Housekeeping was a really nice novel to read. In the end, one question was asked in class: has Ruth come of age? This question brought varied responses, so let me add to this my perception. I strongly believe that Ruth has come of age. I mentioned in class as well that the goal of a human being is to be happy. Think about it, someway or another, in the end what we’re looking for is happiness. There are many guides (like your parents, teachers, school, books), and there are many paths to choose from. You don’t like a path, you can pave your own. Whatever makes you happy, whatever makes you content. Sure, there are boundaries, but as an old Indian proverb states “boundaries are made so that they can one day be broken” (Bhagavad Gita). Ruth saw a path in Sylvie, a path to salvation, and she choose to walk on it. And as we see in the last chapter, she is very happy where she’s at. She loves being a hidden part of society, someone that nobody knows anything about. We can’t be the ones to judge that. We can’t say that just because we feel that a path is wrong. The only time that I would complain would be if the chosen path were to cause excruciating harm to others. Harming others for your own benefits is my boundary, and I believe that if you cross that boundary, then you haven’t come of age. What I’m trying to say is that there’s nothing wrong with what Ruth and Sylvie are doing. They are peacefully living their lives, which is why I can say that Ruth has come of age. Sadness, happiness, being emotional, those are all parts of life.
Secondly, I want to talk about Black Swan Green. We haven’t actually spent a lot of time on the novel, but it is turning into a darn good book to read. Alongside Catcher, this is a book where I’m having a hard time keeping the book down. I want to keep reading and find out what’s beyond the horizon (I kind of have already done that...so I will try not to mention any plot details). My favorite part about the book is the protagonist: Jason. I like him because I can connect to him. Jason changes the way he depicts himself to literally everyone -- and that’s true with me on so many levels. Because I’m around so many different people, constantly, I have to change myself. Sure, I am myself at base level, but around certain people, I have to change certain perspectives (This is also why I love doing Model UN --I often have to represent and debate for positions that I don’t actually believe in…). I truly am looking forward to the rest of this book.
One last thing I wanted to state before I wrap this up. Just something small I’ve noticed. Have you noticed how in EACH of the books we’ve read so far, all the protagonists are interested in English or Literature? Stephen Dedalus likes poems, Holden’s a great writer, Esther writes poems, and Jason’s a poet too… Isn’t that kinda cool?
Wednesdsay, April 8th
