Beta. OK. Now, I read a book and feel compassion to a hero, let's say Tom Sawyer again... Or, wait... a thought is sneaking around. OK, give me a second...
Alpha. And what are we going to do while Beta is chasing his sneaky thought?
Kappa. I feel exhausted.
Beta. Actually, I'm ready. Remember the last thing I said? That we don't know what really affects our mind: a person that argues pro some idea, or the idea that is argued for by that person?
Delta. Well, it was not exactly that, but in a sense, yes, you said that.
Alpha. Huh? Now, it is not enough for you all to treat literary personages like real people? You want an idea to be like a person too?
Teacher. Let's call it a quasi-personality.
Alpha. Are you serious?
Gamma. Listen, Alpha, hold on. Let Beta tell us his new story.
Beta. Thanks. Quite frankly, it is not that clear to me yet.
Teacher. That's all right. Go on.
Beta. OK. As I said, I don't have a theory, just some kind of feeling to describe.
Kappa. Go ahead.
Beta. Say, I read "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer". I feel like Tom Sawyer, I relate to other characters, I feel compassion to some of them, anger at others, I get scared, make up my mind about something...
Alpha. Those are not new discoveries.
Beta. No, they are not. I am trying to grasp a theme here. And I understand that Mark Twain loves this boy and makes us love him as well.
Kappa. Yes, exactly! He does not teach us a thing! He just makes us love him! This is it, this is just it, this is the word!
Delta. Does Mark Twain like Sid?
Gamma. I do not have theory either, but it seems to me, an author cannot dislike his characters.
Kappa. Thus, Mark Twain likes Sid and Indian Joe?
Gamma. I believe so.
Kappa. Do they like him?
Alpha. What? People, you got derailed completely.
Beta. Why? Remember, I said I felt like Tom Sawyer was coming alive in my mind. He still is. The more we talk, the more alive he becomes.
Alpha. Ah, I remember, he was knocking at your skull. He did succeed, I admit.
Delta. Well, Alpha, if he did succeed then he is alive after all?
Kappa. All right, is everyone done joking? I am not sure Beta finished his idea.
Beta. I didn't... Where did I stop?
Teacher. You said Mark Twain made us love Tom Sawyer.
Beta. Yes, and this is it about Tom Sawyer. Now, when I said, that ideas affect us like people do, I did not actually know, what I meant. It just jumped off of my tongue. But now, I'm starting to see it better. I want to move on to "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."
Alpha. Just another one of the same kind.
Beta. Yes, but I want to single out one moment. That is when two crooks sold Jim back into slavery for forty bucks. I felt like I was going to cry along with Huck!
Alpha. OK, slavery is bad. What's your point?
Beta. My point now is closer to yours, in a way. It is not that Mark Twain taught me that slavery is bad, but he made me feel really really really bad about slavery at that moment. I was desperate. So, now, I do not just love Huckleberry, but I got into thinking about slavery and, believe me, it still bothers me.
Gamma. I think, I owe all of you another summary now.
- Войдите, чтобы оставлять комментарии