Response #2 10/17/12

     This book is getting more and more . . . predictable. Its like the author took a basic story, cut out the plot and pasted it into her book with different characters and settings. Now I am kind of getting a general consensus that everyone thinks this book lacks originality, but it still reaches out to its audience like any other book would. I think we all know a stereotypical girly girl that acts like Mattie when she says "I though about the kiss he'd given me, and the thinking alone made me feel warm and swoony. Just like all those silly, fluttery girls in the stories in Peterson's Magazine," (pg163). See? Even she recognizes she is being a girly girl. But that's not always a bad thing. I don't really relate to this, but maybe a lot of women can make these personal connections with Mattie about similar issues or situations. But since I'm not a girly girl, and I don't have anywhere close to a personality of a girly girl, I will refrain from going into detail. But within being a sappy love story between Mattie and Royal, there is the story of how she works her way up to going away to college and leaving the farm. So she is still waiting for approval from her father on whether or not she can leave the farm, which is very hard to come by since her father is a very stubborn man when it comes to his family leaving him (probably due to the eldest son running away). But finally, Pa gives Mattie a mix between a farewell and a kick out talk, saying "I won't stop you. But don't come back if you do," (pg168). Boom, faithful father dreams were just shot down the drain. This shows the true character behind Mattie's father. It shows his real emotions, how he is very protective of his children and is worried that they'll all leave him like his eldest son did. He doesn't want to face that feeling again, so he wants to do everything in his power to keep Mattie safe, which is a somewhat good intention. But like other situations, the parents are being to protective and don't realize their child's true potential. Which is what happens when he receives information about Mattie's high scoring grades on her tests. This reminds me of a classic story between an ignorant parent and a potentially successful son. The parent believes the son has no talent and has been shutting his/her eyes of the possibilities for years. Until the son does something remarkable and the parent comes to the conclusion that the son is ready to move on.. But like every parent, they aren't ready. This little story is directly relate-able to the situation between Mattie and her father. But as the father accepts to the undeniable conclusion of Mattie leaving, the story continues. And finally, she starts to open letters. Like on pg 75, how it says "I opened another letter," (pg175) in case you didn't believe me. Finally, the mystery about who killed starts to unfold. I just hope that the story gets more interesting now that were done with her upbringing. I really want to like this book, It just moves to slow.
~Hess