"It may be especially easy to deceive loved ones-the people who love you are the least willing to acknowledge your deceit. But if you love no one, and feel that no one loves you, there's no one with the power to sting you by pointing out that you're lying" (99).
The idea of deceit as Dr. Larch describes it makes it harder for people who feel love and love to deceit people. They are much more honest than people who do not feel love. The people who feel the love also feel disappointment when they do lie and hurt the ones they love. They can feel what they are doing wrong, unlike those who do not see it in the people the love. They do not understand that what they are doing is hurtful. Those who do not feel love find it easier to lie and cheat others than those who do. In a way, he is saying that orphans who grow up without love are more likely to be deceitful.
In this short passage, Dr. Larch is showing his concern for Homer. He is concerned that Homer does not feel love inside of the orphanage that he has grown up in. Dr. Larch is not sure that Homer understands that there are people who truly care for him, himself included. He is worried that Homer will grow up trying to be deceitful because he does not know what love is and he does not know that what he does can hurt the people that he loves.
This also shows that Dr. Larch indeed loves Homer. If he is thinking about how deceit harms orphans, he is also concerned for Homer. He cares and loves Homer very much, in a way that the orphanage has become Homer's home, the only place where Homer truly feels accepted. Which in a way has also worried Dr. Larch. Dr. Larch does not want the orphanage to become a forever home for any of the orphans. But, he also knows he has to show fatherly love for Homer so that he grows up into a working citizen that does not deceit, lie, or try to deliberately hurt other people.
This also foreshadows the few times that Homer did actually do deceitful things behind Dr. Larch's back. He helped Melony destroy the house in town, and he kept a picture of a woman hidden from Dr. Larch. He does these things, very teenage like, yet he does not tell Dr. Larch. It is deceitful, but also expected of a teenager, and so Dr. Larch tries to find a way to teach Homer not to do those things. He tries to make him grow up faster. All of these things, Dr. Larch does out of love.
The idea of love being a restraint is an interesting perspective. It is the idea that we try to not hurt those that we love. Dr. Larch discovers that the people we love are the ones we are less likely to hurt and lie to. We try to please them, an idea that he tries to instill in the orphans awaiting adoption. He is doing one of the only things that he tried not to do, place love in an orphanage, encouraging the children to stay there.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Close Reading 12/21
"tell the fool [he meant his replacement] that the work at the orphanage is all the Lord's work-everything you do, you do for the orphans, you deliver them" (71).
Many people do not agree with what Dr. Larch does. They do not like that he does work besides delivering babies, they consider some of what he does the Devil's work. They do not see the good in what Dr. Larch is doing. The only see it bad.
What this quote is referring to is the idea of many doctors disagreeing with giving women abortions. They do not think that women should be allowed to be given abortions. Many times woman have to pay lots of money and end up dying because of the ways that many people illegally do abortions. Dr. Larch is trying to help these women by giving them safe and free abortions and in a way helping orphans as well.
These people are referring to Dr. Larch's work as devilish. This can be seen as a symbol of the book. The work that Dr. Larch completes is not evil, and many times is necessary for the women he performs them on But, it is consider the work of the devil. When the devil is used in literature, there is a context of evil, and deceit behind it. But, what Dr. Larch is doing is honest work, trying to help these women and prevent them from going to someone who will preform the abortion and hurt them. The idea of an abortion being the devil's work in the case of the way "Off Harrison", is true, many times with the women dying after what is done to them. Yet, it is ironic that many call Dr. Larch's work evil. He does the abortions in the safest way possible, making his work very far from the work of the devil.
This quote also contains the idea that Dr. Larch believes what he does is actually the Lord's work. He believes that what he does is a good thing. And in a way it is. It helps the women who truly want an abortion, for whatever reason, keeping them from doing it in a harmful way. But, he is also delivering many babies as well. He is allowing for many children to live, and go to homes that a good for them. He is running an orphanage, having many children adopted, showing how good he is. Dr. Larch is not doing work that is harmful, but rather necessary and many times considerable good work.
It is also ironic that the person saying the quote is one of the nurses. With Dr. Larch gone for so long, and having the influence of other doctors, it is surprising that the nurses still agree with the work that Dr. Larch does. People are often influences by the people around them, but the nurses stay true to what they know, and still believe that the abortions are helping the women just as much as the deliveries are. There are some women who are willing to carry their babies they do not want to full term, while other women will not, and it is necessary to help all of them. The nurses still believe what Dr. Larch believes and they will continue to follow him in whatever he decides to do.
This quote then leads into when they will tell Homer about what they do. They are not sure how to tell him that they are not only delivering babies but aborting them. Dr. Larch thinks that he will have to learn about it, and he will have to learn what happens in the right way. Dr. Larch knows that he will eventually want to help, and he knows he will have to show him exactly what they do and why they do it. He wants him to understand that what he does is only helpful, not harmful.
Many people do not agree with what Dr. Larch does. They do not like that he does work besides delivering babies, they consider some of what he does the Devil's work. They do not see the good in what Dr. Larch is doing. The only see it bad.
What this quote is referring to is the idea of many doctors disagreeing with giving women abortions. They do not think that women should be allowed to be given abortions. Many times woman have to pay lots of money and end up dying because of the ways that many people illegally do abortions. Dr. Larch is trying to help these women by giving them safe and free abortions and in a way helping orphans as well.
These people are referring to Dr. Larch's work as devilish. This can be seen as a symbol of the book. The work that Dr. Larch completes is not evil, and many times is necessary for the women he performs them on But, it is consider the work of the devil. When the devil is used in literature, there is a context of evil, and deceit behind it. But, what Dr. Larch is doing is honest work, trying to help these women and prevent them from going to someone who will preform the abortion and hurt them. The idea of an abortion being the devil's work in the case of the way "Off Harrison", is true, many times with the women dying after what is done to them. Yet, it is ironic that many call Dr. Larch's work evil. He does the abortions in the safest way possible, making his work very far from the work of the devil.
This quote also contains the idea that Dr. Larch believes what he does is actually the Lord's work. He believes that what he does is a good thing. And in a way it is. It helps the women who truly want an abortion, for whatever reason, keeping them from doing it in a harmful way. But, he is also delivering many babies as well. He is allowing for many children to live, and go to homes that a good for them. He is running an orphanage, having many children adopted, showing how good he is. Dr. Larch is not doing work that is harmful, but rather necessary and many times considerable good work.
It is also ironic that the person saying the quote is one of the nurses. With Dr. Larch gone for so long, and having the influence of other doctors, it is surprising that the nurses still agree with the work that Dr. Larch does. People are often influences by the people around them, but the nurses stay true to what they know, and still believe that the abortions are helping the women just as much as the deliveries are. There are some women who are willing to carry their babies they do not want to full term, while other women will not, and it is necessary to help all of them. The nurses still believe what Dr. Larch believes and they will continue to follow him in whatever he decides to do.
This quote then leads into when they will tell Homer about what they do. They are not sure how to tell him that they are not only delivering babies but aborting them. Dr. Larch thinks that he will have to learn about it, and he will have to learn what happens in the right way. Dr. Larch knows that he will eventually want to help, and he knows he will have to show him exactly what they do and why they do it. He wants him to understand that what he does is only helpful, not harmful.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Close Reading 12/13
"What mattered to Dr. Larch was the idea of reading aloud-it was a successful soporific for the children who didn't know what they were listening to, and for those few who understood the words and the story, the evening reading provided them with a way to leave St. Cloud's in their dreams, in their imaginations (28).
Dr. Larch decides to read to the children every night, hoping that even if they do not understand it, they are taken away. He hopes that they are able to escape the reality that they are in and experience the dream world, a world of imagination, a world of woulda, coulda, shoulda. These are the things that these children are not able to experience, worried about whether they will have a home and a family who loves them. So Dr. Larch decides to read to them, even though they may not understand it.
This passage in particular relates to an article called "The Philosophical Baby" where the article discussed the woulda, coulda, shouldas, of life and counterfactuals. This quote from the book is discussing some of what the article discussed. Dr. Larch wants the orphans to use their imagination and to think of a world outside of the orphanage. He does not want the children to worry and he wants them to be able to escape the world that they know. The article discusses that and why it is important to do that. Dr. Larch is doing the children a service by allowing them to discover a world different from what they know.
This passage suggest the idea of intertexuality with references to books that Dr. Larch is reading. Dr. Larch discusses his reasoning behind picking the books. The relations to orphans is one of those reasons that Dr. Larch picks the books that he does. This idea of picking the books because of their relationship to the books containing characters who are orphans shows the idea of intertexuality. All books have a relationship with other books and Dr. Larch does direct allusions to these other texts. In a way, it shows how Dr. Larch wants to educate these boys, but the stories he is reading show how he wants the boys to think about a future outside of the orphanage. He wants the boys to imagine that there is something out there for them. That there is something more than the orphanage itself.
He also does it to show Homer in particular that there is a life out there for him as well. Homer only knows what he sees at the orphanage and the few homes he has been in. He has not really experienced much of the world and Dr. Larch wants him to have a good life. This may even be foreshadowing to Homer ending up in a good place that is not the orphanage after so many failed attempts at finding a home. Maybe this is an indication that Homer will find a place outside of the orphanage. This simple passage contains so much potential meaning and can connect to many different texts outside of just this one.
Dr. Larch decides to read to the children every night, hoping that even if they do not understand it, they are taken away. He hopes that they are able to escape the reality that they are in and experience the dream world, a world of imagination, a world of woulda, coulda, shoulda. These are the things that these children are not able to experience, worried about whether they will have a home and a family who loves them. So Dr. Larch decides to read to them, even though they may not understand it.
This passage in particular relates to an article called "The Philosophical Baby" where the article discussed the woulda, coulda, shouldas, of life and counterfactuals. This quote from the book is discussing some of what the article discussed. Dr. Larch wants the orphans to use their imagination and to think of a world outside of the orphanage. He does not want the children to worry and he wants them to be able to escape the world that they know. The article discusses that and why it is important to do that. Dr. Larch is doing the children a service by allowing them to discover a world different from what they know.
This passage suggest the idea of intertexuality with references to books that Dr. Larch is reading. Dr. Larch discusses his reasoning behind picking the books. The relations to orphans is one of those reasons that Dr. Larch picks the books that he does. This idea of picking the books because of their relationship to the books containing characters who are orphans shows the idea of intertexuality. All books have a relationship with other books and Dr. Larch does direct allusions to these other texts. In a way, it shows how Dr. Larch wants to educate these boys, but the stories he is reading show how he wants the boys to think about a future outside of the orphanage. He wants the boys to imagine that there is something out there for them. That there is something more than the orphanage itself.
He also does it to show Homer in particular that there is a life out there for him as well. Homer only knows what he sees at the orphanage and the few homes he has been in. He has not really experienced much of the world and Dr. Larch wants him to have a good life. This may even be foreshadowing to Homer ending up in a good place that is not the orphanage after so many failed attempts at finding a home. Maybe this is an indication that Homer will find a place outside of the orphanage. This simple passage contains so much potential meaning and can connect to many different texts outside of just this one.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Close Reading 12/7
"If you try to give an institution of the state, or of any government, anything like love one is meant to invest in a family-and if the institution is an orphanage and you succeed in giving it love- then you will create a monster: an orphanage that is not a way-station to a better life, but an orphanage that is the first and last stop, and the only station the orphan will accept" (25).
Dr. Larch writes this in his journal after Homer comes back to live at the orphanage after yet another failed attempt at living with a foster family. Dr. Larch realizes that their is a problem with the system if Homer would rather be at the orphanage than go and live with a family. Dr. Larch seems to be getting nervous that he is creating a place that the orphans would rather live than trying to find a forever home with a family. Dr. Larch does not want children to grow up in an orphanage; he would rather see them find a home that contains the love that an orphanage is supposed to lack.
Dr. Larch realizes that it is love that Homer feels in the orphanage. Homer feels at home when he is at the orphanage. He feels that he is welcome and that he has a place there. While at the last home, he felt useless, and he did not feel like he could help ever. At the orphanage, Homer knew that there are certain things that he can do whenever he wants and there are certain things that he does that make him feel like he has a place there. Homer feels as though he is more welcomed at the orphanage than he ever was in any of the homes he was in. Part of that stems from the abuse that some of the homes contained, but part of it ended up being the fact that the orphanage was a majority of what Homer knew. He did not really know a lot of what was outside of the orphanage, having spent most of his life there.
When Dr. Larch writes this, he also writes that when an orphanage contains love and warmth, it creates a Homer Wells, a forever orphan. That is the last thing that orphanages needs, a forever orphan who never wants to leave. When Dr. Larch writes these things, he is trying to analyze what happened. He is trying to understand what went wrong that made Homer want to live with him and the nurses, instead of trying to live in a home with parents and other children. He is trying to see the reason behind why the orphanage is becoming a place that is, as he states, a one stop station for the orphans. He puts some of the blame on the fact that he has shown Homer that he loves him. Love is such a powerful emotion that causes Homer to keep coming back to a place that he considers home, even though the orphanage should not be a home for him. When a place, such as an orphanage, contains the love that a family should be giving, it causes it to become inviting and makes the children want to stay. The last thing that Dr. Larch ever wanted was a forever orphan that felt that his place was living in the orphanage.
Dr. Larch writes this in his journal after Homer comes back to live at the orphanage after yet another failed attempt at living with a foster family. Dr. Larch realizes that their is a problem with the system if Homer would rather be at the orphanage than go and live with a family. Dr. Larch seems to be getting nervous that he is creating a place that the orphans would rather live than trying to find a forever home with a family. Dr. Larch does not want children to grow up in an orphanage; he would rather see them find a home that contains the love that an orphanage is supposed to lack.
Dr. Larch realizes that it is love that Homer feels in the orphanage. Homer feels at home when he is at the orphanage. He feels that he is welcome and that he has a place there. While at the last home, he felt useless, and he did not feel like he could help ever. At the orphanage, Homer knew that there are certain things that he can do whenever he wants and there are certain things that he does that make him feel like he has a place there. Homer feels as though he is more welcomed at the orphanage than he ever was in any of the homes he was in. Part of that stems from the abuse that some of the homes contained, but part of it ended up being the fact that the orphanage was a majority of what Homer knew. He did not really know a lot of what was outside of the orphanage, having spent most of his life there.
When Dr. Larch writes this, he also writes that when an orphanage contains love and warmth, it creates a Homer Wells, a forever orphan. That is the last thing that orphanages needs, a forever orphan who never wants to leave. When Dr. Larch writes these things, he is trying to analyze what happened. He is trying to understand what went wrong that made Homer want to live with him and the nurses, instead of trying to live in a home with parents and other children. He is trying to see the reason behind why the orphanage is becoming a place that is, as he states, a one stop station for the orphans. He puts some of the blame on the fact that he has shown Homer that he loves him. Love is such a powerful emotion that causes Homer to keep coming back to a place that he considers home, even though the orphanage should not be a home for him. When a place, such as an orphanage, contains the love that a family should be giving, it causes it to become inviting and makes the children want to stay. The last thing that Dr. Larch ever wanted was a forever orphan that felt that his place was living in the orphanage.
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