mango street numero dos

After finishing The House on Mango Street, I realized that the simplification of Esperanza's life experiences made the book logical and a good tale of growing up. I liked the way the book ended, and thought that the 'full circle' finish was a good, conclusive one. Esperanza initially hates her life on mango street, even though she acknowledges that her house is definitely of higher class that her previous one. To me, Esperanza at the beginning of the novel represented a girl who longed to be free from her current life, and thought she did not belong on Mango Street. At the end of the novel, she realizes that even though her childhood experiences forced he into denial about liking Mango Street, she understands that she truly does belong there and that there is a significant part in her that will never truly leave.

Esperanza has a large difficulty growing up and finding her true identity. The idea of Esperanza's name is a largely important idea in the story. She does not like the idea of her name, and believes that it does not stress her true nature. It was the name she inhereted from a relative, and she does not like her future to be associated or decided by the future of her relative. "And the story goes she never forgave him. She looked out the winder her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow. I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldn't be all the things she wanted to be. Esperanza. I have inherited her name, but I don't want to inherit her place by the window" (11). She would prefer a much stranger name that is more different from others, showing who she truly was, and setting her independently aside from others.

Another major idea in the story is the escape that Esperanza finds through her writing. She experiences many hardships that she is able to overcome, and learn from because writing is an outlet of hers. Growing up, she is abused by boys, but this one, along with many others contribute to the many life experiences that make up Esperanza's character. Another quote I like denotes how esperanza understands that her experiences on Mango Street will always stay with her and that she cannot leave them behind because they will always have a place with her. "I put it down on paper and then the ghost does not ache so much. I write it down and Mango says goodbye sometimes. She does not hold me with both arms. She sets me free. One day I will pack my bags of books and paper. One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever. One day I will go away."

Overall I enjoyed the book to some extent and appreciate the message it tries to get across, even if it was not the most challenging or intriguing read.

im a soldier, a rider, a ghetto survivor, and all the abovee

inspired by big boy, forever

droze

mangos for all numero uno

I'm about 40 pages in and I really can't understand this author's style of writing and the way the book is narrated. It tells the tale of a young girl named Esperanza who lives in what seems to be a slum, or at least a very harsh neighborhood. She tells many different random stories, that do not seem to have anything to do with one another. I guess I can see some significance where Esperanza is talking about how she doesn't like her own hair, and prefers her mother's and her sisters. I can't really tell exactly what it means yet, but I guess it could turn out to be important. The rest of the stories are ridiculously detailed, and yet tell absolutely nothing. It seems like the story has no real plot, and the characters are kind of dull. There is no flow or connection between each of the stories. I'm looking for some big boy inspiration to help understand this one..

started out hustlin.. ended up ballinn

droze

The Catcher in the Rye: Week Two

Just finished the book, and it took a while for it to really sink in. At first, I disliked the ending. It seemed as if it was a weak way for the author to put an end to it. The book makes no sense if you cannot find the deeper meaning in it. At first glance, Holden appears to be a troubled, naive boy, who thinks of everyone as simplified, shallow figures who don't represent much (phonies). As one delves deeper into the novel, it becomes apparent that Holden has a huge fear of commitment to anything and is extremely afraid of going through the transition into adulthood.

Going back into the novel, a scene that struck me as odd was the one with Holden and the prostitute. He at first hires her, and she comes to his room. But, he has extreme intimacy issues, and he expects the experience to be a very romantic one, but he finds out that it is not, and he is deeply upset by it. Another example of intimacy issues was the scene with Mr. Antolini. Even though it was not a romantic scene, Holden became freaked out as soon as Mr. Antolini began 'admiring' him. Personally I don't think it was just out of admiration, but it is largely up to interpretation.

Holden's hunting hat was a symbol that confused me a little. At first it seemed like it was a symbol of Holden's individuality and one of him not being a 'phony.' But, Holden seems to be a phony himself because he does like like to wear it in public or around people he knows.

Another of the main scenes that stuck out to me throughout the novel was the one where Holden returns home to speak to phoebe. She asks him what he wishes to do with his life, and he replies by describing a vivid scene where children are playing and singing. They do not realize that they are about to fall off the edge, and Holden only wants to 'catch' them before they fall. To me, this is a metaphor describing how Holden wants to stop children from evolving into adulthood, and keep them in the stage of childhood innocence that he is afraid to move out of.

Then, at the end of the novel, Holden takes Phoebe near a carousel. She asks Holden to come on the carousel as well, but doesn't. He adds a cute little symbolic note about how Phoebe wanted to catch the gold rings, and she might fall. But, even if she has a good chance of falling, he had to let her go for it. To me, this symbolizes how he has to let her, and the other children who he wishes to protect grow up.

Blog Post Week One: The Catcher in the Rye

So far, while reading "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger, I have noticed many things about the main character Holden Caulfield. I feel as though he, because of the passing of his brother, has been emotionally and psychologically crippled. Holden reveals that he lost his younger brother Allie to leukemia at a young age. He describes his brother as extremely friendly and quite brilliant. His brother's passing makes Holden unable to connect with anyone, and forces him into being extremely argumentative, cynical and disturbed. He cannot deeply be in touch with people and does not like to get close to anyone. He seems to not care at all about his future, or where he's headed. Holden is constantly describing others as 'phonies', which I find to be slightly hypocritical, because he, himself proves to be superficial at times. 

One of the main things that grabbed me during the novel was on page 173, the author makes a reference to the poem "Comin' Thro the Rye" by Robert Burns. This poem has already been brought up once or twice before, but this time, the true purpose and intent of the title of the novel is revealed. Holden describes the scene in which the poem takes place as one where children play near a cliff, and while they are playing and running around, they do not know that they are close to the edge, and that they are about to fall. Holden tells that all he wishes to do in his lifetime is to be the one who catches the children before they fall, and save them. Hence the name, "The Catcher in the Rye." To me, it seems like the reason why Holden is so driven to protect these children, is because he feels as though he needs to make up for the fact that he was not able to save his younger brother, or catch him before he 'fell'.

So far, I have enjoyed the novel to some extent. Though I do not like Holden's constant use of 'and all', 'old', 'helluva, I think it's an overall easy read and there is a good message to be understood from it. 

sry it was long.. didnt realize till i finished it    watevs