Turner, Hannibal Crossing the Alps
1. How much compassion does the story or the author have for Francis and his plight, and how would we know?
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2. Consider the sentence in par. 135: "He had been lost once in his life . . . the path that he'd lost." Consider also the last sentence in the story: "Then it is dark . . . over the mountains." Consider also the sentence, in par. 36, "The sky shone like enamel." Comment.
OR
3. Can you find comic elements in this story? Like what?
OR
4. Notice something that no one else has noticed yet about the story.
OR
2. Consider the sentence in par. 135: "He had been lost once in his life . . . the path that he'd lost." Consider also the last sentence in the story: "Then it is dark . . . over the mountains." Consider also the sentence, in par. 36, "The sky shone like enamel." Comment.
OR
3. Can you find comic elements in this story? Like what?
OR
4. Notice something that no one else has noticed yet about the story.
20 comments:
I think that author has compassion for Francis because while reading I find myself feeling compassion and sympathy for him, even though he is considering raping a teenager. Francis has done a lot of quite harsh things since the plane crash. He is slowly going down hill, as Eric mentioned in class, everything seems to be going wrong and his life itself is crashing. His family is constantly arguing, his daughter is growing up too fast, he feels overwhelmed socially, he wants to have a love affair with a young girl, his wife wants to leave him, he is rude to an important woman in town, and he advises everyone to not hire a young man looking for a job.
All of these negative things are happening to Francis and he is having a mid life crisis. His traumatic plane crash has caused something to happen to him mentally that is making him act out. But, instead of hating him for everything he has done to his family, neighbors, and friends, and in spite os his dirty thoughts about a girl about my age, I feel bad for Francis. I want to tell him everything will be okay. I have compassion for him and I can see how hard it must be to be in his position. This shows that the author specifically used language that showed compassion for Francis. As a reader we know that Francis really isn't a ban man, he is just a man who has a lot on his shoulders and no longer knows where to turn.
Hey Everyone,
I am addressing question 3. I found emense humor in this story. All the way from a cat dressed up, to Gertrude barging in where she isn't exactly wanted. I also found humor in the dramatic moments. For example when Julia jumps to the conclusion that Francis "Hates" her, instead of using a less intense word. This story was not exactly meant to be funny but even the fact that he is more focused on the people around him, then the plane about to crash is funny in it's own way. Also the reality that a 40 something year-old man is so enamored with an 18 year old girl adds humor to an otherwise bland scene.
I really engoyed this book and hope to encounter many more stories with as much twists and turns.
In par. 135, I think that Francis Weed wanted something new to happen in his life, but he couldn't. Francis want something different. The qoute "He had been lost once in his life . . . the path that he'd lost." makes me think that Francis lost his old everyday habits, his wife Julia and friends. He does not know what path to take to make things better for him which is why he went to the psychiatrist I think...
I am not sure. (-__-)
Hey Guys, It's Mason
Addressing something that some people have noticed in the story, but not at all, was the significance is Gertrude in the story. I understand that she is a stray and walks around the neighborhood and into peoples homes, but I never really understood her purpose. I'm assuming she has a purpose and I meant to bring this question up in class, but we ran out of time. Can someone try to explain her significance in the story? Because, from what I understand, it's a story of love, passion and the desire for youth and change. But, I just don't understand how Gertrude plays a role in any of that.
"He had been lost once in his life . . . the path that he'd lost," I think that throughout the story, Francis was on the verge of a mid life crisis, which could explain his obsession with the teenager. When he got in the accident, I think that his life just flashed completely in front of his eyes and when he tried to approach his family, they did not listen. This caused him to act out and realize that people around him are changing, while the only thing he is doing is getting older. Being with a teenager gives him this illusion that he is one too. I think that he feels like time is running low and that he has no control over his life because everything is moving at such a fast pace and he cannot grasp the idea of change and people growing and developing around him. He is lost and does not know how to move forward with his life, which would explain his visit to the psychiatrist.
"Then it is dark; it is a night where kings in golden suits ride elephants over the mountains." The last sentence, in my mind just refers to his fantasy world and the idea that he is still living in it and he is not willing to face reality. Francis does not know what move to make next and I think that he feels like if he can just stay in his fantasy, then everything will be okay. He needs guidance in his life.
As Ashlie was saying, I think there are a fair amount of humorous remarks thrown into the story. One that definitely stands out is the cat wearing clothes, just because it is so bizarre. It is thrown in at the end, and I think is intended to make the reader smile as they finish the story.
Another part that struck me as being a little comical was Jupiter and Gertrude. They weren't comical in the sense they make you laugh out loud, but more they are light bits of the story that take off some of the heaviness of all of Francis's problems.
Some parts were funny such as Francis insulting (i forget her name, but the social chair lady with the curtains), and Julia's outburst at Francis. While both moments were serious in the story and involved intense emotional moments, they were also comical to me because I can picture something like that happening in real life to me (maybe not the exact same things, but that idea). I think Julia yelling at Francis for his dirty clothes and underwear on the floor was comical, just because out of all the things she could have chose to convey how much he "hated" her...that was the one he came up with.
I think that as serious as parts of the story were, the author was able to keep it from really seeming depressing with little comical moments.
Hey,
I found the story very enjoyable to read. I thought it was strange how the Weed's hired a babysitter, when one of their children, Helen, is a teenager. When she is introduced she is lying on her bed reading a True Romance Magazine. I am assuming that she is around the age 15 or older. So couldn't she have babysat for her younger siblings while her parents went out, rather then Anne or someone else. Correct me if I am wrong, or assuming incorrect assumptions, but I found that rather strange. They could saved themselves some money!
Mason, if I remember correctly, I think Mr. Durning did say a bit about Gertrude representing the balance of imperfection and perfection within the community. The seemingly "perfect" place from the outside really does have its flaws, which are evident in Jupiter and Gertrude, two "misfits" in Shady Hill.
Anyway, I do believe, like Maggie, that the author does have compassion for Francis. I believe that by using situations and characters that are believable and not completely outlandish, he makes the reader feel as if they know Francis as a friend. Many readers can probably relate to his situation, whether it is in their own life, or the life of someone they actually know (Like Mr. Durning's example of his brother, I think it was...) When you feel like you have a connection to someone, you are much more likely to "feel their pain," so to speak. Therefore, I think that Cheever had compassion for this character and wanted the reader to feel this as well. By occasionally getting inside Francis' thoughts and sharing them with us, and by giving us a full and complete view of his life, from the social aspect to the private aspect and from his happy moments to his sad moments, we can understand Francis to be a fellow human being rather than some fictional man with whom we have nothing in common.
His memory of the maid (p 67), the account of the time he sent writing a letter to Anne (p 73), and the bit when he is weighing his options of what to do next (psychiatrist, raping Anne, going to church, etc.) (p 79) are just a few examples of moments in the story that were written to make us feel closer to Francis. They are personal times that give us something to relate to. That is why I believe Cheever had compassion for Francis and wanted the reader to feel the same.
A few people have noted the humor about the cat in doll clothes, Jupiter, and Gertrude. To add, I think the beginning when the children and all the chaos happens at the dinner table is a pretty funny scene. The humor in this story can be easily pictured by the reader. Overall, the whole story, in a sense is humorous because of Francis' ridiculousness and everything going on. It portrays the foolish behavior of mid-life crisis and how funny it can be when someone loses their grip! I hope I am making sense?
Hello,
So addressing the comical aspect of the story, I suppose there is not a lot to add besides Gertrude, the dog, the cat in clothing, etc. However on the overall story, I believe the story is quite comical in that throughout the entire thing, Francis is having this total inner struggle. Even when he sees the psychiatrist, he does not express any feelings other than "I'm in love." I find it quite funny that throughout the course of the entire story, Francis does not speak of what he feels or what has happened. Even with his wife Julia; he tried to tell her about the plane crash but besides that, he keeps to himself. Maybe I am just seeing some sort of comical side that no one else does though, can't be quite certain...
Responding to question 2, Francis finally realized his mistakes of lusting for a teenager. Francis’s obsession of Anne made him distanced from his interest in his wife and their reputation. He was “lost in the forest,” but as soon as he goes to a psychiatrist, he is able to “cure” himself from the obsession. When "the sky was enamel," Francis got hs life path back and whenever he feels down, his psychatrist advised him to build a coffee table as a therapy.
sup,
As we talked in detail during class, Francis is going through what seems to be a mid-life crisis. Francis seems to be bored with his life and his routine. Surely, the agony of his day repeated over and over again causes him to make decisions he most likely will regret. He loves his wife and his family but seems to forget the important things during his state of mind.
I think John Cheeves wrote this story with compassion for its main character. He felt a connection with Francis and wanted the reader to stay on his side from beginning to end. It is easy to love a character as the author introduces them, and after getting comfortable with the character's description and actions throughout a story, you get a feel for their natural tendencies to be good or bad. With Francis, I took pity on him because of the traumatic plane crash. I understood his character's frustration with the perfect neighborhood in which he lived, the repetitive routine he was caught in, and the shallowness and plainness of the people in his life. When Francis began falling in love, the reader feels they could excuse his feelings of lust as a way to break the system or to get through what he's experienced that no one else can understand. When he lashes out at others and begins thinking of raping Anne, I felt all along that he couldn't do it. Something about his character shows that he was a decent man who couldn't let himself go completely out of control. That trust for the main character that the author instills in the reader, makes me believe that Cheeves loved his character and believed he was a good man in a bad place. Also, the fact that in the end, Francis asked for help, made it known that the author wanted to send a positive message- despite the horrors Francis went through. By the last page, everything has clearly become normal again, or perhaps it had only changed momentarily for Francis and no one had noticed. However, there is a feeling that Francis was deeply changed by his experiences and saw the world through different eyes. This new beginning gave him a chance to fix things with his wife, pay more attention to his children, apologize to his friends, and overall to understand himself better. (Like Eric said in class) It's possible that once he hit rock bottom, he realized all that he had and how important it was to him.
hahahaha I meant John Cheever... sorry about that
Hakuna Matata!
Humor? This story is FULL of humor. The simple fact that Francis allows himself to so fully become immersed in his emotions that such a story occurs is humorous. The fact that Francis Weed is so barely dazzled by a PLANE CRASH but can so utterly be destroyed by mere emotions is humorous.
Smaller, more minute analysis brings even more humorous observations to the foreground. The possibility that while Francis is having an affair with a girl himself, his wife is simultaneously possibly having an affair as well is humorous. Overall Francis' unstable, train wreck of emotions provides a plentiful abundance of humor.
3. Can you find comic elements in this story? Like what?
eric stevens says ZONE.
Can you find comic elements in this story? Like what?
- finding the humor in things in life doesn't always mean something funny. It can mean something ironic. When they got into a fight there is a point where the text gets comical. "I don't know, I just looked at a timetable. There's an eleven-sixteen into New York. I'll take that." This is rather comical because she's trying to leave and get out the door, but it's like, you have a family, you have NO idea how to even use the trains, clearly, and its like, she needs to sit down and talk to him. It's rather ironic that she's just trying to peace it.
yeah....
Hey,
adressing question #3 i found this story very humurous. Especially the way the cat was all dressed up. Also i thought Francis's reaction to the plane crash was very funny along with the reaction from his family. Like Eric said a lot of comical things happened in the text.
hi this is pall. I'm going to take a stab at question number 4.
This may be going too far out on a limb, but i think this idea may be interesting, and I'm pretty sure i haven't heard anyone else talk about it. Everyone has talked about Jupiter the dog, and the cat dressed up in funny clothes, but no one has said anything about their relationship. Even though it may not be true all the time, one always imagines a cat running away from a dog. Jupiter, as already discussed, is a misfit in Shady Hill and could be thought of as a bringer of trouble, and representative of the troubles and problems that everyone goes through in the story. I mentioned yesterday, on the blog, that i thought that the cat represented francis being uncomfortably forced back into his old life, with the addition of woodworking. So if we hold both of these to be true, it is not hard to imagine that Francis will be running way from any troubles or frustrations that he may have,(similar to those in the story, of course), for the rest of his life, just like a cat is always running away from a dog.
In response to question 4.
I found the whole interaction between Francis and the girl on the train to be very interesting. As he seeks out the girl his desperation is very evident and grows the more he fallows. Just as he reaches her his emotional angst is at a peek, and is then rappidly deminished when the harsh reality hits that this was not the girl who consumes his thoughts.
I found this to represent how much of Francis life seems to be lately. He is trying so hard and has become lost in his dreams and desires, and yet they don't really end up the way he imagines.
The overall theme and the dilema that lead to the climax and the end of the story is quite enjoyable and exciting to read. It can be also described as a comical point of view because of such unexpected happening that actually happens in the book. Francis is the one who acutally writes the synario of the comic in this book. His extraordinary behavior and characteristic definitely surprise the readers. The story well portraits some happenings when people loose their mind and go kind of crazy.
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