Welcome to the second week of The Gathering! I know that I am not the only one who is glad to hear that we did not have to read another literary criticism. While that is always good news I was also left a bit apprehensive about this week’s blog, having nothing other than the novel to base it on. Having finished the novel prior to last week’s blog I am finding it very hard to locate something to discuss for this blog. For some reason this book leaves me feeling like I am missing something. Even though the novel is filled with Veronica’s accounts of the events leading up to Liam’s death, accompanied by the events that take place after, I feel as though I finished the book knowing only a few things about her. For one, Veronica is a 39-year-old mother of two girls in an unsatisfactory marriage. Two, she is one of twelve children born from a mother with “holes in her head” (7). Three, Veronica’s favorite sibling, her older brother Liam, an alcoholic and a ‘terrible messer’ was abused as a boy by the grandmother’s landlord. And four, Liam ends up committing suicide by putting rocks in his pockets and slipped into the sea at Brighton. Besides that I feel as though it is anybodies speculation. What most astonishes me throughout the novel is Veronica’s ability to recount an event that took place either in the past or present in such minute detail and then leave you with the sense of having no clue as to if it really occurred or was simply conjured up in her mind.
Struggling to understand her brother’s suicide, Veronica convinces herself that not only does she owe it to Liam, but also that it is her duty as the loving sister to acknowledge their past unflinchingly. Staying awake every night, Veronica obsessively searches through her mind, remembering childhood memories in a pursuit for clues as to what sent her brother on the path that led him to ''the box downstairs'' (213). While some of the memories are of random times throughout her life when Liam was present, the memories that are most frequently recalled are those that take place long before either her or Liam were born, the memories of her grandmother Ada. Beginning in Dublin, 1925, these ‘memories’ are of Ada’s first encounter with Lambert Nugent and later Charlie Spillane, her grandfather. These sensual, impromptu visions are conjured up by Veronica in her attempt to fill in the gaps of her family’s story that may explain all the pain and sadness that has unraveled since that point.
While the novel at most times can be described at best as being ambiguous, one clear aspect that I was able to uncover from the novel was its overall themes. These themes were focused on universal questions, the most recurring based on the way in which the mind and memory works (Veronica’s narrative) and generating a contemplation on the origin of evil (Lambert Nugent). While the novel may be made more unclear by the narrator’s struggle to discern what was real or not, it is clear that all Veronica can go by are 'an uncertain event' she feels ‘roaring inside me’ (1).
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Fay,
ReplyDeleteI can't disagree with you that seeing a lack of literary criticism was a sigh of relief I can definately relate to the difficulties with trying something to write about (although for me that's more dangerous since mine was the online artifact). I liked your exploration of the themes "While the novel at most times can be described at best as being ambiguous, one clear aspect that I was able to uncover from the novel was its overall themes. These themes were focused on universal questions, the most recurring based on the way in which the mind and memory works (Veronica’s narrative) and generating a contemplation on the origin of evil (Lambert Nugent)." I realized while working on my piece this week that so much of Veronica's lack of a sense of reality could be traced back to a number of things including a sense of guilt over something she couldn't stop (her brother's suicide) and a sense of being haunted by her families past. Liam's death (by the way this is a little unnerving for me since my son's name is Liam) was just the most reaction addition to the things that would haunt Veronica through her days.
I think, although we don't see it actually stated other than when she and her husband are arguing in the car, that part of what Veronica fears the most is her daughters turning into herself. She wants to protect them from the life that she lives now, in a state of not knowing and of discontentment. However I could just be looking too deep into it.
WS
Hey Fay,
ReplyDeleteI love that we have a difference of opinion on this last book as it definitely gives us each something to think about and a different perspective. I found your post this week quite interesting.
You made the comment,
"For some reason this book leaves me feeling like I am missing something. Even though the novel is filled with Veronica’s accounts of the events leading up to Liam’s death, accompanied by the events that take place after, I feel as though I finished the book knowing only a few things about her."
This comment was an aha moment for me since it hit me and I felt like, "yes..exactly that's it and that's the point!" What I mean by this is that I think this was done intentionally. I really think this goes back to the idea of identity. Stealing this quote from Drea's blog,
"Themes and characteristics (for lack of a better term) I really feel came full circle in this novel. Not to put culture in a box, but now when I think of Ireland and her people I think turmoil, guilt, unpredictability, and the search for Identity."
I don't think this can be said any better. Ireland has had a constant search for identity and in this story, Veronica has the same issue. I think we are left not really knowing a lot about her because she is still struggling to know herself. I think that is a HUGE issue related to being abused, especially sexually abused as a child. It's an utter and complete violation of your body, your mind, and your trust in just about everyone.
I know that you are still very on the fence about whether you believe Veronica's story and her realizations because of her own uncertainty and "fuzzy" memories, but I have related very, very strongly to this book and this character.
I don't want to offend you in any way and you are indeed entitled to your own opinion but I have realized why I'm responding so strongly to your comments about Veronica's credibility. In Lucy in the Sky's (Nicole) blog you stated,
"I think that we can all agree that her memory was deeply altered! While this is all very convincing information, I cannot help but think that we could just be feeding into Veronica’s warped and delusional thoughts and memories."
And above in your blog you stated,
"What most astonishes me throughout the novel is Veronica’s ability to recount an event that took place either in the past or present in such minute detail and then leave you with the sense of having no clue as to if it really occurred or was simply conjured up in her mind."
I think these comments really "get to me" because it makes me think about all the people who have in the past doubted or dismissed an abused child's attempts at letting someone know what was happening to them. I think that so often people see something that is not right or just "have a feeling" but don't act on it out of fear or possibly guilt and shame. Again, I hope I'm not offending you I just needed to explain my strong reactions. Obviously as you might have guessed, I've had this reaction from my family members when I tried to tell them about my physical and sexual abuse, but no one listened until it was too late. Now they all have guilt and shame about having "let" this happen. Not only have I personally experienced this, but as a nurse working in a children's hospital I've seen it way, way too many times and it truly breaks my heart. It's not a subject we should hide, avoid, or even second guess. We need to act on it every time in order to get to the truth. I would rather take someone's word about what's happening or happened and try to help or deal with the situation 100 times over than wait or doubt them and have it devastate their lives. Enough babbling from me, thanks for letting me rant and thanks for providing a different perspective to make us all think a little harder.
Fay- good blog this week! Your blog helped me further understand some points of the novel better that I hadn’t quite understood before. I liked when you said, “Struggling to understand her brother’s suicide, Veronica convinces herself that not only does she owe it to Liam, but also that it is her duty as the loving sister to acknowledge their past unflinchingly. Staying awake every night, Veronica obsessively searches through her mind, remembering childhood memories in a pursuit for clues as to what sent her brother on the path that led him to ''the box downstairs'' (213).” I would love to hear a Freudian dissection of this novel; it would be very interesting to see the hidden motives and desires behind Veronica’s unconscious (and dream-like conscious) thoughts. Along with the themes that you have mentioned, I think that the psychoanalytic theme would go nicely in that grouping. Why exactly did Veronica keep replaying memories in her head, despite wanting to find out what drove her brother to suicide? Something Freud might say would be close to maybe saying that it is possible Veronica wanted to keep replaying certain scenes in her head because her unconscious desired her to do so. But then again, I’m not an expert on psychology so I may be heading down the entirely wrong path according to an expert. I liked the other themes you listed: the mind & memory with the origin of evil. I also think that reality and focusing on true reality would be a good theme as well.
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