I found this section of the book a bit boring. Except for the occasional creepy antics of Mr.Trenor, it is rather uneventful.
I am beginning to get more attached to the characters though. Lily Bart is so realistic that I can't help but feel a little sorry for her. She has so many flaws and causes so many problems for herself. Lily falls victim to many of her society's faults; Selden describes himself as wanting to take her" beyond the ugliness, the pettiness, the attrition and the corrosion of the soul". Even though she is flawed, Selden sees the these problems and still wants to love her.
Speaking of love and flaws, I think she is a complete idiot for not immediately accepting Mr.Rosedale's proposal. He fits every qualification....well he's rich, and that is really all she's after. Rosedale even acknowledges that he is okay that she doesn't love him as much; he just wants someone to fulfill the role of his wife. I'm assuming she'll run off to Europe and sabotage her superficial happiness, yet again.
One last thing: Kudos to you Lily Bart for not fulfilling the complete role of a prostitute and having an affair with Mr.Trenor.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
House of Mirth: Chapters 1- 10
I don't think I've ever wanted to live in a fictional world more than I want to live in Edith Wharton's early 1900s New York. She makes even the most drab moments into something charming. It has such a simplicity to it that makes me envy the lives of characters like Lily Bart and Percy Gryce. And yes, I'm aware of the satirical style of writing of which this book is founded. House of Mirth ignores the poverty of the lower class and focuses on the extravagance of the rich, but it still appeals to the shallow, lazy side of my personality (which is, at times, a very large part). And no one portrays this lifestyle and ignorance better than the main character Lily Bart.
I find her fascinating. She treats New York as some sort of safari-kingdom. She hunts down these men and uses a different technique for each one. She realizes Mr.Gryce is shy and withdrawn so she uses his liking of Americana as bait to lure him to her. And during all this she has to avoid the dangers of ill-fitting suitors such as Mr.Rosedale.
I mean I find her tactics (and motivation) somewhat off-putting, but there is something admirable about how she turns finding a husband into an art form. My favorite line of hers is when she says "But we're so different, you know: she likes being good, and I like being happy." That pretty much sums up Lily Bart at this point.
I find her fascinating. She treats New York as some sort of safari-kingdom. She hunts down these men and uses a different technique for each one. She realizes Mr.Gryce is shy and withdrawn so she uses his liking of Americana as bait to lure him to her. And during all this she has to avoid the dangers of ill-fitting suitors such as Mr.Rosedale.
I mean I find her tactics (and motivation) somewhat off-putting, but there is something admirable about how she turns finding a husband into an art form. My favorite line of hers is when she says "But we're so different, you know: she likes being good, and I like being happy." That pretty much sums up Lily Bart at this point.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Cry the Beloved Country: Part III
I loved this book. After Part II I wasn't too sure I would be satisfied with the ending, but I was totally wrong. Paton wrapped the book up with an incredibly hopeful (and oddly inspiring) ending.
I was really glad to see some amends between Jarvis and Kumalo. Both lost their son, and I think both felt pity for the other and was trying to do what was right. It was nice to see the two worlds of Kumalo and Jarvis come together; even if such painful obstacles were the thing that forced it to happen. Together they worked to create a better South Africa, starting with Kumalo's small village. I think Jarvis was mostly motivated to carry on his son's dreams and teachings. Kumalo wanted to because he had witnessed what happened when the tribal system broke down. Paton writes that "The great city had opened his eyes to something that had begun and must now be continued." Kumalo witnessed and felt on the most personal level what happened when South African tribes stopped instilling a sense of moral in the native, so he did what little he could to fix it.
Probably one of my favorite parts of the entire book was Kumalo's pilgrimage up to the mountain. He relied on his faith continuously throughout the book. Only failing once or twice when he was tempted a thousand times. He sits there on top of a mountain and prays; not only for his son and sister who have fallen, but he includes thanksgiving in his prayer. I was just really amazed.
So thank you, Alan Paton, for a great book.
I was really glad to see some amends between Jarvis and Kumalo. Both lost their son, and I think both felt pity for the other and was trying to do what was right. It was nice to see the two worlds of Kumalo and Jarvis come together; even if such painful obstacles were the thing that forced it to happen. Together they worked to create a better South Africa, starting with Kumalo's small village. I think Jarvis was mostly motivated to carry on his son's dreams and teachings. Kumalo wanted to because he had witnessed what happened when the tribal system broke down. Paton writes that "The great city had opened his eyes to something that had begun and must now be continued." Kumalo witnessed and felt on the most personal level what happened when South African tribes stopped instilling a sense of moral in the native, so he did what little he could to fix it.
Probably one of my favorite parts of the entire book was Kumalo's pilgrimage up to the mountain. He relied on his faith continuously throughout the book. Only failing once or twice when he was tempted a thousand times. He sits there on top of a mountain and prays; not only for his son and sister who have fallen, but he includes thanksgiving in his prayer. I was just really amazed.
So thank you, Alan Paton, for a great book.
Cry the Beloved Country: Part II
Book II depressed me...a lot. It doesn't seem like anything good actually happened. Nothing. It left me feeling sad and also pretty angry at the South Africa judicial system.
There were a few points in it that did distract me from the over all dark mood of Book II. The beginning of Book II is almost exactly the same as the beginning of Book I; except it focused on a rich white guy instead of a poor black priest. This made the degree of separation between Jarvis and Kumalo a little less of an ocean and more of a rather sizable lake. These two men lived in the same area and witnessed the same destruction of their land. I'm not sure if Paton meant it to make the two men seem closer by doing that, but I was better able to see the relation between the two because of this, so I'm going to assume he did.
After Jarvis reads his son's works and looks through his son's study, I think he begins to become more open- minded. One quote that really punched me in the face was when Jarvis's son writes "The truth is that our civilization is not Christian; it is a tragic compound of great ideal and fearful practice, of high assurance and desperate anxiety, of loving charity and fearful clutching of possessions." Slightly amazing, no? His son doesn't put the blame totally on any group of people, but does say that the natives should not be taking the brunt of the blame.
Then the rest of Book II is just constant sadness. Kumalo's son is found guilty and most likely going to die, but on the single bright point Kumalo gets Msimangu's money. 33 pounds compared to Kumalo's son's death was not enough to make me happy. I get that that is not the point of the book, but it would've been nice.
There were a few points in it that did distract me from the over all dark mood of Book II. The beginning of Book II is almost exactly the same as the beginning of Book I; except it focused on a rich white guy instead of a poor black priest. This made the degree of separation between Jarvis and Kumalo a little less of an ocean and more of a rather sizable lake. These two men lived in the same area and witnessed the same destruction of their land. I'm not sure if Paton meant it to make the two men seem closer by doing that, but I was better able to see the relation between the two because of this, so I'm going to assume he did.
After Jarvis reads his son's works and looks through his son's study, I think he begins to become more open- minded. One quote that really punched me in the face was when Jarvis's son writes "The truth is that our civilization is not Christian; it is a tragic compound of great ideal and fearful practice, of high assurance and desperate anxiety, of loving charity and fearful clutching of possessions." Slightly amazing, no? His son doesn't put the blame totally on any group of people, but does say that the natives should not be taking the brunt of the blame.
Then the rest of Book II is just constant sadness. Kumalo's son is found guilty and most likely going to die, but on the single bright point Kumalo gets Msimangu's money. 33 pounds compared to Kumalo's son's death was not enough to make me happy. I get that that is not the point of the book, but it would've been nice.
Cry the Beloved Country: Part I
I'm really starting to love Paton's style of writing. He's poetic and uses extreme detail, but at the same time gets straight to the point. The lack of quotation marks is somewhat annoying (and at times confusing), but kudos to you, Alan Paton, for being different.
The main theme that I've seen throughout this entire book is definitely patriotism. Every person in this book seems to be driven by doing what's good for Africa. Kumalo wants to preserve the tribal system and his own village. His brother, who seems to be the complete opposite, is motivated by greed, and wants better wages for the natives. Everyone seems to want Africa to succeed, but there seems to be confusion on how to get it done.
Johannesburg seems to be everything that is right and wrong with South Africa. There is crime and poverty, but there is also the chance for a "native" to succeed. Segregation is also practiced, but many people, both white and black, seem willing to work to end. Father Vincent says this to Kumalo about Johannesburg: " You will learn much here in Johannesburg... It is not only in your place that there is destruction." I'd say that line is totally correct. Everyone in Africa seems to be experiencing destruction, and no one agrees on how to fix it.
I just feel sort of bad for Africa...as strange as that sounds.
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