Friday, December 18, 2009

Happy Holidays!


Hi Guys! I hope you are all having a fun-filled, restful Winter Recess. I have gone ahead and added all the stories that will be in the Midterm Exam. To access them, you simply click on the picture and it will take you directly to the text. Please remember that this is very useful to also complete your study guide. Anyways, I hope you take advantage of this useful tool and prepare for the exams.

Note: I know there are two stories we have not yet covered; we will do so upon your return in January.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I love you all and am very greatful to have you in my life!

New Moon


New Moon

By Stephenie Meyer


(Click on image to view movie trailer)

Overall Summary


New Moon begins with our narrator in deep trouble, running against a clock, chiming in "the end of everything" (Preface.1). Avid readers of Twilight already know that the narrator is none other than our protagonist, Isabella "Bella" Swan. Bella is still living in rainy Forks, Washington with her dad, Charlie. She just spent a dreamy summer with her vampire love, Edward, and now it’s time to go back to school. She also just turned eighteen – a painful reminder that her human clock is ticking while Edward will stay young and handsome forever. To Bella’s major distress, Edward still refuses to turn her into a vampire.When the Cullens (Edward’s vampire family) throw a birthday party for Bella at their house, clumsy Bella gets a paper cut while unwrapping one of her presents, and spills a little blood. Jasper Cullen, still struggling with his family’s no-human diet, loses control and attacks Bella. Edward fights him off but, in the process, the boys wreck the house and leave Bella with a gushing wound on her arm. Everyone except for the head of the family, Carlisle Cullen, and Edward, hurries out with pinched noses to escape the tempting smell of Bella’s blood.Thanks to Carlisle’s profession as a doctor for the past 300 some years, he’s immune to the lure of human blood. As he stays with Bella, she complains that if Edward had made her a vampire already, these accidents wouldn’t be happening. Carlisle reveals that the reason Edward refuses to change her is that he believes vampires don’t have a soul and therefore no chance for an afterlife.While Bella dismisses the Jasper incident as a minor family quarrel, Edward is visibly shaken and withdraws emotionally from Bella. On a walk in the woods, he tells her he wants a safe, human life for her, which is why he and his family are leaving town – without her. "It will be as if I’d never existed" (3.193), he says, and takes off.Bella’s life is shattered. Several months pass during which she vegetates in zombie-like depression. There’s a deep, aching hole in her chest in place of her heart and she wonders if it will ever heal.One day Bella discovers that, if she does reckless things, she can hear Edward’s voice clearly in her head. Feeling him close eases her pain. So she embarks on several reckless adventures just to coax Edward’s voice into her head.Bella’s need for a mechanic causes her to renew her relationship with Jacob Black, the handy young son of Charlie’s best friend Billy, from La Push Indian Reservation. Two years younger than Bella, Jacob has had a crush on Bella since the first time they met. He also unwittingly told her that Edward was a "cold one," a vampire. Bella is surprised to see that Jacob has grown into a handsome young man. Always happy and supportive, he quickly becomes Bella’s healing balm, soothing some of the cracks in her broken heart. They become best friends. It’s obvious that Jacob has romantic feelings for Bella. Although she makes no secret out of the fact that she still loves Edward, she also has trouble curbing Jacob’s romantic advances because being around him makes her happy, something she hasn’t felt for a long time.On a visit to the meadow in the woods where Edward once brought her, Bella meets Laurent, a vampire of the same coven (group) as James, the vampire who attempted to kill Bella in Twilight. Laurent tells Bella that James’s mate, Victoria, wants to kill Bella to take revenge for Edward killing James. Only Laurent is thirsty and has decided to kill Bella himself. Before he can attack, though, a pack of giant wolves appear out of the woods and chase Laurent away.Later, Jacob tells Bella about a gang of boys down in La Push who also seem to be up to no good. Jacob fears that their leader, Sam Uley, will force him to join. When Jacob suddenly starts avoiding Bella, she thinks Sam finally got to him. Trying to save Jacob from the gang, Bella discovers that Jacob has instead morphed into a werewolf. In fact, Jacob was one of the giant wolves that saved her from Laurent. According to ancient Quileute legend, selected men from the Quileute tribe turn into werewolves to protect humans from getting eaten by vampires. Long ago, the werewolves made a peace treaty with Carlisle Cullen on the condition that the Cullens refrain from eating humans.Jacob vows that he and his wolf pack will protect Bella from the vampire Victoria and that he’ll always be her friend – and maybe more, if she’s ready. Bella is torn about what to do.In the meantime, on another reckless adventure to hear Edward’s voice, Bella goes cliff jumping. Jacob barely saves her from drowning.On her return home, Bella finds Alice Cullen, who is shocked to see Bella alive. Due to her future-seeing skills, Alice saw Bella jump off a cliff. But it turns out she can’t "see" werewolves, so she believed Bella committed suicide.Edward hears the false news of Bella’s death and he decides to go to Italy to provoke the Volturi, and ancient vampire family, to take his life too. The Volturi are in charge of enforcing rule number one of vampiredom: don’t reveal to any humans that you are a vampire! That’s why Edward plans to walk out into the sun at noon – exposing his sparkly vampire skin – in Volterra's center plaza.However, Bella has gone to Italy in search of Edward and saves him from exposing himself in the nick of time. But they get kidnapped by the Volturi anyway. Aro, the leader of the Volturi, forces Edward to make a decision: either he changes Bella into a vampire or she has to die, because she knows vampires exist. Through Alice’s vision of Bella’s future, Aro sees that Bella will become a vampire and releases them.At home, Edward and Bella re-declare their love for each other, but trouble looms on the horizon. Jacob and his werewolf pack warn Bella that if she transforms into a vampire, their pre-existing treaty will force them to attack the Cullens. Bella is faced with a tough choice. Yet, with Edward back at her side forever, she believes that she can face anything.


Preface


The preface catapults us right into a race against time – literally a ticking clock tower.
We learn that the narrator (Bella) is trying to save the life of someone she loves. She believes she will fail, because her legs won’t move fast enough to beat the hands of the clock, ticking toward "the end of everything" (Preface.1).
As the bell in the clock tower tolls, Bella knows it’s too late. "I was glad something bloodthirsty waited in the wings. For in failing at this, I forfeited any desire to live" (Preface.5).
We’re left to wonder if we’ve just witnessed the last moments of Bella’s life and that of the loved one she’s trying to save.



Chapter 1: Party


Bella dreams of her grandmother, Marie, who died six years go. Edward enters the dream and Bella realizes that the old and frail granny is her, while Edward smiles, forever seventeen.
It’s September 13, Bella’s eighteenth birthday. She still lives in Forks, Washington, with her dad Charlie and just spent the best summer of her life with Edward. The couple is still at an impasse when it comes to her transformation into a vampire, but she keeps pushing.
Alice has planned a birthday party for Bella at the Cullen house. She never got to experience a human birthday (see Alice’s "Character Analysis" in Twilight) and so pleads with Bella to not ruin her fun. Bella agrees to humor her. But no presents!
In the afternoon before the party, Bella and Edward watch Romeo and Juliet for English class. Bella loves it, but Edward thinks that Romeo’s rash actions ultimately caused the play’s tragic end. Yet, he envies humans for the ease with which they can commit suicide and tells Bella about his contingency plan, in case something would ever happen to her: "I would go to the Italy and do something to provoke the Volturi" (1.137).
Edward explains that the Volturi are a powerful vampire family in Italy, and that you don’t mess with them unless you want to die, or whatever it that happens to vampires at their end. Bella is furious. She makes him promise to never think or say anything like it again.
On the way to the home of the Cullens, Edward asks Bella if there really isn’t anything she wants for her birthday. Bella tells him the only thing she wants is for him to turn her into a vampire.
At the Cullens’ house, Alice has gone completely overboard with birthday decorations – big bowls of pink roses, a pink birthday cake, candles, more roses, and a pile of birthday presents awaits Bella.
Mortified, Bella opens a present and cuts herself on the wrapping paper. Overcome by the scent of her blood, Jasper launches at her. Edward fights him off but, in the process, Bella lands in a mess of shattered crystals, causing blood to now fully gush from her arm:Dazed and disoriented, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arm – into the fevered eyes of six suddenly ravenous vampires. (1.246)


Chapter 2:Stitches


Everyone but Carlisle and Edward leave the room with politely pinched noses.
To keep the accident from Charlie, Bella asks Carlisle to stitch her up at the house.
Bella is struck by Carlisle’s immunity to the smell of human blood, but he explains that it’s due to his 300 years as a physician. When Bella asks him what he likes about his job, he says he believes he can redeem himself for what he is. He believes that there might be an afterlife for good vampires.
Carlisle tells Bella that Edward doesn’t believe vampires are granted an afterlife, which is why he refuses to change Bella: he’s afraid to take her soul. Bella also learns that Edward’s mother begged Carlisle on her deathbed to save Edward from dying, as if she knew that Carlisle was a vampire.
Bella tries to dismiss the Jasper incident as another proof of her susceptibility to getting hurt, but Edward acts very withdrawn.
In Bella’s room, Edward gives her a CD of songs he composed for her on the piano. They kiss and snuggle, yet Bella senses that something is wrong:…I realized what his kiss reminded me of: last spring when he had to leave to throw James off my trail, Edward had kissed me good-bye not knowing when – or if – we would see each other again. This kiss had the same almost painful edge. … I shuddered…as if I were already having a nightmare. (2.234)



Chapter 3: The End


Edward tells Bella that Alice has gone away with Jasper. Bella feels guilty for running Alice and Jasper out of their own home.
As she comes home from working at Olympic Outfitters (to pay for college, despite Edward’s insistent desire to pay for it), Bella finds Edward waiting at her house. He’s completely unresponsive to her, though, and she realizes that some type of change looms on the horizon.
Several days pass with no change in Edward’s behavior, so Bella decides to have a serious talk with him. Edward beats her to it. He asks her to go for a walk in the woods with her.
In the woods, Edward tells Bella that he and his family are leaving – without her. "I’m no good for you, Bella," he says. "My world is not for you" (3.159, 161).
When Bella protests, saying she doesn’t care about her soul or being damned and all the rest of it, he says:"Bella, I don’t want you to come with me.""You don’t want me?""No." (3.170-173)
While Bella struggles to grasp his words, Edward’s face is "wiped clean of all emotion" (3.180).
He promises to disappear as if he’d never existed, and adds, "Don’t worry, you’re human – your memory is no more than a sieve. Time heals all wounds for humans" (3.195).
He bids her good-bye and leaves her alone in the forest.
Bella is shell-shocked. She stumbles blindly through the forest. As night falls, she notices that the sky it utterly black – a new moon. Title alert!
Sam Uley, a young man from the La Push Indian reservation, finds Bella and carries her home. He’s part of a search party put together by Charlie and his old friend Billy.
In half-sleep, Bella overhears Charlie saying that there are bonfires at La Push, celebrating some kind of event. We gather that the Quileute are happy about the departure of the Cullens.
Bella descends into unconsciousness:The waves of pain […] washing over my head, pulling me under. I did not resurface. (3.330-331)



Chapter 4: Waking Up


October, November, December, January – months pass by like blank pages in a book. (They actually are blank pages in the book. Check out "Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory" for our thoughts on this.) Finally Bella finally wakes up to a life without Edward.
Charlie is exasperated with her. He wants her to see a psychiatrist, because she’s been completely "lifeless" (4.13) for four months.
To get Charlie off her back, Bella asks Jessica to go and see a movie with her in Port Angeles.
Jessica is still sulking about Bella’s anti-social behavior these past months, but she agrees to go. She gives Bella the choice between a romance and a zombie movie. Bella chooses the zombie movie.
During the movie, Bella watches a haggard zombie scrambling after the last shrieking survivor, and realizes that she resembles the zombie, not the human. Lifeless. Undead. But without the vampire beauty and allure.
On their way to dinner, the two girls pass through a deserted street. Bella notices a group of men outside a bar and believes that one of them is the thug Edward saved her from in Twilight. Somehow drawn by the danger, Bella walks toward the men when she hears Edward’s voice in her head: "Bella, stop this right now!" (4.179).
Although Bella thinks she might be losing her mind, she realizes that hearing Edward’s voice eases her pain. Even better, she figures out that, by putting herself in danger, she can make the voice return again.
Lying in bed at night, Bella’s pain returns.It was a crippling thing, this sensation that a huge hole had been punched through my chest… my heart must have been beating but I couldn’t hear the sound of my pulse in my ears; my hands felt blue with cold. (4.258).
Nevertheless, Edward’s voice has pulled her back into life. She wonders if she might grow to bear her pain.



Chapter 5: Cheater


At work, Bella overhears two hikers talk about seeing a creature in the woods that was "Big as a house and pitch-black" (5.7).
Bella wakes up screaming from a recurring nightmare: She stumbles through the forest, searching for something until she realizes that there is nothing to search for, "…And there never would be anything more for me… nothing but nothing" (5.17).
She fears that the hole in her heart will never get better. That the damage is permanent.
She also realizes that, when Edward promised he’d disappear "as if he’d never existed" (3.191) he made a promise he couldn’t keep, because she’ll never be able to forget him. So why should she keep her promise to stay safe then?
Bella decides to get into trouble. At a neighbor’s house, Bella spots two dilapidated motorcycles in the front yard. Perfect! She knows that Charlie and, more importantly, Edward would strictly forbid her to ride a motorcycle.
Bella thinks to herself, "I wanted to be stupid and reckless, and I wanted to break promises" (5.42).
In search of a mechanic to fix the bikes, Bella remembers Jacob Black, the nice kid from the La Push Indian Reservation, who unknowingly revealed to her Edward’s true identity when telling her about his tribe’s ancient legends.
Down in La Push, Bella is surprised to find that Jacob has grown into a handsome young man.
She finds his smile and enthusiasm are contagious and says, "I’d forgotten how much I really liked Jacob Black" (5.84).
It’s obvious to Bella that Jacob still has a crush on her:I needed to reign in the enthusiasm before I gave him the wrong idea – it was just that it had been a long time since I’d felt so light and buoyant. (5.135)
Jacob agrees to help Bella fix the bikes and to teach her how to ride. In exchange, Bella offers to pay for the repair and gives one of the bikes to Jacob. Jacob promises to keep the bikes a secret from Charlie and his father Billy.



Chapter 6: Friends


Quill and Embry, Jacob’s best friends, show up in the garage as Jacob is working on the bikes with Bella. They tease him about Bella, which makes Jacob nervous.
For the first time since Edward’s departure, Bella sleeps without dreaming or screaming.
Bella and Jacob spend the day together looking for motorcycle parts. Again, Bella is surprised by how much she enjoys herself in his company:Jacob was simply a perpetually happy person, and he carried that happiness with him like an aura […] like an earthbound sun, whenever someone was in his gravitational pull. (6.86)
Yet, despite all the fun, Bella’s prime objective is still to be reckless and to break her promise to Edward. Being with Jacob is just "a much bigger perk" (6.106) than she first expected.
Billy invites Charlie, Bella, and a few other friends over for dinner. They all crowd into his tiny house. Bella soaks up the atmosphere of joy and laughter.
But then Bella has her "searching for nothing" nightmare again, with one small difference: a new man appears in her dream – Sam Uley, the young man from La Push who found her in the woods after Edward deserted her. His shape seems unclear. Shifting.
In school, Bella makes an effort to reconnect with her friends. Save for Mike and Angela, no one really wants anything to do with her. Angela tells the others that she saw a big black creature in the woods. Everyone laughs at her, but Bella defends her.
Angela tells Bella she missed her. She reminds Bella that it’s been exactly a year since Bella came to Forks. She has come full circle, as if her life is starting anew, without Edward.



Chapter 7: Repetition


Bella visits the Cullen house, hoping to hear Edward’s voice again, or to conjure an "episode" (7.8), as she calls it. But she finds the place deserted and creepy and nothing happens.
Jacob surprises Bella with two brand-new looking bikes in the garage. When he asks her if she’d hang out with him even if he couldn’t fix the bikes, Bella says, "As long as you let me come over, I’ll be there" (7.39).
To put some distance between them, Bella suggests they make up for the recklessness of riding the bikes by doing homework together.
In school, Mike asks Bella on a date. Bella tells him (once again) that she just wants to be friends.
Jacob and Bella drive out of town to find a secluded place for riding lessons. On the way, Bella freaks out over a group of boys jumping off a cliff into the ocean. Jacob comforts her saying that’s what kids in La Push do for a little rush of adrenaline.
Adrenaline rush? Bella is intrigued and thinks, "I’d never witnessed anything so reckless in my life" (7.128).
She wants to try. Jacob promises they can do it some other time and from a lower point.
When Bella asks Jacob about "those guys," he says they’re called the La Push gang. Sam Uley is their leader. "They’re all about our land, and tribe pride… it’s getting ridiculous… they call themselves 'protectors' or something like that" (7.144).
While Jacob explains bike mechanics to Bella, he tells her that Sam’s gang forced his friend Embry to join and that he’s afraid he’ll be next. He believes they’re up to no good. Strangely enough, his father Billy and all town elders seem to support them.
Bella tells Jacob he can always live with her and Charlie. As they hug, Bella thinks, "This was friendship. And Jacob felt very warm.… Well, it was friendship for me" (7.190).


Chapter 8: Adrenaline


Bella takes off on her bike. Edward’s voice chides her about her stupid behavior before she falls off and hits her head. Happy to have found a way to generate another "episode," she tries again. This time she really hits her head. Jacob is worried, but Bella tells him it happens all the time.
When Jacob takes off his shirt to wrap it around Bella’s wound, she admires his body and tan skin.
"Did you know you’re sort of beautiful?" (7.133), she asks him.
After getting stitched up at the ER, Bella gets dropped off at home. She tells Charlie she tripped and hit her head on a hammer in the garage.
That night, Bella feels the hole in her chest return, but this time it doesn’t throb quite so badly. Plus, she knows that being with Jacob will make her feel better. Her nightmare has also lost some of its potency.
Bella has to keep making excuses to Charlie for hurting herself on her bike. When she tells him that she tripped while "hiking in the woods," he tells her that hikers have been disappearing and that there have been more sightings of that some giant black bear-like creature. He forbids her to go hiking.
To avoid bike accidents for a while, Bella racks her brain for another reckless way to hear Edward’s voice. That’s when she remembers the meadow Edward took her to, in order to show her how his skin sparkled in the sun. She asks Jacob to come with her.
Bella is surprised that, unlike Charlie, Jacob’s father Billy makes fun of the giant bear sightings.
Hiking through the forest, Jacob tells Bella that Sam Uley’s gang keeps looking at him "funny" (8.205). They walk for hours, but don’t find the meadow so they return home.





hapter 9: Third Wheel


Jacob, school, and work – in that order – help fill Bella’s days. Charlie is happy to see her come back to life. But Bella knows she hasn’t fully recovered:I was like a lost moon – my planet destroyed in some cataclysmic, disaster-movie scenario of desolation… that continued, nevertheless, to circle in a tight little orbit around the empty space left behind. (9.2)
As Bella gets better on the bike, Edward’s voice starts to fade. Bella becomes determined to find the meadow.
It’s Valentine’s Day. Jacob asks Bella to be his Valentine. She agrees, because she doesn’t want to hurt his feelings. Yet, she feels uncomfortable:I was trying to think of some way to make the boundaries clear. Again. They seemed to get blurred a lot with Jacob. (9.12)
To keep her distance, Bella invites Jacob to go see a movie with her and some friends from school. Jacob accepts.
Everyone ends up canceling for various reasons, leaving only Bella, Mike, and Jacob.
From the start, the two boys vie for Bella’s attention. While Jacob stays his sunny confident self, Mike gets all sulky.
During the movie (another dreadful horror flick, called Crosshairs), Mike suddenly falls sick and throws up in the bathroom.
Waiting for Mike, Jacob puts his arm around Bella. She withdraws, so he asks her straight out if she likes him. Bella answers "Yes." She even admits that she likes his touch:"The problem… is that it means something different for me than it does to you.""Well." He tightened his hand around mine. "That’s my problem, isn’t it?" (9.161-162)
After driving Mike home, Jacob drops Bella off her house. His skin is burning and Bella thinks he has a fever. She makes him promise to call her when he gets home. Before he leaves, Jacob promises Bella to never let her down and to never hurt her.
Bella wishes Jacob could be her brother, so that she could be around him without the guilt.
Jacob doesn’t call, so Bella calls him. Billy answers, saying that Jacob is too sick to talk to her and that she shouldn’t visit.
The next morning, Bella has the stomach flu. She spends her day on the bathroom floor.
When Bella finally gets Jacob on the phone, he acts strange and says, "Wait for me to call" (9.294).



Chapter 10: The Meadow


When Jacob keeps avoiding her, Bella drives to La Push to see him. She finds their house empty.
Charlie learns from Billy that Jacob has a very contagious virus – mononucleosis. No visitors allowed. Bella researches mono, but it doesn’t match Jacob’s symptoms. Her suspicion rises.
Without the proven recipe of Jacob, adrenaline, and distractions, Bella’s hole starts to throb again and her nightmares return with a vengeance. They now frequently involve Sam Uley.
At the end of the week, Bella calls Jacob. Billy answers. He tells her that Jacob feels better and is gone for the whole day with friends. Bella is happy he’s recovered, but she’s also disappointed that he hasn’t called to tell her. She fears that Jacob might have changed his mind about her and might not want to waste his time on someone who doesn’t return his feelings.
Charlie worries that Bella might fall back into her zombie stupor. So she lies to him, saying she’s going out with Jessica. In reality, she decides to find the meadow by herself.
Bella finally finds the meadow, but Edward’s voice doesn’t show. Instead, she runs into Laurent, the vampire who belonged to the same coven as the tracker James, who almost killed Bella in Twilight. Edward and the Cullens killed James to protect Bella.
Laurent is surprised that the Cullens left their "pet" behind, unprotected. Edward’s voice returns to Bella. He urges her to warn Laurent that Edward will come after him if something happens to her. Faced with death, she follows Edward’s advice.
Laurent tells Bella that Victoria, James’s mate, is out to kill her in order to get revenge for the death of James.
But thirst comes first, and Laurent decides to kill Bella himself. But before he can pounce on her, though, a pack of giant wolves emerge from the forest. Their leader is a big, black wolf. Apparently the reports were true. But how can a wolf get so "supernaturally" big?
To Bella’s surprise, Laurent runs away. As the wolves sprint after him, a reddish-brown wolf locks eyes with Bella:[…] the deep eyes seeming too intelligent for a wild animal. As it stared at me, I […] thought of Jacob. (10.176)
Bella finds her way back home, but arrives late. She admits to Charlie that she’s been hiking and that the mysterious creatures appear to be giant wolves.
Charlie tells Bella he saw Jacob down in La Push, but Jacob either ignored him or didn’t see him. He remarks on Jacob’s dramatic growth spurt: "It’s like you can watch that kid growing!" (10.231).
Alone in her room, Bella panics. Laurent might still be out there…and Victoria is out to kill her and possibly her father. For the first time, there’s no one there to help – except for those wolves, maybe?




Chapter 11: Cult


Bella misses Jacob. She wants to visit him, but fears that if Victoria or Laurent are tracking her, she might lead them to Jacob too.
Driving home from school, it suddenly dawns on Bella that Jacob must be avoiding her because Sam Uley and his gang have sucked him into their strange cult.
Bella takes a chance and drives down to La Push to rescue Jacob.
On the drive, Bella spots Quill and offers him a ride home. Quill looks like he’s had an unnatural growth spurt as well, which leaves Bella puzzled. Quill confirms that Jacob has joined Uley’s gang.
Bella confronts Jacob at his house. He’s with the gang. His appearance has radically changed. Cropped hair, aged face, muscled body, enormous hands, graceful moves. It’s his expression, though, that worries Bella the most:The open, friendly smile was gone, the warmth in his dark eyes altered to a brooding resentment… like my sun had imploded. (11.115)
At first, Jacob acts like he doesn’t want to see Bella and tells her to blame her "reeking bloodsucker" (11.164) friends for his situation. Bella doesn’t understand what the Cullens have to do with this. She reminds Jacob of his promise to always be her friend, but Jacob says, "I’m not good enough to be your friend anymore. I’m not what I was before. I’m not good" (11.220).
Bella is left standing in the rain (déjà vu, anyone?), alone with her thoughts:I thought Jacob had been healing the hole in me.… I’d been wrong. He’d just been carving out his own hole, so that I was now riddled through like Swiss cheese. (11.235)
Bella tells Charlie about what the gang has done to Jacob. Afraid that Bella might relapse into zombiedom, Charlie warns Billy that he will keep a close eye on the gang.
Bella dreams she’s walking with the new bitter Jacob who then morphs into Edward. She wakes up to a scraping noise at her window.






Chapter 12: Intruder


Bella finds Jacob outside her window. He apologizes and says he’s come to keep his promise to her. Bella wants an explanation, but Jacob tells her that he can’t tell her, but that she already knows his secret.
Jacob reminds Bella of the day they first met at the beach in La Push. Bella only remembers flirting with Jacob to get the dirt on Edward. And, yes, Jacob babbled about Quileute legends, one of which proved true: the cold ones, or vampires, really do exist. She can’t remember all the rest of it. Jacob pleads with her to remember. He hugs her with bone-crushing force before he takes off.
Bella dreams of Jacob dragging her through a dark forest near the beach in La Push. She remembers she had this dream after the night Jacob told her that Edward was a vampire. In the first dream, Edward emerged out of the forest, but in this dream, the brown russet wolf appears in his place, staring at her with those dark familiar eyes. Jacob! She wakes up screaming.
The legends are now coming back to Bella: the Quileute descended from wolves. The cold ones are their natural enemies and, to fight them, their ancestors turned into giant wolves. Werewolves.
Bella is shocked: Jacob must have turned into a werewolf.What kind of place is this? Could a world really exist where ancient legends went wandering around the borders of tiny insignificant town, facing down mythical monsters?… Wasn’t one myth enough for anyone, enough for a lifetime? (12.175)
Again, Bella finds herself in the company of monsters. At least it’s now all making sense. Sam Uley’s gang is a pack of werewolves and Jacob is one of them. They saved her from Laurent.
Before Bella takes off to La Push to tell Jacob she solved the riddle, she learns from Charlie that another hiker disappeared in the woods and that a team of rangers and volunteers is going to shoot the wolves. Bella is torn:Should I warn him, if he and his friends were…were mu





Chapter 13: Killer


On the drive to La Push, Bella decides that she has to warn Jacob, but can’t turn a blind eye to his pack killing innocent people
In La Push, Bella tells Jacob that he has to stop being a monster. Jacob accuses her of being a hypocrite: "Well, I’m so sorry that I can’t be the right kind of monster for you, Bella" (13.67).
Bella explains to Jacob she couldn’t care less that he’s a werewolf – just that he’s one that kills innocent people. Jacob enlightens her to the fact that they’re protecting people from recent vampire attacks. He reveals they killed Laurent. What a relief!
Jacob warns Bella that it’s dangerous for her to be around him, saying "If I get too mad… too upset… you might get hurt" (13.129).
Basically, if his anger gets the best of him, he turns into a werewolf. No full moon necessary.
Bella also learns that Jacob and his pack have been hunting Victoria. She gets Jacob up to speed about her history with James, and Victoria’s death plans for her. Jacob calls in a meeting with the other werewolves to inform them.
On the drive to Sam Uley’s house, Bella warns Jacob to stay away from Victoria, because she might kill him.
Jacob is insulted. He tells her that the werewolves are strong and fast and have special skills: as werewolves, they can hear each other’s thoughts.
Bella reveals to Jacob that vampires have special talents too. Jacob sees the potential in her knowledge:"It’s not like you’re just some ignorant human. You’re like a… spy… You’ve been behind enemy lines." (13.229)
Of course, Bella doesn’t like the sound of that and feels like a traitor.
Jacob asks Bella if she has ever thought that she’s better off without Edward. Bella says no.
rderers? If they were out slaughtering innocent hikers in cold blood? (12.223)





Chapter 14: Family


Bella meets Jacob’s pack. They’re all mad that Jacob has involved his "girlfriend" in their secret.
Paul calls Bella a "leech lover." He gets so mad he loses control and transforms into a werewolf.
As Bella describes it, "Paul seemed to fall forward, vibrating violently. Halfway to the ground, there was a loud ripping noise, and the boy exploded" (14.19).
Jacob explodes too and the boys charge at each other. Apparently it’s not a big deal, since shortly thereafter they’re best friends again. It helps that werewolves' wounds heal quickly.
During dinner at Sam’s house, Bella is disturbed to see that Sam’s wife Emily bears a horrible permanent scar that runs from the side of her face all the way down to her arms. Apparently, hanging out with werewolves does have its risks. Yet, Sam and Emily’s love for each other is so strong, Bella’s love hole throbs a bit more from Edward withdrawal.
After Jacob tells the group of Victoria’s motives they strategize how to catch her. They decide that, to protect Bella and Charlie, they need to spend as much time as possible in La Push.
Bella tells Charlie that she made up with Jacob and that the whole weird gang thing was a misunderstanding.
Bella ponders if Jacob was right in calling her a hypocrite. She admits to herself that, even if Edward killed humans, it still wouldn’t keep her away from him:Love is irrational, I reminded myself. The more you loved someone, the less sense anything made. (14.197)





Chapter 15: Pressure


It’s spring break again. Lying in bed, Bella muses,Last spring break I’d been hunted by a vampire too. I hoped this wasn’t some kind of tradition forming. (15.1)
As Jacob and his pack are busy hunting Victoria, Bella wonders if it’s a bad thing that they all refer to her as Jacob’s "girlfriend." She decides that as long as Jacob knows the difference, she doesn’t care.
At work, Mike asks Bella if she’s dating Jacob, because Mike obviously has a huge crush on her too. She says no. They’re just friends. Mike’s response: "Girls are cruel" (15.11).
Jacob tells Bella that it’s very difficult to control your transformation into a werewolf. Case in point: Emily. Sam lost his temper once and she stood too close.
At the same time, Jacob seems more skilled than all the others werewolves. He shifts his shape more easily and, due to his family background, has the strongest werewolf blood running through his veins. And he’s fast. Apparently faster than a vampire. (Faster than Edward?)
Bella tells Jacob of the fateful day when James bit her and Edward sucked out the venom in an amazing act of self-control. She remembers that Alice foresaw her dying and becoming a vampire, which, to Bella’s agony, never happened.
During the following weeks, Bella tries, unsuccessfully, to distract herself in La Push while Jacob goes about his werewolf business. Jacob promises to take her cliff-diving soon.
The next morning, however, the wolf pack detects a fresh Victoria trail. Alone again, Bella feels her hole acting up. It doesn’t help that she’s worried about putting Jacob and his friends in danger by involving them in her wrecked life. Desperate to hear Edward’s voice and to quench her pain, she decides to go cliff diving by herself:I knew this was the stupidest, most reckless thing I had done yet. The thought made me smile. The pain was already easing as if my body knew that Edward’s voice was just seconds away. (15.141)
Bella flings herself off the cliff. She safely lands in the water. That was easy – if it wasn’t for the current. Bella quickly accepts that she’s going to drown:I didn’t want to fight anymore… I was almost happy that it was over… Oddly peaceful. (15.173)
Her last thoughts go to Edward, "Goodbye, I love you" (15.180), just before the current shoves her against a big rock.





Chapter 16: Paris


More rocks slam into Bella, but somehow her head makes it above the surface of the water. It takes her some time to realize that the rocks are Jacob’s fists, beating against her back to force the water out of her lungs.
We learn that Jacob saved Bella in the nick of time. Before he carries her to the house, Bella’s eyes catch "a small flash of fire… dancing on the black water, far out in the bay" (16.32).
Jacob tells Bella that they lost Victoria when she jumped into the ocean, because vampires can swim faster than werewolves. Knowing how much time Bella has been spending at the beach, he raced home to find her. He also tells her that Harry Clearwater, one of Charlie’s best friends, has been hospitalized with a heart attack. Bella feels horrible about her reckless actions.
Bella dreams about a scene in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. When she wakes up, she wonders what Juliet would have done if Romeo hadn’t died, but just walked out on Juliet. She decides Juliet would have rather died a broken-hearted spinster than married Paris.
But what if there was more to Paris? (Read: what if Paris was as cool as Jacob?) And what if Juliet kind of loved Paris? Not like she loved Romeo, but enough so that she’d want to make Paris happy, and that he could make her happy?
Harry Clearwater passes away. Jacob drives Bella home. She’s still undecided if to take their relationship to the next level and again uses Shakespeare’s play to help her out:Even if the love I felt for him [Jacob] was no more than a weak echo of what I was capable of, even if my heart was far away… grieving after my fickle Romeo, would it be so very wrong? (16.117)
They find Carlisle Cullen’s black Mercedes parked in front of Bella’s house. Jacob has smelled vampire from afar and wants to turn around and take off. Bella forces him to stop and gets out. Jacob acts hurt and angry:Treaty or no treaty, that’s my enemy there… Bye Bella, I really hope you don’t die. (15.170-175)
Bella feels bad, but her excitement wins over her guilt. Just when she enters the dark house, it dawns on her that the red flame she saw dancing on the ocean must have been Victoria’s hair. And someone’s waiting for her in the dark.





Chapter 17: Visitor

The visitor turns out to be Alice, not Victoria. Bella is overjoyed to see her.
Alice is confused to see Bella alive. She "saw" Bella jumping off the cliff. Alice is absolutely furious with her.
Bella explains she wasn't intending to commit suicide; she just wanted to have a little fun. Plus, Jacob saved her. Apparently, Jacob eluded Alice’s future-seeing skills.
When Alice asks Bella about Jacob, she reveals that he’s her best friend – and a werewolf. Alice is shocked:"Your best friend is a werewolf?… Weren’t you supposed to stay out of trouble?… Anyone else would be better off if the vampires left town. But you have to start hanging out with the first monsters you can find." (17.62)
It does explain, though, why Alice couldn’t see him in her vision of Bella's future. Since werewolves and vampires are enemies, they have natural defenses against each other, including Alice not being able to "see" werewolves.
Bella makes Alice promise to stay a while.
Charlie’s always been gaga over Alice, so he is glad to see her again. He clearly doesn’t want to see Edward, though.
Bella overhears Charlie confide to Alice how miserable Bella has been since Edward left. He tells Alice that Jacob brought Bella back to life:"I know she used to think of [Jacob] as a friend, but I think that maybe it’s something more now, or headed that direction, anyway… He’s good for Bella, you know." (17.188-189)
Charlie’s words clearly hold a warning for Alice to pass along to Edward. Yet, Charlie admits that, despite Jacob, he can see Bella is still in a lot of pain – a pain he doesn’t know she’ll ever overcome. As if someone she loved died.
Alice catches Bella up on what the rest of the Cullens are up to, save for Edward. She also tells Bella that she researched her family background and visited her own grave.
The next morning, Charlie heads to Harry’s funeral. Bella and Alice stay at the house and then Jacob appears at the door. Alice hides to keep him from getting all riled up.





Chapter 18: The Funeral


Jacob tells Bella that, with Alice at her house, he and his friends can only protect her on their own lands. This is all because Carlisle once formed a treaty with Jacob’s great grandfather, which states that werewolves can’t step on vampire territory if the werewolves are there.
Nevertheless, Jacob promises Bella that he will always be her friend, "no matter who she loves" (18.69).
Jacob pulls Bella into a kiss moment. Bella remains undecided: if true love is lost, what’s the protocol for other kisses? The phone rings and breaks the spell. Jacob answers, telling the caller that Charlie isn’t home because he’s attending the funeral. He hangs up and says the caller was Carlisle Cullen.
Alice stumbles into the room. She’s just had a vision. She told Rosalie about Bella’s alleged death, and now Rosalie told Edward (because Rosalie hates Bella). The caller – it turns out – was actually none other than Edward.
It gets worse, though. Alice is able to see that Edward plans to execute his contingency plan in the event of Bella’s death: he has decided to go to Italy and to provoke the Volturi to kill him.
Alice is convinced that their only chance to save Edward is for him to see Bella in the flesh. Any member of the Cullen family will only drive him to act quicker. But Alice warns Bella of the dangers involved:"Whether we are in time or not, we will be in the heart of the Volturi city… You will be a human who not only knows too much, but smells too good." (18.187)
Bella doesn’t care. Jacob begs Bella to not go – for Charlie, for him. Bella still doesn’t care. All she cares about is Edward.




Chapter 19: Race


On the plane to Italy, Alice explains to Bella that the Volturi are the only other big vampire family besides the Cullens in the world. Only the Volturi are way more powerful. In fact, they preside over a whole contingent of vampire minions who guard their city and possess special gifts that make Alice and Edward’s abilities look "like a parlor trick" (19.36).
Bella still can’t understand why Edward would kill himself. Yes, he once said he couldn’t live without her. But when he broke up with her, he didn’t seem to care about her fate. She realizes that, even if she saves Edward, it doesn’t mean he’d want her back, but "This was the price I would have to pay to save his life. I would pay it" (19.75).
Bella says that she wishes Alice could have been right about her vision of Bella becoming a vampire. Alice admits she’s been debating whether she should just change Bella herself. Bella's answer? "Bite me!" (19.116).
During the plane ride, Alice keeps having visions: the Volturi reject Edward’s request to be killed. They want him to join them and to use his mind-reading skills for their benefit. Alice learns that Edward plans to step out into the sun at noon, on the main plaza in Volterra. This will expose Edward as a vampire and force them to do away with him.
In Rome, Alice steals a Porsche Turbo and they race to Volterra. On the way, she tells Bella that, funny enough, it’s St. Marcus day in Volterra – a celebration of the legendary Christian missionary St. Marcus, who allegedly drove all vampires out of the city.





Chapter 20: Volterra

Volterra is packed with people, dressed in red shawls and donning fake vampire teeth. Alice bribes a police officer to let them drive into the city, but they still can’t get to the main plaza (Palazzo di Priori).
Alice tells Bella it’s all on her now. She has to push her way through the crowd to the plaza, all before the clock tower strikes noon. Although Bella runs as fast she can she loses hope:I wasn’t going to make it. I was stupid and slow and human, and we were all going to die because of it. (20.40)
Against all expectations, Bella makes it to the clock tower as it chimes noon. She sees Edward, standing ready in the shade, and slams into him. Edward believes they have reunited in death and recites Shakespeare to her:"Death, that hath sucked the honey of they breath, hath no power yet upon they beauty." (20.71)
Bella also feels like she’s entered heaven:I knew we were both in mortal danger. Still, in that instant, I felt well… It was like there had never been any hole in my chest. (20.70)
Their joy upon their reunion is short-lived, because Edward and Bella find themselves surrounded by Volturi guards. Alice appears at their side, but it’s clear they have no other option than to follow the Volturi. Bella is surprised by the respect that a small, androgynous vampire named Jane commands.
They all enter through a hole in the ground, then make it through a dark series of tunnels that lead to the underground Volturi family quarters.





Chapter 21: Verdict

The underground tunnel system opens into a posh reception area, where a human woman Gianna (obviously aware of her employer’s secret) acts as a secretary.
In the castle-like family room, Aro, the ancient Volturi leader, greets Edward, Bella, and Alice like old friends. He also introduces his brothers Marcus and Caius – all three are founding members of the Volturi family.
Aro expresses his sincere admiration for the animal (a.k.a. non human) diet Carlisle has chosen for his family. He’s mesmerized by Edward’s self-control in being around Bella.
Now on to Bella: Aro can’t believe she’s immune to Edward’s mind-reading skills. Aro can read every thought a person’s ever had in his or her entire life, but Bella proves immune to his skills as well.
When Aro asks Jane, his most gifted weapon, to test her skills on Bella, Edward throws himself in the way. Whatever Jane’s gift is, it makes Edward writhe in pain on the floor. Yet with Bella, she has no luck. Bella learns later that Jane can inflict pain with her thoughts.
Aro is impressed. He asks Edward, Alice, and Bella to join his flock. When they decline his offer, he says that he respects their decision, but since Bella is a human and knows far too much about vampires, they either have to kill her or change her into a vampire.
Again, Edward struggles with his answer, but Alice lets Aro read what she sees in Bella’s future. He seems satisfied with what he learns and lets them go with a warning:"Were I you, I would not delay too long. We do not offer second chances." (21.129)
As they leave, Bella witnesses a group of unwitting tourists being shuttled into the Volturi quarters to get mauled.




Chapter 22: Flight


On orders of the Volturi, Edward, Bella, and Alice have to wait until dark to go back up into the city. Bella is dead tired, yet fights sleep to spend whatever time she’ll have with Edward.
Bella learns that Gianna is a secretary because she eventually hopes the Volturi will turn her into a vampire. Bella is appalled that she would choose to become a human-eating vampire.
Bella waits for Edward to bring up the subject of the future, but he remains quiet, and she’s afraid to mention anything.
The whole Cullen family greets Bella on their arrival back in Seattle. Rosalie asks Bella to forgive her. Bella doesn’t bear grudges, saying, "It’s not your fault at all. I’m the one who jumped off the damn cliff" (22.134).
At home, Charlie is livid. He yells at Edward to get his hands off Bella and asks him to leave.





Chapter 23: The Truth

Bella wakes up in Edward’s arms. Now she thinks she must have died and gone to heaven. "I’m dead, right?" Bella asks. "I did drown. Crap, Crap, crap! This is gonna kill Charlie" (23.16).
When reality settles in, Edward tells Bella that Charlie banned him from the house, but his sneaking through Bella’s window has almost become a tradition.
Edward feels sick to his core for not having reckoned with the danger Laurent and Victoria would pose to Bella, but she tells him it’s time to quit feeling responsible for her life or death.
Edward reveals that he wanted to commit suicide because he can’t live in a world without her in it. He explains that he lied to her when he said he didn’t love her:"I didn’t want to do it – it felt like it would kill me to do it – but I hoped that, if you thought I’d moved on, so would you." (23.84)
Of course Bella believed him. She still has trouble accepting that he’s really back for good, as he promises her.
Edward reveals that he’s been hunting Victoria, not because he thought Bella was in immediate danger, but just for danger prevention. The subject matter of Victoria brings up Jacob. It’s obvious Edward is not in favor of Bella’s relationship with a young (handsome) werewolf.
Bella thinks that Edward should worry instead about the Volturi, and keep his promise to change her. Edward says, "they count years the way you count days" (23.160). Plus he’s got some other plans up his sleeve to avoid this irritating transformation business.
Bella has had it:Was this fixation with keeping me human really about my soul, or was it because he wasn’t sure that he wanted me around that long? (23.169)
She decides to put her mortality to a vote before the Cullen family.





Chapter 24: Vote


Bella rides on Edward’s back to the Cullen house. Due to her many motorcycle adventures, she’s not afraid of the speed anymore. She actually enjoys it.
On the way, Edward vows to win Bella’s trust back. Bella says she trusts him – it’s herself she doesn’t trust: "I don’t trust myself to be… enough. To deserve you. There is nothing about me that could hold you." (24.13)
But when Bella starts to tell Edward about hearing his voice whenever she did something reckless, she suddenly realizes, "the reason I could hear you so clearly was because, underneath it all, I always knew that you hadn’t stopped loving me" (24.50).
Bella has an epiphany: Edward really loves her.The bond forged between us was not one that could be broken by absence, distance, or time… As I always would belong to him, so would he always be mine. (24.57)
At the Cullen house, everyone except Edward and Rosalie vote for Bella to become a vampire. Rosalie says she doesn’t want Bella to be a vampire, because she herself didn’t want to be one but didn’t have a choice at the time.
Carlisle promises to change Bella after her graduation if Edward won’t.
Bella’s greatest wish is for Edward to be the one to change her. After arguing back and forth, Edward finally promises he will – under one condition: marry me first!
Bella refuses vehemently, because she believes that marriage was the kiss of death for her mother and father's relationship.
Later, Charlie asks Bella to explain her three-day disappearance with Alice. She winds around in half-truths. Charlie thinks that whatever actually happened, it’s Edward’s fault. Bella makes Charlie aware that Edward and her are a package deal and that she will move out if he doesn’t ease up on her beau.
When Edward talks to Bella about his concern for her eternal damnation, Bella tells him she’s not buying it anymore, because when she saved him in Volterra, he believed he was in heaven. Touché!




Epilogue: Treaty


Life has gone back to normal. The Cullens have moved back to town. Carlisle works at the hospital again. Edward and Bella are back in school.
Bella is under house arrest, aside from school and work, and Edward has strict visiting hours. He helps her catch up on school and prepare for college.
Bella misses Jacob, but he doesn’t answer her calls. Edward thinks Bella should keep her distance:"The enmity is rooted too deep… He’s very young. It would most likely turn into a fight, and I don’t know if I could stop before I k––." (24.22)
Bella remembers that Jacob feels the same way about Edward. Their hostile relationship brings Bella back to her own version of Romeo and Juliet, starring Edward as Romeo and Jacob as Paris: "They fight. Paris falls" (24.28).
Arriving home from work, Bella and Edward find her motorcycle parked right next to Charlie’s cruiser in the driveway. Bella is livid, because Jacob has betrayed her trust.
Jacob is there with his wolf pack. The hostility between him and Edward is palpable. Nevertheless, Edward thanks Jacob for saving Bella’s life and asks if there is anything he can do for him. Yes. Jacob wants him to stay away from Bella. Of course that doesn’t fly with Bella.
So Jacob explains that the specifics of the treaty state "If any of [the vampires] bite a human, the truce is over. Bite, not kill" (Epilogue.97).
In other words, if Bella becomes a vampire the werewolves will attack the Cullens. Charlie, who has just discovered Bella’s motorcycle, interrupts their meeting.
Before Edward shuttles Bella away, she vows to herself, "I would find a way to keep my friend" (Epilogue.140).
Bella acknowledges that she’s up against some serious problems: if she doesn’t become a vampire, the Volturi will kill her. If she does, the werewolves are going to attack her future family. Her only comfort is that Edward is with her:Edward was here, with his arms around me… I could face anything as long as that was true. (Epilogue.149-150)

Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam

Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
By George Olsen
17 Sept, 69

Red,
Thanks for the letter, but now you've made me self-conscious about my writing, You used some words that rather jolted me: Morbid, Chaplain, and a few others. They belong to another world about which I've forgotten an amazing amount as it's irrelevant to anything going on now. I've just about forgotten what college was all about, though there are a few memories that stick in the back of my mind.
Yesterday we took to the bush to recon a river crossing on one of Charlie's major supply routes coming in from Laos....It was an uneventful patrol, but I committed the mortal sin of small-unit patrolling: I broke contact with the man in front of me and split the patrol into two elements something that could easily prove fatal in the event of contact with the enemy. We'd just crossed the river at a ford to join the team reconning the other bank and were going through fairly green stuff when the man in front of me dropped his lighter. I bent to pick up and by the time I straightened up he was out of sight and hearing. Had we been hit then, It would have been a bad situation made worse by my stupidity. I've picked up most of the patrolling tricks - taping metal parts to prevent their making noise during movement, wearing bandoliers so the magazines are on your chest and stomach and form makeshift body armor, and other tricks that stretch the odds a little more in you favor and give you a little more of an edge in combat - but I'm still new and yesterday I really loused up....
The fact of the matter is that I was afraid - which I am most of the time over here - but I allowed my fear to interfere with the job at hand, and when that happens to someone, he ceases to be a good soldier. It's all right to be afraid, but you can't allow that fear to interfere with the job because other people are depending on you and you've got responsibility to them and for them. From now on I'll be keeping that in mind and I won't louse up so badly again. Had that happened under fire, people might have died unnecessarily due to me.
One other impression from the patrol is that anyone over here who walks more and 50 feet through elephant grass should automatically get a Purple Heart. Try to imagine grass 8 to 15 feet high so thick as to cut visibility to one yard, possessing razor-sharp edges. Then try to imagine walking through it while all around you are men possessing the latest automatic weapons who desperately want to kill you. You'd be amazed at how much a man can age on one patrol.
We're supposed to go on a very hard sortie soon which, unless it's canceled, virtually guarantees some hard fighting. I'm not trying to be mysterious or anything, but common sense precludes giving too many details before the operation. We're going to raid one of Charlie's POW camps and attempt to free some GIs, but that's about all I'll say till we pull it off, if we do.
I many have played up my unit here a bit too much, but I'm proud to be in it and might be inclined to brag. We're not supermen or anything like that, and we're not about to walk into bars, where music automatically stops at our entrance, and proceed to demolish anybody and everybody in the place. But as far as being soldiers, we're proud of our outfit and its history, and are definitely among the best troops over here....Men have gone on operations here with broken ankles in order not to let their buddies down. So you see, we take our business seriously.
I'm going out now for a fun in the sand to toughen my feet up. So I'll be signing out....
George
Sp/4 George Olsen, Co. G, 75th Inf. (Ranger), Americal Div., Chu Lai, 1969-1970, He was KIA 3 March 1970; he was 23 years old.

Through the Tunnel

Through the Tunnel
By Doris Lessing
Plot Summary

In Lessing’s “Through the Tunnel,” Jerry, a young English boy, and his mother are vacationing at a beach they have come to many times in years past. Though the beach’s location is not given, it is implied to be in a country that is foreign to them both. Each tries to please the other and not to impose too many demands. The mother, who is a widow, is “determined to be neither possessive nor lacking in devotion,” and Jerry, in turn, acts from an “unfailing impulse of contrition — a sort of chivalry.”

On the second morning, however, Jerry lets it slip that he would like to explore a “wild and rocky bay” he has glimpsed from the path. His conscientious mother sends him on his way with what she hopes is a casual air, and Jerry leaves behind the crowded “safe beach” where he has always played. A strong swimmer, Jerry plunges in and goes so far out that he can see his mother only as a small yellow speck back on the other beach.

Looking back to shore, Jerry sees some boys strip off their clothes and go running down to the rocks, and he swims over toward them but keeps his distance. The boys are “of that coast; all of them were burned smooth dark brown and speaking a language he did not understand. To be with them, of them was a craving that filled his whole body.” He watches the boys, who are older and bigger than he is, until finally one waves at him and Jerry swims eagerly over. As soon as they realize he is a foreigner, though, they forget about him, but he is happy just to be among them.

Jerry joins them in diving off a high point into the water for a while, and then the biggest boy dives in and does not come up. “One moment, the morning seemed full of chattering boys; the next, the air and the surface of the water were empty. But through the heavy blue, dark shapes could be seen moving and groping.” Jerry dives down, too, and sees a “black wall of rock looming at him.” When the boys come up one by one on the other side of the rock, he “understood that they had swum through some gap or hole in it. . . . [But] he could see nothing through the stinging salt water but the blank rock.” Jerry feels failure and shame, yelling at them first in English and then in nonsensical French, the “pleading grin on his face like a scar that he could never remove.”

The boys dive into the water all around him, and he panics when none surface. Only when his count reaches 160 do the boys surface on the other side of the rock, and as soon as they come up, they leave. Believing they are leaving to get away from him, he “cries himself out.”
When Jerry sees his mother that afternoon at the villa, he demands that she buy him goggles immediately. With the goggles he can suddenly see, as if he had “fish eyes that showed everything clear and delicate and wavering in the bright water.” He descends again and again desperately trying to find the opening in the rock that the older boys had swum through, until finally “he shot his feet out forward and they met no obstacle.”

Jerry is determined to be able to swim through the tunnel, and begins immediately a practice of learning to control his breathing. He lies “effortlessly on the bottom of the sea” with a big rock in his arms and counts. That night his nose begins bleeding badly, and he spends the next two days exercising his lungs “as if everything, the whole of his life, all that he would become, depended upon it.” When his nose bleeds again, his mother insists that he rest with her on the beach. He does so for a day, but then the next morning he goes off to the bay by himself without asking, “before his mother could consider the complicated rights and wrongs of the matter.” He again practices holding his breath under water, and he experiences a “curious, most unchildlike persistence” while studying the tunnel.

When his mother announces they are to leave in four days, Jerry vows to succeed in his quest even if it kills him. His nose bleeds so badly he becomes dizzy, and he worries that the same might happen in the tunnel, that he really might die there, trapped. He resolves to wait until the following summer, when he will be bigger and stronger, but then an impulse overtakes him and he feels that he must make his attempt immediately — now or never. “He was trembling with fear that he would not go; and he was trembling with horror at the long, long tunnel under the rock, under the sea.”

Once inside the tunnel he begins counting, swimming cautiously, feeling both victory and panic. “He must go on into the blackness ahead, or he would drown. His head was swelling, his lungs cracking. . . . He was no longer quite conscious.” Even when he surfaces, he fears “he would sink now and drown; he could not swim the few feet back to the rock.” When he finally pulls himself onto the rock and tears off his goggles, they are filled with blood.

He rests and then sees the local boys diving half a mile away, but he is no longer interested in them. He wants “nothing but to get back home and lie down.” His mother is concerned at his “strained” appearance when he returns to the villa, but consoles herself remembering that “he can swim like a fish.” He blurts out that he can stay under water for “two minutes — three minutes, at least,” and she replies in her usual moderate way, cautioning him that he “shouldn’t overdo it.” Jerry has succeeded in his quest — it is “no longer of the least importance to go to the bay.”

Waters of Babylon

"By the Waters of Babylon"
By Stephen Vincent Benet
Plot Summary
Set in a future following the destruction of industrial civilization, the story is narrated by a young man[4] named John who is the son of a priest. The priests of John’s people are inquisitive "scientists" associated with the divine. They are the only ones who can handle metal collected from the homes (called the "Dead Places") of long-dead people whom they believe to be gods. The plot follows John’s self-assigned mission to get to the Place of the Gods. His father allows him to go on a spiritual journey, but does not know he is going to this forbidden place.

John takes a journey through the forest for eight days, and crosses the river Ou-dis-sun. Once John gets to the Place of the Gods, he feels the energy and magic there. He sees a statue of a "god" — in point of fact, a human — that says "ASHING" Could be wASHINGton on its base. He also sees a building marked "UBTREAS" Possibly sUBTREASury?. After being chased by dogs and sleeping in someone's apartment, John sees a dead god. Upon viewing the visage, he has an epiphany that the gods were simply humans whose power overwhelmed good judgment. After John returns to his tribe, he speaks of the places "newyork" and "Biltmore". His father tells him not to, for sometimes too much truth is a bad thing, that it must be told little by little. The story ends with John stating his conviction that, once he becomes the head priest, "We must build again."

The Interlopers


The Interlopers
By Saki
Plot Summary

The characters in “The Interlopers,” Ulrich von Gradwitz and Georg Znaeym, have been enemies since birth. Their grandfathers feuded over a piece of forestland. While the courts ruled in the Gradwitz family’s favor, the Znaeym family has never accepted this ruling. Throughout the course of Ulrich and Georg’s lifetime, the feud has grown into a personal, bloodthirsty one. As boys, they despised each other, and by the evening that the story takes place, the two grown men are determined to bring a final end to the feud by killing their enemy.

On this fateful evening, Ulrich gathers a group of foresters to patrol the land in search of Georg. Separated from his men, he hopes to meet Georg alone and, when he steps around a tree trunk, he gets his wish. The two men face each other with rifles in hand, but neither can bring himself to shoot the other. Before either man can act, a bolt of lighting strikes a tree. It falls over and pins them underneath its limbs.

The men are pinned down side-by-side, almost within touching distance. Both are dazed, injured, and angry at the situation in which they find themselves. Georg tells Ulrich that his men are right behind him, and threatens that, when they arrive, they will free him but roll the tree on top of Ulrich. To this threat, Ulrich replies that his men will arrive first and kill Georg. Both men know it is only a matter of waiting to see which group of foresters will reach them first.

Ulrich manages to draw his wine flask out of his coat pocket. He drinks some wine and, feeling something akin to pity, offers it to Georg. Georg refuses on the grounds that he does not drink wine with an enemy. During a few moments of silence, an idea comes to Ulrich. He proposes to Georg that they bury their quarrel. He believes that they have been fools and asks Georg for his friendship. After a long silence, Georg answers, accepting Ulrich’s proposal.

The men decide to join their voices together to shout for help. Suddenly, Ulrich sees figures coming through the woods. They shout louder and the figures come down the hillside toward them. Georg, who cannot see as well as Ulrich, asks which men are approaching. Ulrich does not reply. He has seen something horrible: it is not men who approach them — it is wolves.

The Village

The Village
By Estela Portillo Trambley

Plot Summary

In Estela Portillo Trambley’s short story “Village,” a young American soldier named Rico reflects upon his morals in a situation of mandatory action in Vietnam. Rico’s actions thus reflect the true hero in the story, despite the rank of his superiors in the US Armed Forces.

In the beginning of the story, Rico is sitting with his soldier buddy Harry, looking over the village of Mai Cao. While talking about real fighting action and home, Rico thinks back about why he’s in the position he’s in. “No action yet. But who wanted action? Rico had transformed into a soldier, but he knew he was no soldier. He had been trained to kill the enemy in Vietnam. He watched the first curl of smoke coming out of the chimneys. They were the enemy down there. Rico didn’t believe it. He would never believe it” (436). It is also safe to say that Rico was a draftee in the war by the fact that Rico was transformed into a soldier but was not truly a soldier. If Rico was a true, devoted soldier, he would immediately think that the people down in the village below him were indeed his enemy and that he would want to see action as soon as possible. The instant Rico contemplates his reason for being in the war justifies the fact that he values his morals in the time of war.

Rico then proceeds to think further about his days in training and being taught what to believe. He reminisces about his family and his past back in Texas, and how the special bond held between people wasn’t limited to just the people in the States, but rather to all people around the world. “It struck him again, the feeling – a bond – people all the same everywhere… The woman with the child on her shoulder mattered. Every human life in the village mattered. He knew this not only with the mind but with the heart.” (437). It can thus be understood that Rico values and respects human life, no matter where in the world. Human life.

Rico’s morals are not compromised when he receives orders to destroy the village he was just looking down upon. After learning what is expected of him, Rico immediately has an urge to stop the orders from going through. This very notion proves that Rico will not tolerate his morals from being compromised. He feels that it is not his right to take the life of another human being. Even before he makes any physical judgments or actions, Rico already has the mindset of a hero.
Rico then goes a step further and stops everyone from taking a life in that village. He already knew personally that he was not going to take a life, but as he looked around himself and saw all of the other men around him armed, he knew that he had to take further measures for the sake of humanity. Rico then stops any action by shooting the hand of his superior before the signal to destroy was given. By stopping the order from the very hand which was to give the order, Rico saved an entire village from assassination.

Rico can be regarded as a hero due to the fact that he was willing to sacrifice his own rank and social position in the military than to let an entire village be killed over speculatory information. What sets Rico apart from the other men with him was the fact that he was the only soldier who questioned authority. He knew that his orders did not feel right or justified, so he solely stood up and made the difference. That is what truly made Rico a hero – not letting go of his morals and value of human life. At the end of the story, Harry says to Rico, “You’re no soldier. You’ll never be a soldier” (440). However, Rico knows that he saved lives and is perfectly content with the consequences he will face in the future. Thus, he replies, “I’m free inside, Harry…free” (441).

A Sound of Thunder

A Sound of Thunder
By Ray Bradbury
Plot Summary

On the eve of an American presidential election, a party of rich businessmen undertake a time travel safari to the past to hunt dinosaurs. While the organizers have taken every precaution to minimize the impact of the hunting party on the past, one member violates the rules and leaves the designated path. Upon their return to the present the group finds that the world has been drastically altered by the seemingly innocuous death of a pre-historic butterfly.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

The Lady or the Tiger?

The Lady or the Tiger?
By Frank Stockton
Plot Summary
“The Lady, or the Tiger?” begins with a description of a “semi-barbaric” king who rules his kingdom with a heavy hand. For punishing criminals, he has built an arena featuring two doors. The criminal must choose his own fate by selecting one of the two closed doors. Behind one door is a hungry tiger that will eat the prisoner alive. Behind the other door is a beautiful lady, hand-picked by the king, who will be married to the accused on the spot. The people of the kingdom like this system of justice, because the uncertainty of the situation is very entertaining.

The king has a beautiful daughter whom he adores. She secretly loves a young man who is a commoner. When the king discovers her illicit affair, he throws the young man in jail to await his judgment. For a commoner to love the king’s daughter is a crime, so the king searches for the most ferocious tiger and the most attractive lady (but not the princess, of course) for the young man’s trial in the arena.

The day of the courtier’s “trial” comes, and the young man walks into the arena, his eyes fixed on the princess. He looks to her for guidance, because he suspects that she has learned which door conceals the lady, and which the tiger. Indeed, the princess does know the identity of the young lady behind the door. She has been jealous of her for some time, thinking that she has sought to steal her lover from her. The princess signals for him to choose the right-hand door. Without hesitation, he moves to open the right-hand door.

Stockton does not reveal what waits behind that door; he leaves readers to come to their own answer. As the narrator of the story explains, the answer involves a study of the human heart which leads us through devious mazes of passion, out of which it is difficult to find our way.

The Monkey's Paw

The Monkey's Paw
By Edgar Allen Poe
Plot Summary

The story opens with Mr. White and his son Herbert playing a game of chess. Mrs. White is knitting by the fire. Mr. White loses the game and becomes agitated and exasperated. Soon, there is a knock at the door and the Sergeant-Major enters. They share a few drinks and the Sergeant-Major tells them some tales about his trips to India, where he obtained a monkey’s paw. The paw is magical, allowing three men three wishes each. One man has died and the Sergeant-Major has used up his three wishes. He tosses the paw into the fire, but Mr. White snatches it out and keeps it for himself. The Sergeant-Major tells them that a fakir has put a spell on the paw “to show that fate ruled people’s lives.” Those who tamper with fate “did so to their sorrow.” But Herbert coaxes his father to wish for something modest, like 200 pounds. His father does so, while Herbert plays dramatic chords on the piano in accompaniment. They all go to bed for the night.

In the morning, Herbert leaves for work and tells his parents not to break into the money before he comes home that evening. Mr. and Mrs. White make light-hearted comments about Herbert’s return and his reactions to an arrival of the money.

Later, a stranger comes to the door and, after coming into the house, tells the parents that Herbert has been killed at work that morning when he was caught in some machinery. The stranger then gives them compensation from the company: 200 pounds.

Herbert is buried in a nearby cemetery. About a week later, Mr. White is awakened by the sounds of Mrs. White weeping over their son. Suddenly, she remembers the paw and the two wishes that remain. She pleads for Mr. White to get it and to make a wish that Herbert would be alive again. He tries to tell her that since he was mangled in the machinery and had been buried for a week, it would not be a wise wish. But she insists. Despite misgivings about invoking the magic of the paw again, Mr. White wishes for Herbert to be alive again.

They wait. They watch out the window, but nothing happens and no one arrives. They start to bed again when suddenly a slight knock is heard at the door.

Mrs. White then remembers that the cemetery is two miles away and that it would have taken Herbert a while to walk home. The knocking increases, ending in a series of rapid hangings on the door. Mr. White tries to stop her from opening the door. She persists and climbs up on a chair to open the top-most bolt.

Just as she opens the door, Mr. White asks his third wish. The door opens; the street is still and empty. Only a dim streetlight flickers on the roadway.

The Masque of the Red Death

The Masque of the Red Death
By Edgar Allen Poe
Plot Summary

Poe’s story “The Masque of the Red Death” begins with a description of a plague, the “Red Death.” It is the most deadly plague ever, as “no pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous.” The symptoms of the plague include “sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores.” The “scarlet stains” on the body, and especially the face, of its victims are the “pest ban” or first visible signs of the disease. Once the stains appear, the victim has only thirty minutes before death.

In order to escape the spread of the plague, Prince Prospero invites “a thousand hale and light hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court” to seal themselves “in deep seclusion” in an abbey of his castle, allowing no one to enter or leave. With adequate provisions, Prospero and his privileged guests attempt to “bid defiance to contagion,” by sealing themselves off from the suffering and disease spreading throughout the rest of their country. The Prince provides for his guests “all the appliances of pleasure” to help them not to “grieve” or to “think” about the Red Death raging outside the walls of the abbey.

Toward the end of the fifth or sixth month, the Prince holds a masquerade ball for his guests, “while the pestilence raged most furiously abroad.” The Prince takes elaborate measures in his decorations for the ball, which is to take place in “an imperial suite” of seven rooms, each decorated in its own color scheme. The only lighting in each room comes from a brazier of fire, mounted on a tripod, which is set outside the stained glass windows of each room, causing the color of the glass to infuse the entire room. The progression of rooms is from blue to purple to green to orange to white to violet to black. The seventh room, decorated in black velvet, is lit by the fire burning behind a redstained glass window. But the effect of the red light is “ghastly in the extreme,” and the seventh room is avoided by most of the guests.

In the seventh room is a “gigantic clock of ebony” which strikes at each hour. The sound of the clock striking is “of so peculiar a note and emphasis” that all of the guests, as well as the orchestra and the dancers, pause at each hour to listen, and there is “a brief disconcert in the whole company.” But the revelers remain “stiff frozen” only for a moment before returning to their music and dancing.

At the stroke of midnight the guests, pausing at the sound of the clock, notice a mysterious “masked figure” in their midst. The figure wears “the habiliments of the grave” and the mask on its face resembles “the countenance of a stiffened corpse.” The costume of the mysterious figure has even taken on “the type of the Red Death.” Its clothing is “dabbled in blood” and its face is “besprinkled with the scarlet horror.”

When Prince Prospero sees this mysterious figure, he orders his guests to seize and unmask it, so that he may hang the intruder at dawn. But the guests, cowering in fear, shrink from the figure. In a rage, Prospero, bearing a dagger, pursues the masked figure through each of the rooms — from blue to purple to green to orange to white to violet. The figure enters the seventh room, decorated in a ghastly black and red, and turns to face Prospero. The Prince falls dead to the floor. But when the guests seize the figure, they find that, underneath its shroud and mask there is “no tangible form.”

The guests realize that the Red Death has slipped into their abbey “like a thief in the night” to claim their lives, “and one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel.” The last line of the story describes the complete victory of the Red Death over life: “And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.”

Merry Christmas, Mrs. Valle!

Since you have been a good girl, Santa prepared a special gift for you!
I hope you enjoy your new blog. This comes with free lessons, assistance, and use of my site. Welcome to the blog world; you and your kids will love it!


MERRY CHRISTMAS, MY DEAR FRIEND!!!!