Macon doesn't take the bacon

    I have not been very impressed with Macon up until this point in the novel. Although unconsciously, he still takes advantage of his white privilege and does things that might seem like justice (ie. robbing white people) but end up looking no better than the violence perpetrated on black people. I'l first talk about his unconscious white privilege. He has a job. Although it's not a great job, it's probably easier to get hired as a cab driver if you're white (especially now that black cabbies have been framed for the robberies) than if he was black. Macon also seems to have this confidence that he can mess around and be fine--and he probably will be fine since he is white. Instead of being sentenced to some ridiculously long jail time, if Macon is found out to be behind the cab robberies, he will probably lose his job and have to pay a fine for owning an unlicensed firearm. He probably wouldn't spend more than a month in jail. Macon's not-too-shabby financial background is also probably going to keep him afloat when he trips up, something that few black people in NYC could say during that time.
    I'm also disgusted by Macon's idea that robbing ordinary white people will make up for all of the damage done to black people over the past two centuries. This is exactly what he shouldn't be doing. One, because when he is found out, it will probably bring more scrutiny onto the black community. And two, because this is essentially identical to the injustices faced by black people in the 19th and 18th centuries. Anyone who has a basic understanding of history knows that two wrongs don't make a right.

Manners, Jack, Manners

    When we were reading about Jack's interactions with people in the outside world, I was struck by Jack's lack of manners. People definitely picked up on this, causing Ma to have to "teach" Jack manners. Yet, due to Ma's decent job at raising Jack in Room, I'm not sure why she wouldn't have taught him manners in the first place. Jack is able to understand what most people are saying, and respond appropriately, yet has no idea what "no, thanks" means or when to use it. He needs to constantly remind himself which polite phrase to use when talking to people.
    It's not Jack's difficulty in using manners that surprises me most; it's that Ma didn't teach him them. I was raised by a single mother, and although we weren't trapped in a room, we spent most of our time together. My mom still emphasized using manners when talking to her. Did Jack's Ma simply not think about using manners with Jack after destroying her body during the first two years in Room? Probably not, as she used polite etiquette when talking and writing notes to Old Nick after she bore Jack. So why did she explain these phrases to Jack? Jack also probably heard people with proper manners on TV. Does he think that it's something only for those people? Or did Ma never teach Jack manners because she didn't think they would escape from Room and that Jack would never need to use manners? Either way, I'm not very satisfied with Jack's or Ma's opinions on manners?

Is Jack still trapped in the room?

    One thing that I noticed in last night's reading was a sense that Jack was still living in Room. This idea is supported by small details in the text. For example, on page 208, when Dr. Clay sees Jack drawing a picture, Jack explains to him that there are walls around the spaceship. It seems like just a passing detail, all Jack says is "Walls" when Clay asks him what is around the rocket. I'm surprised that there wasn't a scene of Clay talking to Ma about these walls afterward, although this is Jack's narration, so maybe there did talk, but Jack didn't overhear anything. The biggest issue with these walls would probably be why Jack decided to include them in the picture. It's not as if Jack ever saw a rocket (TV excluded) inside Room, making this the only place he can picture one. He just decides to arbitrarily draw walls around something in a picture. Perhaps he thinks there's something different about the rocket (having only seen it on TV) that doesn't allow it to be placed in a picture with other "real" things, such as Ma and Nick.
    Further complicating the issue with Jack's rehabilitation to the world is his opinion on going outside. I would assume that, for someone who has only seen pictures of trees and parks and other kids for their whole life, they would want to go and experience these things that they saw. Now that Jack has this opportunity, he seems reluctant to take advantage of it. Instead, Jack seems almost ambivalent to the outside and expresses little interest in going there. This is evidenced by Ma's quote on page 210, "If we stay indoors all the time, it's like we never did our Great Escape at all." Later on, when Jack is in the van going the dentist, he doesn't seem to acknowledge that he is actually outside. Yes, he says that "we're actually driving outside the big gates to the rest of the world" (222). But Jack says "rest of the world," not outside. This seems to create a distinction between the outside world and actually walking outside in Jack's mind. It seems odd, yet given the 100 or so pages left in the book, I believe that this issue will come to pass or be resolved.

Prolonged Breastfeeding

    Tonight's reading was really interesting for other reasons than this, but I'm still confused about one thing. Why is Jack still breastfeeding? I don't know of any child his age that is breast fed. It's also advised to breastfeed your child for only around a year, as it provides nutrients for them that they otherwise cannot acquire during that time. It's not unheard of, breastfeeding a child until they are 5 or 6, but it certainly is odd in this situation, as Jack can receive all of the nutrients he needs through their vitamins.
    Another interesting part about this prolonged breastfeeding is Jack's language in describing it. He never once says the word 'breast,' he just refers to it as an act in which he "has some." He doesn't say anything about Ma's reaction to this. Looking at this unusual act from Ma's perspective is also interesting. Women who breastfeed their children for longer than the usual year are sometimes accused of doing it in their interest, for the sexual arousal. Given the lack of similarly aged males (or females) Ma has nobody to share sexual pleasures with. Old Nick's habit of raping her also might drive her to seek refuge via breastfeeding Jack.

The ending wasn't that bad

    Maybe it's my bike (and running) fetish that's influencing this, or my goal of biking across the country on a solar powered bike, but I'm not too disappointed with the ending to Memory of Running. Disclosure: I have 3 different bikes and use them all on a regular basis. One of them is electric, another is designed for riding in snow, sand, or other sub-optimal conditions, and the last is a 'normal' Raleigh with an 8 speed internal geared hub... I also have been running competitively since 7th grade.
    So, I'm drawn to the book for obvious reasons, but biking aside, I'm actually OK with the ending. Smithy makes it to California. A feat in itself for someone weighing nearly 300lbs without any training or riding experience in the past 20 years. He also loses weight (obviously) but more importantly, sets himself up for a new life. He has no job and little money, but now he has experience with tons of different people and the mental drive that you develop from doing the same task for 8 months.
    OK, so the part with Norma standing behind him while he cries to Bethany is a bit too good to be true. Yeah, there isn't an explanation for how this worked out, and I think that the book would be better if it didn't go this smoothly but be look at the other parts of the conclusion. It's not as if Smithy just got a new life, job, and tons of money handed to him. He still needs to get home, deal with his parents' possessions, get a job, and plan a wedding (obviously).

Osmithyeus

    Two apologies, one for the horrible title, and another because this post might seem totally obvious. Smithy is becoming a hero. He started the book as a lonely, fat alcoholic who just lost his immediate family. After setting out across the country on his bike, he has finally developed heroic traits. He survives being brutally and unjustly attacked, shot at, and verbally abused, while just trying to help other people. When Carl hits Smithy, instead of leaving him at the hospital and continuing his journey, Smithy stops and takes care of him. Although he doesn't save Carl's life, his actions are heroic. The other blatantly obvious example of Smithy's growing heroism is when he saves Kenny. Once again, Smithy goes out of his way to save a complete stranger, while also putting his life on the line. Smithy does end up saving Kenny's life, but nearly loses his; if the cop's bullet had been an inch to the side, Smithy would have bled out. It's also surprising that he survived falling into a freezing river after being shot.
    My idea for the horrible title came from a comparison between Smithy and Odysseus. Both characters are war "heroes," although one embraces this status more than the other (I'll let you decide who). Both go on a journey that is longer and more difficult that it should be. Yet Smithy develops a new character on his journey and saves strangers, while Odysseus kills characters and runs from strangers. I'm not totally sure what this connection means--or if it makes any sense--but it is interesting to compare these two men and their journeys.

Addie is a creep

    I forgot the book today, so I'm writing this post from my impression of the reading that was assigned two nights ago. Contrary to my other post, apparently Addie actually does narrate a section of the novel. This section proves to be very interesting, but makes me totally rethink Addie's character. My first impression of Addie was that of a hardworking mother who had to put up with a lazy husband (emphasized by Peabody's narration). I associated the cause of her dying with the amount of work that she did: raising and dealing with five children, doing the work that Anse never did, dealing with Anse, etc. Her dying seemed like an unavoidable, unfortunate event. Her narration, however, completely changed my view of her.
   She's a creep. Now I'm not sure how much of this comes from her father's odd beliefs, but her actions seem to isolate her from the family, more than Jewel's distancing of himself from Anse. First of all, she has no interest, what so ever, in Anse. Now, I'm not going to hold this against her--I don't much care for Anse, myself--but it is kinda odd that she says he is "dead (to her?)," although Anse seems perfectly alive and well. The next creepy thing about her is her love of beating children. What the hell? I'm not sure if this is exactly what the text says, but when she switches them, she feels like her blood runs with theirs; she is comforted by their pain. Her view of her own children is also disturbing. She says that one of the children is like a negative (I'm not sure which one), and that birthing another child for Anse cancels out the first.
    It's obvious that I don't like either of Addie or Anse, but I still expected Addie to be extremely different than the way she was portrayed in her narration. I almost feel partial to Anse now. He can finally get away from this crazy lady who has no interest in him or living.

As [She?] Lay Dying

    The thing that bothers me most about As I Lay Dying is its title. It seems to imply that Addie is the one narrating the book. However, after leafing through the rest of it, I didn't notice a single chapter that she narrated. I think that it would be really funny if Faulkner decided to throw in a scene where Addie talks to one of the narrators in their dreams. It also wouldn't be all that out of the ordinary, as Darl already has the supernatural ability to know what is going on in other places or inside other people.
    Although I didn't read the end of the book, I noticed that there were a few new narrators towards the end. There may have been a chance that, in some weird plot twist, Addie narrates unexpectedly through those characters or that I missed a chapter titled by her name. Any way, I think it would be neat knowing what Addie thinks about Anse, given the mostly negative views of him by the people around him.
"Thayt damn old man cant do anything right. Just look ad him mess uh mah bed agin. D'wee Dell, git in here an fix this!"

[Potential essay topic] Is Odysseus a psycopath?

Wikipedia: Psychopathy is traditionally defined as a personality disorder characterized by enduring antisocial behavior, diminished empathy and remorse, and disinhibited or bold behavior.

Although Odysseus isn't antisocial, he does exhibit a weird lack of empathy and remorse for his crew members. I don't recall any times in the Odyssey where Odysseus seemed to lament the loss of his men. He never mourned the loss of his crew, the only time he had a funeral for one of his crew members was when he was explicitly told by that man's spirit to do so. Later, when he slaughters the suitors in his palace, he sheds no tears over the loss of life. Most of these men were his citizens, I would expect that, if in some unfortunate circumstance a leader has to kill many of their subjects, they would feel remorse for what they did; Odysseus did not. In addition, contrary to most works of this genre, Odysseus, the hero, never looks back and laments over what he could have done differently to save more people. In most of the heroic material that I have consumed, the hero is always beating themselves up over some small oversight that could have saved more lives.

Odysseus' bold behavior also fits with Wikipedia's definition of a psychopath. Going against Circe's advise about the Scylla, Odysseus is stupid and decides to arm his best men to fight it. His bold action costs the men their lives. After this scene, Odysseus shows no remorse for his men's cursed fate.

Does this seem like a potential topic for an essay? Are there any other blatant examples of this tendency?

The real people who get screwed in The Odyssey

    I know we talked about this in class today, but I would like to bring it up again with a few new insights. Every time Odysseus arrives in a foreign city, he is greeted with hospitality. The occupants prepare a great feast, then set him up with a ship (or fleet of ships) and a crew to continue his voyage with. Apart from being extremely unusual by today's standards, there is another issue with this hospitality. What happens to the ships and their crew?
    So far, every ship and crew that Odysseus has sailed with has perished. The Phaecians nearly made it back to their port, before being smited to Davy Jones locker. All of his other crews suffered a similar fate. The sailors who were selected to be part of the crews (or maybe volunteered) get screwed in multiple other ways. They are leaving their family. They don't know how long it will take to see Odysseus safely to Ithaca, or how long it will take them to return home. Furthermore, they aren't given any share of Odysseus' plunder (as evidences in book 10), so they have no real reason to take a long voyage with a man they just met. This brings up another interesting point: what is Odysseus' relationship to his crew?
    Odysseus has gone through many crews and ships. The death toll may be in the hundreds, maybe even close to one thousand. How can he put up with knowing that every crew he sails with will likely die or experience some unfortunate accident? How does he know that this new bunch of strangers will be loyal to him or know where to go? How do the sailors know that Odysseys isn't some madman, trying to capture them and sell them into slavery. Such things weren't uncommon in the ancient times, men from port villages were dragged aboard ships in their sleep, only to wake up on the open sea, forced to become part of the crew. One thing is for certain, however, every crew that has sailed with Odysseus has perished, and none have received any due credit.

The importance of hospitality

    Hospitality plays an important role in the lives of men in ancient Greece. We see it exhibited every time Telemachus or Odysseus arrive in a foreign city, or when someone visits them. There is an informal greeting, followed by the host making the visitors feel at home. Only after the visitor has dined with the host, does the host request their names and origin. The most important reason the ancient Greeks did this was in case their visitor was a god or goddess. It would be extremely bad to turn away a god; you would probably inflict bad "luck" on your family for generations to come.
    This hospitality is a double edged sword. It was definitely a good move for Telemachus to accept the latecomer to his party, the man was actually the goddess Athena. [SPOILER ALERT] Yet, as I was reading chapter 10 in preparation for my presentation, I came across two instances where this so called "hospitality" was used as a weapon. When Odysseus and his men are visiting the Laegstrygonians, they are given a "barbarous welcome" and their hosts prepared a feast for them. Yet, as soon as Odysseus and his men entered their palace, one of them is snatched up by a native and is "torn up for dinner." The native Laegstrygonians, being superhuman in size, soon attack  Odysseus' men with their fists and massive rocks. Odysseus' ship manages to escape, but many of his men are dead. Another occurrence of this false welcoming is when Odysseus' men enter Circe's dwelling. The goddess prepares a meal for them, but laces it with poison and later turns them into swine.
    Although is seems plausible that this welcoming of visitors is truly a custom in ancient Greece, it could also be used as a plot device. It creates a kind of suspense when the protagonist enters a foreigner's palace: are they going to be eaten or will they be treated to a full stomach and healthy mind?

Who's the hero?

    I know this post might seem short, but I can't think of anything substantial to write about at the present time, although I would like to talk about the short story Wool. I bought the novel version at the book bar and am really interested in reading the rest of it. Based on the first section, I think the book has the potential to be really interesting and, as it was selected for this class, would probably be worth reading. The biggest question I have now is, who is the hero?
    Given that this is the Hero's Journey class, the section of the book that we read should have a hero of some sort. Yet I can't determine who it is. Allison is definitely a candidate, but her brief role in the book seems to point otherwise. She dedicated her time inside the silo to finding out the truth behind mysterious server wipes and past revolts and in the end, puts her life on the line to determine if her work was successful. She went into the belly of the whale, so to say, by leaving the bunker, but she didn't win, as evidenced later by Holston's demise; the whale chewed her up and spit her into the abyss. I think this failure prevents her from fulfilling the traditional definition of a hero.
    The next candidate for a hero would be Holston. However, he also meets an end similar to his wife. After spending three years pouring over the data that his wife discovered and the image altering programs, he decides to leave the safety of the bunker to follow her. Although this could seem like a heroic act, I don't think it is. Holston is depressed, he has lost the will to live without his wife, and leaving the bunker is his last attempt at finding happiness. This is obviously unsuccessful.
    Mayor Jahns is the only other character described enough in the book to be a candidate. Based on Mr. Mitchell's hint in class that Jahns does survive when she leaves the bunker, there is a good chance that she would meet the qualities of a hero. At the end of the short story, however, there isn't enough evidence to make a decision.