From: Carrie Schadle <bz227>
Date: Thu, 7 Aug 1997 09:32:18 -0400 (EDT)

Well, I can certainly see how you would conclude that Eric was a victim of incest if you had read these "number of studies." But what about the average YA who picks up this book (or me, for that matter) and doesn't know anything about "current psychological development theories?" Someone suggested (and it may have been in a private post-?n't remember now) that because Cormier is such a master of leaving things out, people are quick to try to read between the lines and put things there that might not really be there. It seems to me that if your intended audience is YA, you can't really bet on them being up on the theories of psychological development. I suppose I didn't pay careful enough attention to the language when Eric mentions his mother. I remember only that it referred to "cuddling" and it happened in bed, and that in the last instance he mentions her dark hair. Obviously these girls he is killing are girls that are taking the place of his mother, and I suppose the reason he hates Harvey so much is because he is receiving the tenderness his mother used to give him, which does make your argument both persuasive and believable. But are YAs going to get it? I guess that is my concern. Maybe this is a flaw in the book, that this suggestion is too subtle. It certainly offers insight into Eric's character and helps to explain why he does what he does. I, too, do not have the book in hand and will be interested to see what anyone who has it can add to this thread.

Carrie

******************************** Carrie Schadle Aguilar Branch, New York Public Library bz227 at freenet.buffalo.edu 212/534)30
Received on Thu 07 Aug 1997 08:32:18 AM CDT