Character: Vernon
Location: Bus to San Antonio
What’s happening: For the first time, the memory of the day of the massacre returns; i think this is a very important moment because it shows for the first time how much the events have touched the young man; it is a very personal moment.
„It was clear that I could not get over what happened easily. I expected it to come back to me, the memory of the day which changes my life. And it happened today, when I rode the bus on my way to San Antonio. I should have been happy to leave Martirio behind. I WAS until suddly I woke up from a short slumber – and there they were, the old familiar waves. They came crashing over me and it felt like everything, the whole drama, happened again. It felt so real, I could see the terrified faces of my classmates, the blood on their bodies – and I could see Jesus, how he held the gun against his face and stuck it into his mouth.
All I could do was crying. All the tears I had to held back those last days were bursting out of me and the only thing I wanted to do was someone who held me close and told me that everything’s gonna be alright and turn out right.“
(Words: 172)
Montag, 26. Februar 2007
Charakterization: Descibe a character from the book: Palmyra
My favorite character in the book is definetly Palmyra, the best friend of Vernon’s mother. She has a very kind heart and is always hungry; while others ask you about how you’re doing, Palmyra asks you if you had enough to eat. She drives an old Mercury, where a tape of Glen Campbell is stuck in the player so that everytime you drive with her, you hear the song „Galveston“. If you search Palmyra, have a look at the Bar-B-Chew Barn, a restaurant in Martirio, which is her favorite place to be.
I think Palmyra ist he only one of his mum’s friends Vernon likes. She seems to be something like an aunt for him. She’s very reliable and always ready to listen to your problems; you’ll get the best results when you stop at the Barn before and bring a few ribs around...
(Words: 144)
I think Palmyra ist he only one of his mum’s friends Vernon likes. She seems to be something like an aunt for him. She’s very reliable and always ready to listen to your problems; you’ll get the best results when you stop at the Barn before and bring a few ribs around...
(Words: 144)
Analysis: Write about the style of writing the author uses
„Vernon God Little“ is written in a quite rough language; it contains many „bad“ words (the f-word is used very often for example) and much slang what makes it difficult to read for a person who’s not familiar with this kind of language.
Nevertheless, the book contains many descriptions and the author uses many metaphors and symbols to show how the protagonist feels like. Altogether, you get a very clear impression of what’s going on in Vernon’s head and how he feels.
The language which is used has the effect on me that I often had to laugh of the comparisons he makes (for example the picture of Betty Pritchard, who appears like the bird on the back of a rhino who’s in this case Georgette). It’s fun reading it because this style of writing is very refreshing and diversified.
(Words: 140)
Nevertheless, the book contains many descriptions and the author uses many metaphors and symbols to show how the protagonist feels like. Altogether, you get a very clear impression of what’s going on in Vernon’s head and how he feels.
The language which is used has the effect on me that I often had to laugh of the comparisons he makes (for example the picture of Betty Pritchard, who appears like the bird on the back of a rhino who’s in this case Georgette). It’s fun reading it because this style of writing is very refreshing and diversified.
(Words: 140)
Sonntag, 25. Februar 2007
Empathy: 5 Questions to the author
- Where did you get your bad image of women from?
I ask because to me it seems quite striking that all the women in the story until now have a similar character; they’re all rather dumb, mostly talking about how their diet (or the diet of other women they know) is working, and always gossipping and hungry for new sensations. As the most obvious example I would name here Vernon’s mom, Doris, and her girlfriends George, Betty and Leona. They seem to do nothing but sitting all day in Doris’ livingroom and discussing their new loss of weight or what they ordered from television-shopping.
Not as obvious as the other ladies‚’ Taylor fits this picutre as well. Actually she doesn’t want to meet Vernon, but after she heard what happened to him she’s suddenly SO friendly and interested... she may not be in need of a diet, but she’s as hungry for sensation as the other ladies in the book.
- Why is the city Veron lives in called „Martirio?“
My first association with the name of Vernons hometown was death, rivers of blood and destroyment... does this city really exist or did you call it like that because you wanted the readers to associate the same as me?
- Are there any parallels between Jesus Navarro and Jesus Christ?
I had more than just once problems finding out who is meant, Jesus N. or Jesus C, like in the police office where Vernon looks at a picture of „my friend, Jesus“ – hey, both can be meant with that. I thought it was my fault first, but then I found out that there must be a meaning behind the mistake of the two Jesus’.
- Were you an underdog, too?
I suppose you were, because you know very well the feelings of a person who’s standing at the edge of society... I feel like you got a sympathy for those underdogs and outsiders, and they play an important role in your book.
- Do you dislike mankind in general or just the way some things in our society are going?
You show a quite sad and hopeless picture of the people surrounding us, what lets me think you’re a „man-hater“...
(Words: 371)
I ask because to me it seems quite striking that all the women in the story until now have a similar character; they’re all rather dumb, mostly talking about how their diet (or the diet of other women they know) is working, and always gossipping and hungry for new sensations. As the most obvious example I would name here Vernon’s mom, Doris, and her girlfriends George, Betty and Leona. They seem to do nothing but sitting all day in Doris’ livingroom and discussing their new loss of weight or what they ordered from television-shopping.
Not as obvious as the other ladies‚’ Taylor fits this picutre as well. Actually she doesn’t want to meet Vernon, but after she heard what happened to him she’s suddenly SO friendly and interested... she may not be in need of a diet, but she’s as hungry for sensation as the other ladies in the book.
- Why is the city Veron lives in called „Martirio?“
My first association with the name of Vernons hometown was death, rivers of blood and destroyment... does this city really exist or did you call it like that because you wanted the readers to associate the same as me?
- Are there any parallels between Jesus Navarro and Jesus Christ?
I had more than just once problems finding out who is meant, Jesus N. or Jesus C, like in the police office where Vernon looks at a picture of „my friend, Jesus“ – hey, both can be meant with that. I thought it was my fault first, but then I found out that there must be a meaning behind the mistake of the two Jesus’.
- Were you an underdog, too?
I suppose you were, because you know very well the feelings of a person who’s standing at the edge of society... I feel like you got a sympathy for those underdogs and outsiders, and they play an important role in your book.
- Do you dislike mankind in general or just the way some things in our society are going?
You show a quite sad and hopeless picture of the people surrounding us, what lets me think you’re a „man-hater“...
(Words: 371)
Analysis: 5 of the main themes
Family difficulties: Vernon hasn’t got an easy family life, his mother is absolutely ignorant and doesn’t seem to be interested in him at all. His dad, who is dead, would have probably been an important support; not only in this situation of being accused, but also in the daily life of a male teenager.
Two different worlds: Adults and teens
The book shows in an intense way how different the world of an adult and a teenager are. Actually, Vernon is he only teenager in a world full of adults who don’t understand his point of view – or they don’t want to understand it. Anyway, the reader feels himself how difficult and annoying it is for a teenager to live in a world dominated by adults who abuse their position.
Human Nature:„Vernon God Little“ shows us the human nature from its worst side: the neverending hunger for sensation and fame, no matter how it is reached. People lie, fool and betray each other just to get a bit of attention by their environment.
Daydreams:
Vernon has a simple way of escaping, when the air gets too thin: he escapes into his daydreams. Mostly he’s dreaming about his future, which includes a cottage by the sea in Mexico where he wants to live with the girl of his dreams, Taylor Figueroa. I think the daydreams are one of the reasons why he hasn’t lost his mind and gone crazy by now.
Guilt / Innocence:
Jesus, the "real" Highschool-Killer is dead and the angry crowd seeks now someone they can call guilty of killing their kids; the only person who remains is Vernon so he must pay for what his friend has done.
(Words: 281)
Two different worlds: Adults and teens
The book shows in an intense way how different the world of an adult and a teenager are. Actually, Vernon is he only teenager in a world full of adults who don’t understand his point of view – or they don’t want to understand it. Anyway, the reader feels himself how difficult and annoying it is for a teenager to live in a world dominated by adults who abuse their position.
Human Nature:„Vernon God Little“ shows us the human nature from its worst side: the neverending hunger for sensation and fame, no matter how it is reached. People lie, fool and betray each other just to get a bit of attention by their environment.
Daydreams:
Vernon has a simple way of escaping, when the air gets too thin: he escapes into his daydreams. Mostly he’s dreaming about his future, which includes a cottage by the sea in Mexico where he wants to live with the girl of his dreams, Taylor Figueroa. I think the daydreams are one of the reasons why he hasn’t lost his mind and gone crazy by now.
Guilt / Innocence:
Jesus, the "real" Highschool-Killer is dead and the angry crowd seeks now someone they can call guilty of killing their kids; the only person who remains is Vernon so he must pay for what his friend has done.
(Words: 281)
Reflection: How I feel while reading a section of the book
The beginning of chapter four, when Vernon is back home and the livingroom is filled with the friends of his mum, hungry for sensation as always, is a very sad one I think. At the same time it’s ridiculous and ironic; Doris’s son just came out of the police department, at it is still possible that he helped killing some of his school-mates – and his mother doesn’t care about anything but her new refridgerator and those awful joy-cakes! I can’t understand why she lets her friends come in and offers them her joy-cakes while her son would need her. She doesn’t even seem to be interested in finding out whether he is guilty or not. She doesn’t want to know what happened that day in school from his point of view; she prefers to learn it from the media.
Reading these pages made me feel sad because I think in a difficult situation you should know that you can count on the support of your family. Vernon has lost his best (or only?) friend, Jesus, his mother seems to speak an absolutely different language and his father is dead. The only person he can rely on is he himself. And that’s tragic.
(Words: 202)
Reading these pages made me feel sad because I think in a difficult situation you should know that you can count on the support of your family. Vernon has lost his best (or only?) friend, Jesus, his mother seems to speak an absolutely different language and his father is dead. The only person he can rely on is he himself. And that’s tragic.
(Words: 202)
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