Final Blog

Now that I have finished reading this novel I now have more knowledge of what life was like back when the Taliban ruled. I wouldn’t say that I liked the ending of this book, but it was one that I expected. I expected this kind of ending because if the book had ended in a kind of rainbow and sunshiny way it would have not fit well with the rest of the book. The book was based on the hard times and challenges of the people of Afghanistan and the ending just added a little bit of happiness to a life of a child that was full of tragic and unforgettable hardships.
The ending chapters are where the book caught my attention most, I mean I had liked the book in the beginning but as the book came to a close I felt more involved. There was more emotion and a sense of drama to the context and that kept me reading. As the book winded down, I was very disappointed in how it ended, but as I stated before I saw it coming. I would have liked to have seen more changes with the way Sohrab was handling the move to America and how his life was getting better. But the ending chapter still showed how even though Sohrab had a terrible life in Afghanistan, he could still come to America and not be cured but have a fresh start. It showed that Sohrab was still going to face some challenges but nothing compared to how his life was back in Afghanistan.
If it weren’t for this class I probably wouldn’t have read this book, but I am glad that I have. I now know how tough and what struggles people were faced with in Afghanistan at the time of the book. And they are still struggling today. But just how different our rights are here to the rights over there is mind boggling. I mean I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to not be able to be heard in public by a stranger or have to be covered from head to toe or suffer the consequences. It just opened my mind to the struggles and hardships they had and showed me how very fortunate I am to be here in this country.

Afghanistan- Connections

The hardship that is mentioned in the book and the handouts we received doesn’t even begin to cover how much pain and suffering Afghan people went through. Everything that the Taliban put them through just to gain control over Afghanistan was completely pointless. They didn’t need to destroy people’s homes or take children away from their parents; it just isn’t right. And because of all the bad publicity of the Taliban, Afghanistan natives have been labeled as a threat as well. As the one handout stated, “When you think Taliban, think Nazis.” And that is exactly how I see the Taliban, like how the Nazis invaded and took over Germany. Also, how one or two people can have the entire Afghanistan population labeled as terrorists because of 9/11 is ridiculous! Even the people of Afghanistan were horrified and shocked at what their own people had done and then it was taken out on the innocent ones. It is completely unnecessary. It’s not their fault that Bin Laden had some influence on others, they can’t control what other people do.
Also how the women were treated disgusted me! They didn’t have “the right to vote, talk without being spoken to, or even be seen or heard in public.” If a male could hear a woman’s footsteps, then she would be whipped or stoned in public! Now is that humane? I think not! They are basically the slaves and they have to stay inside the house most of the time. If they are seen in public, they can’t show any kind of skin. So they wear these long dress type things called burqas, like the woman was wearing when Amir was back in Afghanistan at the man’s house. They were treated so disrespectfully that it really makes me think how far women and women’s rights have come since then.
If I had never read this book, I wouldn’t have known the consequences of what the Taliban did to the poor people of Afghanistan. I also wouldn’t even have any clue to the pain and suffering that the people of Afghanistan face just because they have the same heritage as someone like Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein. It amazes me how much a country and its people have suffered from a group of crazy lunatics trying to gain control.

Bravery

Even though Adam states that he has all this fear inside himself, and how he can’t help but to be scared at times. He may be scared, but he has tendencies to show how brave he can be. For example, when he encounters the German shepherd, Silver, at the hill, and he gets very nervous. Even though he knows that the dog can knock him down and then take advantage of his being on the ground, he still goes down the hill. He takes his nervousness and buries it because he knows that after going down the hill he is that much closer to his father and he needs to get to Rutterburg.
Also, when he is confronted in the diner by the other delinquents and they want to take his package from him. The one boy, Whipper, starts asking him questions and mocking him. Whipper doesn’t think that Adam trusts him because he leaves his bike at the police station. He knows that the other boys could beat him up because there are more of them than there are of him, but he still stands his ground. He doesn’t back down and that shows how he really can be brave. He doesn’t care who stands in his way or what stands in his way. He may act scared inside, but when push comes to shove he can pull through. It’s like he becomes brave when he feels that there is a threat that will prevent him from seeing his father and he can’t let that happen. He needs to get to his father to give him the package and he will confront all kinds of fear to make that happen.

Phoebe and Holden

Throughout the entire book there have been different interactions and relationships between different characters. Some that is similar to each other and some that are complete opposites of each other. Phoebe and Holden seem to have the closest relationship within the book. Holden feels that he can relate the best with his younger sister, and Phoebe seems to look up to Holden, in a way. They get along quite well, but they are siblings, so there are still some times that things get a little tense between the two of them. They have similar qualities that make you go, yes they really are siblings, but they are also different in many ways as well.
In some situations, Holden can be quite stubborn, like when he was adamant about noting giving anymore money to Maurice, the elevator guy, because he was told one price, but then charged another and wouldn’t give them the money. He was definitely not going to give in easily, and Maurice even roughed him up a little bit to get the money problem solved. Like Holden, Phoebe has a very stubborn edge to her. When she sets her mind to something, she’s not going to give up or give in without a fight. For example, when Holden appears at their apartment and they are catching up, she interrupts and wants to know why he is back then and not back on Wednesday. She keeps pestering him about it and immediately jumps to the conclusion that he has been expelled. She knows he has been and she doesn’t care how many times he tries to deny it; he knows that she is right and she knows as well. Also, when she tells him that she isn’t going back to school, but instead going off with him and he tells her no, she refuses to go back to school. He knows that he can’t make her do something that she doesn’t want to do; it’s just not the way to go when dealing with Phoebe. Also, if she is going back or you are making her do something, you can most definitely expect a fight out of her.
Even though Phoebe and Holden have some similarities, they have many differences as well. Holden tolerates other people, but he loves children. He has some friends, but they are mostly acquaintances. None of them are the type of great friends that he can tell anything and everything to. Phoebe, on the other hand, seems to get along great with people. She has friends from school and has a social life. She doesn’t seem to distance herself the way Holden does from others. She can talk to them without judging them and can relate or connect with them on a certain level. Holden has a hard time relating to other people, besides Phoebe that is.
Also, Holden always seems to be depressed. No matter what happens to him, he is always down in the dumps. Even if something good happens to him, he always finds some negative way to think about it or to some how make it into something negative instead of something positive. Holden is a big pessimist. Nothing really seems to make him happy, except for Phoebe or thinking about Allie, but I mean like truly happy. Phoebe, however, has a great attitude towards things and people. She can makes friends and she has friends as well. She actually has a social life unlike Holden in that aspect. She is just a girl having fun with her life and not really taking much of anything too seriously yet. She is still pretty young and is full of life and energy. It seems as though that Holden has left this stage of his life behind himself and is just left bitter and very moody.
Another difference between Holden and Phoebe was how Phoebe applied herself to work hard in school and Holden just didn’t seem to be too concerned about school. He didn’t really have the time or patience for school, so he just never tried at anything. Except for English, this was the only class that he did not fail at Pencey. Phoebe has a different outlook of school; I think that she thinks school is worth while because it will help her to get what she wants out of life. It’s like a stepping stone within her life to get from one thing to the next. Holden doesn’t think like this because he doesn’t really know where he is going in life or where he wants to end up. He is basically just there and that’s why he doesn’t apply himself like he could.
There seems to be a lot more differences to the characters Holden and Phoebe than there are similarities, but the similarities are there. The similarities explain further the relationship that they share, but the differences show how they look at the world differently; full of morons and disappointment, or full of a lifetime of adventures.

The Beginning....

The first day of junior high is finally here! Stradlater can’t wait to show-off his spiffy suit and his great looking saddle shoes. He was expecting to be the talk of the school, and he knows that he won’t be disappointed. He knows that he is tough stuff and he wants everyone to know him and to respect him for it. He walks the halls like the king of the school: shoulders broad, head up, and an expression of if you mess with me you will be sorry.Even though Stradlater is still pretty young, he has always had a way with the ladies. They fall for his charismatic charm and his athletic abilities. He goes from girl to girl every week, and you better watch out if you try to hit on one of his girls. Just ask one of his old school “buddies” Jake Welm. One day while at school, Stradlater turned the corner, going to lunch, and he spotted good ole Jake leaning against a locker, trying to pick up Anne Hollingsworth, but little did Jake know Anne was already being pursued by someone else. Stradlater marched up and shoved Jake away from the lockers. Stradlater screamed at him about how he better watch himself; how Anne was his and no one else’s. It could have ended with that, but Stradlater wanted everyone to know not to mess with him or his girls. So he swings his arm and connects with Jake’s nose, immediately breaking it. By doing this, he is sending others his message loud and clear, if you mess with any of my girls, there will be consequences. After this escapade, Stradlater liked the reactions he got from others. They feared him even more and he was able to get away with everything and anything. He thought how this was the life and if he played his cards right, he could rule the school and have everyone bowing down to him. He liked the thought of having all the power because that’s what he craved. He wouldn’t have to answer to anyone and he could get other students to do his assignments. What a perfect way to go through his schooling. He was paving his way to success, having it all and loving life. Then came the time to pick a high school, he decided on Pencey because it was considered a very good school and he wanted to be at the best place possible. He still wanted to slack off and have a good time with the new ladies at Pencey, so he couldn’t wait to move into his dorm and meet his new roommate. Stradlater had it all planned out, it would be just like junior high, him the top guy and everyone else below him…

Stradlater

Since we started reading this book, Stradlater has sort of stuck out to me. He reminds me of any other high school jock. He thinks he's big and bad and can't do anything wrong. He loves himself and seems to think that everyone else should love him just the same. He;s the type of guy that goes from girl to girl and doesn't care who knows it or what others think of it. He irritates me by how he portrays himself as a guy who just doesn't talk about having sex with other girls, he actually goes through with it. Also how he has these moves that he does and he's as smooth as silk or suave as hell when he tries to get girls. He thinks of himself as a god because of it, but he's really just a player, who one way or another is going to bury himself in his own games.
One thing that made Stardlater jump out at me was his razor. He never cleans it, so it has rust all over it and it just doesn't sound very sanitary at all. Wouldn't you guess that someone who puts as much effort into looking good and thinking he looks good, have a little better hygiene? I would think yes, but in Stardlater's case I guess it's not.
Stradlater hates to be called a moron. He has a tad bit of a temper when he is called that name, so he takes it out the only way he knows how, by hitting the person that said it. It seems to me that he wants to portray himself as the tough guy, but that he is really only a regular guy looking to get noticed. I'm not sure that his facade will last very long. I think that later on in the book Stardlater will come back into the story line and be put into his place by another character; even though Holden has left him and all the other students at Pencey behind. How I think Stradlater will come back is this: Holden will meet up with old family friend, Jane Gallagher, they will catch up and Holden will find out what happened on the night of her and Stardlater's date. He might find out something that he doesn't like very much and Holden will some how get back at Stardlater one way or another.
So far, I like the book. Stradlater, on the other hand, is one of my least favorite characters. He is because of the way he acts and just how he comes off as a stuck up, snotty, rich guy who thinks everyone should love him.