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.