Mr. Sedaris depicts himself as a complete ass. We accept David because he is our character and we can laugh at his behavior but truly, what we are laughing at is his terribleness and inability to accept others under his wealthy suburban status. He discriminates a handicapped girl he helps, “…I did that, ME, how dare she take half the credit” (149). Reading this, one is shocked at his horrible personality, but we find his inappropriateness funny like the kind humans we are. I find this interesting though because at the end of the chapter he admires Peg, the handicapped, and notes his own arrogance and childish views. “…pictured myself in a wheelchair, hoping that the person assigned to care for me would have none of my qualities” (148). This “phase” of David’s life is spent primarily on an orchard and in an apple processing plant. On the orchard and in the plant he meets some weird people and at the end of my reading proclaims himself a Christian as he is about to be attacked by a man from his work. This came to be because of a run in he had with a devout Christian who he worked for. The book is a whirlwind of events following one after the other that somehow mesh together by little strings. David didn’t develop very much as he still is extraordinarily prejudiced and horribly inappropriate. I recommend the book.
Themes seem to have been put on the back burner for the book but some exist. His topic of women evolves into the theme that they are to be revered as they present the mystery. Peg, the handicapped girl, brings David selfish happiness but not until she dies does he see what she was all about and what she went through. “Following a brief period of hard won independence she came to appreciate the fact that people aren’t foolish as much as they are kind” (152). Cats also bring something to the table. They support the theme of disappointment. When a cat enters his life they leave or die and they make apparent his loneliness and sadness. When he invests time in them they don’t return the favor. “I fed him sardines and stroked him until he set off sparks. He ran away” (166).
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2 comments:
That is a really weird but nice pick up on the cat theme. Your book sounds interesting but I don't really understand the main character. What I picked up was the he was selfish, arrogant, and rude, but is there a reason for why he is the way he is?
I think you bring up an interesting point about the nature of human beings. You describe how the reader finds David's personality horrible, yet funny. I agree with you that people laugh at even the most inappropriate things and it is intriguing to think about why this is. I wonder if David is trying to get the reader to think about this.
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