It's easier to copy stuff into posts than to refer back to old posts. Jenna wrote:

personally, I find Hawley's suicide attempt unconvincing. The book maintains this kind of cool indifference throughout, even when Hawley is considerably distraught. So the sudden passion of the final scenes is overblown to me.


I'm not sure I understand why Hawley tries to kill himself either. I realize that the realization of Allen's plagierism (what I wouldn't give for spellcheck on Blogger!) is distressing, but it's not that bad. Hawley's guilt over deporting Marullo? Again, it doesn't feel like he'd kill himself over that either. It could be argued that the two events together are enough to destroy Hawley, but I really don't see him as that emotional.

Does Ellen remind anyone else of Ruthie in Grapes of Wrath? Maybe Steinbeck has a limited template for young female adolescents.

On an unrelated note: Happy Birthday, Maureen!

--maureen c.

  posted by Maureen @ 11:03:00 AM

 
I might disagree with Joe a little about the ENDING. I think Steiny's trying to do a very similar thing to what he does at the end of Grapes, only less successfully. Toward the end of the novel, the role of Mary Ellen becomes more pronounced, as beck makes her a symbol of some kind of preserved or unspoiled goodness. Hawley chooses not to kill himself, no? or at least tries to struggle out of the cave, because he feels this would destroy ME's chances of becoming/remaining a good person. personally, I find Hawley's suicide attempt unconvincing. The book maintains this kind of cool indifference throughout, even when Hawley is considerably distraught. So the sudden passion of the final scenes is overblown to me.

On a historical note, there are more than a few political references in this book. At one point Hawley notes that Presidential nominations are coming up soon. I find the quote from Richard III interesting in light of this. Hawley mentions discontent turning to anger--the 1960s brought the civil rights movement, the women's movement, and the youth movement. Inasmuch as beck anticipates this, I think people heading the more positive of these movements (Martin Luther King, Jr., for instance) could be seen as future "sons of York". Even Kennedy, with his defeat of Nixon in the 1960 presidential elections, and his considerable sway over the tentative hopes of the country (to overcome the suspicion, etc. of the 1950s), could be viewed as a "son of York".
  posted by jnuh @ 11:04:00 PM

 
(hand raised, slowly waving) "I'm done!"

Yeah, we did have some crazy coincidental timing with this book... did anyone know about this before we read it? Just curious...
  posted by Maureen @ 11:10:00 AM

 
You guys heard the Dart. Raise your hand if you're done ... I am!
  posted by jnuh @ 11:30:00 AM

 
Hey, Justin made it. Way to go. And thanks, Sara, for the translation. This is really just a friendly reminder from your administrator that you should probably be about halfway through the book at this point. (Unless you're Justin, and you're coming and going as you please.) The last day for WOOD will be July 6. On July 7, we start The Centaur. Hope everyone's enjoying the readings and the blog so far (although there are quite a few names we haven't seen yet ... c'mon out, you guys!).

A note on the book, we had crazy timing reading this thing, huh? I was a little weirded out when I read what happens to Hawley on June 27th ... on June 27th.
  posted by jnuh @ 5:50:00 PM