Man I'm Getting Old

      In Black Swan Green, we see that Jason and Julia do a lot of name-calling and bickering, as most siblings do. However, they do have their occasional calm moments where Julia gives her insight on things that Jason may need help with. This is definitely the same with me and my siblings. My parents would most likely tell you that the house is rarely quiet because of all the running around, shouting, you name it. There is definitely a bond that siblings share that is different from the others. we grow up "hating" each other, but sticking by each other's sides through the end, however the dynamic is so complex.      Sibling relationships can be quite complicated. It may feel like the other sibling is a world away from you and you don't even understand them. Because Jason and Julia have quite an age gap, they both see different parts of the world that the other isn't seeing, which would make it hard to understand each other, yet they both rely on each other for su

     While reading Fun Home, I noticed that Bruce does a lot to hide his and Alison's identities as some way of putting up an act to be perceived as a "normal family" and keep a good reputation. Bruce reminds me of my mother and how she tries to steer me off from certain things she disagrees with (this book being one of them) as a way of keeping a good face for the rest of our family and the people she knows. He acts like a shield for things that he has experienced that he doesn't want Alison or others to see and tends to push her one way or the other.       Like Alison, I feel that I don't really care much about a reputation, but more about exploring things that are related to how I feel and what I like and enjoy or what is interesting. I feel like I relate to her in more ways than I would have thought. There are many things that she did in the book which I also feel that I have done or currently do, like checking out specific books in a library or reading about

       For Esther, The bell jar is a space of confinement and societal pressure. She is trapped and on display, for the world to see her success and her failure, like a specimen, and she has to sit there and face their judgmental gazes.  She feels that if she isn't able to find her own way to escape the pressure, death may be her only other option.     Esther's situation reminds me of an ant trapped under a cup. An ant came to mind because people often put a cup over an ant if it is unwanted in their space. For Esther, this is like being told she is unwanted for choosing to follow her own path. Like Esther, the ant is on its own, trapped away from its colony, with little to no support from anyone, except the person trying to preserve its life. The ant will do whatever it takes to escape and get back to its colony and will die trying, since like Esther, those are its only options.  Esther wants to be in total control of her life. She wants to work and have her own personal succe

     Holden is always looking for something deeper than what he sees on the surface, which is why he comes to the conclusion that everyone is "phony", besides the people he cares about the most, who are his siblings, Allie, DB, and Phoebe, and his friend Jane Gallagher. He wants someone to have a meaningful conversation with or for them to genuinely care about him and listen to whatever he has to say, which is why he pours himself out to the reader and is so brutally honest. He truly has good intentions, but they often don't translate very well outside of his own thoughts.  As I was reading, I noticed a lot of myself in Holden. He actually comes off as quite relatable. I could definitely relate to him in the way that he thinks about people being phonies.  I sometimes feel the same way about people and it's really confusing to tell who is being truly themselves or whether they really want to be friends with me. The truth is, we don't really know people's intent