was a funny character but only because she had bad teeth and Jake made fun of them. Her entrance into the novel shows how open everyone was, willing to accept a new person into their pack. It also shows how shallow all of their connections. They were just as friendly with the new girl as they were with their old pals. She fell in and out of the picture without so much as a ripple from the main characters.
The Sun Also Rises: Journalism
"It is very important to discover graceful exits like that in the newspaper business, where it is such an important part of the ethics that you should never seem to be working." -pg. 19
This quote reminded me of my idea of old newspaper offices. I see them wearing fedoras and long coats, taking taxis to the office where they grab a cup of coffee and start their day by chatting it up with the other journalists. I wish I knew why they felt it so necessary to seem nonchalant. They work very hard, and everyone knows this because we get well written, well polished news every morning. Why should the be ashamed of working so hard when everyone else seems to want to be noticed? I think it is part of the mystique and secrecy of journalism. They learn everything they can about everyone else, but always keep themselves out of the news. They expose crises and political scandals, but never delve into the life of someone at the office by asking them "How's the wife?" Journalism, for all it's exposure, may be the most secretive business.
This quote reminded me of my idea of old newspaper offices. I see them wearing fedoras and long coats, taking taxis to the office where they grab a cup of coffee and start their day by chatting it up with the other journalists. I wish I knew why they felt it so necessary to seem nonchalant. They work very hard, and everyone knows this because we get well written, well polished news every morning. Why should the be ashamed of working so hard when everyone else seems to want to be noticed? I think it is part of the mystique and secrecy of journalism. They learn everything they can about everyone else, but always keep themselves out of the news. They expose crises and political scandals, but never delve into the life of someone at the office by asking them "How's the wife?" Journalism, for all it's exposure, may be the most secretive business.
The Things They Carried: Life
"Inside the body, or beyond the body, there is something absolute and unchanging. The human life is all one thing..." - pg. 223
People don't change, they grow. Everytime we overcome an obstacle, experience a miracle, learn something new, we are only adding to our life, not replacing the old. As much as we wish we could, we cannot separate the good from the bad. A complete life is made of both. A funeral is just as enriching as a wedding. If we refuse ourselves the ability to feel sadness, we are refusing ourselves life. Sometimes, looking at old photographs, I wish I could be that little girl again. But she is still an intergral part of me. And she will be when I'm eighty. I find this comforting. Whether it is something inside of me or beyong me, human life cannot be altered, reversed, or in any sense edited.
People don't change, they grow. Everytime we overcome an obstacle, experience a miracle, learn something new, we are only adding to our life, not replacing the old. As much as we wish we could, we cannot separate the good from the bad. A complete life is made of both. A funeral is just as enriching as a wedding. If we refuse ourselves the ability to feel sadness, we are refusing ourselves life. Sometimes, looking at old photographs, I wish I could be that little girl again. But she is still an intergral part of me. And she will be when I'm eighty. I find this comforting. Whether it is something inside of me or beyong me, human life cannot be altered, reversed, or in any sense edited.
The Things They Carried: Right From the Start
"The teacher helped her put the cap back on, then we finished the spelling test and did some fingerpainting, and after school that day Nick Veenhof and I walked her home." -pg. 223
Nick picks on Linda's cap until he pulls it off and realizes she is sick. Only then does he treat her kindly, after he's already hurt her. Why can't we just start out treating people with kindness? Everyone has some kind of battle that they are fighting, emotional or physical. It seems almost like a human instinct to put people down to make ourselves look better. Nick didn't know she had cancer, only that she wore a funny looking hat. If he would have asked her about it, he could have walked her home earlier and maybe made a new friend. My friend's neice was only a year younger than us and liked to hang out. She had a reputation for stealing, so we never wanted to go shopping with her and we always guarded our purses like our lives depended on it. After she died of leukemia this summer, I regretted everytime I turned down an offer to go with her somewhere. I thought of how maybe she would have never stolen anything with me. Now, I wish I would have had the opportunity to "walk her home" earlier, as I'm sure Nick did.
Nick picks on Linda's cap until he pulls it off and realizes she is sick. Only then does he treat her kindly, after he's already hurt her. Why can't we just start out treating people with kindness? Everyone has some kind of battle that they are fighting, emotional or physical. It seems almost like a human instinct to put people down to make ourselves look better. Nick didn't know she had cancer, only that she wore a funny looking hat. If he would have asked her about it, he could have walked her home earlier and maybe made a new friend. My friend's neice was only a year younger than us and liked to hang out. She had a reputation for stealing, so we never wanted to go shopping with her and we always guarded our purses like our lives depended on it. After she died of leukemia this summer, I regretted everytime I turned down an offer to go with her somewhere. I thought of how maybe she would have never stolen anything with me. Now, I wish I would have had the opportunity to "walk her home" earlier, as I'm sure Nick did.
The Things They Carried: Incredibly Alive
"Briefly then, rambling a little, he talked about a few of the guys who were gone now, Curt Lemon and Kiowa and Ted Lavender, and how crazy is was that people who were so incredibly alive could get so incredibly dead." -pg. 212
I have always found that the hardest part of losing someone you know is that you can no longer create moments which will turn into experiences with them. When my uncle passed away suddenly, the weirdest feeling was that that person you argued over a football game only weeks before could no longer watch the sport. Losing a source of laughter, a source of intelligent company, was hard because he could never be replaced. It is impossible for our minds to grasp what occurs in the hereafter, but we can only hope that the life force we lose moves on to a place where maybe one day we can see them again. We find the most comfort regarding death through our religion. "We Catholics know death," Jackie Kennedy once said. Religion gives us the hope that when we die, all of the friends we lose will be gained again. All of these "incredibly alive" souls will be tangible and we will be able to communicate with them.
I have always found that the hardest part of losing someone you know is that you can no longer create moments which will turn into experiences with them. When my uncle passed away suddenly, the weirdest feeling was that that person you argued over a football game only weeks before could no longer watch the sport. Losing a source of laughter, a source of intelligent company, was hard because he could never be replaced. It is impossible for our minds to grasp what occurs in the hereafter, but we can only hope that the life force we lose moves on to a place where maybe one day we can see them again. We find the most comfort regarding death through our religion. "We Catholics know death," Jackie Kennedy once said. Religion gives us the hope that when we die, all of the friends we lose will be gained again. All of these "incredibly alive" souls will be tangible and we will be able to communicate with them.
The Things They Carried: Passing Time
"Twenty years. A lot like yesterday, a lot like never." -pg. 178
This passage related to my life right now. I am getting ready for college and yet I can still remember watching U.K basketball games when I was three. Sometimes my childhood feels like yesterday and other times it seems like its been forever. O'Brien is describing his time from Vietnam to the present, but I'm sure this thought has occured to many people. We can't go back in life, although most of the time our only aim is forward. I know that I am praying that the year flies by. But when we do take the time to look back, we often find that a great deal of our lives have passed. We rarely forget moments that affected us, but over time they seem to blur around the edges, like maybe they happened to someone else and we only heard about them. It is important to realize that all of these instances, whether they were 10 or 100 years ago, have etched out a pat of our personality which we carry with us today.
This passage related to my life right now. I am getting ready for college and yet I can still remember watching U.K basketball games when I was three. Sometimes my childhood feels like yesterday and other times it seems like its been forever. O'Brien is describing his time from Vietnam to the present, but I'm sure this thought has occured to many people. We can't go back in life, although most of the time our only aim is forward. I know that I am praying that the year flies by. But when we do take the time to look back, we often find that a great deal of our lives have passed. We rarely forget moments that affected us, but over time they seem to blur around the edges, like maybe they happened to someone else and we only heard about them. It is important to realize that all of these instances, whether they were 10 or 100 years ago, have etched out a pat of our personality which we carry with us today.
The Things They Carried: The Past
"Some dumb thing happens a long time ago and you can't ever forget it." -pg. 175
For O'Briens' daughter it seems that it should be very simple for him to just move on. That is what he is trying to do through his writing. He realizes that it is impossible. This Passage moved me because the girl cannot grasp how deeply the war effected him, and neither can I. His daughter is only 10, and she doesn't understand the large amount of stress her father went through when he was only a bit older than her. A child's innocence is very revealing, and she is right in saying that he should forget. His conscience would be cleaner forit. But he would also be losing a great part of who he is today. So while his daughter finds it weird that he is so obsessed with the past, I feel that he is just trying to work his way through all of the emotional turmoil he endured during the war.
For O'Briens' daughter it seems that it should be very simple for him to just move on. That is what he is trying to do through his writing. He realizes that it is impossible. This Passage moved me because the girl cannot grasp how deeply the war effected him, and neither can I. His daughter is only 10, and she doesn't understand the large amount of stress her father went through when he was only a bit older than her. A child's innocence is very revealing, and she is right in saying that he should forget. His conscience would be cleaner forit. But he would also be losing a great part of who he is today. So while his daughter finds it weird that he is so obsessed with the past, I feel that he is just trying to work his way through all of the emotional turmoil he endured during the war.
The Things They Carried: Nothings Changed
"You could blame people who were too lazy to read a newspaper, who were bored by the daily body counts, who switched channels at the mention of politics." -pg. 170
Nothing has changed between that war and the current one. At first we started out paying close attention to how many soldiers died. But as the war drags on, people who do not know someone overseas seem to give a cold response to it. They would rather watch "Lost" than the news. And even those who do watch the news don't get a true vision. Even reporters move on, choosing to talk mostly about state budgets, bailouts, and local murders. When a soldier from Indiana dies, it gets some coverage on the news and an excerpt in the papers, but mostly everyone manages to go about their day. I cannot recall the last time I heard anything about the war. And so O'Brien was right to blame us. We should care more, because we are the ones who can put pressureon the politicians.
Nothing has changed between that war and the current one. At first we started out paying close attention to how many soldiers died. But as the war drags on, people who do not know someone overseas seem to give a cold response to it. They would rather watch "Lost" than the news. And even those who do watch the news don't get a true vision. Even reporters move on, choosing to talk mostly about state budgets, bailouts, and local murders. When a soldier from Indiana dies, it gets some coverage on the news and an excerpt in the papers, but mostly everyone manages to go about their day. I cannot recall the last time I heard anything about the war. And so O'Brien was right to blame us. We should care more, because we are the ones who can put pressureon the politicians.
The Things They Carried: Valor
"Norman did not experience a failure of nerve that night. He did not freeze up or lose the Silver Star for valor. That part of the story is my own." -pg. 154
After O'Brien tells an elaborate story about how Norman drove around and thought about his dad, he says he lied. It left me wondering what really happened. Kiowa really did die, so was Norman just not able to get a good grip? Maybe he almost died too. The fact that O'Brien can convey such curiosity through a fictitional situation is impressive. He received a letter from Norman but that was all he used to write about him. That is a prime example of good writing. I was surprised to find that he didn't chicken out. Even so, he felt so guilty that he killed himself. He lost a good friend, he saw the reality of his own mortality, and all of theses factors didn't leave him as the years went on.
After O'Brien tells an elaborate story about how Norman drove around and thought about his dad, he says he lied. It left me wondering what really happened. Kiowa really did die, so was Norman just not able to get a good grip? Maybe he almost died too. The fact that O'Brien can convey such curiosity through a fictitional situation is impressive. He received a letter from Norman but that was all he used to write about him. That is a prime example of good writing. I was surprised to find that he didn't chicken out. Even so, he felt so guilty that he killed himself. He lost a good friend, he saw the reality of his own mortality, and all of theses factors didn't leave him as the years went on.
The Things They Carried: Bravery
"Sometimes the bravest thing on earth was to sit through the night and feel the cold in your bones." -pg. 141
Soldiers are trained. They are taught how to clean their weapons, how to fire them, how to march, and numerous other techniques. But when it comes to the waiting, that is not really something you can prepare for. They wait for danger for hours at a time, not being able to see in the dark. Sometimes they encounter the enemy and have to fight. But most of the time, they just wait, on attention, in fear. Then, when the threat is over, how could they just go back to normal? So I agree that bravery comes in the night. At least in the daytime when they are marching, they can see that enemy and know that they are more prepared. I felt this passage was profound because I have waited for something bad to happen. Obviously it wasn't profoundly life threatening like this, but my nerves were on high alert for hours afterwards.
Soldiers are trained. They are taught how to clean their weapons, how to fire them, how to march, and numerous other techniques. But when it comes to the waiting, that is not really something you can prepare for. They wait for danger for hours at a time, not being able to see in the dark. Sometimes they encounter the enemy and have to fight. But most of the time, they just wait, on attention, in fear. Then, when the threat is over, how could they just go back to normal? So I agree that bravery comes in the night. At least in the daytime when they are marching, they can see that enemy and know that they are more prepared. I felt this passage was profound because I have waited for something bad to happen. Obviously it wasn't profoundly life threatening like this, but my nerves were on high alert for hours afterwards.
The Things They Carried: Being Nice
"The Thing is, I blieved in God and all that, but it just wasn't the religious part that interested me. Just being nice to people, that's all. Being decent." -pg. 115
We sturggle with being nice. Religion is in effect a way for us to overcome this struggle. Through Jesus' example, or whoever you follow, we can see that treating people the way we would want to be treated is the best way to live our lives. All of the ceremonies and pomp surrounding religions are not the important part. It is the teachings, the guidance about what it right and wrong that are the most enriching. Being a decent human being is what religion's true purpose is. Going to church every day means nothing if you are not decent to other people. So the corrollary is true- that people can be decent and not be religious.
We sturggle with being nice. Religion is in effect a way for us to overcome this struggle. Through Jesus' example, or whoever you follow, we can see that treating people the way we would want to be treated is the best way to live our lives. All of the ceremonies and pomp surrounding religions are not the important part. It is the teachings, the guidance about what it right and wrong that are the most enriching. Being a decent human being is what religion's true purpose is. Going to church every day means nothing if you are not decent to other people. So the corrollary is true- that people can be decent and not be religious.
The Things They Carried: America
"In many ways he was like America itself, big and strong, full of good intentions, a roll of fat jiggling at his belly, slow of foot but always plodding along, always there when you needed him, a believer in the virtues of simplicity and directness and hard labor." -pg. 111
This passage is the oppostie of personification. It was interesting to find that a big fat man is a lot like America. By comparing a solier to his homeland, he shows how similar they are. O'Briend mentions many of the things we hold dear, such as hard labor, and by doing so helps us to relate to the soldier who is so similar to the rest of us. We as Americanstake pride in our endurance through difficult times, even though we are only a couple of hundred years old. Through this comparison we come to see how the author views his companions, and how they represent everything worth fighting for. By using reverse personification, O'Brien utilizes a wider array of literary tools. By using these tools wisely, he can pull the reader in.
This passage is the oppostie of personification. It was interesting to find that a big fat man is a lot like America. By comparing a solier to his homeland, he shows how similar they are. O'Briend mentions many of the things we hold dear, such as hard labor, and by doing so helps us to relate to the soldier who is so similar to the rest of us. We as Americanstake pride in our endurance through difficult times, even though we are only a couple of hundred years old. Through this comparison we come to see how the author views his companions, and how they represent everything worth fighting for. By using reverse personification, O'Brien utilizes a wider array of literary tools. By using these tools wisely, he can pull the reader in.
The Things They Carried: Mary Anne
"When I'm out there at night, I feel close to my own body. I can feel my blood moving, my skin and my fingernails, everything." -pg. 106
My reaction to this passage had nothing to do with the book. It made me think of the nighttime. For me, I feel much more alive at night. There are less people around, less noise, less movement. This not only gives someone a feeling of relief, but a good sense of self. Your senses really do feel heightened, so I can see why Mary Anne fell in love with it. By patroling for others and trying so hard to hide herself, she got to know herself better. Of all the characters in the book, she changed the most, perhaps because she was a woman, or maybe just because she got wrapped up in the war.
My reaction to this passage had nothing to do with the book. It made me think of the nighttime. For me, I feel much more alive at night. There are less people around, less noise, less movement. This not only gives someone a feeling of relief, but a good sense of self. Your senses really do feel heightened, so I can see why Mary Anne fell in love with it. By patroling for others and trying so hard to hide herself, she got to know herself better. Of all the characters in the book, she changed the most, perhaps because she was a woman, or maybe just because she got wrapped up in the war.
The Things They Carried: Story of My Life
"Four guys go down a trail. A grenade sails out. One guy jumps on it and takes the blast, but it's a killer grenade and everybody dies anyway. Before they die, though, one of the dead guys says 'The fuck you do that for man?' and the jumper says, 'Story of my life man...'" -pg. 80
Although morbid, this story seems funny. This sounds like me, obviously not on the same scale. I have horrible luck, and so does this guy. O'Brien says that this is a war story that never happened. That doesn't matter because it rings true. War is never fair, and this tale displays it. It also shows the commeraderie between soldiers. They are willing to risk their lives for their friends, only so that they can march on to more imminent danger. "War buddies" get so close because they see each other at their worst and at their best. They show their true colors because they are always staring down the barrel of death. When you have everything to fear, you become an increased version of yourself. And if your friends can stand to be around you then, they will probably be lifelong friends.
Although morbid, this story seems funny. This sounds like me, obviously not on the same scale. I have horrible luck, and so does this guy. O'Brien says that this is a war story that never happened. That doesn't matter because it rings true. War is never fair, and this tale displays it. It also shows the commeraderie between soldiers. They are willing to risk their lives for their friends, only so that they can march on to more imminent danger. "War buddies" get so close because they see each other at their worst and at their best. They show their true colors because they are always staring down the barrel of death. When you have everything to fear, you become an increased version of yourself. And if your friends can stand to be around you then, they will probably be lifelong friends.
The Things They Carried: Not True
"In war you lose you sense of the definite, hence your sense of the truth itself, and therefore its safe to say that in a true war story nothing is ever absolutely true." -pg. 78
O'Brien reinforces this statement throughout the book. He speak of how the truth doesn't hold much weight because it's the essence of the story that truly matters. Many veterans hesitate at telling their war stories because they are an essential part of who they have become, a very private glimpse into a chapter of their lives. Others find that telling their story is therapeutic, a way to rid their body of its horrors. Sadly enough, every generation has its tales, and so we remember them as such, and not as part of our being. But either way, the after taste of the story stays with us. We just assume that the storyteller told the truth, but it doesn't matter because they went to war and they saw more than we ever will.
O'Brien reinforces this statement throughout the book. He speak of how the truth doesn't hold much weight because it's the essence of the story that truly matters. Many veterans hesitate at telling their war stories because they are an essential part of who they have become, a very private glimpse into a chapter of their lives. Others find that telling their story is therapeutic, a way to rid their body of its horrors. Sadly enough, every generation has its tales, and so we remember them as such, and not as part of our being. But either way, the after taste of the story stays with us. We just assume that the storyteller told the truth, but it doesn't matter because they went to war and they saw more than we ever will.
The Things They Carried: Hate
He shot off the tail. He shot away chunks of meat below the ribs...He shot randomly, almost casually, quick little spurts in the belly and butt. Then he reloaded, squatted down, and shot it in the left knee. Again the animal feel hard and tried to get up, but this time it couldn't quite make it...Nothing moved except the eyes..." -pg. 75 and 76
I had one reaction to this passage- hatred. I hated Rat Kiley for doing it, I hated the other soldiers for watching coldly, and I hated O'Brien for writing it in the first place. I suppose it may be thoe most literarily successful part of the book for igniting such a reaction. I could perfectly visualize the scene, especially the baby buffalo looking up at the men, trying to get up, desperatly trying to get away from the source of so much pain. Reading or watching animal suffering is worse for me than human suffering. They look to us for protection, or at least for a fair chance at life. Man is the only animal that gets pleasure from killing. Animals kill for survival, never for pleasure. Rat could have taken his aggression out on a village hut, a rock, anything but the baby buffalo. Just for this passage, I don't feel I'll ever recommend this book to anyone.
I had one reaction to this passage- hatred. I hated Rat Kiley for doing it, I hated the other soldiers for watching coldly, and I hated O'Brien for writing it in the first place. I suppose it may be thoe most literarily successful part of the book for igniting such a reaction. I could perfectly visualize the scene, especially the baby buffalo looking up at the men, trying to get up, desperatly trying to get away from the source of so much pain. Reading or watching animal suffering is worse for me than human suffering. They look to us for protection, or at least for a fair chance at life. Man is the only animal that gets pleasure from killing. Animals kill for survival, never for pleasure. Rat could have taken his aggression out on a village hut, a rock, anything but the baby buffalo. Just for this passage, I don't feel I'll ever recommend this book to anyone.
The Things They Carried: Truth
" This next part you won't believe...You won't. And you know why? Because it happened. Because every word is absolutely dead on true." -pg. 70
O'Brien makes a point in this book that it doesn't matter if a war story is true because it could have happened and it's essence is real. This repetition serves to say that he feels this might be the most important element. He says it himself in the text, and he also displays it through his characters' conversations. Sometimes the strangest thing is what really happens, and reality seems impossible. This is how we know that O'Brien is credible. He admits when he lies and insists when he isn't. Either way, I found the entire book believable. This is important with a war story because if it is too sensational, readers will not take kindly to it and feel like the author is exploiting war.
O'Brien makes a point in this book that it doesn't matter if a war story is true because it could have happened and it's essence is real. This repetition serves to say that he feels this might be the most important element. He says it himself in the text, and he also displays it through his characters' conversations. Sometimes the strangest thing is what really happens, and reality seems impossible. This is how we know that O'Brien is credible. He admits when he lies and insists when he isn't. Either way, I found the entire book believable. This is important with a war story because if it is too sensational, readers will not take kindly to it and feel like the author is exploiting war.
The Things They Carried: Political Aspects
"You can tell a true war story if it embarasses you. If you don't care for obscenity, you don't care for the truth. If you don't care for the truth, watch how you vote. Send guys to war, they come home talking dirty." -pg. 66
Even though he does not directly hit on the political scale, he does say that the way you vote depends on whether or not we go to war. While the leaders of this country do make the final decision to send out troops, the beginning phases start in the lands across the seas. And it can only be expected that they would come home with a sailor's vocabulary. These soldiers are boys, many not even old enough to drink a beer, and they are sent not only to see violence every day, but to participate in it as well. They kill people they do not even know, something illegal on the homefront but expected of you in battle. They are burdened with a constant fear of an abrupt death. And so when they come home, if the only way a soldier has changed is by acquiring a more eccentric vocabulary, they should be lauded. This is, if they are able to return home at all.
Even though he does not directly hit on the political scale, he does say that the way you vote depends on whether or not we go to war. While the leaders of this country do make the final decision to send out troops, the beginning phases start in the lands across the seas. And it can only be expected that they would come home with a sailor's vocabulary. These soldiers are boys, many not even old enough to drink a beer, and they are sent not only to see violence every day, but to participate in it as well. They kill people they do not even know, something illegal on the homefront but expected of you in battle. They are burdened with a constant fear of an abrupt death. And so when they come home, if the only way a soldier has changed is by acquiring a more eccentric vocabulary, they should be lauded. This is, if they are able to return home at all.
The Things They Carried: Escape
"At some point in Mid-July I began thinking seriously about Canada."
When an American is drafted, they are often fresh out of high school, ready to embark on their new career path. Instead, they are given a ticket to a different and dangerous place. Their fight or flight instinct must kick in. For O'Brien, he wanted to go away. Although it is illegal, Canada seemed like the best idea. American pride is the reason why most people don't run there. They would be ashamed for their family and friends to know they were scared. So they go to war, where maybe they make it, maybe they come home hurt, or maybe they don't come home at all. This shows the power that the human ego has over the human will.
When an American is drafted, they are often fresh out of high school, ready to embark on their new career path. Instead, they are given a ticket to a different and dangerous place. Their fight or flight instinct must kick in. For O'Brien, he wanted to go away. Although it is illegal, Canada seemed like the best idea. American pride is the reason why most people don't run there. They would be ashamed for their family and friends to know they were scared. So they go to war, where maybe they make it, maybe they come home hurt, or maybe they don't come home at all. This shows the power that the human ego has over the human will.
The Things They Carried: Raw
" A true war story is never moral. It does not instruct, nor encourage virtue, nor suggest models of proper human behavior, nor restrain men from doing things they have already done." -pg. 65
A war story takes place when humans are in their rawest and most vulnerable state. They are not romanticized or used to teach a lesson; they are used to show how humans react. They are basically psychology studies. O'Brien knows that the men he writes about cussed, drank, showed little respect to the dead, and were generally vulger beings, but he also knew they were realistic. They have spirit, a sense of adventure and danger, and they relate more easily to everyday people. O'Brien does not expect his characters to become revered as good men, but only to be understood as such. I like war stories because they give me a fresh world to explore, but a world that really exists. War stories are timeless because as long as there are humans seeking to gain, there will be war.
A war story takes place when humans are in their rawest and most vulnerable state. They are not romanticized or used to teach a lesson; they are used to show how humans react. They are basically psychology studies. O'Brien knows that the men he writes about cussed, drank, showed little respect to the dead, and were generally vulger beings, but he also knew they were realistic. They have spirit, a sense of adventure and danger, and they relate more easily to everyday people. O'Brien does not expect his characters to become revered as good men, but only to be understood as such. I like war stories because they give me a fresh world to explore, but a world that really exists. War stories are timeless because as long as there are humans seeking to gain, there will be war.
The Things They Carried: Boredom
"Even in the deep brush, where you could die in any number of ways, the war was nakedly and aggressively boring. But it was a strange boredom. It was boredom with a twist, the kind of boredom that caused stomach disorders." -pg. 33
There is never a dull moment for a soldier. When they are not fighting, they are waiting for more fighting. How could they sleep soundly knowing that their enemy could be watching them? It may feel like boredom, but it is a stressful boredom. They become paranoid, every sense heightened, every sound a threat. I'm sure all of that stress does transpire into physical effects. Waiting for something to happen, and whether it does or doesn't, its a lot of paranoia. They spent more time waiting for violence than they did participating in it.
There is never a dull moment for a soldier. When they are not fighting, they are waiting for more fighting. How could they sleep soundly knowing that their enemy could be watching them? It may feel like boredom, but it is a stressful boredom. They become paranoid, every sense heightened, every sound a threat. I'm sure all of that stress does transpire into physical effects. Waiting for something to happen, and whether it does or doesn't, its a lot of paranoia. They spent more time waiting for violence than they did participating in it.
The Things They Carried: Human Reaction
"Even his fatigue, it felt fine, the stiff muscles and the prickly awareness of his own body, a floating feeling. He enjoyed not being dead." -pg. 17
I found this to be particularly enchanting. Kiowa is happier that he is not dead than he is sad that Ted Lavender died. This is such a good example of what humans are truly like, rather than the sometimes romanticized characters you find in other literary works. It shows the first basic instinct which connects humans to our lesser mammalian counterparts- self preservation. This passage goes to the overall theme of the book, which is presenting people in their most vulernable, realistic states. O'Brien uses Kiowa's inner thoughts to prove that he is not writing a war story about the gore and politics upon which most war writers fixate, but on the nitty-gritty inner working of a soldier's life. These are not experiences that every person gets to experience, but through this passage, and in effect the whole book, they can. It will broadem their understanding of the losses that war produces and take them out of the econimcal and moral spectrum to insert them directly into the hearts of those most effected by war.
I found this to be particularly enchanting. Kiowa is happier that he is not dead than he is sad that Ted Lavender died. This is such a good example of what humans are truly like, rather than the sometimes romanticized characters you find in other literary works. It shows the first basic instinct which connects humans to our lesser mammalian counterparts- self preservation. This passage goes to the overall theme of the book, which is presenting people in their most vulernable, realistic states. O'Brien uses Kiowa's inner thoughts to prove that he is not writing a war story about the gore and politics upon which most war writers fixate, but on the nitty-gritty inner working of a soldier's life. These are not experiences that every person gets to experience, but through this passage, and in effect the whole book, they can. It will broadem their understanding of the losses that war produces and take them out of the econimcal and moral spectrum to insert them directly into the hearts of those most effected by war.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)