It seems to me that every character has some kind of flaw--some imperfection. I'm wondering why the author feels it's necessary to give these particular characters these particular imperfections.
For example:
Annemarie is epileptic
Marcus has some sort of problem that requires him to see the dentist
Richard's right leg is two inches shorter than his left leg
Jerry's shirts have yellow armpit stains
What do these imperfect qualities have to do with the characters and their roles in the story?
Some parts about the setting are also less than appealing. For instance, when Miranda brings Annemarie to her apartment for the first time, Miranda can't help but notice all the things wrong with her own home. On pages 65-66, she describes "the stuffing coming out of the sofa in two places, the burns from Mr. Nunzi's cigarettes, the big flakes of paint hanging off the ceiling, and the black spot next to the radiator where dripping water had stained the wood floor." Furthering the theme of imperfection, this part in the story comes right after Miranda fails to get the perfect "V" cut in the sandwich rolls.
I'm perplexed. Why is it important that these details get mentioned in the story? I'm not seeing the connections. The only thing I might relate them to is Miranda's mom's philosophy that "Most of the time, people get distracted by the little stuff and ignore the big stuff," which ties in with her belief that everyone wears an invisible veil that makes the world a little blurrier, a little less intense. Is the veil lifted when we see these imperfections?
Can somebody help me to put this puzzle together?
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I do think that you are on to something here. I sense that it has something to do with Miranda's shifting awareness of others/self. It's like Miranda is seeing the world with new eyes--the same world she has always lived in--but one that is shifting and creating new possibilities/awareness.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting that you say Miranda's awareness is shifting. We see many things outside of her control that affect her internally. The role she is asked to play in helping Marcus travel through time, for instance, is not something she seeks out, but something she is almost manipulated into doing. She has to make sense of it by questioning her notions of "common sense" and what is humanly possible.
ReplyDeleteAnother factor just out of her control is that she develops feelings for Colin. Her experience with boys is shifting as she falls out with her male play partner, Sal. She is suddenly faced with the realization that adolescence brings on a new way to think about relationships. It's not until she realizes that she likes Colin that Sal reveals to her the reasons behind his avoidance of her.
Mark - excellent point! Per Sam's comment the other day as well, I wonder if this also is somehow linked with A Wrinkle in Time... the main character, Meg, is also flawed (she is described as awkward and insecure), and the journey throughout the book opens her eyes to her own power, as she is the only one who can save her brother. She, too, doesn't seek out the mission to rescue her family, just like Miranda "is manipulated" into being part of the time travel mystery. And like Meg, Miranda is really the only person who can help Marcus. I find it so intriguing that the two books are woven together so much and can't help but think there is something deeper between the two books that I'm overlooking.
ReplyDeleteI found this article about "When You Reach Me". It was really interesting to read, I'll probably post it on the main page of this blog as well. I just wanted to mention it on this thread to mention that "In addition to providing her characters with an organic way to talk about time travel, Stead admits with a laugh, “I just took the first opportunity to bring in this book because it meant so much to me.”
ReplyDeleteinteresting!
Read more: http://newyorkkids.timeout.com/articles/books/76513/rebecca-stead-interview-for-when-you-reach-me#ixzz0rS00nhHK
http://newyorkkids.timeout.com/articles/books/76513/rebecca-stead-interview-for-when-you-reach-me