A Momentary, Illusory, Special, and Separate Peace.

I don’t know what it is about this book, but I loved it. Maybe it’s because A Separate Peace related to this time period closer than any other book, or maybe because it took on a new perspective that the others couldn't reach. The fact that this is the last book might have contributed too. Either way, A Separate Peace became my favorite book of this summer right from chapter one. It’s a sad, adventurous, lively story with vivid characters that came to life right on the page. Honestly, I could find hardly anything bad about this story. It was real, it was descriptive, and it brought out the emotions of the characters in the reader. At least, that’s what it did to me.

One of the things I liked about this book was the way it was written. Gene is telling the story of his previous life at Devon, reflecting on the events of fifteen years ago. In this way, the reader is able to examine the developments of Devon in the early 1940’s alongside Gene himself. This gives the reader some insight on the story and a bigger idea on the meaning of various things, like themes and symbols. This also helped me to see the importance of various people and places of the book.

The setting that stuck out to me most was one of the first mentioned, the tree. It was where Phineas and Gene’s friendship was first established, where Phineas’s life was changed forever, and where we find Gene fifteen years later, reminiscing about his high school years. The tree also works as a major symbol of the book, symbolizing the very things that take place at its trunk, mostly Gene and Finny’s relationship. Like their relationship, the tree strong and powerful, and brings out courage in those brave enough to take it on. But it’s also a bit ragged, unsteady at times, and, as we see later, scarred, just as that friendship becomes. Both, however, last, no matter how broken.

It’s a sad fact of life that my favorite character of this book had to die. But I guess it was for the best, after all, everything he might have hoped of doing, had become a distant dream he once had. However, Phineas was a delightful and inspiring character, despite his short life. I found his personality to be the thing that struck me as most peculiar about him. He was straightforward, sincere, respected, and most of all, he was honest. Phineas hardly ever lied, and yet almost never got in trouble. I’m with Gene in envying him for that. When I thought about Phineas’s character and his relationship to Gene, I was vaguely reminded of Tom Sawyer. Both were able to take charge, bend around the rules, and generally just gain admiration. And both had a loyal sidekick, a best friend, whom they took along on all their adventures, even if forcibly, yet trusted them with everything they had. Phineas demonstrated the innocence of life during war, and the ability to find peace in the harshest of times, and that’s why I admire him.

There are a lot of themes you can pull from A Separate Peace. The one I saw most clearly was the theme of friendship and trust, and the impact of both. From the beginning, we can see that Gene’s friendship with Phineas isn’t too solid, mainly based on adoration and want of acceptance. But Phineas immediately starts feeding off their friendship, and soon considers Gene as his best friend. Gene, however, remains tentative and cautious, and begins questioning Phineas’s true intentions. These doubts lead to Phineas’s accident, and eventually his death. Of course, Gene does except their friendship before Phineas’s death, but maybe if Gene could have had a little more trust in Phineas, he would’ve fallen at all.

There’s one last thing I want to mention in this book: blitzball. The very idea creating a game on the spot like Phineas did was just amazing to me. But it wasn’t the creativeness that caught my intention. As I was reading about this crazy game, I could see the innocence of those boys playing, laughing, having a good time, and the meaning of “a separate peace” really sunk in. I read about it, and it seemed as if the game, the boys, the Summer Session, the entire class year, were all set apart, contained in a sort of bubble. All around them war was happening, preparations and drafting’s surrounded the seniors, effects of war, sadness and hunger, troubled homes and little ones, but inside that bubble, peace remained. A separate peace. :)

The Crucible

It was interesting reading a play after the other novels. I could almost feel myself getting into character, imitating the speakers and feeling the all emotions. In fact, the involvement I felt reading this play was so strong, I actually had to read it aloud sometimes, as if this was really being performed. I could see the sets, the actors, the drama unfolding as I read. Of course, it was a little difficult reading a three-act play with one voice. And oddly enough, a lot of my characters took on a British accent. Go figure. But The Crucible was fun to read, even though the plot settings were a bit unfamiliar to me.

I thought all the characters in this book were just crazy. They raised panic, told lies, and were all just concerned with their individual statuses and gains. The only person I really admired in this play was Rebecca. She is a smart sensible woman, who would rather not get involved in the witch hunt hysteria and the ever-growing blame game. When Reverend Hale came by to look at Betty and sort things out, Rebecca chose to leave, seeing that insanity could not be too far off. I liked the little character note after her last dialogue in Act One:

She goes out; they feel resentful of her note of moral superiority.

It just shows how influential she is and how much more moral she has than others. When she is jailed after being accused as a witch, she refuses to confess and play that game, and even inspires John Proctor to do the same. So in all, she was probably my favorite.

I thought it was interesting how almost all of Act Three was set in the court room. So of course, this is a very important setting. It’s where a lot, but not all, of the blaming, excitement, and panic takes place. People are under the pressure of the court, and anything they say can be taken as an “attack on the court”. People are driven to tears. Authority begins to change and only those who can avoid the furious questionings and hold a rank of high supreme have it. Such characters include Danforth and Hathorne, the judges presiding over the witch trials, who can pass accusations as attacks on the court, and Abigail, who avoids questions and fakes very realistic “signs” of bewitchment during which she accuses others. The court room is also where John Proctor finally admits to his affair with Abigail, after feeling the pressure too long. This however goes astray when his wife doesn’t back him up, and he himself is arrested. The court room is definitely one drama filled place.

The major theme of The Crucible that I found most occurring was hysteria and its effects on society. The witch trials are basically fueled by hysteria. Neighbors who were once trusted and loved are now being accused of cursing animals, killing babies, talking with the devil, and so much more. The townsfolk can sense the atmosphere of hysteria and eventually accept it. Some even begin to use it to their advantage, no longer as an act of their religious duty, but to express long-held grudges and bottled-up feelings and thoughts about others. This idea is most apparent in the case of Abigail, who decides that by accusing Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft and getting her arresting would enable her (Abigail) to win over John Proctor for herself. Another situation is in the arrest of Rebecca Nurse for the supernatural murders of Ann Putnam’s babies, which was an act of Thomas Putnam’s revenge on Francis Nurse, who prevented Putnam’s brother-in-law from being elected as minister. Hysteria can play a huge role in the destruction of a community if it is continued to be taken advantage of, which is exactly what happens in the end.

It’s been quite a busy week for me, but I still found time to enjoy the wonderful writings of The Crucible. Even though it was a little frustrating how manipulative, gullible, and just plain annoying most the characters and situations were in this play, the style and descriptiveness of the play was great. Overall, I thought this was a fun, dramatic book to read.

One Letter Can Change Everything

Before starting on The Scarlet Letter, I was reading another book, titled Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. It’s a darkly funny story of a teenage girl who starts her first year of high school as an outcast, a result of an unfortunate turn of events over the summer. It’s a really good read. But the reason I’m saying this is because not only was it good, but funnily enough it actually mentioned Nathaniel Hawthorne, his book The Scarlet Letter being the subject of discussion in an English class. This weird coincidence increased my anticipation to read The Scarlet Letter for myself, if I could only finish that introductory. The Custom House was a bit confusing to me, and it was a little hard to concentrate on. Otherwise, I thought The Scarlet Letter was a very good book, filled with drama and descriptive characters and events that cause it.

One major theme I found in this book was identity. As a punishment for adultery, Hester is ostracized and has to wear a scarlet letter A on her chest, to label and shame her. But when faced with the opportunity to remove the letter, even to leave town and start a new life, she refuses. She doesn’t want the townspeople to feel right in shaming her, to do what they expect of her. Instead, she denies their power over her and configures the letter into her own identity. Even her daughter saw the letter as a part of who Hester was, and was uncomfortable seeing her without it. It is a reminder of her past experiences and mistakes, but she isn’t shamed by it, but uses it to help her grow. I thought it was interesting how people who had never heard of her before, looked upon the letter and it’s impressive design, and saw it not as a mark of shame and sin, but more as a mark of awe and importance. To me, that really exemplified the meaninglessness of the letter, and even the Puritan’s practices all together.

In the other book, Speak, a statement is made The Scarlet Letter is “all about SYMBOLISM”. The most obvious symbol of the book would be the scarlet letter itself. It started off as a symbol of shame, A for adulterer. But as the story shifts, so does the letter’s meaning. After enduring the glances and jeers from others for seven years, Hester still stands her ground, refusing to move, refusing to take off the letter, and raises her child in the same town. So the letter comes to mean “able”. And then, as mentioned earlier, the Native Americans see it as a sign of significance. Overall, the letter represents Hester, her struggles, and who she is. This book portrays the idea that a symbol can mean anything to anyone who beholds it, and I love that. That idea can be seen during the scene with the meteor that manages to form an “A” in the sky, too. The puritans take it to mean “Angel”; a reference to their deceased governor, but Reverend Dimmesdale sees it as a sign that he too should be shamed just as Hester was. To each his own….

Of all the various characters in this book, I found Pearl to be the one of most interest. She is the result of a sinful event, thought by some to be the Devil’s own daughter. However, she is loved by her mother very much, and not cast away for being who she was. Pearl grows to be carefree and mischievous, but always by her mother’s side when needed. She doesn’t really seem to care too much of what others think, but is rather curious as to why they stare. She’s perceptive and smart too, and questions things, like why her mother wears the letter, or how come Reverend Dimmesdale only speaks to them when no one can see. But the thing I liked most was how she totally blasted the expectations of the townspeople away. Pearl frightened them a bit, and they saw her as an offspring of shame, and expectations probably weren’t the highest. But in the end, she inherits a “very considerable amount of property” from Hester’s actual husband when he dies, and becomes the richest heiress of her day. This was a nice little twist to the story, something like a repayment for the Puritans’ insults to her in the past. It made me laugh to think what the expressions on the townspeople’s faces must have looked like.

The Scarlet Letter was an excellent, dramatic, insightful novel. I loved all the ideas and symbols of this story, and it’s now one of my favorite classics, right up with The Great Gatsby. I hope you enjoyed. :)

Among the Ash Heaps and Millionaires...

The Great Gatsby is my favorite book of the reading list, so far. There’s so much going on, and it gets you hanging on, waiting for the next thing. It was pleasantly fiction, at least more so than The Grapes of Wrath, and a little easier to read. I thought the characters of The Great Gatsby were all great in themselves. The author did a fantastic job in bringing them to life, even some of the minor characters. In fact, everything he described he brought into sharp focus, which really helped to get me into the book.

A constant theme I noticed in this book was the ideals of the wealthy social classes. Whether it’s of old aristocracy like the Buchanan’s, or of newly found success like Gatsby, the wealthy always seemed a bit careless. Gatsby was ostentatious, owning expensive and extravagant things, mostly just for the sake of showing them off. The Buchanan’s had elegance and good taste, but they had a tendency of being heartless and inconsiderate. This is shown through all their various affairs, including moving away after Gatsby’s death and not attending his funeral. Gatsby at least had some sincerity and loyalty; he once stood outside Daisy’s window just to be sure she was alright. But no matter what, the upper class folk always seem to think that they get whatever they want just because they have money and the influence of money. I find this concept a frustrating one, and agree with Nick in calling them “hollow”, as they have this whole image built up on the outside, yet barely anything is to be found on the inside.

I think I liked the character of Nick Carraway best, because I can relate to him best. He considers himself honest, slow to judge, and isn’t impressed with people just because they have a lot of money, but can look deeper than that. However, the most interesting character I found in the book was, hands down, Jay Gatsby. The first image I built of him in the beginning of the book differs greatly from the image I have after finishing his story. He seemed mysterious, gentle, and reserved at first glance. Then, as the story unfolded, so did Gatsby’s true character. He slowly became a passionate, lovesick, idealistic, naïve dreamer, who a lot of things, but only ever wanted the woman he loved. Ever since he left Daisy, he never stopped thinking about her, never gave up on the idea of her, even after she got married. This is really examined in the way he valued her opinion. When he found she dislike his parties, he stopped throwing them altogether. Because everything he did, he did for Daisy, to win her back. So he is also a very dedicated man, even if a little extremely.

I noticed that there were a lot of uses of symbolism in this novel. Almost anything could be seen as a symbol here, the strongest of which being the green light situated at the end of the Buchanan’s dock. Gatsby looks upon this soft light at night from across the bay. It represents his hopes and dreams, and he associates it with Daisy. Nick then later compares this idea with the thought of how the America must have looked like to the early settlers. So this green light, in a way, also represents the broader idea of the American dream.

The Great Gatsby definitely deserves to be a classic novel, because, despite the numerous errors in the book, it captures an essence of America. Is it just me, or do these summer novels have a lot common?

The Grapes of Wrath (and you thought they were delicious...)

When I first picked up The Grapes of Wrath to start my reading, I had just come out of a week-long vacation to San Diego with some friends, traveling in a bus and visiting places like the historic Mesa Verde, the marvelous Grand Canyon, and the beautiful beach of Coronado Island. So I wasn’t exactly thrilled about my new schedule of reading around the clock, and my first thought about this book was how long it was. However, as I read, slowly but surely I began to enjoy The Grapes of Wrath. It does have some drawbacks, like the broken and harsh language of the farmers/migrants, the old vocabulary and meanings of the 1930’s, and the flat characterizations of some of the characters. But I felt this was a really moving novel with vivid descriptions and realizations. I really like the way the author offered so much background without completely disrupting the storyline. I thought it was pretty clever writing in the backgrounds and settings in every other chapter, and the way he worded those chapters was very interesting in itself.

The various characters of the novel were quite enjoyable too. Most have quite a bit in common, yet they are so different from each other at the same time. My favorite character of the book has to be Jim Casy. He is a reserved, quiet and thoughtful man, or as Tom puts it, “he’s a funny fella”, “thinkin’ all the time.” Casy thinks past the world’s concerns and more about spiritual things and meanings, which he sometimes blamed on his years as a preacher. But he renounces those years and even his own religion as he begins thinking through and questioning things and behaviors around him. The author sets Casy up as somewhat of a moral backbone to the characters with all his insight. He has a good heart, and shows this when he takes the blame for a fallen cop and goes to jail, and later when he gives his life in working to give the migrants better lives and wages. But the preacher in death was just as inspiring as in life, as Tom ended up following Casy’s lead and continuing his work.

Another impacting loss of this desperate journey was the stillbirth of Rose of Sharon’s baby. When Uncle John sent the baby’s coffin down the flooding stream, I couldn’t help but think of Moses. Although he was alive, Moses was also sent down a river in a little basket, and eventually grew up to lead his people out of Egypt. When Uncle John placed the apple box in the currents, he sent it, saying:

"Go down an’ tell ‘em. Go down in the street an’ rot an’ tell ‘em that way.… Maybe they’ll know then.”

In this way, the lifeless baby is Moses, and is sent out to free his people from the hunger and injustice they’ve been forced to face. I think this was a really important part of the story, and kind of gave hope that one day the depressing times would end, and the migrants would be “free”.

One more thing I think important to mention is the famous opening line of the novel:

"To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth."

These words make a great introduction, because not only do they tell you the setting and conditions of the time, they give a sense of what’s to come. The second half has a great air of foreshadowing, of the destitute soon to come. Maybe it’s just me, but when you read this and really take it in, you just know, deep down, that this isn’t going to be one of those lovely fantasies with a happy ending.

So, The Grapes of Wrath: A great American novel, of not only the depression, hunger, inhumanity, but also of the life, moral, and hope of a country? I think so. Something to read just to pass the time of day, or to make you feel all cheery inside? Probably not. But that’s what makes it brilliant.

The Adventures With Huck

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is perhaps one of the most talked over novels in American literature, even after a century of spotlight, and for good reason. Mark Twain captures the essence of America through the tale of a young boy’s adventures and struggles in a quest to simply survive. Audiences are hit full in the face with the shocking reality of the story's characters plots, and, although society today is very different than that of the 19th century, similar themes are still ever-present.

When I first picked up Huckleberry Finn, I wasn’t quite sure what I thought of it. All I knew of this book came from the many praises and raving reviews it had received. The actual reading was no walk in the park. The various dialects and older vocabulary were a bit overwhelming at times. However, when I finally reached the end of what seemed to be a never ending series of adventures, I realized the impact of a novel like this one. It is a story of America, told through the eyes of an outcast of society. The number of dialects used just contributes to the story’s authenticity.

What I found so interesting about Huck was his adaptability in every change of scenery. He is a very passive character and would much rather adjust to a new situation than fight it. He accepts that he is to be “sivilized” when under the care of Widow Douglas and Miss Watson. Then, when his father kidnaps Huck after discovering the large amount of reward money Tom and Huck received, our hero is thrust into a whole new environment, which he accepts with little difficulty. Huck goes back to enjoying some of his pre-civilization freedoms, like looser clothing, less rules, and smoking, cussing, and eating whenever he wants. There are some drawbacks, though, when his father gets into a drunken rage and seeks to punish Huck for it. But Huck almost completely ignores these punishments, up until Pap tries to kill Huck. Here Huck shows his unwillingness to act until absolutely necessary, and does so, with style.

The main turning point of the novel, however, is the moment when Huck is faced with the opportunity to turn in the runaway slave and Huck’s travel partner, Jim. He recognizes turning in the fugitive would be the right thing to do, and even writes a letter to Miss Watson to give away Jim’s location. He begins to feel “good and all washed clean of sin”. But he then starts recalling every nice thing Jim had done for him, and on an impulse, rips up the letter. Huck realized just how much Jim friendship meant to him, and turns his back on society’s rules, declaring “All right, then, I’ll go to hell!” In doing this, Huck follows his heart, not his mind, and no longer sees Jim as just a stereotype, but as a human being, and close friend.

Huck is not a bad kid. He just doesn’t know the difference between wrong and right. In this story, I see him as a face of innocence and moral, just waiting to shine. When you take a step back and look at the book as a whole, it reflects that attitude of Huck’s in America today very well.

So, overall, I enjoyed reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, because it truly was an adventure.