Since I last posted, Cliff has made his way through Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Washington (state). He has also rid himself of Marybelle, dropping her off with her family. As he travels through these states, Cliff has shown different sides of his personality. My first impression was that he was pretty straightforward - used to be a teacher, then a farmer, is now retired, doesn't think too much about things. But as the road trip progresses, the more contemplative side of Cliff has come out. For example, while sitting on the balcony of his hotel room in Washington, Cliff reflects for a while about how much good this trip is actually doing him. He says, "I felt like a missile or rocket without ground control... Reality seemed to be crumbling and I was wise enough to understand that reality stayed the same so it was my mind that was crumbling" (101). Harrison uses a simile to show that although Cliff has simply been cruising through states one at a time, he hadn't really thought about what he was doing until this moment. I think this could be a major turning point for both the trip and Cliff himself, but I can't be sure because then the chapter ended and I stopped reading. I predict that he will make some changes to his plan, or we'll begin to see changes in his character.
I'm starting to like Harrison's writing style more and more. At first, I couldn't figure out why he's such a highly praised author. The thing is, you really have to pay attention to details or you'll completely miss essential points that could tell you something about a theme or a character. One example of this is how Harrison often disperses Cliff's memories from childhood or marriage throughout random moments. I used to read these but not acknowledge them or what they told me about Cliff, dismissing them as useless anecdotes. But more and more I've noticed their importance. During the trip through Montana, Cliff becomes slightly sick, and recalls how his mother used to care for him during illness as a kid. He reminisces, "the only time my mother was soft and kind and gentle to me was when I was sick. When I got measles she was a Sister of Eternal Mercy and Love. When I was well she saved it all for my little brother with Down's" (81). While at first this story is cute at best, it really tells you more than you think. For one, it reminds you that Cliff grew up with a disabled brother. Also, you can infer that most of the time his mother wasn't overly affectionate and didn't give Cliff mounds of attention. This explains why Cliff doesn't require extensive company - he's happiest when Marybelle is gone, and often reminisces about how he enjoyed his dog's comany more than his wife's. One theme I can kind of see developing so far is that attempting to escape from problems in your life won't get rid of them, and may just make them all the more apparent. This is strong in the story because Cliff has run away from his old life and his ex-wife, but continues to come to conclusions about his problems that he wouldn't have seen had he stayed home.
Harrison, Jim. The English Major. New York: Grove Press, 2008.
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4 comments:
This sounds like a really interesting book. It almost makes it seem like Cliff is really taking this trip to forget about his problems, instead of facing them at the root. But maybe running away temporarily is good sometimes, because it gives people time to think things over and lose some emotions that could be interfering with a solution.
I think that Cliff must be learning a lot about himself on his road trip. Sometimes it's easiest to discover things about who you are when you get out of your normal life and routine and do something new. So even though his road trip won't solve his problems, maybe it will give him the understanding and self-awareness that he needs to solve his own problems.
I think that your comments about how the author is developing Cliff's character are interesting. It seems like the author is slowly revealing who Cliff so that the reader feels like he or she is getting to know Cliff the way you get to know people in real life. The anecdotal way of telling about Cliff adds to this life-like introduction of Cliff, because anecdotes are often how you learn about someone's life outside of books, too.
I can see why that story might be important about how his mother was unusually nice when he was sick. It is kind of sad, but I guess he had a brother with Down's. Good job identifying themes.
I think it is interesting that Cliff is learning more about himself and his personality. As the book progresses, the author seems to show more and more of his true personality. As he drifts from his normal life he becomes a different person. Many people would skip over the quote about his childhood and his mother. But when you read closer one can tell that his mother indeed was only nice and affectionate when he was sick. This is very interesting. When you read about Cliff's past life, it tells you more about who he is and who he used to be.
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