The Bell Jar

I've started on the 3rd book, The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath. I basically know what happens to the character in the end, because everyone that this book before-hnad has told me. Which most people might feel that takes out the excitment of finishing the book, but i'm more interested on how the character goes to that point. I have to say, the story doesn't seem all that exciting right now. It's being told by Esther's, the main charcter's, point of view. For the past 100 pages she's been explaning about how she gets straight A's in school, and how she use to be madly in love with Buddy Willard, but is not anymore. Nothing to interesting, but then I think about what happens to her in the end, and i'm puzzled at how she could have even gotten to such a state. So that question keeps on encouraging to read on.
The book may not be as action packed right now, but I do happen to like Esther's character alot. I found it intriguing that for a young women living at that period of time, she certainly has goals for the future. They weren't the ordinary dreams of being a good house wife, raising children, and running a happy house hold. She wanted to travel around Europe and South America, work in the Times writing articles, become a famous editor, and the list goes on. Esther also had the brains and drive to help her have a chance at reaching those goals. She also felt that women shouldn't be a door mat for men. She doesn't wanted to get married and have the excitment in her life end, she finds that extremely boring. Unlike other women her age that save themselves for marriage, she feels that if men their age were already "unclean" she didn't see the purpose in saving her self for them.

Themes; the end

So, 1984 was bitter-sweet. The ending wasn't a happy one, but I think that the way it ended really emphasizes the message of the book. I noticed through out the book, there were many themes. They included the party's ability of phsycological manipulation, physical control, control of information and history, language and mind control, as well as technology. By feeding information that made the party seem always in the right to vunerable naive followers, the party was able to gain control of their minds. Also by the restrictions of action, party members were able to make sure that every one was behaving accordingly. Language control was a big issue as well, and it connected closely with the party's purpose of controling the people's minds. By compacting their vocabulary, there was less of a need for thinking which would result in the reduction of independent thinking. The party was even clever enough to erase all criticism made against them or false promises they had made in the past, so that there would be not evidence to prove that the party has ever been wrong about anything.
Technology was the center of the party's power. It was through technology that members were able to monitor actions, alter historical information, and take control of its communist empire. It's scary to think this novel was based on the author's future interpretation of the possiblity of the world being run this way. It was a warning of what could be coming if we allow our selves to fall into a repressed communist state.

Connections

As I read 1984, Winston reminds me of Jonas from Lois Lowery's book, The Giver. Both have the gift of being able to recall events, and experience independent thoughts and feelings that others in their communities cannot. The difference is that Jonas doesn't quite understand his ability, while Winston has had a sense of it. The communities in both books are similar, everyone is told what to do, therefore discouraging the thought. I know that in The Giver, one person is chosen to recall events of the past and use the lessons learned to decide whats best for the community so they never have to experience the pain and suffering. I haven't read far enought to determine whether or not it is the same case for Winston.
Contrasting the two books the reader finds out about Jonas' gift though specific events that occur, but in 1984 this fact is practically stated. Through both stories, I noticed that both characters at certain points of the book have intense feelings for the opposite sex. And in both communities the idea of love and attraction doesnot exist. Particularly in Wiston's community where procreation is shunned by society, and is only necessary to create the next generation.

1984; 100+

So the new book is now "1984" by George Orwell. It's unbelievable how many recommendation i've recieved encouraging me to read this book. I thought "It must be that good", so i decided that I should give the book a try even though science fiction really isn't a genre i'm very drawn to. I have to say now that the book so far is pretty good, it surpassed my expectations by quite a bit. Every thing in Wiston's world is monitored and nobody except for the leader Big Brother does. While reading the first hundred pages, I could only image the images I was visualizing in this world, in black and white. The lack of feeling from the characters and they actions were so mechanical and artifical, I could never live in a world like that.
Also as I read on, I related it to events in Asia and Europe during World War II. It's terrible because the things that Big Brother did was similar to those of Hitler's. The followers in Wiston's community are being brain washed by the words of Big Brother, they were taught from a young age that he was their leader, and I guess you could say their "God". This was what happened to the Nazi Youth as well, brought up to oblige Hilter's commands. In China and Korea during the war, thousands of young and old women would just dissappear because they were taken away as "comfort women". The families of these women wouldn't be given an answer to where they went, and this was what happened to many of the familys in the book.

400+ and Finished

It's great I finally finished this book. So my assumption of who the guy Emma falls in love with was true. Things actually didn't happen exactly how I predicted it. For one, the guys that Emma falls for actually admit his feelings for her first, and she doesn't accept it as warmly as I would have expected. Emma actually didn't openly admit to her self that she was in love with this guy until Harriet brought up the idea that he could be falling for her (Harriet). She could not phantom and approve of such an idea such as that. Next she realized that the whole time she really wasn't attached to Frank Churchill. She explained that when you spend most of your time with a person, you just natural being to develop a deeper connection to them, which for me I know is true.
In my own personal experience I know that even if you don't happen to like somebody at the beginning, but you happen to be around them often and you begin to talk, your perception of them can change. I just can't help but to develop some kind of positive relation with that person because even though at first I could only see flaws, there is always something to admire about the other person. There's always a hidden meaning behind everything, and I believe it is only right to see something positive in a person.

Symbolisim

symbolism

Emma is just like a horses transporting her carriages, she is blindly lead by the society she lives in. Her has an overly confident personality and doesnot realize her faults when she is pulled hard at the reigns. Only when she is stopped from her continuous involvement in situations, is she able to see what she had predicted was incorrect. Horses are unable to look back at the road it has traveled. Emma is unable to look back at her past faults and find any fault in her decisions actions.