This is why I spent countless hours straining my eyes to cheat off of Cameron while sitting behind him in high school. Bad eyes, a 5 on the AP US History test, and a permanent memory of "C-squared"s backside...it was all worth it. Dude takes a three month vacation from book club and comes back to put us all in our place, reminding us yet again of our own inferiority.
I can agree with Cam's take on "Daniel" thus far. I think the discomfort and confusion is absolutely what Doctorow is trying to portray. I still those "extremes" with which we precariously flirt are relevant in today's political environment. It wasn't what Doctorow had in mind, but Cameron is right--a small push in either direction and we really aren't so far different today than we were then.
I especially liked Ben's thoughts on how society will always be divided along some line.
In a way, though, that very idea disproves anything that Daniel's parents would have agreed with. Their support of the communist party was based on Socialist ideals, and the hope that a perfectly "equal" society could one day exist. Such a society is impossible, and it always will be, as evidenced by Cameron's thoughts as well as Ben's--there will always be extremes, there will always be "haves" and "have-nots". This is why every society in the history of the world that has been based on Socialist ideas has failed.
I'm hoping to finish the book as soon as possible because finals are rapidly approaching. I've really enjoyed it so far.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Just The Tip
That's how far in I am, just the tip. 30pgs. Good to be back though, and apologies for the hiatus.
My initial reaction to this book was pure emotion. Every page so far (IMO) is meant to be a slap in the reader's face. Jarring. From the unflattering character descriptions, to the explicit sex scenes to the syntax and story flow (or lack there of), I think Doctorow is really trying to make the reader uncomfortable, and evaluate where they stand in the world with regards to politics, love, family, etc. By highlighting extremes it makes us wonder aloud if we could be pushed to those outer bounds by some uncontrollable circumstance. It's not about being "liberal" or "conservative" or "communist", its about the environment and people and chance that tip us in one direction or another. Obviously, you can choose to react in several different ways once on that path, but once a train has been set in motion its much harder to change its course.
I think Frank was on the right track in his last post to warn of the dangers of extremist behavior, but to call extreme left immature and extreme right bigots is a wild oversimplification. Not only is there an enormous amount of nuance associated with people's belief systems, but the "left" and "right" are merely constructs that couldn't exist without each other. For example, say I waved a magic wand and all the "right wing" people on the planet disappeared. Would conservative views disappear? No. The remaining "liberals" would have to redefine themselves from the other liberals and half of the population would then be "conservatives" again. So if Frank's theory held true, would the previously slightly immature then become the extreme bigots? I would argue no.
I've never read any Doctorow before, but I must say he is one of the most powerful writers I've encountered in a good while. Great choice Benny, I look forward to the journey.
Favorite Quote so far, page 25 of my copy:
"There are no decent settings for joy or suffering. All our environments are wrong. They embarrass our emotions. They make our emotions into the plastic tiger lilies in the window boxes of Howard Johnson restaurants."
Discuss.
My initial reaction to this book was pure emotion. Every page so far (IMO) is meant to be a slap in the reader's face. Jarring. From the unflattering character descriptions, to the explicit sex scenes to the syntax and story flow (or lack there of), I think Doctorow is really trying to make the reader uncomfortable, and evaluate where they stand in the world with regards to politics, love, family, etc. By highlighting extremes it makes us wonder aloud if we could be pushed to those outer bounds by some uncontrollable circumstance. It's not about being "liberal" or "conservative" or "communist", its about the environment and people and chance that tip us in one direction or another. Obviously, you can choose to react in several different ways once on that path, but once a train has been set in motion its much harder to change its course.
I think Frank was on the right track in his last post to warn of the dangers of extremist behavior, but to call extreme left immature and extreme right bigots is a wild oversimplification. Not only is there an enormous amount of nuance associated with people's belief systems, but the "left" and "right" are merely constructs that couldn't exist without each other. For example, say I waved a magic wand and all the "right wing" people on the planet disappeared. Would conservative views disappear? No. The remaining "liberals" would have to redefine themselves from the other liberals and half of the population would then be "conservatives" again. So if Frank's theory held true, would the previously slightly immature then become the extreme bigots? I would argue no.
I've never read any Doctorow before, but I must say he is one of the most powerful writers I've encountered in a good while. Great choice Benny, I look forward to the journey.
Favorite Quote so far, page 25 of my copy:
"There are no decent settings for joy or suffering. All our environments are wrong. They embarrass our emotions. They make our emotions into the plastic tiger lilies in the window boxes of Howard Johnson restaurants."
Discuss.
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