Joining you in stall mode, Wolfram, although it's hard. I've picked it up, but haven't opened it yet. I'm carefully reading another book so I won't be too tempted.
A man walks down the street in that hat, people know he's not afraid of anything.
Wash ,'The Message'
The Buffista Book Club: the Harry Potter iteration
This thread is a focused discussion group. Please see the first post below for the current topic and upcoming book discussions. While natter will inevitably happen, we encourage you to treat this like a virtual book club and try to keep your posts in that spirit.
By consensus, this thread is reopened specifically to discuss Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It will be closed again once that discussion has run its course.
***SPOILER ALERT***
libkitty - Sep 09, 2004 2:15:55 pm PDT #533 of 3301
Embrace the idea that we are the leaders we've been looking for. Grace Lee Boggs
Wolfram - Sep 13, 2004 4:23:06 am PDT #534 of 3301
Visilurking
So, anybody up for a discussion today?
billytea - Sep 13, 2004 4:46:17 am PDT #535 of 3301
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.
So, anybody up for a discussion today?
Sure! What would you like to talk about?
Wolfram - Sep 13, 2004 4:57:30 am PDT #536 of 3301
Visilurking
We could try politics or religion. See how that works out.
Connie Neil - Sep 13, 2004 5:01:47 am PDT #537 of 3301
brillig
Is it today we talk about Asher? I'm too lazy to check.
billytea - Sep 13, 2004 5:09:01 am PDT #538 of 3301
You were a wrong baby who grew up wrong. The wrong kind of wrong. It's better you hear it from a friend.
We could try politics or religion. See how that works out.
Or, we could combine them! How about this? "The Trinity is cool because you could use preferential voting to choose the most popular hypostase." Discuss.
Wolfram - Sep 13, 2004 5:29:00 am PDT #539 of 3301
Visilurking
Is it today we talk about Asher? I'm too lazy to check.
Yup. Somebody want to jump in first?
Connie Neil - Sep 13, 2004 5:43:57 am PDT #540 of 3301
brillig
Yes! I made general notes. Yep, I love this book.
His community gives him every help they can. They would *prefer* him to follow his family's footsteps in the important work they are doing, but it's obvious that Asher is utterly unsuited to that life, that he is driven to art. He himself is driven to the point of sickness in his efforts to conform. His parents love him and don't want to cause him pain, but they are vowed to the defense and progress of their way of life. Art is a mystery to them, possibly sinful, but it is Asher's passion and they want to understand.
His art finally takes him, though, to a realm of truth that cannot be reconciled with the truth of the community. He raises questions and disturbances, and the community cannot survive with the constant roiling at its heart.
The antagonist is Tradition, tradition that expects people to subsume their own passions to its service. The Rabbi balances Asher's passion and the traditions as long as he can, but in the end Asher cannot serve two masters. He himself knows he's gone to far and wants to pull back, but his truth will not let him.
He was raised to integrity. He cannot back down from the truth.
erikaj - Sep 13, 2004 6:31:05 am PDT #541 of 3301
Always Anti-fascist!
But sometimes he and his father do seem to be antagonistic...they make some peace but...I wouldn't say his father isn't an antagonist.
sumi - Sep 13, 2004 6:49:15 am PDT #542 of 3301
Art Crawl!!!
I agree with erika -- I mean -- you could say that his father's believe in the tradition causes the antagonism but his father would not have supported him had the Rebbe (?) not done so.