Conclusions

Before beginning this class a few months ago, I was worried that every book we read would be just like the other. Yes, they might have all had the same basic story outline, but every single one brought something new to the table. I think every character showed a different part of what drives me. Things I feel are embodied to their extremes in each character but they all stress the same message. Be yourself. Don't try and conform just to get friends. Like Jason quickly found out, this is the easiest way to lose friends. Holden was himself but he ostracized everyone else who weren't exactly like him. Sylvie knows she's different but finds herself and is happy at the end of her novel. All of these characters just help further the point that all my teachers and parents are stressing as I look towards college. Life isn't what you plan it to be but it will work out.

Benji's Future

I think that Benji has a very bright future. Even though at the end of the novel he kind of deflates the moment, I think it is more heartwarming. This is the first novel that hasn't left the character at a point where their life has done a 180. Most of the time we see something change the protagonist completely, yet with Benji, we don't really see this. I feel that this novel is more geared towards the average reader. Not everyone will be able to find a definitive moment where they change. In Sag Harbor we see that events that may not have affected Benji so much in the past actually had a much deeper impact later in his life. But the novel still ends the way it begins. A kid looking to change.

Hip Hop Culture and Sag Harbor

I feel like after today's discussion in class it would be madness for me not to delve into the comparisons being made with Benji's summer and hip hop culture. You can see that when he and his friends are posing with guns and even said that they looked like they were a cover of a future N.W.A. album cover (probably mirroring 'Straight Outta Compton'), that they are acting out the form of rap known as "Gangsta Rap". Even though Benji and Ice Cube are from completely different backgrounds, I don't think that it is a coincidence that they both come to similar ideas. Just because Ice Cube grew up in a shitty part of California does not mean that he and Benji are facing completely different social issues. They are feeling pressured to be apart of an older generations culture and the struggles their parents had to face. They are being taught these 60's mentality's but having to deal with minor things like being patted on the head. I think that Ice Cube is kind of the version that Benji's coworkers wanted him to act like when confronted with something that was some "racist shit" like the head patting instance. I feel like these kind of moments are what led to the hyper masculinity of Gangsta Rap. It makes these kids feel like they have to validate themselves and Benji even comments that later on in life one of his friends even died to drug , and presumably, gang activity. It would have been impossible for Whitehead not to make the comparison and I am quite interested to see how it will play out in the rest of the novel. I think that it might take a larger hold of Benji and i think it also something that affects a lot of people coming of age. The fact that you can find something like music that relates to you in a much deeper way because it's discussing what you want to be or what you had to deal with.

The Unsung Hero

Julia is a very interesting sister. At the start of the novel I was sure that there was going to be some sibling rivalry but even though Jason may get upset because she can say whatever she wants, we see that she really is looking out for him. Whenever she is around and Jason may be getting attacked by their father she quickly steps in and diffuses the situation by embarrassing him. I think the scene with her uncle quite perfectly sums up her character. How she is able to be quick on her feet and use that to her advantage quite easily. Jason would be the same way if not inhibited by his stammer. I think Julia will play a key part in this novel and how Jason starts to think of himself. Julia is the role model Jason needs.

Jason and Hugo

Jason finds Hugo impeccable. Jason is at a very impressionable age and I think we sometimes forget this due to his vocabulary and his real understanding of social constructs. I think this was an amazing touch from Mitchell because I think most of us had someone we looked up to a lot. I know I have a friend that I thought was amazing. Fortunately, I am still really good friends with him and, unlike Jason, I think he is still a pretty cool guy. This is probably the most relatable thing I have read all semester though just because it feels so real and the fact that Jason starts to see through his facade. Jason isn't a stupid kid and we seem to forget this sometimes with the whole dynamic of his family but it is more the fact that he is afraid to speak up to his parents. Jason needs to realize that he can be just as cool as Hugo if he just acts like himself. In the words of Holden Caulfield, he needs to stop being such a phony. Jason is only 13 which means he is trying to figure himself out and his stammer really isn't helping but I think it's a good thing that he is looking for role models but Hugo should not be the one.

Cracks

I feel like the imagery of a cracking mirror really helps portray almost all of these novels in their most basic sense. All of their images of themselves are slowly being broken and stressed as the novels continue and I think that this is something that is very important in a coming of age novel. When these characters are forced to see their true selves they either accept it, such as Stephen, or have a very hard time dealing with it like Holden and Esther. I think that this is something most of us are going through or have gone through in life. You can't always be a kid and sometimes reality starts to break through the fantasies playing in your mind. The most important message I got from these novels was the idea that everyone goes through change and you will make it. For how much Holden hates adults, he is becoming one and it starts to really eat at him. For how much Stephen wants to be a character in a novel, the more life forces him back into reality. The more Esther wishes to be like everyone else and conform, the harder it is to cope with life. There really isn't anything they could have done, and as we discussed today, it might even be a necessary step in maturing for them. If they had not gone through with this process they might have been worse off or never really gotten out of the depressed or confined life they were in.

Relating to The Characters

After reading all three novels I think they all share at least one aspect that we all can relate to. For me, Holden's inability to handle bullshit is something I can really agree on. He can't handle when people are phony or stupid. It really ticks him off. With Stephen I can relate to how you can get so wrapped up in your own thoughts that it is hard to imagine other peoples lives. Luckily, I've seemed to outgrow that one at least a bit. I used to just kind of think of what I would do with my life and seemed to be unaware of everyone around me sharing the same thoughts and having a similar motivation. Esther was definitely the hardest to relate to but there are some moments of true hurt where I could remember back to a time when I had felt similar. I feel like it makes me much more sympathetic to Esther just due to the fact that the connection is much deeper. I am more just curious if you guys felt anything similar with any of the characters.

Written With Intent

While reading for class I realized that out of the three novels we have read, only one appeared normal from the outside. I find this interesting because you would think that these authors would write a novel so that it could hit hime for many more readers. I would have thought Holden would have been much more relatable but the only thing that truly enticed me about his character was his attitude. He didn't care what anyone thought and never let it show. Eventually we start to see that Holden is actually lying to himself, but up to that point it is more a character that I would like to know and not someone I could really be. I think the same thing can be said about Esther. Her purity routine really is startling and makes me not really trust her character. The farther we read we see that this is not really news to anyone. I just imagined that the author would try and make the character have more of an impact. Then again, maybe the whole point is that all 3 of these novels are more of an autobiography than a fictional world. I don't know what the true intent of these novels were but they really don't seem to be about making an impact and conveying a message. It is more of just a realistic portrayal of life.

Stephen's Transformation

At the end of the novel we see Stephen transformed. He is in college and pursuing his dreams. He still may be a little narcissistic but that is to be expected of an 18 year old. One of the things a lot of kids in class complained about was the fact that Stephen is very self centered. I think that this is a true statement but I feel many people are forgetting the fact that, for the majority of this novel, Stephen is a child. When you are 14 to 16 you are a very self absorbed person. Most of the time the things that affect your life are directly related to the tiny sphere that you know. It is hard for kids to understand the fact that they are a part of an entire world and it is only due to inexperience. Stephen is quite like this and literally thinks he is the character in a novel. This is only because he has a very active imagination. Kids do things like this all the time but it just took Stephen a little longer to grow out of it. I think that is what is so crucial to see at the end of the novel. That he grew out of it. He is now a young adult who is observing the world, and instead of thinking he is the center of attention, he is merely an observer.

The Director's Speech

Towards the end of Chapter 4, we see Stephen being called to meet with the Director and it is so he can be asked if he would like to join priest hood. This would be fine if not for who the Director tries to entice Stephen. His only explanation as to why Stephen should join is for the power it brings. "No king or emperor on this earth has the power of the priest of God." (171). It seems odd that the director would try and appeal to Stephen as a power hungry child. From what we know, Stephen is a soft spoken student who is not outspoken and appears to be a pure child. Why would the Director try and play to his greed if he has no signs of even possessing that trait. It is quite strange that the Director would try and play towards a sin to get Stephen to consider being a priest. "No angel or archangel in heaven, no saint, not even the Blessed Virgin herself has the power of a priest of God..."(171). I am not well educated in Catholicism but isn't this near heretical for the Director to say? The Saint's are considered to be the holiest of people and to proclaim that you are somehow more important does not sit right even for me. I think that this Director should not try and be the one to convince Stephen to join the church. I still think the outcome would have been the same but I felt like somehow the Director was trying to pull Stephen in with an unorthodox method. Then again, maybe the Director is just trying to gauge his reaction.