CCBC-Net Archives
Jacob, and Terabithia
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: Mary Ann Gilpatrick <magilpat>
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1999 10:56:21 -0700
Rightly or wrongly, the jacket blurb on "Jacob" describes Carolyn as "selfish." Her tagging of Louise as "wheeze" is insensitive at best, sibling sabotage at worst. The incident with the kittens and the paregoric is key, I think, to understand Carolyn as a manipulative person; possibly benevolently manipulative, but the girl clearly is driven to be the center of attention. This can be devastating to a sib. The whole family is not abusive to Louise, just the grandmother, who is indeed not playing with a full deck.
I agree that learning to grow past life's inherent unfairnesses is at the heart of the novel.
Mary Ann
Nancy Kellman-Maddocks wrote:
Received on Fri 20 Aug 1999 12:56:21 PM CDT
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1999 10:56:21 -0700
Rightly or wrongly, the jacket blurb on "Jacob" describes Carolyn as "selfish." Her tagging of Louise as "wheeze" is insensitive at best, sibling sabotage at worst. The incident with the kittens and the paregoric is key, I think, to understand Carolyn as a manipulative person; possibly benevolently manipulative, but the girl clearly is driven to be the center of attention. This can be devastating to a sib. The whole family is not abusive to Louise, just the grandmother, who is indeed not playing with a full deck.
I agree that learning to grow past life's inherent unfairnesses is at the heart of the novel.
Mary Ann
Nancy Kellman-Maddocks wrote:
Received on Fri 20 Aug 1999 12:56:21 PM CDT
