Desperation Part II

I am about halfway through my Stephen King book, and it has taken an interesting turn.  It is not simply about an insane cop killing people.  In the town of Desperation, there is some primeval force at work, and God has made a deal with a young boy to stop it.  The boy, David, had a friend who was hit by a car, and the doctors claimed that the friend was brain dead.  There was absolutely no way the friend would ever wake up.  David goes to say good bye to his friend in the hospital.  After the hospital visit, David prays for his friend to get better.  God tells David that he will answer his prayer, but David owes him.  The next day the friend wakes up. David’s family ends up in Desperation and it’s quid pro quo.   It’s an interesting twist.  Stephen King is by no means a theologian but his views on God are very interesting.  While God is a loving God, he is also a cruel God.  While David seems to have the hand of God protecting him, his family is not immune.  David watches helplessly as his younger sister is murdered right in front of him.  The fact that be believes that God is cruel is actually a comfort to him in the times which he must do difficult tasks.  So far the body count if up to four.  I’m sure more people are going to die, but I’m really attached to the survivors.  I can’t wait to see what else Mr. King has in store for me!

Reading log Friday:  1 pm – 2 pm

Saturday:  9 pm – 10 pm

Desperation

In the spirit of Halloween, I started reading the book Desperation by Stephen King.  As of right now, the book is about a crazy, homicidal cop who keeps abducting people off of Highway 50 the “loneliest highway in America.”  So far the body count is up to two people:  one adult male, and one little girl.  Stephen King is one of the most creative, weird, and depraved authors I have ever read.  Unlike To Kill a Mockingbird, I don’t see any life lessons coming from this book.  The other night I was driving in Wichita and I saw a cop who had pulled someone over.  I was terrified and glad it wasn’t me.  Knowing Stephen King, there will be many twists and turns along the way, and I am very excited to discover what they are. 

Reading log:  Monday:  9:15 pm - 10 pm

Wednesday:  10 pm - 11 pm

Saturday:  2 pm - 2:30 pm

To Kill a Mockingbird Part II

I have now finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird.  There are many obvious lessons to be learned from this wonderful book; however, I want to look at a less obvious one.  The character of Aunt Alexandra is an immensely unlikable person. She is Atticus Finch's sister.  All that seems to matter to her is keeping up appearances.  Then there is a point in the novel in which Tom Robinson is killed, and it tears Atticus up.  For an instance, he seems defeated.  Now, Aunt Alexandra did not support Atticus in his decision to defend Tom Robinson who is a black man.  She seemed to think that it was giving their family a bad name.  Her reaction to Tom's death is unexpected.  She is shaken, and she is angry.  She sees what it is doing to her brother, and she can't stand it.  This teaches us that people are three-dimensional.  There is a reason for the way they act, and there is usually more to them than meets the eye.  Although Aunt Alexandra did many things that makes the reader cringe, it turns out she does truly care for her family.  She only does what she does only because she believes it is what is best for them.  This lesson can be summed up by the old cliche, "Don't judge a book by its cover."

Reading log:
Tuesday: 9 pm -9:30 pm
Wednesday:  10:15 pm - 10:40 pm
Friday 1 pm - 1:30 pm

To Kill a Mockingbird-Miss Maudie

Last Sunday, I watched the movie To Kill a Mockingbird staring Gregory Peck.  For those of you who haven't seen it, I recommend that you add it to the list of movies to see before you die.  I had read the book in middle school but that was almost 10 years ago.  I realized that I didn't remember a single thing about the book, so I decided it was time for a reread.  I've been reading it for the past week and am a little over halfway done.  I'm glad I recently watched the movie because now when I'm reading I can visualize Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch and all the other characters as they appear in the movie.  I am a very visual person so that can make it hard for me to visualize some things by just reading about them (this does not make reading any less enjoyable for me).  This is why it is sometimes beneficial for me to watch the movie before I read the book.  To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story told from the perspective of Scout, a young tomboy girl growing up during the depression.  She has an older brother named Jem who she looks up to.  During the summer a boy named Dill spends his time next door.  Dill and Scout are engaged, and Dill exclaims that he will never love another woman.  Her father is Atticus Finch who is a lawyer.  I have read that Harper Lee actually based the character of Atticus on her father.  Scout and Jem's mother died when they were younger so the family is helped by a Negro housekeeper named Cal.  Down the street lives a mysterious family:  the Radleys.  Their son Boo never leaves the house and many days the children spend trying to draw him out.  There are several more secondary characters; however, I am going to talk about one in particular:  Miss Maudie.  Miss Maudie is a neighbor of Scout and Jem who spends the majority of her time tending to her flowers.  She forges a strong relationship with the children allowing them to play in her yard and spending time with Scout when Jem feels he's outgrown his younger sister.  She's frank and honest, but not in a mean way.  One night her house catches fire, and the entire neighborhood works to save as many of her possessions as possible from her house.  Firefighters are unable to save it.  The next day the children go to see Miss Maudie who is working in her garden. Her house was all she had.  They expected her to be upset.  Instead.  "[...] the shadow of her old grin crossed her face. 'Always wanted a smaller house, Jem Finch.  Gives me more yard.  Just think, I'll have more room for my azaleas now!'"  Here who is woman who has seemingly lost everything looking on the bright side of things.  People have felt a whole lot sorrier for themselves for a whole lot less.  There are some things that a person just cannot change.  There is no point in lamenting that fact.  A person may not be able to control everything about their life, but they can control what they do about it.  I want to be more like Miss Maudie.  It's time to stop dwelling on our circumstances and start asking, "What am I going to do about it?"

Reading log:
Monday-10:00 pm -10:30 pm
Wednesday-9:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Thursday-10:30 pm-11:30 pm