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Brewnerians: Read a story from Welcome to the Monkey House and respond. I'll try to start with a question, but feel free to begin if I haven't arrived there yet. Choose three (or more?) of the stories to respond to. Maybe you can write about confusions, or guesses, or comparisons, or the language, or characters, or the White Rock Girl or....whatever catches your attention.
me
About Me
- kbrewner
- Notice: the full moon (in eclipse) is over my right shoulder.
The White Rock Girl
Psyche
22 comments:
I liked this story and I found the paralleling issues of foster children to be the same in the 50's and now. Kids need to be loved. Bottom line. In the story they say that this is a boy without fear, without dreams, without love, and if this kid had no parents or role models to grow up by, then sure he wouldn't have any of those. All he needed was that little bit of attention to turn his life around, and that was his start to a new life.
I liked this story and I found the paralleling issues of foster children to be the same in the 50's and now. Kids need to be loved. Bottom line. In the story they say that this is a boy without fear, without dreams, without love, and if this kid had no parents or role models to grow up by, then sure he wouldn't have any of those. All he needed was that little bit of attention to turn his life around, and that was his start to a new life.
I didn't like that this was just another predictable story about an abandoned child who was then saved. This story is unfair in the sense that Vonnegut steriotypes kids who come from broken homes as always destructive and incapable of having their own goals and passions. I didn't like that Vonnegut categorizes Jim in a group of people who have no fear, no dreams, and no love; this leads the reader to believe that any kid in Jim's situation has no control over his life and has no choice other than to be unhappy.
I agree with Steph in that all Jim needed was a little bit of attention to turn his life around. I feel that Vonnegut wanted to show that actions speak louder than words when dealing with showing someone you care about what happens to them. Helmholtz tried to comfort Jim by speaking to him and trying to relate to him, but his words were useless in changing Jim's attitude. Not until Helmholtz smashed his trumpet, his most prized possession, did Jim's eyes "become human" as he realized that for the first time in his life, he had someone who genuinely cared for him.
I enjoyed this story because I believe issues like this are true. Kids who have been neglected need to be shown love or at least attention. That is exactly what Jim needed - someone to pay attention to him. When Helmholtz gave Jim the trumpet and threw away his boots Jim realized there is someone out there who cares for him and he is not alone in the world anymore.
While I agree with Carrie that this story does stereotype children who come from broken homes as never having a dream or goal of their own and being destructive, I still found a way to like this story. The fact is, many of these kids really are like this. Vonnegut shows us how something so simple like this can completely change a kid's life and for the better. I think we look past things sometimes and not realize how easily one simple act can change a person's life.
Carrie, my dear, I totally agree with you. OK, so I haven't met any kids who've been truely abandoned and who have never felt a hint of love, I mean I go to Fremd. But, I disagree with Vonnegut's example that a lack of love and hope ALWAYS leads to carelessness and cruelty, which is what I believe he thinks. I know some pretty distructive and bad kids whose parents have been nothing but supportive and have only wanted the best for their kids. I actually think that being given too much can cause people to turn cruel and lose themselves. I do see that Jim has a hard life, I feel bad for the kid, and how Helmholtz showed such concern for him was touching, but I wish that Vonnegut portrayed Jim in a different way. I would have liked to see Jim as a shy saddened boy rather than such a punk.
First of all, I do not understand how you cannot like this story. This is my second favorite following "Who Am I This Time?." The fact that this boy is basically left to fend for himself after years of living with corrupt people is so sad. He does not know what love, hope, or a friend is. He finds joy in ruining things. I love the fact that after the world has given up on Jim, Mr. Helmholtz cannot accept this and sees something special in Jim. Goerge Helmholtz is able to accept the challege of finding the good man in such a confused boy. I also love the contrast between Georhe and Jim's uncle. Goerge lives to fulfill his dreams, and he does this with passion. Jim's uncle, on the other hand, can only be happy as long as he has money.
When I got near the end of the story, I thought I would be disapointed by Jim's return into the terrible world of foster care, but I was happy when i learned of his turn-around into Helmholtz's world of music and hope. I believe, like Mike, that this story exemplifies how actions, like Helmholtz's busting of the trumpet, spoke to Jim more than any meaningless words could. The story shows how only a structured activity like music and the drive of Helmholtz can nullify the effects of the world's neglection of Jim earlier in his life and allow him to start a life towards a future with a little dream.
This reminds me of so many movies I've seen. I didn't really like the story. I'm not sure if I can explain why, either. Kids want attention, teacher want to teach, and I suppose that it's a natural relationship. But I just found the story way too cliche and predictable.
I really liked this story because of the fact that Helmholtz was the only person who really reached out to Jim in his life and that made all the difference. Everyone else just thought that Jim had problems and Quinn just thought that he needed to be put in his place and learn how to fit in. All Jim needed was somebody to tell him that life sucks sometimes and things are not always going to be easy but you can find ways to deal with the bad things and you can move on. I think that there happen to be many kids who feel alone and depressed like Jim but nobody reaches out to them and they never find the help they need.
you don't like this story because you have no soul
What all of you missed in the story was that what finally got through to Jim was to see Helmholtz utterly frustrated to the point of smashing his own prize posession. Nobody had ever given Jim much thought, and those that did, he made sure they gave up on him quickly. He figured Helmholtz would give up too, but when he got to his breaking point, Jim saw that he wasn't just a "project" for Helmholtz -- Helmholtz was himself broken in his efforts to reach Jim. Jim finally saw that he mattered to someone -- someone willing to abandon his own dreams because he couldn't reach Jim. That's what shocked Jim into accepting the love Helmholtz offered. As a teacher who has often cried over my students, I love Helmholtz' optimism and refusal to give up on a kid everyone else had labeled as "hopeless."
I think the real key to the greatness of this story is not Jim as the problem child but rather Helmholtz's difficult realization that something he loves as much as music could have no effect on someone else. The music is his greatest love, and you can really feel the despair he feels when he can't use it to connect to Jim. I think the scene in which he destroys his trumpet is powerful primarily because in the depths of Helmholt'z confusion he realizes he must sacrifice his love of music to demonstrate his caring for Jim. I think the whole thing is just great.
This was an excellent story until the last page. It's a shame Vonnegut didn't end the story sooner becuase the end entirely fell apart and made a potentially moving story meaningless. Vonnegut set up the characters perfectly, Helmhotz as a hero and Jim as an antagonist who thrives on destruction and other peoples unhappiness. Jim caused Helmhotz to destroy his most prived trumpet and exclaim "Life is no damn good." Had Vonnegut left the story here, readers would've been left with a sick feeling that Jim had no right to destroy Helmhotz corner of happiness. Instead, the story continues to the cliche ending of Jim joining the band and finding meaning through music. Congratulations Jim, but better luck next time Vonnegut becuase this story doesn't meet the high expectations I have for you about meaningful stories.
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
Who are the main characters?
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