In this section, the book returns to Jackson's story. He is now on a train heading to Waverly and the train starts to rock. After a few minutes of the train tipping it finally tips totally over and everyone is in danger. Jackson we learn was part of the army so he is trained and wants to help everyone. He starts to someone out of the train. Jackson seems to care more about others than himself. Before thinking of his own danger, he was worried about everyone else. When he finds out he is wounded it says, "He had to get more people out of the train. . . He got about halfway up and had to stop, as weak as a kitten. There was something wrong, he'd been injured in some way but he wasn't sure how. It dawned on him suddenly unexpectedly that it was bad"(114). This shows that he saved someone from the crash without even thinking about his own pain. After a while however he realizes that this injury could be fatal. Jackson is very brave, I can tell that he was probably a good fighter in the war and he probably saved many people. I think that Jackson was Johanna's dad that left her mom to fight in the war. At the end of the section as Jackson feels as though he is about to die it says, "A nagging little voice in his head was trying to remind him that if he went to sleep now, it would be the gig one, the last one. He debated this idea briefly and decided he didn't mind if he never woke up again"(115). It is surprising that he wouldn't fight to the end. Jackson seems like a courageous warrior so when he decides not to fight off death it is very surprising. It makes me mad to think that Jackson would just give up on life.
In this section I also read more about Reggie and Ms. MacDonald. Ms. MacDonald is dying of a brain tumor and tutors Reggie. This book describes Ms. MacDonald as, "In her fifties, but she had never been young. . . not only had she embraced a crazy religion but she dressed as if she were one step away from being a bag lady, and her house was two steps beyond squalid. She was, she said, preparing for the end of the world"(97). This description makes the reader think that this woman is crazy. Because Ms. MacDonald is nearing the end of her life, I think that she is only focused on things that matter. She doesn't care about her image and what others think of her. She is starting to take advantage of her life while she has it. I think she is a good influence on Reggie, because Reggie seems to only really pay attention to important things in life. Later Reggie starts to talk about the death of her mom. She explains that her mother went on a vacation with her boyfriend, Gary, to Spain. In Spain she was swimming in the pool and her hair got caught on the drain and she drowned. After her mother had died the only time Reggie saw her father was, "in the supermarket, where he was browsing the tinned soup aisle in the company of a woman. . . it was the same supermarket Mum used to work in, and it seemed disrespectful to be in it with another woman"(106). Gary seems to be a sleaze because a few weeks after her death he is already with another woman. Reggie seems to have a hunch that Gary is somehow guilty. Sometimes it is easier to handle with a death if you can blame it on someone. In this case Reggie thinks that Gary is guilty even though police reports say that she died accidentally. I think that this book is going to get very interesting soon.
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5 comments:
He feels that saving the lives of people around him is very important. He doesn't even realize his own injuries until the pain starts affecting him. This tells us that he is a very strong person that cares greatly for evybody.
I like the way you interpreted the quote as describing the lady to be crazy. I think this shows that you understand the book. I also like the quote itself, and it's good use of vocabulary and interesting viewpoints and sentance style. This seems like an interesting style of book about growing up, since it seems deep from the perspective of those already aged.
When reading about Jackson's courage and total selflessness, it made me think about how the main character in many fiction books is made out to be more of a hero than a normal person can be. This could be the case with Jackson, but I have not read the book so I dont know if he is special in any way or has gone through an experience that would allow him to be this way.
Well, I agree with abc, that he is a very strong but also a caring person since he thought to follow through with his training he had received previously and help those in need before he helped himself. But I do agree with you Annie, when your rooting for the main character to strive but they decide to just give up on themselves. Its not only aggravating but disappointing too.
THe Jackson we see now is very different than the Jackson we met! He was alone and depressed and now he is brave andselfless? You are doing a great job of interpreting this book and it's content and your posts show that you really understand what you are writing about. abc brings up a good point that his saving ohter people distracts from his pain and this shows his complete selflessness.
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