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Jacob, and Terabithia
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From: Nancy Kellman-Maddocks <nrkm>
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1999 09:02:41 -0400
This is a curious discussion. Reliable narrator, yes, as just mentioned, what does that mean? First, in "Jacob" Louise is writing as an adult looking back. Her perceptions have the advantage of distance over time and place coupled with maturity. Was Grandma as cantankerous as she's portrayed? It worked for me because I always saw her as an old woman who wasn't playing with a full deck. The family treated her with tolerance and a certain respect that served as a good model for the adolescent reader. As for Louise being abused, that part I partially felt was "in her head." No she was not the beautiful Carolyn, but she was a mainstay in her family and much loved. Her relationship with her father was special and rare, especially for the period. What I think makes the book important to adolescent readers is the idea that you must know and ask for what you want in life. You can't expect people or circumstances to deliver your inner most wishes. When Louise and the Captain have their honest conversation, late in the book, he tells her that he never knew what she wanted. It is then that her desire to go into medicine is articulated and she moves on. This book is about people who don't fit the accepted mold but, it also helps us understand the choices each person makes that sets them outside. Although painful, especially during adolescence, they are choices that you can look back on as an adult and sometimes be proud of or at least understand.
Back to unreliable narrator, because the book is like a diary and a self exploration, I would not call the narrator unreliable. If you're looking at the world through an individual's perceptions, you can never know if the information delivered is "reliable."
I think "Jacob" is a strong book and provides excellent material for discussion with adolescents. It touches on so many issues that trouble us as we go through that stage in our lives. I think too much time is spent at the beginning setting the stage but, that is where we get Patterson's rich sense of place.
Nancy Kellman-Maddocks Media Specialist, Stedwick ES Montgomery County MD
Received on Fri 20 Aug 1999 08:02:41 AM CDT
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1999 09:02:41 -0400
This is a curious discussion. Reliable narrator, yes, as just mentioned, what does that mean? First, in "Jacob" Louise is writing as an adult looking back. Her perceptions have the advantage of distance over time and place coupled with maturity. Was Grandma as cantankerous as she's portrayed? It worked for me because I always saw her as an old woman who wasn't playing with a full deck. The family treated her with tolerance and a certain respect that served as a good model for the adolescent reader. As for Louise being abused, that part I partially felt was "in her head." No she was not the beautiful Carolyn, but she was a mainstay in her family and much loved. Her relationship with her father was special and rare, especially for the period. What I think makes the book important to adolescent readers is the idea that you must know and ask for what you want in life. You can't expect people or circumstances to deliver your inner most wishes. When Louise and the Captain have their honest conversation, late in the book, he tells her that he never knew what she wanted. It is then that her desire to go into medicine is articulated and she moves on. This book is about people who don't fit the accepted mold but, it also helps us understand the choices each person makes that sets them outside. Although painful, especially during adolescence, they are choices that you can look back on as an adult and sometimes be proud of or at least understand.
Back to unreliable narrator, because the book is like a diary and a self exploration, I would not call the narrator unreliable. If you're looking at the world through an individual's perceptions, you can never know if the information delivered is "reliable."
I think "Jacob" is a strong book and provides excellent material for discussion with adolescents. It touches on so many issues that trouble us as we go through that stage in our lives. I think too much time is spent at the beginning setting the stage but, that is where we get Patterson's rich sense of place.
Nancy Kellman-Maddocks Media Specialist, Stedwick ES Montgomery County MD
Received on Fri 20 Aug 1999 08:02:41 AM CDT
