Thus far, I have seen a theme of hope in Going After Cacciato. I have only read about 50 pages, but Paul Berlin has repeatedly told himself that maybe Cacciato trying to walk to Paris is not so crazy after all. He maintains hope that perhaps it truly is possible. Berlin's hope got me to thinking about how people survive war. The way I see it, the only way to get through a horrible situation like a war is to have hope. Even if you hope for the most outrageous occurrence, the hoping is still a coping method. Though Berlin's reason tells him that walking to Paris is insane, in the back of his mind he wants to believe that it could happen. After all, the war does not seem reasonable, so why could walking to Paris not be reasonable? We only hear the thoughts of Berlin, but I would be willing to bet that the other men also have hope in the back of their minds.

There is no way that The Violent Bear It Away can be classified as a Bildungsroman. Tarwater experiences no growth or maturity. In fact, I would argue that he deteriorates throughout the story. Though he has a chance to start a new life after Old Tarwater passes, he chooses to become a murderer. I am not blaming Tarwater for this because it is obviously Old Tarwater's fault, but nevertheless, he does commit a very violent murder. This novel seems to be the opposite of a Bildungsroman; the main character falls deeper and deeper into insanity as the story progresses. It is frustrating because I personally expereienced hope that Rayber would be able to rehabilitate Tarwater and become his father figure. As we find out, however, Rayber is also insane and is in no position to be a proper role model for a young man. I also experienced hope when Tarwater stopped to tie Bishop's shoes on the stair steps at the hotel. He showed a bit of humanity at this point, and it seemed as if O'Connor was tricking me into believing there may still be hope for Tarwater. This scene makes the murder scene all the more shocking and disturbing. This novel is NOT a Bildungsroman. By the end of the novel, Tarwater is completely insane. He will never be a functioning member of society.

I must admit that reading The Violent Bear It Away late last night caused me to have nightmares! The story is disturbing because it deals with a person who takes religion too far. The question is, how far is too far? It is hard to define, but I can definitely say Tarwater’s uncle has taken his Christianity too far. Tarwater is trapped in the woods and essentially brainwashed by his insane uncle. His uncle claims to be a prophet, and attempts to make Tarwater a prophet as well. Ironically, the very religious uncle seems to disregard the fact that only God can choose His prophets. Then, his uncle dies sitting at the breakfast table, and Tarwater must dig his grave. This has to be extremely scary for such a young teenager. People who try to force their religion on others make me angry, especially those who try to force it on young children. The uncle does not have the characteristics of a Christian that I value. I feel very sorry for Tarwater, and I am afraid to see how he handles the real world. I surely will not be reading this novel at night anymore!

The Bear is probably the most powerful bildungsroman that we have read. Isaac grows and matures in the wilderness, with little instruction from other humans. It seems natural that a man can only truly be in touch with himself while he is alone with his thoughts working against nature. He “loses himself” in the woods, and through being lost, learns to find his way. He learns to find his way both in the woods and in life. His judgment improves as he learns to navigate the woods, and as a result, he also learns to navigate his life as accurately as he can navigate the woods. As we learn the disturbing story of Isaac’s grandfather’s sins and the horrible history of slavery in his family, we wonder whether or not Isaac will accept his inheritance. From a boy of ten learning to hunt, he becomes a man who must face the terrible realities of his past and must make an important decision that will change his life. He refuses to accept the inheritance because he rejects the legacy of his grandfather’s sinful relationships and of the history of slavery. Isaac separates himself from something that he knows is evil, despite the fact that he could be very rich. He grows into a man who is admirable, courageous and moral when he chooses morality over money.