I dont remember if my group is Humor one or two but I'm going to snag this post for my group (:
It Happened In School hasnt really made me laugh. Not cool. Its not a bad book though. The only thing that kind of makes me chuckle is how all of the teachers try so hard to make people laugh, and fail so hardcore. Their students just stare at them, and so do other teachers in the lounge. Oh, wait! One that made me laugh was the story about the teacher that went to some conference thing of some sort. The guest speaker thought he was special and asked the butter-boy for some extra butter, but was denied. Well, you guys read it so I dont have to explain the story, but I liked it =] Dont you guys want to play the game that one of the teachers made up? It seems fun. One of the other teachers seemed epic because they like chased a boy all over the place. Wouldnt it be hilarious if one of our teachers just started springting 007-style out of the room?
HAHAHA, okay so Ive been blogging while reading and like adding stuff as I go. I just finished the Snoopy story. Sooooo embarrassing! I wouldnt have said anything if I were him. Or maybe I would have agreed with the kid who asked if it was just my breakfast on my shirt.
Hmmmm, I cant really decide if Mr. Crosby is cool or not. He just seems a bit strange. I was expecting him to be pretty young, but he's been teaching at the same school for over thirty years, yikes.
Okay so originally when I agreed to read this book, I didn't know that all of the stories were from the same teacher. I thought it would be more of like a "Chicken Soup" for teachers revolving around funny things that happen at school. Turns out all the stories generally were by the same guy, Bob Crosby. He's been teaching for a pretty long time and some of his stories are pretty funny.
However, I agree with Rita... I feel like maybe teachers will find this book funnier than I do so far? I mean, yeah some stories, I can see the humor in. Others, like the one about his family and his colleagues both finding his joke not funny...that was just...not funny.
The story about getting dog poop on his shirt was pretty humorous. I'm hoping there will be more funny stories like this for the remainder of the book, I guess. It's been a pretty easy read so far...maybe too easy. Let's try something a little bit more intellectually stimulating next time, guys. :P
So like Rita said, I am not sure if were Humor one or two so I am following her!
I am blogging as I am reading and and the first story made me laugh once, when one of the players on the girls volleyball team had a master key to the school and Bob was like "WHAT the...where did you get...never mind..." I imagined me telling one of my teachers that I had a master key to Malden High and pictured how he/she would react. haha This book is already funny to me, the way Bob handled the situation of a cheater in class, by writing him a note. That's hilarious!!! I still have a good amount to read so hopefully there will be more laughs. Also a cheating story, Bob found someone cheating to such an extent, that the kid had wrote the girl's name on his paper, whom he cheated off of. The boy argued and said "you can't prove I cheated" he said "you wrote her name on your paper." LOL Rita has already blogged about the butter story, and how the guest speaker thought he was special, and was turned down so I won't elaborate, but I'll make a note and say that I thought it was very funny how he was just shut down. All the poor guy wanted was some butter. haha The film industry would not be the same, nor would the "James" Bond series be the same, Bond's first name was Phil, the movie would be less, for lack of a better word...badass.! :) I mean picture it..."Bond.Phil Bond" hahahah
Michaelangelo Bacigalupi..enough said. That story is HILARIOUS! So I am reading on and I just finished the story about "The Snooper!" haha Too funny! And yes, very embarrasing! I guess it's one of those things that, I would have to be in a similar situation to see what I would have done, lied, or told what had happened. Reguardless, this man had poo on him all day. haha
Following up on what Rita said, I am not sure if Mr. Crosby is a cool guy, he does seem like he's awesome. But I guess we'll see what the rest of the book brings!
Okay so I keep reading with the hopes that something will eventually get a good chuckle out of me, but it never happens. The first story in this next section was awful. I dont care if the boy asked why a Christmas table wasnt included in the dictionary. Maybe Mr. Crosby is just so old that he tends to find these sort of things to be the highlight of his day. Ew. I guess it was kind of amusing to read about the boy Chris on the golf team. I can just imagine all 260 pounds of him trying to lug around golf clubs, begging for food haha. One thing off topic-- the story from October 14th creeped me out. I agree with Mr. Crosby about bowling. I dont know why but Ive just never enjoyed bowling. Oh, and I enjoy the typo on page 89 =]. FINALLLYYYY! The Viagra thing totally made me laugh, and that whole story is so true. I see my teachers or former teachers all the time. Its usually pretty awkward. ...... Ive read a little more and Im not laughing. He mentions how he used to wear a tie every day but now he wears golf shirts and it made me think of my teachers. Some of my teachers get super dressed up and others dont at all. I think they should all just dress comfortable. The story about the guy Al retiring, well only a teacher would find that funny. We picked a really lame book you guys. Actually, Brittany picked a really lame book, and shes not even here anymore >:[ Not cool.
I am going to have to disagree with Rita, I think this book is very funny. Whether it be my sense of humor, or my "immature-esq" personality, I don't know but I enjoy it. It's an easy read as well so, it's not bad.
The first story in theses 100 pages that stuck out to me, was the story about the fat kid named Chris, who was on the Golf team. Chris kept askingi Bob Crosby when it was okay for him to eat, and Crosby would reply "We'll get to the food soon." Even during the Golf matches, he would say "where's that cart girl?" (the girl who had the cart of food) This made me laugh because I have friends who's names I will not mention who have this same trait to them. Always asking for food and what not, no matter what the case is it's always, "ugh when are we going to eat?! hahaha I felt like I could relate to this. Reading goes by more swiftly when a reader can connect to the text, in my opinion at least. Also, another story that I thought funny, was the story about the Gulf stream! The Marine-biology class was studyind the Gulf Stream, so they wrote notes and placesd them in bottles and dropped them into the ocean to see how far they would go, and see if anyone would find them to reply. Crosby wrote a bogus note replying to one of the girls. He had written it in spanish and wrote down a fake name and fake date. When the girl recieved her letter, she yelled, "MY BOTTLE WENT ALL THE WAY TO PORTUGAL!" They didn't have the heart to tell her that it was a joke. LOL
Now, this next story isn't very funny, but growing up in the Mal*** Public school system, we've all encountered this once or twice; a fight. Crosby just got his new room, in between classes while standing in his room he could hear a ruckus from the hallway. Upon going to see what the noise was, he saw two girls beating the bag out of one another. Instinctively, he ran over and tried to break it up; bad idea. In doing this, the girl backed him into the locker and pressed his back against the locker repeatedly, it hurt him. Eventually, more people came to break the fight up and both girls were subdued. Again, I can relate to this very well. In my years in the Mal*** Public School System, I have sene many fights. I actually witnessed my 8th grade Science teacher get puched in the face by a student.!
So I have just minutes to midnight, so I'll make this quick.... The book is good so far, and I hope the rest of the book brings me more laughter, and more things I can relate to! =) WOO WOO
Okay, so there were a few funny stories in this section. I won't talk more about the fat kid on the golf team because it's been mentioned twice but it's still hilarious. And Nick, I also loved the story about the fight. I thought it was hilarious that this full grown man couldn't hold down an 86 pound little girl!
But, we definitely need to pick something more literary and like...challenging? next time. I mean, if we were ever asked to write an explication on this book, I'd be screwed. Not saying Crosby is a bad writer at all but this book was clearly meant to get his point across and not to be rhetorically complex or anything in the process. I wish the stories weren't so detached and unrelated. If there was a constant theme throughout them all or maybe sections that talk about each part of his teaching career (teaching English, coaching volleyball, coaching golf, Honors kids vs. college prep kids), a theme would be more recognizable.
I think it's pretty interesting that they have this "magnet" schools thing in their region. Is it because that part of Florida isn't populated enough? I find it pretty odd. It's like the bussing from the 60's but it's not about race, it's just about the numbers of kids that come to that school. One of their magnet themes is "Business and Entrepreneurship". I thought the story about the kid that charged all of the cars $3 for parking at the crafts fair was a good laugh. I can't imagine that he wouldn't get in trouble. Yeah, he was using his business skills, but did they honestly think that was okay to let kids get away with it? If they allowed that to happen they might as well allow other kids to do school projects for them and charge.
Anyways...all I have to say is that the book reminds me of Chicken Soup. Not a great comparison if you're looking for something deep and meaningful haha. Let's weigh our choices better next time.
I never thought of how a student's name could affect a teacher so much. I understand what hes saying about the clothing though. I think its like that for everyone. Ohmygosh what is he saying about the dancing at prom? Obviously high school students arent going to get out on the dance floor and do the chacha like him and his wife. Is he seriously confused about this? Oh, and I think the girl in the tux and pink shoes at prom wouldve most likely been my friend, I dont see a problem with her expression of individuality, but then again, teachers probably look at me like Im nuts as well.
I dont see how the Barnaby story is funny? Accidentally throwing a handicapped student to the ground is humorous? Hmmm, this guy is weird.
Sandy totally made her husband sleep on the couch, if she read the book. Id be soooo creeped out if my teacher told me to go "peepee" for them. Some teachers that Im close to might get a giggle out of me, but I doubt it. UGH, the thing about the secretary making a joke about his wife just isnt funny! lasdjgfdskg this book needs to make me laugh! The belt story....grrr. Whats up with this guy and picking on disabled kids? =[ "I guess some people cant take a joke" -- is he serious? Maybe they cant take a joke because he cant make a joke. Is it just me or has this guy coached like every sport?
Overall, this book was a fail. There's really not much to say about characterization or setting or style. We must pick a more challenging book next time.
I actually found the story about the girl in the pink tennis shoes kind of relateable because of how at the end, after over 20 years, he realizes he still gets angry about this young girl's audacity to tell him and his wife not to dance the way they were at the prom. Sometimes in life, you remember getting angry at something petty such as that and don't realize you continue to carry that grudge for many years until the thought is brought up once again in your mind!
And I finally laughed out loud! The story about Plato and Aristotle being taught to the AP class...how all dogs have dogness, all trees have treeness, and the teacher told all of her AP students to get APness...yeah, that was silly, but it made me giggle.
Also, I wonder if teachers really enjoy messing with some kids just cause they know they're gullible? I feel like I notice this with male teachers rather than female teachers. My female teachers are usually too nice to try and make their most gullible students look foolish.
What do you guys think Crosby is trying to say about teaching in this book? I think he's a great representation of what people have been telling us a lot of lately since we're starting our college processes; we should pursue whatever it is that will make us truly happy. Clearly, Mr. Crosby really enjoys his job and is able to pull from a plethora of funny anecdotes that have occurred over the years of his teaching career. I think that in this sense, we can all learn from Mr. Crosby. As long as we pursue what will make us happy in life, there will always be something wonderful to reflect on, and hopefully always some humor in our lives.
And OMG guys....you know how the assignment is to write about the major word of the last chapter....-__- HAHAHA I think we should ask Ms. Clapp first since the entire last page is one giant rant about "sh*t".
Like I have said before, there are some funny stories, but because there is no format to the book, it seems as if every story is the beginning of the book, like there is no direction, nothing to look forward to. However, I still find certain stories funny, and others short of humor. I haven't came across a story that catches my eye, until now. Naturally, I sat up in my seat when I saw the title "Two Nick's Equal One Poncho." haha I've been in a position like this as well. While in class, Bob called on a student named Nick, but there are two Nick's in the class, so the play "the game," pretending to be confused as if they don't know which Nick he is calling on when Bob is obviously staring at the student named Nick Harper. I remember playing this same game at Salemwood, except I would do it even if there was no other student in the class named Nick, if I didn't want to participate. LOL
Now this next story wasn't funny as a whole, but I thought it funny that they had a "Nicest Person in The Universe" section in their superlatives. haha This next story that I thought now very humorous, but funny in the sense that it made me think of Rita and Sam! The story called "Straight A's." haha It was all about how students tried as hard as they could, to bring home a report card with straight a's on it, to make their parents happy. But I don't think that's what you girls get good grades for, but it still made me laugh. So as usual, I am reading as I blogging, and this story I have just came upon made me think of the old days at Salemwood. I am not going to mention the name of my friend who this reminds me of but here goes. The story I am writing about is called "Odds and Ends." It's all about how one student at the school get's away with everything, and get s out of trouble all the time because of the fact that his Mom is a cafeteria worker. This reminds me of one of my friends who I would always get into trouble with, he would always get out of getting suspended, while I would get into trouble. His Mom was also a cafeteria worker at our Middle School. This story wasn't very funny, but it made me think of my days growing up. It's good to look back at your roots sometimes. You know?
So I am done reading, and what..? no more funny. Thank you Brittany for choosing this "HILARIOUS" book. haha It wasn't bad though I had some laughs, but seriously, let's choose a "fall out of your seat" funny book next time.
thrugh our "conversations" in class, that got us to know where i say that humouris only effective to a certain extent. How one utilizwes humour and delivies it may effect people, students like us to say what the point?
i agree with you guys, that there were laughs here and there, but these stories that do not intertwine leave me hanging.
jumping from one stor to another, makes me think that this guy has a lot on his mind. He is just so excited to tell his audience about what happened in school. His short stories of his past, display the relationships between one person to another--in this case through acts of humour-- and how sometimes poeple do not understand why poeple act as they do. One can observe, but if one does not take the time to ask questions to get the whole picture, somethings will not be fully understood, and people will be left with certian impressions for the rest of their lives. For example, when smething odd, and funny pops up in the stories, it takes a wuestion to make it understanble. For instance the lady jumping up and down with the milila folder in her hand, it only took a question to be enlightened. These series of events that display such concept communicates to the reader deeply about the ways to actually learn in school. Basiacally, asking questions opens up path ways to enlightenment.
Like my spanish teacher would say, we open the door for you, you may choose to enter it. (words of wisdom =))
The Breakfast of Champions is an entertaining piece of work. What makes it interesting is the way Vonnegut structures the transitions the book. HE gives the reader a word, a phrase, or an image and then gives his own interpretation or defintion of it. Later, he utilizes this word phrase or image and displays how he incoorporates them into his conversations, or his dicription of things.For instance there is the word beaver. BEAVER is not something you would expect it to be AT ALL( youo guys know what i mean). Neither does the symbol look like a beaver or the thing it actually symbolizes whem you first look at it (pg 23). Only after he explaines or describes the symbol does the reader get wha the is showing. It's like a "what is this?" reaciton and when Vonnegut explains it, its like "oohhhhhh" and "ewww" at the same time.
I have to say that this is an intriguing, funny, weird, and semi-disgusting book.
At the start of this book I could already tell that it would be hilarious... Like Cynthia said, he takes a word or a symbol and he'll branch off and elaborate on his views of it; he's very different from the typical works I've read before. When Vonnegut speculates that humans are all robots, the FIRST thing that came to mind was Clapps robo voice from our poetry session in class today! haha And AGAIN, "beaver" ...Cynthia, desguisting. lol Mrs. Clapp if you have not yet read the book, don't look up the meaning to "beaver" ...I don't know how this book has not been banned. lol Also, reading this book makes me think... this dude has ALOT of friends that are in this book. It seems like with each turn of the page someone else is introduced; hard to keep up with. I also sense a hint of racism, or dry humor when the dudeguy Dwayne refers to the lower class part of town as the "ni**** part of town." I can't wait until after all these midterms are OVER so we can read more without the STRESS! It's not a bad read so far and finding a book that I don't HATE is very hard =)
I agree with both of you guys. The "beavers" are quite creepy, and its just hilarious. It's definitely much more enjoyable than our last book. I really enjoy Vonnegut's use of pictures. When I'm in the middle of reading something on the left page, I just cant help but look over at the right side to see if there's a funny picture coming up. It makes the reading fun when you know that you have something to laugh at only a couple of paragraphs away. I also like how his way of speaking is that of a friend. He comes off as a casual guy, it's just very informal. Oh, and Nick, this book wouldnt be banned because it's for book club, not a part of the curriculum with the school or anything like that =] Vonnegut's descriptions of his friend Dwayne are just epic. He's always "seeing" something ridiculous, but he tries to keep to himself about it, like with the eleven moons or the duck directing traffic. As a whole, the book is pretty funny, but it just has a ton of little anecdotes. I really enjoy how each paragraph is indented with an arrow. I'm actually not sure if your books have this because mine is the hard cover one, but yeah, its nice. Oh, and lets all join "Pluto Gang," okay kidding.
Rita, I think yours is the only one indented because mine is softcover and there's no indents (could just be different versions/print years or whatnot). Anyhow, this book is pretty enjoyable and a quick and easy read. Trout's ignorant sort of charisma is a funny character to follow and his little quirks and naivety tends to make me giggle. I enjoy how he refers to mirrors as "leaks", as if they can transport you to a different world. It really defines the whimsical style that Vonnegut uses in this book and it ties into Trout's obsession with scifi.
I think some of the underlying messages can be a tad creepy but they still make me laugh (who else lol'd when Trout's Nobel Peace Prize speech was simply "I see London, I see France, I see a little girl's underpants!"?). What do you guys think about the whole idea of humans being "machines"? What kind of message is Vonnegut trying to send to his readers? Hopefully as the rest of the novel plays out it'll be a bit more clear what he's getting at. I also think the social message is clear in this book--Vonnegut always distinguishes between the Americans who are "well-to-do" (rich) and those who have "doodley-squat" (poor). So as goofy as this story is, it's definitely humor with a purpose!
I think that some people would get offended by the expression of human beings as machines, the way it is expressed in this book. When human beings are portrayed as machines he is always talking about slaves. He could have portrayed them as just plain hardworking people, black or white, but he didn't. Just as always Vonnegut takes a term and expresses it in his own manner. Just like when he expressed the meaning of "nigger" in a way that made it seem as an acceptable word to say, so that every time the word nigger was used the reader would not be appalled. Vonnegut is attempting to express how different people interpret situations to the extent where human beings are just inanimate objects (certain human beings), but overall how people see things in different ways so that things that are unacceptable are acceptable to them.
This brings me to the various repetitive instances in the book where blacks and whites are distinguished. For instance, The Hoobler’s changed their named to Hoover because it was "a nigger name."(pg134). On page 142 it was expressed indirectly that blacks were inferior than the whites as " They went on talking English every which way. They refused to read books they couldn’t understand--on the grounds they couldn’t understand them". Moreover, on page 150 a "workman" called a horsepower "The Hundred-Nigger Machine" and the explanation following it says it all. The most prominent instance I can recall is on page 165-168 where Grace expresses her perspectives on black, she even calls them reindeer!
Serious aspects of society are acknowledged, such as the tension between the blacks and the whites, which somehow return to the humor of the book, even though some things that are expressed are messed up.
Does anyone else think that Trout and the truck driver's experiences together were pretty creepy? They were awkwardly talking about a ton of subjects but they dont even know each other. They went from Vietnam, to suicide, to politics, to some silly book Trout wrote about "Gilgongo." I just think that Trout is a little bit out there. I find it kind of funny that the truck driver doesnt have any friends because he is always on the road, yet he seems to be speaking to Trout like they've known each other for quite some time. Their bonding over being non-veterans is somewhat strange. The driver says: "That's the story of my life: not enough determination," which just gets me thinking about why he doesnt bother to try. If he wanted to be determined to do something other than drive the pyramid truck, then he could.
Cynthia, I agree with you that people could be offended by the way he speaks of people as machines, but I understand why he chose to do so. In order to understand the full effect of how these people were portrayed, then machines were needed. If he had referred to them as hardworking people like you suggested, then it would have seemed like these people were all working because it was something that they wanted to do, had a choice to do, and would have something good coming out of it. Most of the time, this was not the case. In order for it to come across that these people were used for what they could produce for others instead of gain for themselves, it was necessary to refer to them as machines. Also, I agree with you that the tensions between the blacks and the whites seems to make the book humorous, regardless of the content.
So, I thought the part of the book thus far that made me laugh the most was the awkwardness between Dwayne and Harry. Dwayne is sort of off his rocker the entire time at this Hawaiian themed party and his employee, Harry, is fretting over whether or not Dwayne will realize he's a transvestite. There's a particularly long-winded paragraph on page 103 showing Harry trying to convince himself that Dwayne doesn't suspect that he's a transvestite--about how he's never been to the transvestite bar in Midland City, entered any transvestite beauty contests, or subscribed to any transvestite magazines.
Once again, there's a lot going on in this section with humans being "machines" and also with Kilgore Trout inventing his own planets. There are planets where people love sounds too much so everything sounds like music--it just seems like Trout is completely stuck in his fantasy world. I wonder if Vonnegut is modeling Trout after himself in this way. Maybe he feels detached from society the way that Trout does. Trout seems to have a very critical, analytical eye of human nature and the human condition. He almost seems to consider himself as separate from all other humans.
Cynthia, I think you're bringing up a great point about Vonnegut's tendencies to point out the differences between blacks and whites. I think it's not only racial tensions that Vonnegut likes to point out but also social tensions. There's still a lot of comparisons between the rich and the poor and also people of different cultures. Trout is very uncomfortable when he goes to 42nd street in NYC because it's so unlike the culture that he's used to.
Right off the bat, I can say that never once have I read a book for a school assignment with such vulgarity. lol I'd like to comment on what Sam had written about; I think it's funny how it began with Dwayne forgetting that it had been Hawaiian week, thinking that Harry was just being insane from dressing like a Hawaiian. And the awkwardness is us almost uncomforting. If YOU kinda got someone fired from their job, would you feel bad? lol Secondly, I would like to comment on the "Sacred Miracle Cave..." first of all: if it is pulluted with hazardous waste water and smells horrible, why is it a tourist attraction? I didn't quite understand that. And relating back to my first entry, this guy is an avid user of the word "ni****." I myself don't like the word but I don't want to get into it. In describing where and how the "Sacred Miracle Cave" was found, Vonnegut says that the cave was found on the land of a former slave. Dwayne's Dad being the racist he is, uses this word to refer to the "Bluebird Farm" as "The Goddamn ni**** farm" hahaha I think how subtle he says it is really funny but again I don't agree with the usage of the word. Lastly, I would like to comment on Vonnegut's placement of Patty Keene... Patty is a character that is know as the "brand new adult" someone who is unfamiliar with the ways of adulthood, and what responsibilities come naturally to adults, like her crazy hospital bills. It seems as though Vonnegut gets literary and deep, when there is deeper meaning to her character. She represents adulthood in the United States, and how everyone these days struggle with money and bills but everyone is forced to pay them. I thought that even know it scares me to think that this is the fate that is commonly suffered, it sort of gives the book a more serious approach. ..I worked today I am exhausted I AM OFF this!
Wow! I cant believe the narrator actually became a character. I mean, he was kind of controlling everything the whole time, but the fact that he told Trout that he was the creator of the universe is just nuts. Its especially crazy because Hoover had gone mad at the Holiday Inn after reading Trout's book that had to do with something similar to it. So as you guys know, the book was about the existence of one creature among all robots. Hoover just kind of goes crazy thinking that the creator of the universe was trying to communicate to him through this book -- like how he bites off part of Trout's finger. In a way, the creator of the universe was in fact speaking to Hoover through the book because the narrator was the reason why his character existed in the first place. So throughout the book it was obvious that everyone was commenting on life in general, but what do you guys think that Vonnegut was actually saying about life through this book? I know that the narrator was saying that people try to hard to live life like it were a story book, but was that what Vonnegut was thinking?
Wow! I cant believe the narrator actually became a character. I mean, he was kind of controlling everything the whole time, but the fact that he told Trout that he was the creator of the universe is just nuts. Its especially crazy because Hoover had gone mad at the Holiday Inn after reading Trout's book that had to do with something similar to it. So as you guys know, the book was about the existence of one creature among all robots. Hoover just kind of goes crazy thinking that the creator of the universe was trying to communicate to him through this book -- like how he bites off part of Trout's finger. In a way, the creator of the universe was in fact speaking to Hoover through the book because the narrator was the reason why his character existed in the first place. So throughout the book it was obvious that everyone was commenting on life in general, but what do you guys think that Vonnegut was actually saying about life through this book? I know that the narrator was saying that people try to hard to live life like it were a story book, but was that what Vonnegut was thinking?
Rita, I think this novel is one of those instances where there's a really fine line between the author and the narrator. If you recall the beginning of the novel when he calls it his "50th birthday present to himself", is the narrator saying this or is it Vonnegut? Or is Vonnegut the narrator? I'm rather confused myself...
However, one of the things that seemed to be cleared up at the end of the book was this idea of mirrors being called "leaks" into other universes. Basically, there are two universes here--the real universe of the narrator, where he is simply an author creating a story of all of these characters running around doing ridiculous things, and there's the universe of the characters. The narrator is holding a small hand mirror at the end of the novel, representing the connection between himself and the universe he created for his characters (which he says he will now "set free").
Maybe this is centered around the pessimistic view that a single human is insignificant in the Olympian view of the world. Just as Trout found himself plucked out of isolation to speak that the Midland City Festival of Arts and begins to wonder if maybe he IS important...the narrator basically says, nope I just created you for fun! Ouch.
And finally! My questions about the metaphor of humans being machines has been answered. The whole scene with the narrator in his car, unveiling himself to Trout shows that the car is a representation of the narrator, and relates back to the "humans are machines" idea. This makes the reader ultimately question if we really have free will or not? Trout seemed to think he did and it turns out his "free will" was all a manuscript. It also seems that by making the narrator connected to the car is Vonnegut's way of saying we have no free will, we are simply machines.
So in conclusion, it looks like Vonnegut leaves us with a satirical outlook on life: that we are all fruitlessly searching for something in life that we will never locate: meaning.
I agree that having the author being a character in the story was a twist. Even when he was in the bar next to Trout and Hoover they still dint know it was him. I have to say that i am quite disappointed that Trout didn’t have any questions, because i was dying to know what "The Creator" looked like and what his characteristics were like, besides the hints given by the way he structured and produced and created his characters. "The Creator" was more interesting when he leaped on the cars like an animal in the epilogue.
Besides this revelation of the existing author-character was the descriptions of people as machines and how "they are liking machines and hating machines" and how they are "programming robots, regardless of their living conditions, to crave sexual intercourse and adore infants more than almost anything"(pg 261). I believe that Vonnegut is indicating that everybody is the same. Sure, they may have different lifestyles, different colors of skin, different circumstances but they are all driven by similar things, even though they have different labels for their function of living. For example, there is a "weeping machine", "drinking machine", and "slow forgiving machine." Machines are machines no matter what their functions are, just like people are people no matter what their status is.
Overall this book was somewhat humorous, to the extent that the author transformed his material to be something that they are not so that the audience would be amused.
Seriously, this book is intense! I haven't really been taking this book too seriously due to the fact that this guys has some SERIOUS logorrhea; it seems like he just takes everything he think, and makes it into a solid piece of literature! I know Sam already commented on it but really, this to me opens my imagination to new lengths (not to be all dramatic). The whole thing about "leaks" and how Vonnegut uses the mirrors as into the other universe; I am not going on a wild tangent because Sam already described it, I simply wanted provide input. This made me think of that really twisted movie "Mirrors" when the mirrors make people do crazy things like kill themselves! Just thought I'd place a connection in there.
Also, I can't wuite out my finger on what genre this book is. It's extremely funny at times, but at other times it's like really deep and serious. Vonnegut frequently mentions the mob in this story. Towards the end in chapter 21 or 22 I believe, Vonnegut mentions a man being cut in half at the top of a barbed wire fence... Pretty graphic! I feel like if there is a movie about this, Robert Deniro would be in it. haha
I am going to sign off with this: I have no complaints about this book, as told in my entry, this book is all over the place, as am I. Books like this make for easy reading so I hope our next lub book will be as.... well, odd and twisted as this one. Out of curiousity, I looked up if there is a movie on this book... THERE IS! haha Bruce Willis is in it, there must be explosions!
29 Comments:
I dont remember if my group is Humor one or two but I'm going to snag this post for my group (:
It Happened In School hasnt really made me laugh. Not cool. Its not a bad book though. The only thing that kind of makes me chuckle is how all of the teachers try so hard to make people laugh, and fail so hardcore. Their students just stare at them, and so do other teachers in the lounge. Oh, wait! One that made me laugh was the story about the teacher that went to some conference thing of some sort. The guest speaker thought he was special and asked the butter-boy for some extra butter, but was denied. Well, you guys read it so I dont have to explain the story, but I liked it =] Dont you guys want to play the game that one of the teachers made up? It seems fun. One of the other teachers seemed epic because they like chased a boy all over the place. Wouldnt it be hilarious if one of our teachers just started springting 007-style out of the room?
HAHAHA, okay so Ive been blogging while reading and like adding stuff as I go. I just finished the Snoopy story. Sooooo embarrassing! I wouldnt have said anything if I were him. Or maybe I would have agreed with the kid who asked if it was just my breakfast on my shirt.
Hmmmm, I cant really decide if Mr. Crosby is cool or not. He just seems a bit strange. I was expecting him to be pretty young, but he's been teaching at the same school for over thirty years, yikes.
Okay so originally when I agreed to read this book, I didn't know that all of the stories were from the same teacher. I thought it would be more of like a "Chicken Soup" for teachers revolving around funny things that happen at school. Turns out all the stories generally were by the same guy, Bob Crosby. He's been teaching for a pretty long time and some of his stories are pretty funny.
However, I agree with Rita... I feel like maybe teachers will find this book funnier than I do so far? I mean, yeah some stories, I can see the humor in. Others, like the one about his family and his colleagues both finding his joke not funny...that was just...not funny.
The story about getting dog poop on his shirt was pretty humorous. I'm hoping there will be more funny stories like this for the remainder of the book, I guess. It's been a pretty easy read so far...maybe too easy. Let's try something a little bit more intellectually stimulating next time, guys. :P
So like Rita said, I am not sure if were Humor one or two so I am following her!
I am blogging as I am reading and and the first story made me laugh once, when one of the players on the girls volleyball team had a master key to the school and Bob was like "WHAT the...where did you get...never mind..." I imagined me telling one of my teachers that I had a master key to Malden High and pictured how he/she would react. haha This book is already funny to me, the way Bob handled the situation of a cheater in class, by writing him a note. That's hilarious!!! I still have a good amount to read so hopefully there will be more laughs. Also a cheating story, Bob found someone cheating to such an extent, that the kid had wrote the girl's name on his paper, whom he cheated off of. The boy argued and said "you can't prove I cheated" he said "you wrote her name on your paper." LOL Rita has already blogged about the butter story, and how the guest speaker thought he was special, and was turned down so I won't elaborate, but I'll make a note and say that I thought it was very funny how he was just shut down. All the poor guy wanted was some butter. haha
The film industry would not be the same, nor would the "James" Bond series be the same, Bond's first name was Phil, the movie would be less, for lack of a better word...badass.! :) I mean picture it..."Bond.Phil Bond" hahahah
Michaelangelo Bacigalupi..enough said. That story is HILARIOUS! So I am reading on and I just finished the story about "The Snooper!" haha Too funny! And yes, very embarrasing! I guess it's one of those things that, I would have to be in a similar situation to see what I would have done, lied, or told what had happened. Reguardless, this man had poo on him all day. haha
Following up on what Rita said, I am not sure if Mr. Crosby is a cool guy, he does seem like he's awesome. But I guess we'll see what the rest of the book brings!
Okay so I keep reading with the hopes that something will eventually get a good chuckle out of me, but it never happens. The first story in this next section was awful. I dont care if the boy asked why a Christmas table wasnt included in the dictionary. Maybe Mr. Crosby is just so old that he tends to find these sort of things to be the highlight of his day. Ew. I guess it was kind of amusing to read about the boy Chris on the golf team. I can just imagine all 260 pounds of him trying to lug around golf clubs, begging for food haha. One thing off topic-- the story from October 14th creeped me out. I agree with Mr. Crosby about bowling. I dont know why but Ive just never enjoyed bowling. Oh, and I enjoy the typo on page 89 =]. FINALLLYYYY! The Viagra thing totally made me laugh, and that whole story is so true. I see my teachers or former teachers all the time. Its usually pretty awkward.
......
Ive read a little more and Im not laughing. He mentions how he used to wear a tie every day but now he wears golf shirts and it made me think of my teachers. Some of my teachers get super dressed up and others dont at all. I think they should all just dress comfortable. The story about the guy Al retiring, well only a teacher would find that funny. We picked a really lame book you guys. Actually, Brittany picked a really lame book, and shes not even here anymore >:[ Not cool.
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I am going to have to disagree with Rita, I think this book is very funny. Whether it be my sense of humor, or my "immature-esq" personality, I don't know but I enjoy it. It's an easy read as well so, it's not bad.
The first story in theses 100 pages that stuck out to me, was the story about the fat kid named Chris, who was on the Golf team. Chris kept askingi Bob Crosby when it was okay for him to eat, and Crosby would reply "We'll get to the food soon." Even during the Golf matches, he would say "where's that cart girl?" (the girl who had the cart of food) This made me laugh because I have friends who's names I will not mention who have this same trait to them. Always asking for food and what not, no matter what the case is it's always, "ugh when are we going to eat?! hahaha I felt like I could relate to this. Reading goes by more swiftly when a reader can connect to the text, in my opinion at least. Also, another story that I thought funny, was the story about the Gulf stream! The Marine-biology class was studyind the Gulf Stream, so they wrote notes and placesd them in bottles and dropped them into the ocean to see how far they would go, and see if anyone would find them to reply. Crosby wrote a bogus note replying to one of the girls. He had written it in spanish and wrote down a fake name and fake date. When the girl recieved her letter, she yelled, "MY BOTTLE WENT ALL THE WAY TO PORTUGAL!" They didn't have the heart to tell her that it was a joke. LOL
Now, this next story isn't very funny, but growing up in the Mal*** Public school system, we've all encountered this once or twice; a fight. Crosby just got his new room, in between classes while standing in his room he could hear a ruckus from the hallway. Upon going to see what the noise was, he saw two girls beating the bag out of one another. Instinctively, he ran over and tried to break it up; bad idea. In doing this, the girl backed him into the locker and pressed his back against the locker repeatedly, it hurt him. Eventually, more people came to break the fight up and both girls were subdued. Again, I can relate to this very well. In my years in the Mal*** Public School System, I have sene many fights. I actually witnessed my 8th grade Science teacher get puched in the face by a student.!
So I have just minutes to midnight, so I'll make this quick.... The book is good so far, and I hope the rest of the book brings me more laughter, and more things I can relate to! =) WOO WOO
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Okay, so there were a few funny stories in this section. I won't talk more about the fat kid on the golf team because it's been mentioned twice but it's still hilarious. And Nick, I also loved the story about the fight. I thought it was hilarious that this full grown man couldn't hold down an 86 pound little girl!
But, we definitely need to pick something more literary and like...challenging? next time. I mean, if we were ever asked to write an explication on this book, I'd be screwed. Not saying Crosby is a bad writer at all but this book was clearly meant to get his point across and not to be rhetorically complex or anything in the process. I wish the stories weren't so detached and unrelated. If there was a constant theme throughout them all or maybe sections that talk about each part of his teaching career (teaching English, coaching volleyball, coaching golf, Honors kids vs. college prep kids), a theme would be more recognizable.
I think it's pretty interesting that they have this "magnet" schools thing in their region. Is it because that part of Florida isn't populated enough? I find it pretty odd. It's like the bussing from the 60's but it's not about race, it's just about the numbers of kids that come to that school. One of their magnet themes is "Business and Entrepreneurship". I thought the story about the kid that charged all of the cars $3 for parking at the crafts fair was a good laugh. I can't imagine that he wouldn't get in trouble. Yeah, he was using his business skills, but did they honestly think that was okay to let kids get away with it? If they allowed that to happen they might as well allow other kids to do school projects for them and charge.
Anyways...all I have to say is that the book reminds me of Chicken Soup. Not a great comparison if you're looking for something deep and meaningful haha. Let's weigh our choices better next time.
I never thought of how a student's name could affect a teacher so much. I understand what hes saying about the clothing though. I think its like that for everyone. Ohmygosh what is he saying about the dancing at prom? Obviously high school students arent going to get out on the dance floor and do the chacha like him and his wife. Is he seriously confused about this? Oh, and I think the girl in the tux and pink shoes at prom wouldve most likely been my friend, I dont see a problem with her expression of individuality, but then again, teachers probably look at me like Im nuts as well.
I dont see how the Barnaby story is funny? Accidentally throwing a handicapped student to the ground is humorous? Hmmm, this guy is weird.
Sandy totally made her husband sleep on the couch, if she read the book. Id be soooo creeped out if my teacher told me to go "peepee" for them. Some teachers that Im close to might get a giggle out of me, but I doubt it. UGH, the thing about the secretary making a joke about his wife just isnt funny! lasdjgfdskg this book needs to make me laugh! The belt story....grrr. Whats up with this guy and picking on disabled kids? =[ "I guess some people cant take a joke" -- is he serious? Maybe they cant take a joke because he cant make a joke. Is it just me or has this guy coached like every sport?
Overall, this book was a fail. There's really not much to say about characterization or setting or style. We must pick a more challenging book next time.
I actually found the story about the girl in the pink tennis shoes kind of relateable because of how at the end, after over 20 years, he realizes he still gets angry about this young girl's audacity to tell him and his wife not to dance the way they were at the prom. Sometimes in life, you remember getting angry at something petty such as that and don't realize you continue to carry that grudge for many years until the thought is brought up once again in your mind!
And I finally laughed out loud! The story about Plato and Aristotle being taught to the AP class...how all dogs have dogness, all trees have treeness, and the teacher told all of her AP students to get APness...yeah, that was silly, but it made me giggle.
Also, I wonder if teachers really enjoy messing with some kids just cause they know they're gullible? I feel like I notice this with male teachers rather than female teachers. My female teachers are usually too nice to try and make their most gullible students look foolish.
What do you guys think Crosby is trying to say about teaching in this book? I think he's a great representation of what people have been telling us a lot of lately since we're starting our college processes; we should pursue whatever it is that will make us truly happy. Clearly, Mr. Crosby really enjoys his job and is able to pull from a plethora of funny anecdotes that have occurred over the years of his teaching career. I think that in this sense, we can all learn from Mr. Crosby. As long as we pursue what will make us happy in life, there will always be something wonderful to reflect on, and hopefully always some humor in our lives.
And OMG guys....you know how the assignment is to write about the major word of the last chapter....-__- HAHAHA I think we should ask Ms. Clapp first since the entire last page is one giant rant about "sh*t".
Like I have said before, there are some funny stories, but because there is no format to the book, it seems as if every story is the beginning of the book, like there is no direction, nothing to look forward to. However, I still find certain stories funny, and others short of humor. I haven't came across a story that catches my eye, until now. Naturally, I sat up in my seat when I saw the title "Two Nick's Equal One Poncho." haha I've been in a position like this as well. While in class, Bob called on a student named Nick, but there are two Nick's in the class, so the play "the game," pretending to be confused as if they don't know which Nick he is calling on when Bob is obviously staring at the student named Nick Harper. I remember playing this same game at Salemwood, except I would do it even if there was no other student in the class named Nick, if I didn't want to participate. LOL
Now this next story wasn't funny as a whole, but I thought it funny that they had a "Nicest Person in The Universe" section in their superlatives. haha This next story that I thought now very humorous, but funny in the sense that it made me think of Rita and Sam! The story called "Straight A's." haha It was all about how students tried as hard as they could, to bring home a report card with straight a's on it, to make their parents happy. But I don't think that's what you girls get good grades for, but it still made me laugh. So as usual, I am reading as I blogging, and this story I have just came upon made me think of the old days at Salemwood. I am not going to mention the name of my friend who this reminds me of but here goes. The story I am writing about is called "Odds and Ends." It's all about how one student at the school get's away with everything, and get
s out of trouble all the time because of the fact that his Mom is a cafeteria worker. This reminds me of one of my friends who I would always get into trouble with, he would always get out of getting suspended, while I would get into trouble. His Mom was also a cafeteria worker at our Middle School. This story wasn't very funny, but it made me think of my days growing up. It's good to look back at your roots sometimes. You know?
So I am done reading, and what..? no more funny. Thank you Brittany for choosing this "HILARIOUS" book. haha It wasn't bad though I had some laughs, but seriously, let's choose a "fall out of your seat" funny book next time.
thrugh our "conversations" in class, that got us to know where i say that humouris only effective to a certain extent. How one utilizwes humour and delivies it may effect people, students like us to say what the point?
i agree with you guys, that there were laughs here and there, but these stories that do not intertwine leave me hanging.
jumping from one stor to another, makes me think that this guy has a lot on his mind. He is just so excited to tell his audience about what happened in school. His short stories of his past, display the relationships between one person to another--in this case through acts of humour-- and how sometimes poeple do not understand why poeple act as they do. One can observe, but if one does not take the time to ask questions to get the whole picture, somethings will not be fully understood, and people will be left with certian impressions for the rest of their lives. For example, when smething odd, and funny pops up in the stories, it takes a wuestion to make it understanble. For instance the lady jumping up and down with the milila folder in her hand, it only took a question to be enlightened. These series of events that display such concept communicates to the reader deeply about the ways to actually learn in school. Basiacally, asking questions opens up path ways to enlightenment.
Like my spanish teacher would say, we open the door for you, you may choose to enter it. (words of wisdom =))
The Breakfast of Champions is an entertaining piece of work. What makes it interesting is the way Vonnegut structures the transitions the book. HE gives the reader a word, a phrase, or an image and then gives his own interpretation or defintion of it. Later, he utilizes this word phrase or image and displays how he incoorporates them into his conversations, or his dicription of things.For instance there is the word beaver. BEAVER is not something you would expect it to be AT ALL( youo guys know what i mean). Neither does the symbol look like a beaver or the thing it actually symbolizes whem you first look at it (pg 23). Only after he explaines or describes the symbol does the reader get wha the is showing. It's like a "what is this?" reaciton and when Vonnegut explains it, its like "oohhhhhh" and "ewww" at the same time.
I have to say that this is an intriguing, funny, weird, and semi-disgusting book.
At the start of this book I could already tell that it would be hilarious... Like Cynthia said, he takes a word or a symbol and he'll branch off and elaborate on his views of it; he's very different from the typical works I've read before. When Vonnegut speculates that humans are all robots, the FIRST thing that came to mind was Clapps robo voice from our poetry session in class today! haha And AGAIN, "beaver" ...Cynthia, desguisting. lol Mrs. Clapp if you have not yet read the book, don't look up the meaning to "beaver" ...I don't know how this book has not been banned. lol Also, reading this book makes me think... this dude has ALOT of friends that are in this book. It seems like with each turn of the page someone else is introduced; hard to keep up with. I also sense a hint of racism, or dry humor when the dudeguy Dwayne refers to the lower class part of town as the "ni**** part of town." I can't wait until after all these midterms are OVER so we can read more without the STRESS! It's not a bad read so far and finding a book that I don't HATE is very hard =)
I agree with both of you guys. The "beavers" are quite creepy, and its just hilarious. It's definitely much more enjoyable than our last book. I really enjoy Vonnegut's use of pictures. When I'm in the middle of reading something on the left page, I just cant help but look over at the right side to see if there's a funny picture coming up. It makes the reading fun when you know that you have something to laugh at only a couple of paragraphs away. I also like how his way of speaking is that of a friend. He comes off as a casual guy, it's just very informal. Oh, and Nick, this book wouldnt be banned because it's for book club, not a part of the curriculum with the school or anything like that =] Vonnegut's descriptions of his friend Dwayne are just epic. He's always "seeing" something ridiculous, but he tries to keep to himself about it, like with the eleven moons or the duck directing traffic. As a whole, the book is pretty funny, but it just has a ton of little anecdotes. I really enjoy how each paragraph is indented with an arrow. I'm actually not sure if your books have this because mine is the hard cover one, but yeah, its nice. Oh, and lets all join "Pluto Gang," okay kidding.
Rita, I think yours is the only one indented because mine is softcover and there's no indents (could just be different versions/print years or whatnot). Anyhow, this book is pretty enjoyable and a quick and easy read. Trout's ignorant sort of charisma is a funny character to follow and his little quirks and naivety tends to make me giggle. I enjoy how he refers to mirrors as "leaks", as if they can transport you to a different world. It really defines the whimsical style that Vonnegut uses in this book and it ties into Trout's obsession with scifi.
I think some of the underlying messages can be a tad creepy but they still make me laugh (who else lol'd when Trout's Nobel Peace Prize speech was simply "I see London, I see France, I see a little girl's underpants!"?). What do you guys think about the whole idea of humans being "machines"? What kind of message is Vonnegut trying to send to his readers? Hopefully as the rest of the novel plays out it'll be a bit more clear what he's getting at. I also think the social message is clear in this book--Vonnegut always distinguishes between the Americans who are "well-to-do" (rich) and those who have "doodley-squat" (poor). So as goofy as this story is, it's definitely humor with a purpose!
I think that some people would get offended by the expression of human beings as machines, the way it is expressed in this book. When human beings are portrayed as machines he is always talking about slaves. He could have portrayed them as just plain hardworking people, black or white, but he didn't. Just as always Vonnegut takes a term and expresses it in his own manner. Just like when he expressed the meaning of "nigger" in a way that made it seem as an acceptable word to say, so that every time the word nigger was used the reader would not be appalled. Vonnegut is attempting to express how different people interpret situations to the extent where human beings are just inanimate objects (certain human beings), but overall how people see things in different ways so that things that are unacceptable are acceptable to them.
This brings me to the various repetitive instances in the book where blacks and whites are distinguished. For instance, The Hoobler’s changed their named to Hoover because it was "a nigger name."(pg134). On page 142 it was expressed indirectly that blacks were inferior than the whites as " They went on talking English every which way. They refused to read books they couldn’t understand--on the grounds they couldn’t understand them". Moreover, on page 150 a "workman" called a horsepower "The Hundred-Nigger Machine" and the explanation following it says it all. The most prominent instance I can recall is on page 165-168 where Grace expresses her perspectives on black, she even calls them reindeer!
Serious aspects of society are acknowledged, such as the tension between the blacks and the whites, which somehow return to the humor of the book, even though some things that are expressed are messed up.
Does anyone else think that Trout and the truck driver's experiences together were pretty creepy? They were awkwardly talking about a ton of subjects but they dont even know each other. They went from Vietnam, to suicide, to politics, to some silly book Trout wrote about "Gilgongo." I just think that Trout is a little bit out there. I find it kind of funny that the truck driver doesnt have any friends because he is always on the road, yet he seems to be speaking to Trout like they've known each other for quite some time. Their bonding over being non-veterans is somewhat strange. The driver says: "That's the story of my life: not enough determination," which just gets me thinking about why he doesnt bother to try. If he wanted to be determined to do something other than drive the pyramid truck, then he could.
Cynthia, I agree with you that people could be offended by the way he speaks of people as machines, but I understand why he chose to do so. In order to understand the full effect of how these people were portrayed, then machines were needed. If he had referred to them as hardworking people like you suggested, then it would have seemed like these people were all working because it was something that they wanted to do, had a choice to do, and would have something good coming out of it. Most of the time, this was not the case. In order for it to come across that these people were used for what they could produce for others instead of gain for themselves, it was necessary to refer to them as machines. Also, I agree with you that the tensions between the blacks and the whites seems to make the book humorous, regardless of the content.
So, I thought the part of the book thus far that made me laugh the most was the awkwardness between Dwayne and Harry. Dwayne is sort of off his rocker the entire time at this Hawaiian themed party and his employee, Harry, is fretting over whether or not Dwayne will realize he's a transvestite. There's a particularly long-winded paragraph on page 103 showing Harry trying to convince himself that Dwayne doesn't suspect that he's a transvestite--about how he's never been to the transvestite bar in Midland City, entered any transvestite beauty contests, or subscribed to any transvestite magazines.
Once again, there's a lot going on in this section with humans being "machines" and also with Kilgore Trout inventing his own planets. There are planets where people love sounds too much so everything sounds like music--it just seems like Trout is completely stuck in his fantasy world. I wonder if Vonnegut is modeling Trout after himself in this way. Maybe he feels detached from society the way that Trout does. Trout seems to have a very critical, analytical eye of human nature and the human condition. He almost seems to consider himself as separate from all other humans.
Cynthia, I think you're bringing up a great point about Vonnegut's tendencies to point out the differences between blacks and whites. I think it's not only racial tensions that Vonnegut likes to point out but also social tensions. There's still a lot of comparisons between the rich and the poor and also people of different cultures. Trout is very uncomfortable when he goes to 42nd street in NYC because it's so unlike the culture that he's used to.
Right off the bat, I can say that never once have I read a book for a school assignment with such vulgarity. lol I'd like to comment on what Sam had written about; I think it's funny how it began with Dwayne forgetting that it had been Hawaiian week, thinking that Harry was just being insane from dressing like a Hawaiian. And the awkwardness is us almost uncomforting. If YOU kinda got someone fired from their job, would you feel bad? lol Secondly, I would like to comment on the "Sacred Miracle Cave..." first of all: if it is pulluted with hazardous waste water and smells horrible, why is it a tourist attraction? I didn't quite understand that. And relating back to my first entry, this guy is an avid user of the word "ni****." I myself don't like the word but I don't want to get into it. In describing where and how the "Sacred Miracle Cave" was found, Vonnegut says that the cave was found on the land of a former slave. Dwayne's Dad being the racist he is, uses this word to refer to the "Bluebird Farm" as "The Goddamn ni**** farm" hahaha I think how subtle he says it is really funny but again I don't agree with the usage of the word. Lastly, I would like to comment on Vonnegut's placement of Patty Keene... Patty is a character that is know as the "brand new adult" someone who is unfamiliar with the ways of adulthood, and what responsibilities come naturally to adults, like her crazy hospital bills. It seems as though Vonnegut gets literary and deep, when there is deeper meaning to her character. She represents adulthood in the United States, and how everyone these days struggle with money and bills but everyone is forced to pay them. I thought that even know it scares me to think that this is the fate that is commonly suffered, it sort of gives the book a more serious approach. ..I worked today I am exhausted I AM OFF this!
Wow! I cant believe the narrator actually became a character. I mean, he was kind of controlling everything the whole time, but the fact that he told Trout that he was the creator of the universe is just nuts. Its especially crazy because Hoover had gone mad at the Holiday Inn after reading Trout's book that had to do with something similar to it. So as you guys know, the book was about the existence of one creature among all robots. Hoover just kind of goes crazy thinking that the creator of the universe was trying to communicate to him through this book -- like how he bites off part of Trout's finger. In a way, the creator of the universe was in fact speaking to Hoover through the book because the narrator was the reason why his character existed in the first place. So throughout the book it was obvious that everyone was commenting on life in general, but what do you guys think that Vonnegut was actually saying about life through this book? I know that the narrator was saying that people try to hard to live life like it were a story book, but was that what Vonnegut was thinking?
Wow! I cant believe the narrator actually became a character. I mean, he was kind of controlling everything the whole time, but the fact that he told Trout that he was the creator of the universe is just nuts. Its especially crazy because Hoover had gone mad at the Holiday Inn after reading Trout's book that had to do with something similar to it. So as you guys know, the book was about the existence of one creature among all robots. Hoover just kind of goes crazy thinking that the creator of the universe was trying to communicate to him through this book -- like how he bites off part of Trout's finger. In a way, the creator of the universe was in fact speaking to Hoover through the book because the narrator was the reason why his character existed in the first place. So throughout the book it was obvious that everyone was commenting on life in general, but what do you guys think that Vonnegut was actually saying about life through this book? I know that the narrator was saying that people try to hard to live life like it were a story book, but was that what Vonnegut was thinking?
Rita, I think this novel is one of those instances where there's a really fine line between the author and the narrator. If you recall the beginning of the novel when he calls it his "50th birthday present to himself", is the narrator saying this or is it Vonnegut? Or is Vonnegut the narrator? I'm rather confused myself...
However, one of the things that seemed to be cleared up at the end of the book was this idea of mirrors being called "leaks" into other universes. Basically, there are two universes here--the real universe of the narrator, where he is simply an author creating a story of all of these characters running around doing ridiculous things, and there's the universe of the characters. The narrator is holding a small hand mirror at the end of the novel, representing the connection between himself and the universe he created for his characters (which he says he will now "set free").
Maybe this is centered around the pessimistic view that a single human is insignificant in the Olympian view of the world. Just as Trout found himself plucked out of isolation to speak that the Midland City Festival of Arts and begins to wonder if maybe he IS important...the narrator basically says, nope I just created you for fun! Ouch.
And finally! My questions about the metaphor of humans being machines has been answered. The whole scene with the narrator in his car, unveiling himself to Trout shows that the car is a representation of the narrator, and relates back to the "humans are machines" idea. This makes the reader ultimately question if we really have free will or not? Trout seemed to think he did and it turns out his "free will" was all a manuscript. It also seems that by making the narrator connected to the car is Vonnegut's way of saying we have no free will, we are simply machines.
So in conclusion, it looks like Vonnegut leaves us with a satirical outlook on life: that we are all fruitlessly searching for something in life that we will never locate: meaning.
I agree that having the author being a character in the story was a twist. Even when he was in the bar next to Trout and Hoover they still dint know it was him. I have to say that i am quite disappointed that Trout didn’t have any questions, because i was dying to know what "The Creator" looked like and what his characteristics were like, besides the hints given by the way he structured and produced and created his characters. "The Creator" was more interesting when he leaped on the cars like an animal in the epilogue.
Besides this revelation of the existing author-character was the descriptions of people as machines and how "they are liking machines and hating machines" and how they are "programming robots, regardless of their living conditions, to crave sexual intercourse and adore infants more than almost anything"(pg 261). I believe that Vonnegut is indicating that everybody is the same. Sure, they may have different lifestyles, different colors of skin, different circumstances but they are all driven by similar things, even though they have different labels for their function of living. For example, there is a "weeping machine", "drinking machine", and "slow forgiving machine." Machines are machines no matter what their functions are, just like people are people no matter what their status is.
Overall this book was somewhat humorous, to the extent that the author transformed his material to be something that they are not so that the audience would be amused.
Seriously, this book is intense! I haven't really been taking this book too seriously due to the fact that this guys has some SERIOUS logorrhea; it seems like he just takes everything he think, and makes it into a solid piece of literature! I know Sam already commented on it but really, this to me opens my imagination to new lengths (not to be all dramatic). The whole thing about "leaks" and how Vonnegut uses the mirrors as into the other universe; I am not going on a wild tangent because Sam already described it, I simply wanted provide input. This made me think of that really twisted movie "Mirrors" when the mirrors make people do crazy things like kill themselves! Just thought I'd place a connection in there.
Also, I can't wuite out my finger on what genre this book is. It's extremely funny at times, but at other times it's like really deep and serious. Vonnegut frequently mentions the mob in this story. Towards the end in chapter 21 or 22 I believe, Vonnegut mentions a man being cut in half at the top of a barbed wire fence... Pretty graphic! I feel like if there is a movie about this, Robert Deniro would be in it. haha
I am going to sign off with this: I have no complaints about this book, as told in my entry, this book is all over the place, as am I. Books like this make for easy reading so I hope our next lub book will be as.... well, odd and twisted as this one. Out of curiousity, I looked up if there is a movie on this book... THERE IS! haha Bruce Willis is in it, there must be explosions!
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