Not too surprisingly, my prediction is beginning to come true. Amory has lost another one close to him because of his vanity and conceit. Isabelle, the girl Amory was in love with, left him without regard after coming to the realization that the his "self-confidence" that once pulled her in, was actually extreme conceit and has pushed her away. Amory's reaction is not what i would expect, however. He seems to not care much and sort of shrug it off saying, "oh well". Based on his reaction, I still don't think that Amory is going to change anytime soon. Perhaps the reason why he didn't care a lot was because he didn't have a lot of time to become attached to Isabelle, so when she left, there wasn't enough time or affection sewn between them that got damaged. If this is the case, then i think that he will have to become attached to someone for a very long time, and then be heartbroken, before he will even think about changing.
There are a few things about this book that really give away that this book was set a while ago. One of the things is the interactions between Amory and his various loves. The author will describe how in love he is with her, and vice versa, but then will note in passing that Amory wishes to kiss her for the first time. This was especially shocking to me because in today's world, many people will do that before falling in love. The other thing was the fact that Amory communicates to his mother by writing letters. Obviously they are not going to text during World War I, but it was fairly eye opening for me because i am NOT used to that being a common form of communication between a parent and their child away at college.
http://www.princeton.edu/mudd/news/faq/topics/WW1.shtml
This link has made me think more about what is going to come in the future for Amory. In the article it talks about how Princeton, Amory's school, was essentially a military university for a time during World War I. There has been no mention of this in the book yet, but Amory has made a comment like "once this dreaded war ends," so the war has begun at this point. War has an interesting effect on people, so maybe Amory will know someone who enlists in the Army, or will do so himself, which could lead him to change by realizing that there are much more important things in life (like living) than your own success and looks.
This video makes me dislike Amory even more. It annoys me to think that a war of this magnitude was going on, yet all he could think about was himself. In fact, as the book goes on I am beginning to root against Amory more and more. He is too conceited as of now to be a likable character, and this video is a perfect example of that. The more I read, the easier I relate to the characters that he is pushing away himself.
Overall, this section of the book was alright. It was extremely slow and bland at parts, but some parts were more intriguing. Usually whenever there is dialect, it is fun to read, but at other times the author just seems to ramble on and on about nothing. Hopefully if my war prediction comes true, there will be more action and emotion to write and read about, and there will be less dead space in the book.
Hey Josh! Allen here. This sounds like a really interesting story. I'm sorry to hear that this second section was a bit boring. My own second section was action-packed! Let's hope your prediction about war does come true! I thought the two links were very well-chosen, and complimented the well-written blog post. Nice job man!
ReplyDeleteYour book, though it is slow now, seems to not have reached its climax yet. Your prediction about Amory falling in love and becoming heartbroken is definitely rational, and I would really be surprised if that does not happen. I found it really interesting that Princeton was so military based during WWI, especially since it is world-renowned for its academics. However, after having read the information from the link, it makes sense that such an elite school would offer this program. Good post, I hope your book gets better!
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to read your input on how Amory's confidence at first brought in and attracted the girl, Isabelle. Yet later on, as she understood this was not condfidence but something a bit too overdosed and conceited is what drove her away. I find that ironic and reminds me that a bit too much of something does not benfefit as a whole. Like if one would add too much sugar to a cookie mix, of course a bit would be great but too much would make it impossible to eat. Based on what you wrote about Amory though, I feel that this story is going to be the sort that ends in the protagonist in demise and despair. Seeing him change would be refreshing, but highly debatable. It was cool that you found background on the school he goes to, and pertaining to the time period as well. Hopefully your book will get exciting next section and reveal some juicy details!
ReplyDeleteHey Josh, first I agree with your prediction because the author just has to set the scene before anything fun happens. But anyway I think the author is making you root against him for now so that you can root for him at the end of the book. This literary device makes the author keep reading but at the end you come to a reality that you were wrong about the character. Amory is just growing up and hasn't found the right mindset as a successful human being. Hopefully he will get it soon before he is too late and has to live alone. On another note just keep reading and I bet that by the end you will like Amory and his personality but that comes with seriouse change. Keep up the good work!!!!!!!!
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