This is a conversation Claudia has with a very sympathetic character, a different teacher who helps her with her search:
[Claudia is saying she's thinking of telling her babydaddy Alan's wife (oh, yeah, he was also married and didn't tell Claudia that) about the whole thing.]
"You mean you're thinking of telling her?" Miss Strickland was looking at me. "Or threatening Alan with telling her?"
"Why should he get off scot-free?"
"But I thought the idea was to make sure your baby's all right. Not to deliver punishment yourself."
I got up slowly. "Yes," I said. "I guess you're right. Thanks for your help."
I was about to leave when she came over and put her hand briefly on my shoulder. "What happened to you happens to thousands of girls. I undertstand you need to find out how your baby is. But try not to change it into punishing Alan."
"Why shouldn't he be punished? It was all his fault!"
Part II (continued)rachelmanijaJanuary 10 2006, 21:12:06 UTC
"You mean you were unconscious when it was conceived? He raped you?"
I shrugged her hand off. "No, I wasn't raped. And I wasn't unconscious. But I was... well, he'd given me something to drink and I wasn't used to it."
"And he forced it down your throat?"
"You're as bad as Miss Gaitskill! You want to punish me too!"
"No, I don't want to punish you. I agree that he should have told you he was married, that he probably shouldn't have given you anything to drink-- certainly not since you were underage. But you weren't a completely passive player in this drama, were you?"
Claudia stomps out at this point. But there's nothing in the book, other than Claudia's anger, that contradicts Miss Strickland's point of view, and she is generally the voice of wisdom and helpfulness.
PS. You can tell when I have a lot of work to do on, you know, actual jobs I have, because I then feel compelled to type up long passages on LJ rather than summarizing them. I am the Queen of Procrasti Nation.
Have nothing to say about stabbage in-thread. Although I agree with it. Okay that is saying something.
I enjoyed Rob Thomas's novel and disliked it in most of the same ways as you. Or, I spent half of it thinking, "That is just like veronica Mars!!" and the other half wondering why the revelation of the girlfriend was so flat (and conversely, why the police or school administrators never got involved).
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I imprinted on Alan and the Animal Kingdom, about which all I can say is, a) I loved animals, b) Misery! Tragedy! Woe!
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!! Please give me the awful details.
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[Claudia is saying she's thinking of telling her babydaddy Alan's wife (oh, yeah, he was also married and didn't tell Claudia that) about the whole thing.]
"You mean you're thinking of telling her?" Miss Strickland was looking at me. "Or threatening Alan with telling her?"
"Why should he get off scot-free?"
"But I thought the idea was to make sure your baby's all right. Not to deliver punishment yourself."
I got up slowly. "Yes," I said. "I guess you're right. Thanks for your help."
I was about to leave when she came over and put her hand briefly on my shoulder. "What happened to you happens to thousands of girls. I undertstand you need to find out how your baby is. But try not to change it into punishing Alan."
"Why shouldn't he be punished? It was all his fault!"
Reply
I shrugged her hand off. "No, I wasn't raped. And I wasn't unconscious. But I was... well, he'd given me something to drink and I wasn't used to it."
"And he forced it down your throat?"
"You're as bad as Miss Gaitskill! You want to punish me too!"
"No, I don't want to punish you. I agree that he should have told you he was married, that he probably shouldn't have given you anything to drink-- certainly not since you were underage. But you weren't a completely passive player in this drama, were you?"
Claudia stomps out at this point. But there's nothing in the book, other than Claudia's anger, that contradicts Miss Strickland's point of view, and she is generally the voice of wisdom and helpfulness.
PS. You can tell when I have a lot of work to do on, you know, actual jobs I have, because I then feel compelled to type up long passages on LJ rather than summarizing them. I am the Queen of Procrasti Nation.
Reply
Reply
I enjoyed Rob Thomas's novel and disliked it in most of the same ways as you. Or, I spent half of it thinking, "That is just like veronica Mars!!" and the other half wondering why the revelation of the girlfriend was so flat (and conversely, why the police or school administrators never got involved).
Reply
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