John Updike, The Persistence of Desire:
Pg. 563
“Clyde wondered if with that sarcasm she intended to fetch his eyes to the brink of tears of grief. Probably not; premeditation had never been much of a weapon for her, though she had tried to learn it from him.”
Clyde seems to be a man who is still stuck on his old love Janet who is over him. Even though he is not over her, she has moved on to having a husband and thinking about kids. Although Clyde doesn’t fully realize that he is still in love with her until he is at the doctors office he sees her walking down the street and his emotions become stirred, Clyde had not had this feeling since they used to be together back in the day. Having this mixed feeling made him realize that his relationship with her was exciting and something he should cherish. This quote make me wonder if deep down she wants him too because she is being catchy and wants him to feel as though he is missing out now that they split.
Pg. 570
“This glimpse, through the skin of the paper, of her pain self quickened and sweetened his desire more the touching her had. He tucked the note back into his shirt pocket and its stiffness there made a shield for his heart. In this armor he stepped into the familiar street.”
His love for her was strong she loved him more then his family seemed to. Knowing that what he had with her was so special it makes him want what he cant have which was her. This stirs his emotions and makes him want her even more than she knows.
Friday, March 30, 2007
John Cheever, The Swimmer:
Pg. 1490
“He was a slender man – he seemed to have the especial slenderness of youth –and while he was far from young he had slid down his banister that morning and given the bronze backside of Aphrodite on the hall table a smack, as he jogged toward the smell of coffee in his dining room.”
Neddy Merrill seems to be stuck in childish ways; he acts as if he is much younger and immature then he is. Neddy is influenced by the residents at the pool and became more into alcohol then living in the moment. In the beginning of his journey he was more of a man who was excited and was able to acknowledge his feelings, instead as time passed he then his emotions with alcohol.
Pg. 1496
“Looking over head he saw that the stars had come out, but why should he seem to see Andromeda, Cepheus and Cassiopeia? What had become of the constellations of midsummer? He began to cry. It was probably the first time in his adult life that he had ever cried, certainly the first time in his life he had felt so miserable, cold, tired and bewildered.”
Neddy has been so stuck on the dependence of alcohol that he has pushed his feelings aside so that he had lost himself and hasn’t been able to cry or let out his emotions. Over the process of this story Neddy slowly realizes that time is going to pass anyway and there is no control. He eventually comes to his emotions and is able to cry when he noticed that time had passed unnoticed while he was drinking. Neddy wasn’t able to live in the moment, but now those moments are gone he know that he has to accept and move on in a better direction.
Pg. 1490
“He was a slender man – he seemed to have the especial slenderness of youth –and while he was far from young he had slid down his banister that morning and given the bronze backside of Aphrodite on the hall table a smack, as he jogged toward the smell of coffee in his dining room.”
Neddy Merrill seems to be stuck in childish ways; he acts as if he is much younger and immature then he is. Neddy is influenced by the residents at the pool and became more into alcohol then living in the moment. In the beginning of his journey he was more of a man who was excited and was able to acknowledge his feelings, instead as time passed he then his emotions with alcohol.
Pg. 1496
“Looking over head he saw that the stars had come out, but why should he seem to see Andromeda, Cepheus and Cassiopeia? What had become of the constellations of midsummer? He began to cry. It was probably the first time in his adult life that he had ever cried, certainly the first time in his life he had felt so miserable, cold, tired and bewildered.”
Neddy has been so stuck on the dependence of alcohol that he has pushed his feelings aside so that he had lost himself and hasn’t been able to cry or let out his emotions. Over the process of this story Neddy slowly realizes that time is going to pass anyway and there is no control. He eventually comes to his emotions and is able to cry when he noticed that time had passed unnoticed while he was drinking. Neddy wasn’t able to live in the moment, but now those moments are gone he know that he has to accept and move on in a better direction.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
The Death of Justina:
" I won't go to the common place symptoms of withdrawal, but I would like to point out that standing at my window in the evening watching the brilliant after light and the spread of darkness, I felt, though the lack of these humble stimulants, the force of some primitive memory in which the coming of night with its stars and its moon was apocalyptic."
This quote shows how he wonders what death is like instead of most people who have no curiosity or wonder of what happens after for fear of some thing undesirable they go into denial and choose not to think about it. He instead embraces his wonder and compares what will happen when the world ends to the night sky, which is also full of wonder and unanswered questions.
"When I abstain from sin it is more often a fear of scandal then a private resolve to improve on the purity of my heart."
This quote shows he is telling it like it is, he is not going to act as though the reason he doesn't do something wrong because he wants to be a better person, but he is afraid of what the consequences could be. he also shows a real person instead of putting on a act of someone who wants to be deep into making them self into a better person he knows what his real opinion to making a sin is and he embraces what he feels.
"I am obliged to contain myself in the role of a man who can do no good in spite of the piles of congratulatory mail that my eloquence sometimes brings in."
This quote shows how he gets no credit for what he does. If his work is wrong the blame goes to him, but if the work he does is great then the credit goes to someone else. no matter what he does he gets no applaud, just criticism. He is forced to fake his ease with the situation, there is no room for complaints. For the people he works with he is forced to put on a face and act like everything is ok, when deep down he knows that he is getting the shaft.
" I won't go to the common place symptoms of withdrawal, but I would like to point out that standing at my window in the evening watching the brilliant after light and the spread of darkness, I felt, though the lack of these humble stimulants, the force of some primitive memory in which the coming of night with its stars and its moon was apocalyptic."
This quote shows how he wonders what death is like instead of most people who have no curiosity or wonder of what happens after for fear of some thing undesirable they go into denial and choose not to think about it. He instead embraces his wonder and compares what will happen when the world ends to the night sky, which is also full of wonder and unanswered questions.
"When I abstain from sin it is more often a fear of scandal then a private resolve to improve on the purity of my heart."
This quote shows he is telling it like it is, he is not going to act as though the reason he doesn't do something wrong because he wants to be a better person, but he is afraid of what the consequences could be. he also shows a real person instead of putting on a act of someone who wants to be deep into making them self into a better person he knows what his real opinion to making a sin is and he embraces what he feels.
"I am obliged to contain myself in the role of a man who can do no good in spite of the piles of congratulatory mail that my eloquence sometimes brings in."
This quote shows how he gets no credit for what he does. If his work is wrong the blame goes to him, but if the work he does is great then the credit goes to someone else. no matter what he does he gets no applaud, just criticism. He is forced to fake his ease with the situation, there is no room for complaints. For the people he works with he is forced to put on a face and act like everything is ok, when deep down he knows that he is getting the shaft.
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