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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
69 comments:
I liked this story. I thought it was funny, odd, and heart-warming. The first thing that came to my mind while reading this story was the idea of focusing on the present versus focusing on the future. Grace (and sometimes George) "lives" in the future instead of the present. She fantasizes about her home-to-be instead of accepting the present reality that George is going through a hard time financially and that the house is in bad shape. Grace lives like this because thinking about her future home gives her hope. I think Vonnegut wrote this story because he wants the reader to consider how a person should live his or her life. Should people pretend that they are living in the future where everything has worked itself out? Or, should they face the present and try to make the best out of life? Grace chooses the first option. She resorts to imagining that her house is already decorated the way she wants. She has gotten to the point where she actually hears music and can see paint on the walls. Her choice may have made her happy, but would you call this way of life living? I wouldn't.
Though I agree that Vonnegut is trying to display a living in the now vs. living in the future scenario, I don't think he takes sides either way. He makes Grace look almost pathetic as she fantasizes about her future home; but the ending is happy, which I think supports Grace's fantasy land.
Maybe Vonnegut's middle-of-the-road stance shows that neither the present nor future route is perfect, which he subtly implies by the yellow color that is ever so slightly off. In the beginning Grace has the pleasure of dreaming, and later she has the pleasure of living those dreams in her stately mansion. Both times, though, she faces imperfections. Nothing can be perfect, I guess, which is somewhat pessimistic.
I think there might be a couple themes throughout this story:
1) material possessions aren’t everything 2) live now, not in the future, and accept reality
1) Grace is obsessed with material things; they’re all she talks about. Obviously, before she became obsessive over the house, there was something George adored about her, and because of her obsession with the house she has become what I would consider an obsessive house robot.
2) Grace lives in a fantasy world up until the end. She lives in a world where each new monthly magazine is like Christ’s second coming and her house is beautiful. It reminds me of the of Death of a Salesman , only Willy lives in the past instead of the future. Willy lives in the past thinking Biff is perfect and great, whereas Biff is really just a failure without a job. A Grace life in the future, and in a dreamland, thinking her house is perfect and great, whereas it is really a dump. Maybe her dreamland is a way for her to cope with what she has now or cope with problems in her life, so now that she has no dreamland, what will she do? Maybe the reason for her comment on the magazines at the end is to show she has accepted reality, and doesn’t dream anymore. Maybe it was more than the house that changed her. Maybe it was her hospital visit, in which she surrounded by death, that gave her some perspective on life?
I wasn't entirely sure what Vonnegut was trying to say with this story neither, but what I got out of "More Stately Mansions" was the danger and stupedity of trying to conform. Grace almost worships her home and garden magazines and wants her house, as well as the narrator's house, to be just like the homes in the magazines. She becomes almost insane, listening to music that's not there, inviting herself into other people's homes, and imagining benchs. She even shuns the "non-conformists," the Jenkins family, for only buying two chairs for their home instead of buying new stuff for the whole house. Her desire to conform negatively affects her husband too, who also wants to conform she is hospitalized. Vonnegut is showing how wanting to conform completly will only bring one stress and even crazyness, and there will always be something to change or not like if one wants to conform (the curtains)
ok I am technology inept and I have no idea how to work this.. so this comment goes for the story Next Door:
I felt really bad for this kid that was so sheltered by his mom. When they were arguing about leaving him at home you could tell the dad was so frustrated because he was willing to take anything he could get from the mom, rather it be watching the movie with them or letting him stay home. Then I thought it was going to end really badly with the kid wimping out at the end and running to his mom and giving the dad an "I told you so" statement. I was really happy when this didn't happen but I still felt really bad for Paul because that's something you should be able to talk about with your parents since it is a really sick and traumatic situation, but he knew for the good of him getting out anytime soon, he should keep his mouth shut.
First off, big ups to George for staying with a woman like Grace. Even through financial problems he still feeds to Grace's biggest obsession which is renovating their house to whatever "Better House and Garden" or "Good Homelife" advises. Grace lives in a fantasyland filled with her dream home and the imaginative ways she can improve her home. This fantasyland eventually takes over her life and disrupts the present and the good things the McClellans already possess. Grace's obsession becomes the McClellans' downfall and Grace's 2 months illness becomes the breaking point and the realization Grace needs. I agree with the other bloggers that Vonnegut is indicating the importance of living in the present rather than wallowing in the future and what can be. Thinking and planning for the future are equally important but as this becomes more and more severe and dominant of your life a person loses the appreciation for the things they already have. This was the situation for Grace and truthfully this situation is really sad for ones who go through the same thoughts. They don't realize the good things in front of them. I liked the ending of this story because Grace was able to open her eyes and disregard her magazines and her home. I liked the last line as well when Grace says, "Happy days, and thanks, darlings, so much for the roses," George, Anne, and her husband worked hard on the house but the fact that Grace acknowledges just the roses indicates her love for the simple things. Her appreciation has shifted from the future to the simple things in front of her.
The Chambered Nautilus
Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,
As the swift seasons roll!
Leave thy low-vaulted past!
Let each new temple, nobler than the last,
Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,
Till thou at length art free,
Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!
-Oliver Wendell Holmes
Both the poem and the story allude to the themes of time (past, present, future) and perfection. In the story, Grace chooses to live in the future, in her imagination as opposed to living in the present and accepting her impoerfect house, imperfect life. Anne lives in the present and doesn't expect or look for perfection in her home or life. She is intimidated by the perfect image Grace has painted for her. Holmes' writes of his soul moving on to a more and more stately mansion as time goes by; of growing out of and into shells throughout life. Grace is unable to grow because she desires perfection. Even when her house is made up exactly as she wanted, she still notices that the shade of yellow is slightly off. Anne lives a much more fulfilling life and is portrayed as the rounder, more mature character because she is able to accept life as a fact and to live in the present.
This story made me think of a lot of people around us today. Just like Grace, a lot of people are obsessed with having luxurious homes and lives. I think Grace is delusional and lives in her own world where her house must be perfect. I felt pity for Grace while reading the story. Although their house is very shabby and nothing like what Grace imagines, she keeps saying someday..someday.. she will have all of those. It's not a bad thing to want a beautiful home but she was so obsessed with having a beautiful home while at the same time making her husband feel bad and incompetent (although he never expresses it). She should be more realistic and wake up and maybe get a job to achieve her dream. She keeps wanting things and talks about things but never does anything about it, which becomes very frustrating for the reader.
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