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.