Gone Girl (Week 5)

October 23, 2015

I decided that I'd dedicate this week to a passage that I highlighted that sparked my attention in reference to Amy.

"He promised to take care of me, and yet I feel afraid I feel like something is going wrong, very wrong, and that it will get even worse. I don't feel like Nick's wife."

Here, in her separate chapters, Amy had been discussing the event of them moving to Missouri (from New York City) in efforts to be closer to his father who had recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's   disease. She had been upset because he had never told her about this and he became annoyed with her anger. She is beginning to feel farther and farther away from him, as he subtly pushes her away with acts like this. She is slowly losing her sense of identity. I totally agree with Amy, though, as her own husband should have brought up the topic so that Amy could have helped him somehow, whether it would be emotionally or physically. She deserved to know. Keeping secrets from your spouse doesn't usually end well, and Amy's mysterious disappearance clearly isn't a good 'end'. This easily could have been one of the driving forces to her leaving. This quote displayed the strong change that occurred within Amy's heart and mind, almost like a climax in a way. It is probably one of the most essential things that she says leading up to her disappearance.

Tipping Point

Oh, Tipping Point. I had an interesting experience with this one. You know it's a problem when your history textbook is more interesting and attention holding than your AP Language and Composition book. Why would anyone decide that writing an entire book using the same examples MULTIPLE TIMES for each point be a good idea? I mean, fine. It was definitely thought provoking and factual but this is not the kind of book I want to enjoy during my summer vacation. I'd rather watch a documentary. I'm a total nerd but I have my limits. The Tipping Point exceeds my limit. However, that's not to say that this was not a good book with solid concepts. It was definitely interesting to read. For example, a lot of the points he made, like environment having an influence on behavior and how emotions can often be contagious, were related to psychology. I adore psychology, so going through those parts and others definitely sparked my attention. On the other hand, other points mentioned in the novel had merely been facts, which I probably would've found more entertaining in an article online stating random fun facts about life. The style of this book is just not my cup of tea, I guess.

Gone Girl (Week 4)

October 17, 2015

There isn't too much analyze for this week. I honestly have been reading a little less than usual from natural reasons, as school literally starts to take over your life. However, this part of the novel is slowing down, as it's trying to develop the plot of finding Amy. So far, so good; my previously stated idea is becoming more and more like a reality. I really do think Amy is really just trying to test Nick's comprehension and speed with the clues she leaves behind. A man in Nick's town in Missouri had told him about this place in an abandoned mall where a group, referred to as the "Blue Book Boys", do crazy things at night. It doesn't go into detail, but it doesn't have to. You already know that they are unspeakable. Nick goes into the mall with a few friends and Amy's father at 11:00 pm (how unnerving) to check out the scene. I won't state every single detail, but eventually Nick finds a group of people inside and shows a picture of Amy to them to ask if they've seen her. Apparently they had, saying that Amy had attempted to purchase a gun from them.

A gun? Why would Amy ever need a gun? They [Nick and Amy] lived in an isolated town, she wasn't a cop, and there really weren't any real threats around that would require the use of a gun as protection. So I'm trying to think: Did she expect Nick to get this far in her little mystery hunt and find this clue specifically? Does this 'gun' represent something deeper, like a memory? Her treasure hunt clues always include descriptive imagery (in rhyme) about a memory they shared in a specific place, and the next clue would be found in that specific place. Or maybe it represents the sudden shock in their marriage from Amy being MIA and the pause of everyone's lives as a result from it, just like a gun quickly hits another and stuns them.

Or perhaps I'm just over analyzing this and the gun is simply a clue to show that Nick is on the right track for once and that he should continue to use his brain in order to move forward in this quest. I don't know, I guess I'll find out as I keep reading. I like my version though. #confident

On Writing

On Writing is a very casual, conversational type of book that actually teaches you how to write, and how to do it well. As humorous and subjective as it is, Steven King makes a lot of good points. I have never liked super uptight, factual type books (I'm looking at you, The Tipping Point), so I had no trouble getting through this one. I felt like his true personality spilled out onto the pages of that book. And if that's the case, I definitely like him and will be reading more of his books in the future. Let's get to the specifics, shall we?
First off, the structure of this book is amazing. I love organization, and each part of this book has a specific purpose. I enjoyed reading about his childhood and how writing intertwined itself from his early years. That's a real passion. If we're going to use some rhetoric terms here, then I'd say that King definitely has a lot of ethos in this context. He's a writer, has been writing from such a young age, and then he writes a book on how to write a book, basically. How much more credibility could you possibly need? Even though a lot of his suggestions are subjective and biased in his own ways, people will still want to take his words into consideration since he has been so successful in his field for a very long period of time. And honestly, a lot of what he's saying makes total sense. If you do set up the context of the situation correctly and describe the characters well enough, do you really need to emphasize to the reader how each line of dialogue is said with an adverb? I have been told my entire life that using "said" was not good enough or too child like. This is how I have been taught to think. If you really think about it on your own, then you realize that King actually has a point.

Gone Girl (Week 3)

October 9, 2015

I have officially made (and past!) the beautiful 20% of this novel, and just like I stated last week, I am not putting it down. It's just too good. I like the structure of this book because it allows me to get a lot of background information without interrupting the text. The story is told from 2 different point of views, except Nick's writings are in the present and Amy's writings are diary entries from the past, to help the reader develop a better understanding of the events occurring in the novel. That was an ingenious idea. Good job, Gillian.
As I was reading, Nick said this awesome quote below. He is still in shock with the disappearance of Amy, and is really not handling it well.

"If we are betrayed, we know the words to say; when a loved one dies, we know the words to say. If we want to play the stud or the smart-ass or the fool, we know the words to say. We are all working from the same dog-eared script.
It’s a very difficult era in which to be a person, just a real, actual person, instead of a collection of personality traits selected from an endless Automat of characters.”

Isn't that such an awesome quote? It's totally true. With specific events and specific experiences, we all have specific, designated words to say in response. If you don't say those specific set of words at the specific event, you're seen as rude or insensitive. It's really hard to actually be ourselves and be REAL in an age where reality is disfavored. Celebrities try to promote self-acceptance and confidence when they are not real themselves, spending millions to just magically fix their insecurities rather than handling them the way they tell young girls to. The quote actually reminded me of a song lyric from a song I like with a similar theme:

"We live in an age where everything is staged, where all we do is fake our feelings..." - Jon Bellion

As much as everyone encourages it, as much as your family wants it, as much as your friends crave it... You really cannot ever be your true self. Society just can't allow it, and it won't. Being plastic and pretending like everything is okay is basically the easiest way to get through life nowadays. Please tell me a time where someone truly expressed themselves and were genuinely applauded by the media. Can you even think of one? It doesn't exist. It's a very depressing thought, but this is the world today. A world full of deception and self hate and insatiability is what this new generation will grow up in. For all you adorable elementary kids, you'll be in my prayers. Enjoy your lives while they're still simple. They won't be that way forever.

Gone Girl (Week 2)

October 2, 2015

Alright so it's week 2 into this book and I am thoroughly enjoying it. It jumped right into the action and I love that. Wasting time and dragging along the introduction with over characterization, too much detail on the setting and not enough speed annoys me to no end. I'll provide a brief summary or what happened so you get the gist. I'll even add my own commentary in brackets before my full discussion. (I know, I know, we aren't supposed to summarize but it'll only make sense if I do, I promise.)

~ Nick and his [twin] sister Margo [as he continuously refers to as 'Go'] were at their privately owned bar [ironically named The Bar] talking about his 5th year wedding anniversary to Amy, which was that day. Very sentimental. Nick then quickly receives a phone call from his neighbor across the street named Carl, telling him that his house door is wide open and his totally domestic [and surprisingly unintelligent] cat had been sitting on the front porch. Nick proceeds to drive home a little while later, slightly alarmed and finds this to be true. The front door was wide open, the cat was indeed on the porch, a tea kettle had been left boiling [with basically all the water evaporated, almost caused a fire], a pressing iron plugged in for use, the house a big mess, and get this: No Amy. Amy was nowhere to be found. ~

The whole thing was so scary for me to read. I became so anxious as I assimilated each word, not wanting to read any further. My emotions often parallel with the action of the book. I get way too into it. I would have been so afraid if I came home to my door wide open. I always keep my doors locked. A tea kettle boiling with no more water to boil? I would thank God like 8 times for not letting my house actually catch fire. The fact that there was no blood anywhere makes it seem like a kidnapping. Perhaps the culprit knocked a lot of things down to make it hard for her to get away and tied her up or something. Anyone find it ironic that Amy got kidnapped on her wedding anniversary? I do. That can't possibly be just a coincidence... It's too significant. Like of all days to kidnap the woman? Ugh. At least Nick got the police involved ASAP and they got on the investigation quickly.
There's something else, though; maybe it wasn't a kidnapping, but just another one of those games that Amy plays. Each year on their anniversary, Amy would provide a set of clues including places where they shared tender moments to find the final prize, which would be the gift that she bought for Nick. Like a cute little mystery. Every single year, Nick was incapable of following the clues, as he often didn't remember the same moments that Amy remembered. As you would expect, it would upset Amy greatly. It's not that Nick doesn't care or love her, he's just a little oblivious to things sometimes. Perhaps Amy got fed up after 4 years of disappointment and she gave him the biggest mystery of all? A disappearance is a huge mystery and would definitely be a great test. It's a bit of a sick joke, but hey, no judgement. It's only a theory for now.