Well, I have accomplished the impossible and finished Mao II. I guessing I was hoping that it was going to gain some action or interesting story but I feel like it just stayed the same the whole way through. I guess I'll being with chapter 12 and saying that I'm not really sure what the point of this Omar guy is. I think he's just a man that eventually leads Karen into Scott's arms. Although that part is strange as well because she doesn't actually go to him until Brita tells her to. And then there's the spoon...I'm not sure if anyone else thought this was weird but she picks up a spoon with old food on it and puts it up on a pedestal. I'm not really sure of the significance of this gross spoon but maybe I'm not artsy enough to understand the beauty of it.
Scott seems to be obsessing over organization--I feel like that's all the author tells us when they talk about his part. Honestly, I could take all of Scott's part out in these last couple chapters and the story wouldn't change a bit because of his mundane life--maybe that's the way it's supposed to be. I mean in the end it seems that he finally gets what he wants which is Brita. And then they just decide that Bill won't be coming back so they can just have his money and his house. It just seems strange that over all this time that they should end up together and just to give up on Bill.
And then there's Bill and his stubborn attitude--I want to yell at him and tell him to just go to the doctor already! I'm not really sure I understand all of his story. He's talking with Vets and then he's out partying and finds himself waking up in his hotel. I feel like the author leaves information out that is important to transition form one thing to another. He just decides to go to Beirut and then we don't really hear about him. I was hoping the end after the chapters there would be some sort of explanation about Bill and what happens to him and if the hostage actually was let go...or even if he makes it to Beirut. The book seems to be building up to what is happening to Bill healthwise but then the author never even says what happens to him in the end. I know a lot of modernist books end without resolution but I'm not sure I like this style especially in this book because it felt like a book that was just a "so what" book. I guess what I mean by this is that it just seems like background noise that doesn't really make any impact on me--not enjoyable, I didn't really learn much, or change my opinion on anything. If anything it seemed to make me more confused and angry. I realize this is not the nicest thing to say but it is my opinion...I hope someone else enjoyed reading the book! It definitely made me appreciate the Hurston book even more.
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Mao II Chapters 6-11
I think I have finally figured out why I don't care for this book, well a couple of reasons. Firstly, there is no action--the action that does happen in the book feels muted. For instance, Bill gets hit by a car and he's bleeding and everyone is rushing towards him and he just brushes it off. It seems unimportant and insignificant. Even in the earlier chapters when they go on the trip--Scott seems concentrated on having sex with Karen and then she has sex with Bill and then Scott has sex with Brita. Seems more like a soap opera without the drama.
There are a few parts that are still confusing to me because the book doesn't explain it or I just missed something. When Brita is awake the answering machine comes on with a voice and I don't think the book ever mentions his significance or who he is. Another part that confused me in the book is the part about the connection between Brita and Karen. I know it mentions that Brita was skeptical about leaving this girl she barely knew at her home but how did Karen find her how and what's the connection? Another question that I have is why is Bill so eagerly going along with George and completely leaves Charlie. It seems that Charlie is much more trustworthy than George. Bill even knows that George is working for the country that took the hostage and Bill knows that they want to take him--it doesn't seem to phase him in the least bit.
In these chapters I have picked up a few themes that seem to be repeating and significant. The first is the mob or group importance. Someone is talking to Brita about mass-marriage and the concept of what Bill thinks about it. "By compressing a million moments of love and touch and courtship into one accelerated mass, you're saying that life must become more anxious, more surreal, more image-bound, more prone to hurrying its own transformation, or what's the point (pg 80). The next instance of this group/mob theme is when Brita and Scott are talking after they have come back from their trip. They're talking about how Bill doesn't understand that people want to do these mass marriages but the reason is to survive as a community rather than mastering every complex force (pg. 89) One of them goes on to talk about how gender doesn't matter and that people should all become Moonies as one large collective group. The last example that I found was when Karen goes to the community of homeless and walks around and sees this mass of people that are living under tarps and in boxes or sleeping on benches. They refer to it as "tent city."
Another theme that I found occurring in these chapters is the influence of the writer and the terrorist. Bill talks about when a terrorist wins the writer loses--one line inn particular that he says, "the more clearly we see terror, the less impact we feel from art" (pg. 157). I remember talking about this idea in class on Thursday and about WWII. We talked about how after the war nobody could make art because it seemed to take the attention away from the concentration camps and what happened to the innocent people--I think specifically it was referring to Aschwitz.
There are a few parts that are still confusing to me because the book doesn't explain it or I just missed something. When Brita is awake the answering machine comes on with a voice and I don't think the book ever mentions his significance or who he is. Another part that confused me in the book is the part about the connection between Brita and Karen. I know it mentions that Brita was skeptical about leaving this girl she barely knew at her home but how did Karen find her how and what's the connection? Another question that I have is why is Bill so eagerly going along with George and completely leaves Charlie. It seems that Charlie is much more trustworthy than George. Bill even knows that George is working for the country that took the hostage and Bill knows that they want to take him--it doesn't seem to phase him in the least bit.
In these chapters I have picked up a few themes that seem to be repeating and significant. The first is the mob or group importance. Someone is talking to Brita about mass-marriage and the concept of what Bill thinks about it. "By compressing a million moments of love and touch and courtship into one accelerated mass, you're saying that life must become more anxious, more surreal, more image-bound, more prone to hurrying its own transformation, or what's the point (pg 80). The next instance of this group/mob theme is when Brita and Scott are talking after they have come back from their trip. They're talking about how Bill doesn't understand that people want to do these mass marriages but the reason is to survive as a community rather than mastering every complex force (pg. 89) One of them goes on to talk about how gender doesn't matter and that people should all become Moonies as one large collective group. The last example that I found was when Karen goes to the community of homeless and walks around and sees this mass of people that are living under tarps and in boxes or sleeping on benches. They refer to it as "tent city."
Another theme that I found occurring in these chapters is the influence of the writer and the terrorist. Bill talks about when a terrorist wins the writer loses--one line inn particular that he says, "the more clearly we see terror, the less impact we feel from art" (pg. 157). I remember talking about this idea in class on Thursday and about WWII. We talked about how after the war nobody could make art because it seemed to take the attention away from the concentration camps and what happened to the innocent people--I think specifically it was referring to Aschwitz.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Mao II Chapters 1-5
Well, I guess I am going to be completely honest and say that this is going to be a struggle to finish this novel, personally. I was very confused the first time I began reading this novel. I was confused with the tie between the prologue and chapter 1 then there's the random conversations that the characters have. I feel like some of the novel is written with a stream of consciousness because the narrator begins talking about walking on the street and then a thought comes to mind and then something else comes up. And then I feel like the narrator gives us information without describing it like when one of the characters says she grabs a cigarette even though she hadn't smoked in years...like why?how come?what's the significance?
I thought the whole wedding cult thing was really weird and I know we talked about the possibility of the wedding being "communist". I would have to agree with this idea because these couples are giving themselves completely to this "Master" just like in a communist country the people give themselves to the leader. The people have no control in both situations and someone else is in power over the other. These couples barely know each other after a few days and are already getting married and being completely separated from each other. Call me a romantic but there's something to the dating period and getting to know one another. A wedding should be something intimate--you are bonding one family to another. The fact that there are thousands of people at this same wedding just make it more cultish and creepy.
After discussing these first few chapters I feel like I can understand the chapters a little more; I guess I'm not picking up on their humor--especially Bill's. I realize that we decided that the book was written in the "modern age" but I feel like it's confusing to find this true. I guess I am still trying to figure out who everyone is and how they are all connected. I feel like it would be beneficial to have some kind of timeline or summary to look at for each chapter just to help with knowing what's going on.
I thought the whole wedding cult thing was really weird and I know we talked about the possibility of the wedding being "communist". I would have to agree with this idea because these couples are giving themselves completely to this "Master" just like in a communist country the people give themselves to the leader. The people have no control in both situations and someone else is in power over the other. These couples barely know each other after a few days and are already getting married and being completely separated from each other. Call me a romantic but there's something to the dating period and getting to know one another. A wedding should be something intimate--you are bonding one family to another. The fact that there are thousands of people at this same wedding just make it more cultish and creepy.
After discussing these first few chapters I feel like I can understand the chapters a little more; I guess I'm not picking up on their humor--especially Bill's. I realize that we decided that the book was written in the "modern age" but I feel like it's confusing to find this true. I guess I am still trying to figure out who everyone is and how they are all connected. I feel like it would be beneficial to have some kind of timeline or summary to look at for each chapter just to help with knowing what's going on.
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