"And either she had grown slimmer of he had grown more tolerant of fat. Her thick ankles and the general obstinacy of her flesh used to goad him into being cruel." (Updike, 562)
-The above quote is a comment made by the main character of the short story, Clyde. He sees an old love again and descibes her in this quote. This love, Janet, manages to show a strange side of Clyde. A completely vulnerable side to him that you wouldn't necessarily see otherwise. It also shows that while he loved her he wasn't always great to her. He admits to making fun of her weight because of the unchanging sturdiness of her body. This in turn tells alot about the story because although he desires her, and feels he needs her, he doesn't think she's perfect. He even hides behind the idea that he's doing it to make HER happy, not himself.
"her authority in the world peripheral to the world of love in which she was so servile." (Updike, 566)
-Again Clyde is describing Janet and her qualities here. He implys that in their relationship he was completely in control of her. This in turn hints to how the story will end. At first you believe that maybe she'll simply ignore him, and try to avoid the situation, but when he says that you know that he expects her to do as he wishes. It's also a strange notion to think that in life you can be completely in control, but in love not at all. In logical terms love is a part of life so if youre in control of your life shouldnt you be in control in the face of love?
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
The Swimmer-John Cheever (Quote Response)
"He had an inexplicable contempt for men who did not hurl themselves into pools." (Cheever, 1490)
-The above quote is a very good description of the type of person Neddy Merrill, the main charachter, is in the story. It shows that he believes you should come at life head on, not slowly approach it. The fact that Cheever uses the word "hurl" just shows you that he's trying to show you the lack of control that Neddy idolizes when approaching life. Although it says earlier that Neddy "dives", Cheever then uses the word hurl when describing Neddy's feeling towards this. The fact that Neddy doesn't like men that go slowly into a pool just shows that he believes he "hurls" himself. This can be interpreted as him believing he takes life head on, or the water of a pool head on.
"He saw then, like any explorer, that the hospitable customs and traditions of the natives would have to be handled with diplomacy..." (Cheever, 1491)
-The way that Neddy thinks of himself as an "explorer" really shows you his view on life. To Neddy life is uncharted territory, just as his adventure is, and you need to go through it in a diplomatic way to not upset the "natives", or the people you cross in your life. This also shows that Neddy isn't quite in his right mind, because although his observation is correct, these "natives" are actually people he knows, and it seems strange for him to talk about them as objects that need handling.
-The above quote is a very good description of the type of person Neddy Merrill, the main charachter, is in the story. It shows that he believes you should come at life head on, not slowly approach it. The fact that Cheever uses the word "hurl" just shows you that he's trying to show you the lack of control that Neddy idolizes when approaching life. Although it says earlier that Neddy "dives", Cheever then uses the word hurl when describing Neddy's feeling towards this. The fact that Neddy doesn't like men that go slowly into a pool just shows that he believes he "hurls" himself. This can be interpreted as him believing he takes life head on, or the water of a pool head on.
"He saw then, like any explorer, that the hospitable customs and traditions of the natives would have to be handled with diplomacy..." (Cheever, 1491)
-The way that Neddy thinks of himself as an "explorer" really shows you his view on life. To Neddy life is uncharted territory, just as his adventure is, and you need to go through it in a diplomatic way to not upset the "natives", or the people you cross in your life. This also shows that Neddy isn't quite in his right mind, because although his observation is correct, these "natives" are actually people he knows, and it seems strange for him to talk about them as objects that need handling.
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