Reading Journal <Different Seasons> “The body” first 30 pages
Considering the number of pages, the first 30 pages didn’t even reach the rising action. Still, owing to the detailed explanation of the setting and characters, I was able to have a slightest guess about the overall atmosphere and flow of the story. I got two main impressions.
To begin with, the four main characters created a very bizarre atmosphere. In most of the stories where kids lead the plot, there is at least one kid who brightens up the atmosphere. For example, “Tam Sawyer and his adventures” is one of the naughtiest stories that I have ever read. Even in that novel, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Fin are both vibrant and zealous adventurers and make the story more interesting. However, in the first 30 pages of “The body”, the four main characters create an ambience that is rather gloomy and horrifying. Teddy is simply a crazy guy who likes to make problems. Chris is always harassed by his drunken father. All these elements contribute to the horrifying atmosphere of the story.
Next, I could easily empathize with the characters in the metafiction within this story which was “Stud City”. It was because this novel reminded me of my cousin sister’s personal experience. After my cousin’s father divorced with his wife, a new stepmother came into my cousin’s house. She definitely displayed vanity and extravagance just like the woman who appears in the novel “Necklace” by Maupassant. Thus, my cousin had no choice but to detest her new stepmother who was constantly exerting an insidious influence on her family. The discord that happens in Chico’s family is very similar to the experience of my poor cousin sister. This kind of personal experience, although not direct, enabled me to understand the feelings of the characters more profoundly as if I had become a real character in the novel.
Only 30 pages don’t suggest much about the theme or the main events. However, they definitely established the basic atmosphere of the story. I am very looking forward to what is lying ahead of the four naughty boys during their adventure.
You have read a lot of books - and it shows in your writing! You aren't the first to compare this work to Mark Twain's work, as naughty boys running around in the woods is a similar theme. I was also reminded of "the dead cat" in Tom Sawyer. In the case of The Body the cat is a human on a different scale.
답글삭제You are the first to comment on Stud City. It's an interesting tactic, and it does complement the main story in an interesting way. It's "hackneyed" writing to say the least, but it's also interesting for that very reason. I'm glad you like the book so far, but in my opinion it really isn't that "horrible" or gloomy. I think you'll enjoy the film after reading.
I tried to read a lot of books when I was young and the reading process itself is absolutely amusing. But I guess I have difficult reading a lot of books in KMLA since enormous amount of workload is given to me.
답글삭제By the way, I started to like Stephen King's writing style.