Monday, August 14, 2006
Andy 7
Well I read the book, and I have multiple comments as well as opinions of this novel, after finishing it. First let me say how impressed I was, with the fact that it kept your attention just about the whole way through. The beginning was a little choppy but what beginning isn't? I enjoyed especially, trying to figure out what was going to happen next. There were just so many little twists, and turns, that it made the story sometimes unpredictable. Though, it still managed to leave you with a small hidden hint, just about each time. The character, Clay, was just so interesting to follow. At first, he was just a poor lawyer working at the OPD, then became a multi-million dollar tort lawyer. It was just such an enjoyable story, with a plot that could be molded page, after page. Although it was such a good read, I'm not sure if I will be reading another Grisham book anytime soon, because I have a lot of other books on my list to get through.
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Ok, so I think this is the right place to write, if not I'll be very upset. Anyway, I am now on to my next book, the classic "Tortilla Flat" by John Steinbeck. I have decided to try and make a prediction about this book, only after having read the first page. It is obvious that the story is centered around the character Danny, and how he must learn to take on some sort of responsibility in his life. I assume this by the passage, of how his grandfather had left him some property in his will, and instead of handling the new responsibility like a civilized person, he decided to get drunk and cause trouble. He gets into a few fights, and then is arrested with a thirty day sentence, only because he was recently discharged from the army. From the way this first page is written, and from my past knowledge of Steinbeck, I can tell that I will really enjoy this book. Especially because it happens to be about a lazy guy that really just doesn't want to do anything but hang out.
I have read the first few chapters, which have given me a new character, Pilon. Pilon is just like Danny. He has no job, no money, and any income he does come into, he spends it on wine. This is why it is no surprise that Danny and Pilon are best friends. So far Danny has moved into one of his two houses, and is allowing Pilon to rent the other. The only thing is that Pilon never pays the fifteen dollar rent, and Danny never asks for it. Money and wine seem to be a reoccuring theme throughout the first several chapters. I compare this analysis to a book by T.S. Arthur, called "Ten Nights in a Bar Room." The whole message of that novel, is that alcohol can change the most decent of men, and to definitely not spend your money and your time on a night of drinking. I think that the two friends will face a problem brought on by alcohol, and that the situation will test their friendship, and their trust in one another.
Pilon, and his new roommate, Pablo, have just acquired another friend to add to their house. Jesus Maria, is no different than the other two, as all he does is drink and laze around. The three of them drink gallon after gallon of wine, and never do anything productive. It also seems that as the story progresses their dialouge becomes less intellectual, and that they are not as smart as they used to be. They become more ignorant and stupid, with each sip of wine. This eventually leads to the accident of having their house burn down. All three of them had went to bed drunk, and did not close the gate on the stove, so a nearby piece of paper was easily invited to catch fire. This spread through all of the house, and burned everything to ash. Believe it or not, the only thing they were thinking about as they watched their home fall to the ground, was that they left their wine inside, and did not save it on their way out.
I think a good thought to keep in mind while reading this book, is the act of stealing, and being in desperation. It seems that we always find Pilon and his companions, begging, stealing, or trading something for food. Though they seem surprisingly happy, and do not care as much as an honest person would. When they are hungry, they find something to eat. When they are thirsty, they drink. Whether they steal, or earn things honestly, it doesn't matter to them either way. This made me think about whether I would be a starving honest person, or a surviving thief. Honestly I cannot say which, because I have never been in true desperation, but through human nature, I think anyone can say that they would be in both worlds, just like Pilon and his friends. Though now that they have had the taste of owning a house, I can only wonder if they will now seek an honest position in society.
As I have read further into this novel, I begin to wonder what it would be like to live like Pilon. He essentially does what he wants, when he wants to. That, to me, is ultimate freedom, yet it might be constricting, because when one has unlimited potential, certain things that were once very intriguing, lose their appeal. For example, Pilon has been very poor his whole life, and he had that small taste of wealth, when he had his own house. Now that that is gone, being poor is not as comfortable as he once made it. Before he had the house, all the small things in life, were his greatest treasures. Now that he has to return to his old lifestyle, he can no longer appreciate the little things in life, because he has indulged in the wealth of society, and is now greedy for more of that.
I think that it is now time to make another prediction for this book. From how things are between all of the friends, I can sense that there is going to be some sort of fight. I just can't picture Danny continually forgiving his friends for betraying him. They burned his house down, they never pay rent, and all the ideas they have to pay him back, result in buying wine and getting drunk. As I have stated before, all of the problems in this book are caused by alcohol, and are resolved by alcohol. I think that somewhere along the line this will lead to a big problem, that will end in a tragedy for all of the characters. Everyone is just so irresponsible that they're just probing trouble all the time. But I don't think that it bothers them in the slightest, because they do what they want, and live how they please, no matter what the situation is.
Well this is my last comment on "Tortilla Flat." It's about time if you ask me. You know this book really surprised me, with Danny dying, and both houses burning down, but it was the message from all of this that I really enjoyed. I had interpreted the book to be based on a moral of responsibility. A young man was blessed with two houses, friends, and a chance to start over. He became careless, and did not take care of things like he should have. He should have reprimanded his friends for their stupidity, and mistakes, and should have dealt with his drinking problem. This book really showed me how being responsible, though very difficult at times, is one thing that will always pay off in the future. If you do not gain a material item out of it, you learn some valuable lesson, that can only be earned by such experience. The sweet simple life, of carelessness, and ignorance, can only last so long, compared to a life of labor, and effort that pays off ten fold. All in all, a man can do what he wants today, but he will face his results, good or bad, tomorrow.
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