"I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it's just too much. The current's too strong. They've got to let go, drift apart. That's how I think it is with us. It's a shame, Kath, because we've loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can't stay together forever" (page 282).
Okay, so I guess I kind of got this wrong in the blog before, but hey. Life is about making mistakes, so it's okay. Anywho, I finally discovered the TRUE meaning of this book, and in a nutshell, it's all described in this quote. Personally, I believe that Tommy represents innocence. Kathy knew him all of her childhood. As they grew older, Kathy "held onto" Tommy. She "never wanted to let him go." Ooh, now I'm just getting punny! But seriously, Kathy was growing up. No matter how much Kathy wanted to, she couldn't hold onto her innocence forever. The world kept spinning faster, and Tommy (Kathy's innocence) couldn't keep up. I'm also really surprised how Kathy dealt with the deaths of her friends. It was kind of humbling, in a sense. Personally, I don't deal with death well. I don't deal with parting with others or breakups in general. But this book made me realize that we can cling to the wonderful memories of the people who touched us the most. We don't have to dwell on how people hurt us. We don't have to dwell on the pain and insecurities of our past at all. We should cherish the good memories and move forward. And quite frankly, I needed that feeling of reassurance in my life.
Personally, as much as I griped about reading this book, as much as I whined about having homework over the summertime, in the end, I did enjoy this book. It taught me a lot about life, and it made me have a better understanding of the world. Even though this book was set in a clone world, it had many connections with our world today. First off, we must cherish our friends. Second, we must accept the idea to move on with life. We must accept the fact that we will eventually have to let go of our innocence. Finally, we must appreciate what we have in life because we never know what we have until it is gone.
Good work. I especially liked your many connections to songs throughout. As you work through Brave New World, be sure to look for connections between the two novels.
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