Schooled

Bill on Updike

2010-03-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

My friend Bill works Friday afternoons at the library. He and I have become the most unlikely of buddies. I've known him for nearly five years and for the first two years, I just didn't like him much. He can be pretty coarse and overly direct (he makes me cringe when talks sometimes), but he's now one of my best friends. This will give you more of a background about our relationship.

Anyway, a few months back Bill asked me for a list of books that I thought he might enjoy reading. He's seen the stuff I take on: Ulysses in my bag, and The Education of Henry Adams on CD in my truck. He knows I don't care to read fluff.

So I gave Bill a list. I don't recall exactly what I wrote down, but John Updike's Rabbit is Rich was among them. When Bill came into work yesterday, he told me he just finished the book. He went on to say it was an OK read, and certainly not the easiest book he had read. He went on and wondered why it had won the Pulitzer Prize back in 1980. Then Bill asked me why I liked the book.

I was taken a little aback because I really didn't think Bill would actually read anything I put on that list. But as with many things over the years, he continues to surprise me.

"Well, a lot of what happened in that book made sense to me. Many of the events and plot points resonated with what's happened in my own life," I said.

I knew this was a complete non-answer, but I just wasn't prepared for the question, I guess. Bill studied me intently.

"So, you're into wife-swapping?" he asked. I burst into laughter. Partner-swapping is certainly a motif, if not a theme of the book.

"No, I'm not," I replied, still laughing.

"Are you thinking about wife-swapping?" Bill asked. Again, I burst into laughter.

"Well, what is it?" Bill pressed on. He was quite serious in his questions, which made me laugh even more.

Unfortunately, I never gave Bill what I thought was a good answer. But he really made me think about that book again. After telling the story to Erin this morning, I concluded that I found Rabbit is Rich meaningful for the same reason I like the Showtime series Weeds. It's a poignant picture of white middle-class America. It shows all of our foibles, how seriously we take ourselves, and just how ridiculous we can be. It's fun and frightening at the same time.

Bill reminded again me how layered life is. That there's a lot more to that little gal next to you than you might think. Be careful.

Ulysses: Pages 7-9

2010-03-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

Buck takes Stephen's arm and they walk around the tower together. Buck half-apologizes for teasing Stephen. Shouts from young men are nearby. The men appear to be gambling.

Stephen is holding back and Buck asks him what it is. Stephen says it was when Buck said, "O, it's only Dedalus whose mother is beastly dead" (p. 8). Buck asks if he had somehow offended Stephen's mother when he said that, but Stephen says that he did not. That Buck had instead offended Stephen himself.

Buck calls Stephen 'impossible' and storms off. Stephen remains standing by the bay. The water of the bay changes appearances from moment to moment. The bay appears to Stephen as a "bowl of bitter waters" (p. 9).

This is the first time that I've noticed that the bay is acting as a foil for Stephen's emotions and feelings.

Ulysses: Pages Five and Six

2010-03-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

Buck comments on the color "snotgreen" and compares it to the color of the sea outside the tower window. Buck then says "the aunt" believes Stephen killed his own mother. That Stephen mother begged Stephen to pray for her while she was dying, but he wouldn't do it. Buck says there is something sinister in Stephen and continues to shave. Buck smiles and says she was a lovely mom.

Stephen gazes at his fraying coatsleeve and then out at the sea. He feels pain about his mom and remembers the white china bowl full of her vomit on the day she died.

Buck asks Stephen how his new secondhand trousers fit. Stephen says fine, but can't wear them because they are gray. Buck jokes that Stephen can kill his mom but can't find it in himself to wear gray trousers.

Buck finishes shaving and laughs again.

Ulysses: Page Two

2010-03-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

Buck continues to shave. Stephen asks Buck how long Haines will stay in the tower (don't yet know who Haines is) . Buck says Haines is "dreadful." Stephen appears to be afraid of Haines and threatens to leave if Haines stays on. Buck asks Stephen for his noserag to wipe his razor.

Chrystostomos

2010-03-02T09:33:00.000-08:00

Encountered an interesting word on page one of Ulysses. I puzzled over it a bit, but moved on without forming any opinion of it. However, Greg helped me out:

Chrystostomos literally means "Gold Mouth." On one level it's just a bit of association from Stephen, knowing his Catholic church stuff very well (he thought of becoming a priest, but turned his back on it--you'll get more of that later), associating Buck's gold fillings in his mouth with that Greek term. But it's also about a 2nd cent "heresiarch" named Chrystosomos, who was such an excellent speaker he was nicknamed Golden Mouth. So to Stephen, Buck is a golden tongued deceiver. But it also ties in with Stephen's ideas of turning his back on the Catholic church and being a heretic himself.

Greg told me, too, that Buck nor Stephen are men of the cloth. I'm in for a beating...

Ulysses: Page One

2010-02-28T10:57:00.000-08:00

Buck Mulligan and Stephen Dedalus are introduced. Both appear to be men of the cloth. It is morning. Buck is shaving and washing up. They are in the countryside and the mountains are awash in early light. Stephen is sleepy as he meets Buck. Buck comments on Stephen's name, an "absurd name, an ancient Greek" (p. 4).

And So It Begins...

2010-02-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

Ulysses is on my desk. A brand-new, fresh copy that's my very own.

Critics say Ulysses is probably the best organized work in Western literature (or that it at least shares the distinction with Dante's Divine Comedy). But most people tell me it's unreadable, save my friend Greg. Greg loves Ulysses so much he's read it three times.

I'm ready to dive in. I'm not expecting much from my end of the bargain, but I'll get what I can out of it. I'll let you know how it goes.

Dan

2010-02-09T09:41:00.000-08:00

We were running against each other
I remember your jersey, yellow and green
The open field
It was hot and the sky was blue
The path was perfect for pushing hard

Thanks for the ride home
Your old '57 Chevy
What we talked about I don't recall
But I appreciated your kindness
So long ago.

Moby Dick: Does the Whale's Magnitude Diminish? Will He Perish? (Chap. 105)

2010-01-28T12:46:00.000-08:00

Ishmael continues his reverence for the whale. He reflects upon not only the whale's physical size (being the world's largest creature), but also the whale's enormity in the human imagination. Even if there was to be another flood as in the days of Noah, the whale would survive, "spouting his frothed defiance to the skies." (p. 425)

On Reading

2010-01-22T08:57:00.000-08:00

If, in this lifetime, I only got to know four or five books really well, I would be content. Of course, they have to be books worth reading.

Moby Dick: Stowing Down and Clearing Up (Chap 97)

2010-01-21T13:18:00.000-08:00

Describes how vile the ship becomes after capturing and slaughtering a whale. A few days later, you wouldn't know it's the same ship because it is so clean. It wears the sailors out to continually go through this cycle of killing and cleaning. Ishmael yearns for a simpler time in ancient Greece when one just learned how to splice a rope.