Have you ever had a ritual or standing date with a parent or grandparent that you grew out of over the years? Did you make it clear that you had outgrown it? How was that message received?
A view of wartime that we rarely get...those not close to the fighting were leading a relatively normal life. Does this seem surprising?
What would you do if there was a war going on in our country...say, in Minnesota (assuming the Canadians have attacked)? Would you go to school? Would you sell contraband on the black market? Would you try to acquire things from the black market? Where would you fall in this spectrum?
Why does grandfather act so defiantly, knowing that he may be risking his family's well being?
What is the strangest, most interesting thing you've seen at night? Share with us...if we're worthy...
Do you have any stories that have been passed down to you? Give a brief summary and then explain why the story is important to you.
What are your thoughts on the story of the deathless man?
43 comments:
Every year my parents would throw me a birthday party at my house for my birthday. We would invite my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, other relatives, and friends. They would do the same for my sister each year as well. Over the years I had outgrown the kiddish birthday parties and would rather just go out to dinner with my friends, and they completely understood that. I made it clear for them that I was getting older and I didn't want to have such big birthday parties any more. As I continue to get older I feel as if I don't even need to get a huge group of friends to go out to dinner either. I think many people feel the same as me in this type of situation. My parents understood the message I was giving them when I said I didn't want to have those birthday parties anymore and would rather do something small with both my friends and family. Depending on what the situation is, it could go either way when trying to tell your parents you have outgrown something. They either are excited to see you grow up or are scared/sad to see you grow up. I don't think anyone would want to break their parents hearts by telling them it is time that they want to grow up, it is just something that happens in life. This can relate to many different situations, not just growing old of certain things.
If there was a war in my country it would be very hard to say how I would react and what I would do. If the war came near me, I would not go to school. School is a large place where a lot of people gather, and is a perfect spot for an attack. The attackers would know when and where would be, since school follows a regular pattern year after year. Next, I would not sell things on the black market. That is a place where a bunch of shady stuff goes down, and I want no part of that. Once a bad deal happens, the enemy may have your name, and game over. I just want to lay low and stay out of the conflict until I am 18 and old enough to join it myself.
I really do enjoy the perspective of wartime this chapter brings. In most books revolving around war, the focus is placed on how the conflict affects the soldiers involved. A good example of this would be The Things We Carry, which perfectly illustrated the physical, mental, and emotional burden the Vietnam War inflicted on the soldiers who had fought in it. However, in The Tiger’s Wife, the focus is shifted on the war’s effect on the civilians. This perspective is very interesting because, even though there is warfare not too far away, the civilians still try to pretend nothing has changed. Children still go off to school, Natalia’s grandfather still teaches his seminar, and people still go shopping and enjoy watching movies at the theater. It seems really absurd because these people are acting so normal despite their close proximity to a battlefield. Yet, it also does not seem so far off from reality. For example, during the Cold War, while Americans faced the constant threat of nuclear attack, yet everyone still continued on with their daily lives. Life was molded around the threat of a nuclear onslaught. Bunkers and duck-and-cover drills became a common occurrence in America. However, everyone still did everything as they normally would. While we might believe people will drop everything in the threat of warfare, most people are going to continue on and adjust their everything to their surroundings. That is what I find so interesting about this chapter; it shows the effect of war on these citizens.
A story that I can think of off the top of my head was a war story. It was passed down from my grandpa, to my mom, to me. My grandpa served in the Vietnam war from 1966-67, and served as a sergeant for a total of 4 years. The story is was that basically my grandpa was in a fox hole with 5 of his other friends. They were in live fire, and were taking cover. A fox hole is basically a burrow, like an open hole in the ground. My grandpa knew that it was time to move, as the enemy was moving in. He made the call and started exiting the hole. Right when he made it out and went to help the others, a bomb struct the hole and only my grandpa made it out. His other friends sadly died that day. and he lived to talk about them. The reason why I keep this story close if because my grandpa was sparred that day. I wouldn't be here if he wasn't. It also tells me that you never know what could happen tomorrow, or even in that matter, in n ten minutes from now. I'm so lucky my grandpa is here with me today, and 5 other families didn't get to have that privilege. This story reminds me how blessed I am.
It was interesting to see how calm and unaffected these people seemed during a wartime. I wouldn't say I was surprised by that, though. I was, however, surprised to see how people used the fact that there was a war going on to excuse their actions. I can't imagine being so nonchalant about a war to the point where I'd be using it to excuse my actions and behaviors. I couldn't be that calm, but maybe it's easier for people to continue life as normal. I'd say it's their way of being blissfully ignorant. That if they just continue life as normal and go on as if they're unaffected, then it's not really happening to them only a few hundred miles away.
I think grandfather acted so defiantly because it's always been a part of his nature. He's a stubborn man and will stop at nothing when he wants something, even when it may put his family at risk. Sure, some may be successful in their stubborn ways, but it may also lead to their own downfall and hurt others as well. I think he was just doing what he thought was the right thing to do.
Every morning I would wake up and my mom would have a bottle of chocolate milk prepared for me . Every time I'd find the bottle sitting on my counter,in the same spot, still cold, and freshly shaken, I would then go on to sit on my couch and watch morning cartoons.Then I began going to school, and then this tradition was only done on weekends and holidays were i'd be home to stay and watch cartoons in the morning. Eventually I grew too old to drink from bottles and started to prefer to sleep in on weekend mornings, and now I'm a young adult so I can pour my own chocolate milk in a glass whenever I feel like it. The tradition I had with my mom ended for the same reason Natalie's tradition with her grandfather did because other activities filled our time in place of those traditions.
I thought that the civilians take on war was really interesting. They used it as an excuse to do whatever they pleased without directly facing the consequences- and no one could do anything about it. When I think of war, I don't think of the every day life and routine that they went through like Natalia describes. When I think of war, I think of the brutality of it- of the blood, tears, brokenness, and suffering. To see how these people went on with their everyday lives, outside of the contraband black market and having certain things (like the zoo) close down, it was definitely a bit of a shock to my system.
If war came to the USA, I can't really say how I'd react. It depends a lot on why the war is being fought, with what, where, etc. If it were in our country, heck, I think I'd stay as far away from dangerous areas (battle fields, obviously, and busy public places) and probably wouldn't do anything that could get me or my family in trouble. I don't want to say I'd just sit by and do nothing, but I can't really begin to describe what I'd do in the case of war because I've never experienced it firsthand, and I am very grateful for that.
I think that the story of the deathless man is confusing and really weird. At first, I was convinced that he wasn't dead while in the casket, and then woke up. As the story went on, hearing that Gavo’s uncle “makes much work for the priest”, it makes me think that the uncle is a deity or god of some sort. Gavo also claims that Natalia’s grandfather wouldn't believe him if he told who his uncle was.
Personally, I don't view the normality of the people during war as all that surprising. What else is there for the people to do during the war? I guess the people could be stockpiling supplies but there isn't much to do if one decides to ditch their normal lives to stay safe at home. If there was a war in Minnesota, I would probably still go to school and continue with daily activities like normal. I would be more cautious but I will not take advantage of a war to excuse my behaviours. I don't want to give up living my life to hid in a shelter all the time.
I don't think it's weird that people lead relatively normal lives during the war. Of course you can expect changes during wartime (rations, curfews, etc.), but people kept living. These people kept living the lives they had before because realistically, there wasn't much they could do other than live. Natalia was 13 or 14 at the time and did what normal teenagers are supposed to do, maybe with a little more freedom, granted. Shops closed down, so black markets popped up. People are destined to live and have fun. Even during wartime, people will make light of their circumstances.
If war struck in the United States, I'd probably go to school until lets say 500 kids were still showing up. By that time the draft for the army would be coming around town and I'd probably hide from that or lie about my age because the army is the worst form of military there is. After successfully evading the draft, I'd probably get into the black market business and sell anything from books to weapons, but I'd also remember to keep a low profile while doing it.
The story of the deathless man really intrigued me because I was swayed towards the whole vampire thing at first, but then after his further conversation with the narrator's grandpa he revealed that it was to repay a deed to his uncle. And it's not until chapter 6 when we find out that the deathless man's uncle is Death himself and the deathless man got a wish, but I'll save that part for the Chapter 6 discussion. The pledge between the narrator's grandpa and the deathless man to prove that he was truth invulnerable to everything. It actually didn't surprise me when the deathless man ended up going underwater across the lake Obreht saving him for another time.
I feel like every person has a ritual that they have grown out of with there parents. For me, one thing I always did with my family is ate dinner together at night. When you are younger, you are not as busy and are home way more frequently. As me and my brother got older, we would be out more after school at practices and other things. The ritual just seemed to fade away, and our family never really talked about it. The message was received in an indirect way when everyone just was busy at nights. It is still nice to do your rituals once in a while, but as you get older you grow out of certain things which happens with age to everyone.
I feel like a lot of families have rituals, from daily to yearly traditions that are kept in the family and sometimes passed down. One tradition my grandma started when I was about six years old was getting me an American Girl Doll for my birthday and one for Christmas each year! I was obsessed with these dolls, I always was in charge of picking her out. I knew what girl I was getting for each birthday or Christmas. This tradition stopped when I was twelve years old, but the tradition just faded out because I was going out of the stage of dolls and just growing up. It is sad, but I still enjoy it because my eight year old sister now has this same tradition with my grandma because she does this with all her granddaughters and it reminds me of my childhood when I thought it was the best thing to pick out the doll. I think traditions are amazing because I think traditions are special and each family has unique and different traditions that they develop.
This may sound completely dumb but as soon as I read the prompt about the most interesting thing you have seen at night this popped right into my mind. The year was probably 2005, Christmas time. I was 5 and my brother was 7. Christmas eve festivities came and went and we created a plan to watch for Santa. We faked being asleep for at least 20 minutes which actually felt like 20 hours before we suspected my parents were asleep (how innocent) and I ran to his room. Long story short, we saw Santa that night. I know he is not real and he is actually my mom and dad but I swear on my life WE SAW SANTA ON HIS SLEIGH!!! Anyways, that is the most interesting thing I have seen at night.
Some of the most fascinating stories in my family (to me) are just conversations with my grandma about the life she has lived. It is so crazy to me how much the life I have lived this far varies from my grandma! Life just seemed so much simpler then. From being raised shortly after the depression, the draft, and life with just about zero technology. One of the main things I got from these endless stories is how well I have it. They help me remember how truly great the things I have are and to not take them for granted. Also, I just love old people so that is a plus.
If we were in war, I don't think I would be calm. It is a different story if I grew up living in it, but if it suddenly started I would freak out quite a bit! I know I would probably still attend school, but may be fearful. Bedford has had a few bomb/shooting threats (some due to getting kicked in the face but that's another story), but my mom never let me skip school, so yeah. Thanks mom.
From the year I was born up until this year, everyone from my dad's side of the family would go camping up north during the summer. We would go swimming in the lake every day for a week and stay out there until the sun went down. At first it was exciting to go out and play in the water, go tubing, and water skiing. But over the years, I've grown out of my love for sleeping on the ground every night. When I first told my family this, I was about 13 years old and thought I was just being dramatic. Now, four years later, I still feel the same way, and I think they're finally realizing how I don't enjoy it as much as they do. I still love spending the time with them, though. It's something that I will always love to do.
Every year, about a week from Thanksgiving, my family has "Cookie Day." It's just a day where my dad's family gets together and we bake a lot of cookies and use home-made cookie dough. When I say a lot of cookies, I mean a lot of cookies. At least 500-600 every year. I haven't necessarily grown out of this tradition but some of my family members have. Everyone's okay with it though, as long as you show up for like half an hour. If war broke out, I don't know how I'd react. My dad is well prepared for that situation but being prepared and ctually doiing are two different stories. I'd be scared I'd lose my loved ones and of not having everyone I love with me. Especially if it was sudden and not everyone was together. I have a lot of interesting stories that I've heard from family members but none I could accurately tell. I'm a really bad story teller.
I have seen a lot of interesting things at night and one specific story comes to mind. I am not entirely sure what year it was but, I remember very well that it was New Years Eve. This took place at my old house which was kind of in the middle of no where, right next to a cornfield, and surrounded by woods everywhere else. My bedroom was upstairs and had a huge window that faced the backyard. Despite it being New Years Eve, I was in bed trying to sleep and it was around maybe 10:30. As I was about to fall asleep, I hear barking and howling. I kind of ignore it at first but, it keeps going on and gets louder and louder. Eventually, I get fed up with the noise and I go downstairs to get my dad. During this time too, we were raising rabbits and from my room, it sounded like the barking was coming from over by theirs hutches. My dad ends up going outside to the desk and shines a flashlight over in the direction of the barking. There were three dogs pawing at the chicken wire on the the doors to get to the rabbits and they were trying to get to them. We are able to scare the dogs off and walk over the where i all went down. The rabbits are scared to death and some of them are bleeding just from jumping over each other. There was also a small hole in the chicken wire that one of the rabbits had chewed through and it was stretched out and even bigger from the dogs. So, definitely one of the most bizarre an interesting things I have seen at night.
If there was a war going on in our country, I would still go to school. I would go to school to have something consistent in my life during the war. I wouldn't sell any contraband on the black market, I would probably observe what everyone is selling. But I would only acquire something from the market if it was up most important for a benefit in my life. I would probably stay with the routine that I did when there was no war, and if I ever got bored I would go and hang at the market and see what contraband people are selling. When it came to the deathless man in the book I was intrigued of how he can stay alive, and that he traveled to places where he knew a person was going to die soon. He would be there with that person as company so they wouldn't be alone when death came.
I'm glad to see that the people were so non-crazy by the war. I would think, in most cases, the population were generally be on edge and a little scared. Although only a few hundred miles away, they continue their lives peacefully. I would not be able to go about life as normal. I would either freak out and be a crazy person, or I would have to join the fighting.
I'm still confused about the story with the dead (not dead?) guy in the casket. Could someone try and explain that to me?
I thought it was interesting how the people began to live when the war was closer to them. Soon, nothing was off limits and they were breaking rules left and right, and no one would say anything about it. I liked the part where it said "The distance of the fighting created the illusion of normalcy, but the new rules resulted in an attitude shift that did not suit the Administration's plans. They were going for structure, control, for panic that produced submission--what they got instead was social looseness and lunacy." Although people were aware of the war, the distance of it from them made them feel relatively safe and normal. So when curfews and other rules were imposed on them in an otherwise normal environment, they rebelled because the rules didn't seem necessary. They figured that if they were going to die soon, why be submissive and obey?
I think that if there was a war going on in our country, I would be really scared. Even if it was far away, I feel like I would definitely be paranoid and think that it could come to us any day. I would want to try to live life as normally as possible to avoid unnecessary stress, but I would still be very scared.
Every year my great grandfather would take me to the fair, he lived right next to the fairgrounds that he owns. He would take me on all the kiddie rides and buy me whatever food I wanted. I never told him that I outgrew the kiddie rides because I didn't want to hurt his feelings because he was so excited to ride them with me every year. One year we both tried to get into a cart together and realized that we both couldn't fit. That's when he realized that I've finally outgrown the kiddie rides.
If a war was going on in our country I would be terrified. I would most likely try to distract myself with different things to keep my mind off of the war. The more I think about bad things the more they tend to become worse and worse with my creative imagination. I would still go to school just so I could still live a normal life once the war ended. However I would likely be paranoid at all times and would worry constantly about everything.
I was a little surprised that the people so close to the war were not terribly affected by it and were still living relatively normal lives. They didn't seem to have food shortages or problems with getting things they needed for their daily lives. The even rebelled against the war curfew and would stay out late and leave lights on. Although, these were almost, if not all, teenagers. They wanted to do things that weren't part of the ordinary style of what the country ordered.
The story of the deathless man is a story not like any other story. It's a man the cannot die, which you find out why later in the book, and can tell people if they will or will not die by drinking coffee out of his special gold-rimmed coffee cup. I was intrigued by this story from the very beginning. By having a man rise out of a coffin and constantly ask for water when he is supposed to be dead grabbed me right in. I wanted to know why this man was deathless and hos in the world he is not dead after being drowned and shot in the back of the head, twice!
Both sides of my family are into having frequent dinners and parties together, even if there is no special occasion. While I don't mind going to them, some people in my family have stopped going just because it is hard to find the time once they have busy lives. Everyone understands that as people grow up things will change and everyone accepts it, even if it is kind of sad. I think it is funny how the teenagers in the book are acting the way they are just because there is a war going on that barely even influences their lives. I think I would just go about my business as usual and not think anything of it until it became more serious or close.
There was one summer as a child where every cousin on my mom's side were old enough to be out of school but young enough to not have any jobs. My grandmother (mom's mom) decided it would be fun to have a sort of "camp" type of deal where we would do something every week like go to the movies, the zoo, etc. The places we went didn't bother my siblings and I at all, it was the shirts that killed it. Each cousin had a bright yellow shirt with a very corny design. Right from the get-go, my siblings and I hated them. It ruined the moments for us. Not to mention we had to get a picture every minute. I think we made it clear to our grandma we didn't want to wear the shirts - we kept telling her every time we went somewhere. We would also cover them up with jackets, even though it was summer.
The strangest thing I've seen at night was a shadow. There was a full moon, so it was super bright outside for being the middle of the night. I woke up around midnight, looked outside, and saw a shadow shaped exactly like a witch on a broom zoom across the blinds. It was traumatizing as a kid - actually, no it wasn't, but I had no idea what it was that made that shadow. Probably a car.
While reading this chapter, I was very surprised at the way people were acting during this war. People saw this time as an opportunity to do whatever they wanted because they knew the expression "there's a war on" was readily available as an excuse. If I was in this situation, I would act very differently than most kids my age were acting at the time. Most kids had the attitude that they could die anyway so why not do anything and everything. For me, war puts into perspective how precious life is. I would spend every waking moment with the people I love and make sure those people knew I loved them. I would defiantly stay away from the black market or anything that could draw attention to myself or my family. I can defiantly say would be more careful during everyday life than the people in this chapter appeared to be.
I think throughout this chapter they use the excuse of a war going on as if anything could happen to you in the next moment. Not going to school for example, that was acceptable to go somewhere else just because there was a war going on. Some may not see school as being as important as living it up while you can at that point, and honestly I would probably be the same way. If there was a war going on, I'm sure I would like to use the war excuse to get out of doing things I'd rather not do. But I think the best way to live with that is to just go about your normal routine. Yes disaster could struck, but no one would know for sure. Going to bed that night thinking of all the productive things that could have been done that day would encourage me to just keep living my normal life. Even if there was the possibility of war hitting. I don't think I would go to any crazy extent, but this is also my opinion while sitting safely at home with no possibly of war. I don't know, maybe I would have a different perspective.
I used to sleep over at my grandma’s every weekend. We would have exclusively chocolate milk and cereal for breakfast. I outgrew it a long time ago, it wasn’t my choice, but she had to move out of her house. The view of the wartime life makes sense – people relatively unaffected by the war use it as an excuse to let loose. If this was our situation I'd probably be one of the kids getting in on that contraband just for the thrill of it. The strangest most interesting thing I've seen it night was a crime being committed without the people knowing I was there – don't worry it was just some lame graffiti, not like a murder or anything. One story that has been passed to me is all of my dad's stories of dumb stuff used to do when he was my age.
If there was a war going on in Michigan, I would continue with my daily life as if nothing has changed for many reasons. First, I would not want to live my life in fear of public places, as that is what the opposing size wants you to do. Would you rather live a life of loneliness, mentally locked away from concerts, school, restaurants, or take the risk and live your life, or ignore the minuscule chance of your town getting bombed, and just continue on. People living a normal life during a time of war does not surprise me. You're always going to have a select few who's minds are constantly locked on the worst possible outcome, while the rest of the people, afraid or not, just want to live normal lives with their children, grandchildren, dad, mom.
My family has been heavily involved in wars since the revolution where one of my ancestors was a marksman for the militia. Many of the stories I inherited are stories from WW2, for example, my great grandfather passed away in a plane crash in Kentucky and his wife (my nana who is alive today) was one of the factory girls who culture of the USA by taking on jobs that only men would do normally. She built airplanes in her factory and supplied us many bombers to win the war. My great great grandpa was a half-track commander who had a bullet hit him non-fatally in either his hand or ear, but I can't remember. Apparently his group had driven directly into an ambush and they came under fire. All these stories are important to me because they give me a sense of pride for my ancestry and like the narrator in our story I respect and love my elders. Even though many find it strange I love to read poetry with my nana even still. I think it makes her so happy to read poetry with me because it's like when she was a teacher again when she was young. I have reverence for these people I have never met and I wish I could have met them.
One of the strangest things that I have seen at night was a parade at 12 o'clock in the morning. My family and I were walking down the sidewalks of Nassau, Bahamas when the streets erupted in lights and music. Turning a corner, we saw a huge mass of people lined up on the sides of the road. They were facing large and colorful floats, dancing and shouting along to the music. Curious, we followed all the commotion to find that a sort of competition had begun within the parade. Different teams were sporting different floats and costumes, while the locals cheered on their favorite group. By the time the parade had ended, it was three in the morning. I will always remember how surprised we were to come up on something so wild and entertaining.
I found this perspective on war incredibly insightful. Our common definition of war does not usually include just everyday life. I found the contraband especially interesting and Natalia's determination to exercise her rebellion. It just goes to show that teenagers will rebel in any environment. Natalia's grandfather's approach to wartime is also interesting. His love for his family is once again exercised by waiting for hours in bread lines. However, once again the family does not discuss such things. Could the attitude surrounding wartime create a silent understanding? Or does this family just avoid tricky subjects? I am interested to see how Natalia's memories of her grandfather create a clearer picture of the family's dynamics as the story develops.
If a war was going on in our country I’d love to stop everything in my life and volunteer to help out whoever needed it. I’d love to leave school and take my camera with me to photograph everything going on and share it with the world. I’ve always been interested in war photography and it would be a great opportunity to be able to do it myself. I wouldn’t sell anything on the black market (because I don’t have anything to) but I’d get a gun or two off of it. I’d love to do the things I mentioned but in reality I’m too young to actually do anything and too scared to leave my house if it happened, maybe I’d flee to Florida.
So, I haven't personally seen anything that goes bump in the night, but my host father in Japan claimed to. Mind you, this man is quite superstitious. He was telling me all about ghosts and UFOs and asking me all sorts of odd questions on those topics. Eventually, after asking if the United States was hiding aliens/UFOs somewhere (which I responded to with a vague denial), he claimed he saw a UFO with his own two eyes. At the ripe age of 13 in rural Yamaguchi, he claimed to be riding home on his bicycle from a friend's house in the evening when he saw blue lights dancing over some rice paddies, then quickly vanish into the mountains. It was an interesting story, but I personally didn't believe it.
On the topic of war, there's been conflict in the world for nearly my whole life, but none of it has been at home. War is a bit of a distant, half-real thought for people like me who have no experience with it and no family members who have served recently. I wouldn't use war as an excuse to go rogue and do whatever I pleased, but I would use it as an excuse to be more bold than I am now. Knowing dangers are nearby and any moment could potentially be my last, I would be trying to make the most of my time and worrying less about repercussions. I wouldn't do anything (too) illegal, but I would feel less inclined to follow every rule when war is the main focus of life. Maybe I wold use this boldness to help people in need, or be like a Robin Hood of sorts for people made into refugees by the war. But I'm hoping a day never comes where I'd find out how I would be in that position.
FIRST
Holy cow, I love the idea of Canadians attacking Minnesota. I was just in Vancouver, and so I can genuinely put forth anecdotal evidence, because people their apologized to me at an outrageously disproportionate rate to the number of situations they caused. It was amazing, I love Canada. So the idea of them, each time they fire a bullet, saying sorry? Adorable. Not that I'd joke about Canada's military, because Fun Fact, they're pretty powerful- at least, in numbers.
The strangest thing I've seen at night, I caused- I love to take paper towels, sparklers, kerosene, wood, and my bow and arrow, and throw them all together to make micro-thermite arrows. Needless to say, I've silhouetted some people, and their eyes sparkle the reflection of the arrow as it flies by. You may not think it's safe, but man it's cool.
OK Hold up
Addendum
I take back that strangest sight thing I said earlier- My friends and I were jousting. They'd brought over their longboards (just long skateboards if you didn't know) and I had a few of my lightsabers, and my friends were going around the cul de sac in front of my house, just wailing on each other with this whole Jousting business. Anyway, we were doing that, and this car rolls up, and just sits there while were jousting, for about a new forty minutes, which is when the speaker on one of my sabers got disconnected and we had to stop to fix it. But each time we'd pass by the car, the glow of the sabers would illuminate these little clouds coming out of it. It was only after the car pulled up near us and four teenage dudes about our age were yelling "that was gnarly man" did me and my friends realize these dudes were super baked. For legal reasons, boo pot and drugs, do hugs.
NEW COMMENT WOW THIS CHAPTER IS FULL OF THEM
1. Story-passed down question-
Why yes, I do have stories that were passed down to me in full. For example, the time my grandfather made a cannon to kill a rat, but filling a tube that a rat was hiding in with acetylene and shooting the rat at mach 2 into a wall. I love that story. He was an industrial welder for the longest time, and there was a rat in a tube. Problem solved. And my mom tells us, every time the family goes to her house, about how the fields around her house used to flood all the time. She repeats the stories unintentionally, but my Dad, Sister and I still tell her her own stories every time we visit my mom's folks now.
Also, the deathless man reminded me of an 8th grade health lesson, where Mr Hennessey was describing how after death, a body becomes reanimated for just a second, as the gas escapes the lungs and pressure within the body is released, forcing it to sit upright and gasp really loudly. I can't remember much more, and time may have addled my memory, so forgive any scientific inaccuracies.
At first I found it strange that the civilians could carry on normally during wartime but the more I thought about it, the less surprising it seemed. During times of war, one of the most comforting things to possibly do is to carry on as if things are normal. The more of your life that you change because of stress, often the more stressful the situation becomes. One thing that my sister and I outgrew was staying over at our grandmother's house. When we were younger we always made sure we did it at least once a month. We had a lot of fun when we were younger but around the time we were 11 and 12 we thought we were "too old". We told our mom who I assumed then told our grandma. After a few years we realized that we weren't actually too old and now we try to stay over when we can again.
As a kid, my mom had always said that there is American Indian blood in my genes. I always thought this was a cool thing to think about. My ancestors were the first to live off of and thrive on the land that I we live on today. I never really realized how special that was to me until a few years ago when a coincidental event happened to me. For years I had played many different sports, i just couldn't find one that actually suited my liking or skill. In Junior High School I began playing a sport called Lacrosse. The sport seemed relatively new to the world when I began playing and I had never heard of it before. It wasn't until later that year, that I realized the game was actually one of the oldest games ever played. We know it as Lacrosse, however, the American Indians knew it as a the Medicine Game or the Creators Game. A game that is said to have been played by the animals of the land to please their many gods. The game was made for everyone, for their own healing and spiritual acceptance in the world. The story of Lacrosse is held dear to me because of my past. My ancestors played the game and now I am walking down a path that has been tread on by thousands of Indians before me. I found a game that I'm good at and have a deep passion for. When I started playing, I felt like I finally belonged and that was through the Medicine Game.
It's unsurprising to me that the people not close to the fighting are leading their lives relatively normally. If they are away from the direct violence of the war, they're going to do their best to ignore it and cling to normalcy for as long as they can. Of course, the affects of the war start to creep in as young men start to disappear, drafted for the war effort, certain items start becoming harder and harder to find, and an overall sense of unease settles onto the city.
Ignoring the question of whether or not the story was real, I thought the story of the deathless man was interesting in that, rather than coming to terms with the reality of our deaths as mortal people do, the deathless man had come to terms with his own immortality. I think Gavo's infinite existence could be considered a negative thing, a curse, as he even explains that he does not survive out of his own will, it is only because his "uncle" will not allow it. From his hints, I gathered that the uncle is the Devil, and I think that Gavo was granted his immortality as some sort of punishment.
When I was younger, I spent every weekend with my grandparents. My grandmother picked me up from school on Fridays, and my grandfather would take me to school monday mornings. Eventually, however, I grew out of that tradition. It was sad, but I understand that as we grow we have to lose some things that we can no longer hold onto from childhood. I think that the fact that life was going on normally near the fighting is not as surprising as it should be. We live in a very developed country and we have evacuation plans and lots of defenses. Smaller, less wealthy countries have less money and resources to relocate people. If you aren't that close to the fighting, you're left behind and hope it doesn't really move any closer. I think if there was a war in Minnesota I would continue living normally. Keep an eye on what's going on, but remain pretty much the same unless the fighting got closer. I think the most interesting thing I've seen at night is a summer storm under a weirdly pink sky. It was very weird, but beautiful.
If war suddenly broke out, and the Canadians suddenly attacked, I think I would realistically probably hide up in a hole somewhere and only occasionally leave. I wouldn't be a coward per second, but rather I'd be a gatherer and not fight anyone. I'd help myself and others but nother interfere with the war. I don't think I'd sell on the black market, I'd feel too bad about breaking the law.
As for old family stories, my mom likes to tell me about her grandmother and grandfather. They were extremely Czech, and really funny. Apparently on their wedding day, my great grandmother made fun of how much taller she was than him at the altar and he got mad right in the middle of the service.
The story of the deathless man is intriguing and it is my favorite anecdote of the story so far. I believe that the deathless man is an angel on Earth and that his power of not dying is from God. I thought it was interesting how her grandfather became so delirious that he agreed to letting him sink to the bottom of the lake. The story also explains why the grandfather's copy of the jungle book was not found with his body. The deathless man, perhaps death himself, had visited him upon his death and taken the book.
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