blog 6 reader response

Upon finishing the book, The Antagonist by Lynn Coady and viewing the book from multiple literary criticisms I have found that the particular point of view that revealed the most about the novel for me is the reader response criticism.  It allowed me to compare my personal life experiences with those that the characters in the book were going through.  I think that it is very important that a reader is able to find things in common with the characters in the book because it allows them to better understand and interpret the situations in the story.

The reader response criticism focuses on having prior knowledge of the culture that exists within the novel, so that the reader can better identify with the characters and is able to empathize with what they are experiencing.  The fact that Gordon was portrayed as someone who grew up in a small town in Canada similar to myself allowed me to relate to most of the stories he that he shared in his emails to Adam. Small towns are unique in that citizens share different experiences then in large cities as everyone tends to know their neighbours and people in their community because they interact on a regular basis through school, work and recreation. After Sylvie dies in the car accident and Gordon wakes up in the hospital to his court appointed councillor from the youth centre that he had been sentenced to, Gordon states “and because my town is small, he was familiar to me, so I politely said hello.” (320)

While reading Gordon’s account of his life I recognized that if I have not experienced what he was describing then the chances are that I know someone who has and witnessed what they went through.  This criticism is also very helpful way to understand the book because the characters are described as using relevant forms of technology such as Facebook and email. Facebook was launched in 2004 when I was eight and I have grown up with it and much like Gordon I use it to find and catch up with people I have not seen in a while, “Then I went a bit nuts thinking to myself if Kirsten is on Facebook, everyone must be on there.”(233) In contrast, Gordon did not grow up using Facebook and he is only discovering what the program can do in the novel. Once he realizes that he can contact people from his past, Gordon begins searching for people that he thought he had lost forever. He uses it to reconnect with his old girlfriend Kirsten and what he calls, “cyber-stalking” (278) of other lost acquaintances. The use of social media and email are important aspects of the book since the book is written is through a series of emails between his former friend Adam and himself and Facebook messages between his old girlfriend Kirsten and himself.

If I had not analyzed the book with this criticism I think that some of the parts in the book would have been harder to understand. In a novel like this, where the narrator writes about his own life experiences and explains what his feelings are at the time, it is very important that the reader is able to compare events and experiences from their own lives to better grasp what is going through the characters head and better understand the events that take place.

Archetypal Literary Criticism

                While reading, The Antagonist by Lynn Coady, patterns based on archetypal characters similar to those of other stories can be found. The main character, Gordon symbolizes not only a brute but also a hero as he was used as “the clean-up squad” (96) and had to deal with the trouble makers that frequented his father’s ice cream shop.

                Gordon again shows himself to be a hero when he displays an act of justice and stands up for the highland dancer Kyle was dating and who he thought that Kyle had hit. Gordon confronts his friend about the incident and explains that he feels that Kyle mistreats women based on the incident he thought he overheard. Initially, Gordon was ready to hit his friend in the girl’s defence but he held back from throwing the punch based on his experience when his father put him in the role of an enforcer and he seriously hurt Croft. Gordon demonstrates that he had learned from his past and shows restraint before he acts. He also did this when his university hockey coach said, “either fight tonight or leave”(169) he choose to walk out midway through the play-off game, knowing that it would cost him his scholarship, proving to the reader that he was not only thinking of others but of any consequences his actions cost him. This view of the main character being a hero reveals about the text a more in-depth view of Gordon’s personality and what he feels is right. Once the reader understands that Gordon is acting in the way that he feels is righteous the decisions he makes begin to seem more planned out rather than rash outbursts.

                Adam can be viewed as the protagonist in the book because his novel is the “driving force behind the plot”.(dictonary.com) Adam’s character is seen as the villain in the story because he has betrayed his friend by writing a book based on Gordon’s deepest secrets and provoked the hero Gordon by creating a book about him. Adam being the bad guy gives the hero, Gordon a purpose as he is trying to reveal the truth behind Adam’s lies. Gordon is viewed as the antagonist who is the “opposing force in a fictional story” (dictonary.com). Through his emails and recollections he reveals his side and offers an opposing view in response to what Adam had written.  The book’s title lets the reader know what to expect from the main character and that this will be a novel about conflicting views.

Other archetypal characters in the novel are Gordon's mother and father. His mother Sylvie is seen as a wonderful and loving caregiver who takes care of Gordon. She is represented as someone that is pure while his father is described as controlling and verbally abusive. Gordon refers to his mother as the “the goddess”(14).  She symbolizes both The Innocent and The Caregiver and acts as the great mother. Whereas, Gordon’s father would be viewed as The Ruler whose desire is to exercise control and power. His relationships with both of his parents reveal about Gordon where his sense of right and wrong is derived from and how this helps him make decisions throughout his life.   

Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 07 May 2015.

blog #4 Feminist Literary Criticism

In The Antagonist, by Lynn Coady the protagonist Gordon demonstrates clear views about both the men and the women that appear the novel.  Most of the characters in the story are males who Gordon has interacted with in one way or another during his life. They include his college friends, his father, people he worked with and his hockey coaches.  Female characters are only occasionally mentioned and they include his deceased mother Sylvie, his onetime girlfriend Kristen and college friend Tina.  In comparison to the male characters little information is given about them, you learn about them from Gordon remembering his past and how the male characters interacted with them. Gordon refused to talk about Sylvie in his emails to Adam because he did not want her to be disrespected in anyway. He clearly loved and admired his mother, often referring to her as “the goddess” (14). Gordon loves his mother so much that he hates his father because of the way he treated her.  Gordon recalls that his father was not physically abusive, but was verbally abusive and often treated her with disrespect. Gordon tries to treat women with respect and is angry that he joins Adam in referring to their friend Tina in a disrespectful way after she had gained some weight. Gordon was upset that they were calling her “tiny”(5) behind her back. I think that this bothered him because it was reminiscent of how his father spoke to his mother. Another instance where he shows compassion for women is when he confronts Kyle as to whether he had hit a girl that he was seeing. He is angry at Kyle and was ready to fight him over the incident. Kyle rejected his accusation saying that it was consensual and no one was hurt. It is afterwards  that Adam and Gordan discuss how he views women and Adam states that he thinks Gordan has a virgin/virgin complex which is opposite to what Gordon thinks are Kyle’s views on women which is ”they’er all whores”(205).  

 Gordon talks about an old girlfriend named Kirsten, the only girl who he had ever brought home to meet his father. He described her as a good Christian girl who “had accepted Jesus as her personal savour” (30) and then compared her to his mother who was also very religious.  Gordon tried hard to impress her with his good behaviour and it gave you the impression that he was trying to still impress his mother.

The women in Gordon's life are seen as a calming influence as his mother Sylvie and his girlfriend Kirsten help him deal with his anger towards his father.

This book is set in fairly recent times with references to email and Winners but parts of it would go back to the 1960’s when Gordon Sr. and Sylvie met.  Typical of this era, Sylvie was a house wife and was home to lovingly raise Gordon. Her Catholic values prevented her from getting a divorce despite the verbal abuse and allowed Gordon’s attitude towards men and women  to be shaped by what he saw happening within the house.  

blog #3 the issue

The abuse of narcotics is an issue that that is evident throughout the novel, The Antagonist by Lynn Coady.  Gordon and his college buddies spend a good portion of their time smoking marijuana and drinking excessively, “It is 4:17 on a Thursday afternoon and they are all, of course, stoned brainless.”(159) I researched the harmful effects that marijuana can have on users and I discovered that there are many down sides to using such a drug. According to the Foundation for a Drug-Free World, “the immediate effects of taking marijuana include rapid heartbeat, disorientation, lack of physical coordination, often followed by depression or sleepiness. Some users suffer panic attacks or anxiety.”(Harmful Effects on the Brain) This information makes me question why the characters in the story would willingly take drugs. Assuming that they are fairly intelligent individuals on the basis that they have made it to a postsecondary institution, one would think that they would realize that drugs are full of harmful effects. In the book not only do the characters do drugs, but one of the main characters, Wade also sells drugs as a way to pay for his tuition, “a great many of his friends — and mere acquaintances even — had come to rely on him for hash and other illicit sundries.”(164) Wade was the only one of Gordon’s friends that did not have a scholarship to help pay for his tuition and therefore needed a job.  He had tried to work as a bartender but soon realized that he could not maintain his academic standing and work three nights a week at Goldfingers. He also soon realized that “another downside of the job was that most of his hard-won tips were going into the baggies,” (162) of marijuana that he was buying from the doorman at the bar. The result was that he wasn’t taking home much money away and therefore turned to dealing as a much easier way to make quick money. At no time in the book does he consider the consequences for possessing drugs for the purpose of trafficking. His only consideration was that it was a quick way to pay his tuition and maintain access for his own personal use.  When in fact what he was doing is a criminal offence and “trafficking in or possession for the purpose of trafficking marijuana or hashish is an indictable offence with a maximum penalty of 5 years imprisonment for a small amount of cannabis. There may also be a minimum punishment of imprisonment for one to two years if certain aggravating factors apply.”(What Is Drug Trafficking Under Canadian Law?) A punishment such as this would deter me from ever considering selling illegal drugs, whatever the reason, as it would put my future in jeopardy. After gaining some insight into the harmful effects of marijuana and punishments associated with selling it, I as a reader really question the characters in the book and why they would regularly use something that cannot only cause serious health concerns but also result in jail time if convicted of trafficking.

"Does Marijuana Kill Brain Cells? Harmful Effects on the Brain - Drug-Free World." Does Marijuana Kill Brain Cells? Harmful Effects on the Brain - Drug-Free World. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

"What Is Drug Trafficking Under Canadian Law?" Donna V Pledge Toronto Criminal Lawyer What Is Drug Trafficking Under Canadian Law Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

The Antagonist - reader response

While reading the novel, The Antagonist and using the techniques that I have learned from this unit, I have begun analyzing the text from a reader response point of view. Upon reflection, I have found that it is what I bring to the book through my experiences that allows me to interpret it the way I do. This also allows me to be able to relate in a small way to what Gordon is going through.  I have had similar awkward interactions with fellow students and team mates because my father is a police officer.  I have never fought, like him but have had to deal with their response, after they had been arrested or fined as the cop’s son whose father had clearly done them an injustice.   

Much like Gordon, I grew up in a small town, in Canada, where there is only one high school, so it was inevitable that I knew or knew of my fair share of “punks” (44) who much like Mike Croft would have spent their days loitering outside the local businesses, more than likely driving the owners crazy like what Gordon's father experienced in the book. Although my father and Gordon’s have different professions they both deal with the “punks” (44) around town. I, much like Gordon have had awkward interactions with people that I went to school with in random places similar to what Gordon had with Kyle in Winners, “Kyle and I, meeting up after all these year? I’ll tell you. We were at a Winners in downtown Toronto.” (122) Having experienced an interaction like the one in the book not that long ago, but certainly more from Kyle’s side then Gordon’s, I could imagine what the atmosphere and awkwardness would have been like. The description of the interaction helped me understand how this person must have been feeling when randomly meeting up with me. Even though the circumstances are different, I can feel that people think that I know more intimate details about their actions then I really do and therefore behave guarded around me.   

Another experience that I bring to the text is my love for sports, especially hockey. I much like much like Gordon, loved to play not to make it to the National Hockey League but just to have fun. “I realized in a secret and essential way that hockey was actually mine”.(118) Although Gordon and I have separate issues that we need to escape from, both of us used hockey as a form of an escape from our real world problems for a while.

Finally, Gordon’s experience with Facebook is another point that I can interpret in relation to things that I have experienced and today’s culture. His experience with creating the account and then finding out that “the second I friended you, the entire class of ’91 starts pouring in for a reunion party.” (130)  is something that often happens. I have sometimes received friend requests from people that I have only met once or other times from people I haven’t seen since public school. I understand his reluctance to having these people enter into his life when he has not interacted with them in years.   

ISP Post 1 The Antagonist

The book I chose to read for my ISP is The Antagonist by Lynn Coady. I found this book to be interesting to read and relevant to today as it highlights how even the people you consider to be your friends can betray you. It is written as a series of emails from the main character, Gordon Rankin Jr to his former college friend Adam.  The emails are in a response to Adam using the details of  Gordon’s life as the basis for a book that he published. It is clear to the reader that Gordon is angry about having his life used as the basis of Adam’s novel. He reveals that he thought Adam was his friend who he could tell his deepest secrets to, “You must be some kind of oracle, a man of profound sympathy and insight.” (32) Finding the story of his life laid out in his buddies book, leaves him both angry and betrayed. It is his response that is both comical and sad that makes this a good book to read.

The writing style that Coady uses is interesting because it helps the reader understand Gordon without simply just describing him. In the emails, Gordon often states the condition he is in, whether he is drunk, tired, angry, or in a good mood “I got a bit worked up after writing that and went off to drink and watch TV and now I am drunk. I just realized I can write you however I want — drunk or sober”(11). Gordon stating how he is feeling while writing the emails helps me to understand what he is going through and the emotions he is putting into the emails. His rambling responses are also funny when he has one sided conversations with Adam who is clearly not happy that he is being accused of basing his novel on Gordon’s life.  Gordon’s response to Adam’s threat of keeping a paper trail is to say that he was going to keep a paper trail of his own. He ends up writing  Adam saying that he should “stop whining, stop threatening (it’s pathetic” (20). 

Social determinants are prevalent in the book. These are factors in society that can affect the path that your life will take. Alcoholism, drug use and being a victim of physical or verbal abuse can cause phycological problems that are hard to overcome and can cause lasting effects.  Gordon was “born the illegitimate offspring of fornicators”(17) his adoptive mother as a saint, whereas his father was “the prick”.(15) who was verbally abusive to both him and his mother. He has a poor relationship with his father because of this and it is this dysfunctional relationship that he views as the reason for his shortcomings, “the problem, as alway, was Gord.” (70) 

His physical size worked for and against him. He was seen as a goon and a thug as his great size gave him the appearance of a fully aged man when he was just a teen. It also worked to his advantage when he received a hockey scholarship to university because of his size.  His path derailed with the death of his mother and he began a long spiral down to days spent just lounging around and doing drugs after he looses his scholarship.

Me as a writer

As an essay writer, I like everyone else, have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to writing a paper. A strength that I feel I have, is the ability to use an appropriate level of language that is both simple enough for everyone to understand, but not so simple that it would jeopardize the quality of the paper. I tend to write with the same style of wording that I use to speak with, which helps my essay become fluent and easy to understand. I also find re-reading the paper a few times helps with the fluency, as you may catch errors that were previously  missed. Another strength that I feel that I have is the ability to create a strong and thought provoking thesis. I would consider this a strength because once I have decided what it is that I want to write about, I find it to be somewhat easy putting the pieces of the thesis together similar to that of building a puzzle. 

Contrary to my strengths, I feel that my weaknesses include struggling to be able to meet the quantity of information asked for by the teacher. I continuously find myself falling short of the desired amount of words for the set word count. A goal that I would like to set for myself is to strive to expand on the depth and amount of research that I do in preparing for a paper that is related to the topics that are relevant in my essay. By remembering the three Es; expand, extend, and elaborate and using them to guide my writing process, I could rely on this approach to help me solve my problem of falling short of word counts while writing essays. If I conduct sufficient research and find useful information on the topic it will allow me to expand my thoughts and help me to reach the set goal.     

all about me

Hi everybody

Just a little summary about me I am currently in grade 13 attending Strathroy District Collegiate Institute although I have already graduated I have returned for the extra year to boost my average a little bit so that I can one day go off to the school of my dreams. During this year I also thought it would be a good chance to work and save up some money. After working for Cuddy Farms for a year I decided that it was time for a change and got a job working at the local arena where I now spend my days sharpening skates and selling merchandise. The company I now work for is Petes Sports and the link to their website is http://www.petessports.com although I work most of my hours in Strathroy I hope to next year go to school in the big city of London and work at the main store. 

My interests if you have not guessed consist mostly of sports but my family and I also really like to travel. One of the best vacations I have ever been on was when we went to Europe. while we were there we traveled trough Holland, France, and Germany we got to go up to the top of the Eiffel tower as you can see from the picture below, we went to see a soccer game in Holland (where the fans were just as exciting as the game), and we got to try tons of different food. overall it was a great experience was tons of fun.