My Favorite!

The Alchemist was my favorite book in this class. I believe it is a bildungsroman for sure. Santiago goes on a life-changing journey and definitely experiences growth. He learns what it means to fulfill one's Personal Legend, and he lets nothing hold him back. He is resourceful when he finds himself with no money in a country where he does not even speak the language. Instead of giving up hope, he chooses to be an adventurer in a strange land. This is a pivotal moment of growth in the story. He helps and learns from others along his way. He shows courage, wit and strength. He falls in love, and it is a love so true that it contributes to, rather than hinders, his journey. The Alchemist seems to be the ultimate bildungsroman because it is about a boy who reaches self-actualization despite many obstacles, which is the ultimate goal for all humans.

WOW! I don't even know where to begin with this novel--I loved it! The Alchemist is now one of my new favorite books. There is so much I like about it, but I especially love the idea of the Personal Legend. The boy learns to follow his Personal Legend, and he learns that if he does this, everything in the universe will help him reach the goal. I think this is so true. I believe when you are following your true dream you will be truly happy, and everything will fall into place. Anything you desire must be desired with your whole heart. I also love how the boy learns to trust his heart and listen to it. The Alchemist is beautiful, poetic and inspiring.

I think The House on Mango Street could be categorized as a bildungsroman, however, I do not believe that it is a strong example of one. Esperanza is still on Mango Street at the novel's end, and although she has plans to leave, she is still a young girl who is simply dreaming. She does change as she hits puberty and has to tackle things like having hips and what it means to be a woman. Esperanza has rejected the role of women she sees in her community; she refuses to be controlled by a man and she refuses to sit inside watching the world go on around her. This novel is a different bildungsroman because all of the change really goes on within Esperanza. We only see the dreams she has planned for her life. We really see no action from her character, only experiences that lead her to a decision to have a life different from her mother's and those of the other women on Mango Street. The reader is left to only hope that Esperanza does get out of her house on Mango Street and moves on to bigger and better things.

I liked Dr. Larson's comparison of Esperanza and Lucy. It is not as obvious as a comparison between Esperanza and Janie, but it makes sense to me. Lucy and Esperanza are both trapped in a male-dominated world and are being forced to grow up with difficult expectations. They are both strong and they both reject the societal norms that pressure them. Lucy chooses to marry the man she loves despite urgings from her family and friends to do otherwise, and Esperanza vows to leave Mango street. She refuses to accept the traditional woman's role that she sees in the community of women around her in the same way that Lucy chooses to reject the traditional roles of upper-class English society. It is interesting to note that two women from completely different times and classes can have the same oppressive experiences.

The House on Mango Street is powerful because it is vivid. The author is able to paint a true picture of a girl growing up and the people, places, things and experiences that surround her. I was moved and slightly disturbed by the theme of sexuality. Esperanza and her friends discover high heels and hips together, but they quickly realize that wearing the high heels around Mango Street gets them unwanted attention from men. This is different from my own experiences playing with my mother's high heels. I never had to worry about walking around my neighborhood and being harassed by older men. When Esperanza gets her first job, a grown man grabs her and kisses her on the mouth. I was disturbed by this episode and began to think about just how lucky I am to have grown up in a nice neighborhood. The neighborhood a young girl grows up in truly does make a difference.

I would say that Life of Pi is a bildungsroman. However, it is not obviously so like other novels we have read, such as Huck Finn. I say this because Pi seems strong and mature at a very young age. He finds a faith in God without his parents, which is a very big step for a young person. He is not afraid to embrace Christianity, Islam and Hinduism despite what society says is right. Even in school he has the guts to get up in front of the class and change his name. He seems to have always been a take-charge kind of person, so it is not surprising when he decides to take charge in the lifeboat and go exploring for water, build a raft, train Richard Parker and learn to fish and catch turtles. However, surviving on a life boat for 227 days will inevitably cause a young man to change and grow. Pi functions in society well, but the true test is how he functions alone in the middle of the Pacific. He passes this test. Pi learns to be resourceful and brave. Rather than losing faith in God, his faith in God grows along with him.

I love this passage, and I love the idea of "the deathbed leap of faith" (64). Ultimately, we are all forced to take a leap of faith in this life. It is the agnostics, however, who refuse to take this leap of faith. They do not have faith in God, and they do not have faith that there is no God. They merely exist, which is a horrible, ignorant way to live life. Everyone needs to believe in something, or a lack of something. It is human nature to question the existence of God, but I believe it is also human nature to eventually make a decision one way or the other. Agnostics go through all the years of their life lost. They sit, balancing on a fence and refuse to jump to the right or to the left. They are not completely human. They somehow and for some reason refuse to accept their humanity, and instead live in doubt. My 6th grade teacher always drilled into our heads that you have to stand for something or you'll fall for anything. Agnostics remind me of this quote. They stand for nothing, so they have no basis of belief upon which to base decisions. They live a life of confusion and inconsistency.

I love this book!!!

Although I am not quite finished, I can already tell that the Life of Pi is going to be my favorite book thus far. It is hilarious and serious at the same time. I love the theme of tolerance—I love that Pi is a practicing Hindu, Christian and Muslim. He is very different from the rest of his modern family. Even the three bickering religious leaders can do nothing but smile when Pi quotes Gandhi on the truth of all religions and then simply says, “I just want to love God” (69). Tolerance is so important, especially in the world today. In Waco, Texas and in the Baylor Bubble I think we could use a little more tolerance. Why can’t we just all focus on loving God, rather than hating each other? I am grateful for being in the BIC because I think we have learned to be tolerant people even in this sometimes intolerant place. After all, we have attended Jewish, Hindu and Muslim worship services and read literature from each religion. If Pi were a Baylor student, he would definitely be a BICer!

Going After Cacciato is not a bildungsroman. Paul Berlin, the main character, struggles with his fear throughout the novel. He never grows out of it, he never changes and he never matures. He is a static character. His fear consumes him whether he is in battle or relatively safe at the observation post. He goes back and forth from reality to fantasy in order to deal with this fear. He repeatedly talks about not wanting to die and wanting to go home to his father. He explains that he almost died once, but he was not brave enough to go into the tunnel to retrieve his fellow soldier. His imagination is what keeps him able to survive. He even rationalizes the trip to Paris by going through the objections people back home will have to his story, if he lives to tell it. He says, “Sure, there were always the skeptics. But he would explain. Carefully, point by point, he would show how these were petty details. Trivial, beside the point” (125). Paul Berlin ends the novel the same as he began when it started; a very frightened young man stuck in a war he constantly escapes through chasing Cacciato.

The Provost made some very interesting points. I remember him stating that "War is hell" several times. The most important thing I got out of his lecture, however, is a realization about myself and my home town. The Provost said that people looked down on him, and others like him, as just worthless enlisted guys who were either dumb or just unambitious. I am from Lawton, Oklahoma. It is the home of a very large army base, Ft. Sill. All my life I have heard people talk about the difference between GIs and officers. GIs are the gross guys who show up in the bus at the mall and hit on 16-year-old girls. Officers, on the other hand, are educated and to be respected. People in the community talked to them and thanked them for their service. I was at a bar back home over Easter Break and I met a few guys who were in officer training school at Ft. Sill for 6 weeks. They kept talking about how they did not want to come with my friends and I to a different bear because all the "joes" would be there. They were talking about the GIs. I just laughed and agreed. Now, however, I feel really bad for having that opinion for so long. Any person in the military deserves respect, whether they just enlisted or went to college first. The Provost could once have been termed a "joe" by those officers at one time, but he ended up making a huge success out of his life. I am glad the Provost came to speak because it really made me reevaluate a view I have held for a long time.