Dick and Jane

When first reading the book the Dick and Jane primer in the beginning really threw me off. When Prof. Zimmerman talked about how it represented an idealism of the perfect family, it made more sense. When you take out the spaces and punctuation it all gets jumbled together. I think that is a representation of how the view of a perfect family can be skewed. It's not always what we see. The primer also connects to the flowers the girls plan in an effort to save Pecola's baby. Flowers can be associated with the "ideal" happy family. The flowers don't grow, Pecola's baby is not saved, and of course they don't have an "ideal" happy family.

Media Power

In reading Morrrison's "The Bluest Eye" what struck me most was the results of Pauline's visits to the movies. As in the last novel we read (White Noise), I see another connection to the theme of the media role in shaping individual's lives. Pauline's visits to the movies shapes the way she sees not only herself, but also those around her. "She was never able, after her education in the movies, to look at a face and not assign it some catetgory in the scale of beauty" I would go on to argue that the scale of beauty in which Pauline rates people is based on the white ideals of beauty (as Pauline even tries to look like Jean Harlow a white woman, an attempt to be beautiful). This presents another-- and I feel extrememly powerful-- reason as to why the black characters in this novel find it difficult to view themselves as pretty/ beautiful.By being bombarded by the white perception of beauty, and living in a society dominated by white people it becomes difficult to view black as beautiful. Pauline also comments: "Them pictures gave me a lot of pleasure, but it made coming home hard..." thus suggesting the power media has in influencing individual's daily lives. Pauline is not able to live satisfied with what she has a result of images she's shown in movies suggesting what she has is undesireable/ unacceptable.

When you think about who is in control over the large media conglomerations existing today (white males)....I believe it becomes easy to see why there are still many negative stereotypes regarding black people (and other persons of color).

(BTW. I know that the movies are not considered Media, but I felt connection could be made???)

Why would Toni Morrison choose children’s experiences, surroundings, and thoughts to expose the themes of race, segregation, and assimilation?

In response to the question posed earlier, I feel Morrison uses children to express the racism in the book because children are seen as the purest form of the human race and are usually partial to views. Children are easily influenced by their parents and other members of the society. This can be seen in the scence with the blue eyed babydoll. Morrison writes "Adults, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, windown signs- all the world had agreed that a blue-eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl child treasured" (20). Morrison uses children to tell the story because they do not know any different and it gives readers an insight into the hardships and difficulties blacks faced during this time. The book shows that black children have just accepted the way of life, not because they were forced to but because they don't know any better. Also, Morrison probably uses children because readers might tend to be more emotionally involved with children than adults.

Response to A Childs View

In response to your question I think that Morrison's choice of using children to narrarate the story is completely on purpose and also brilliant. Children, for the most part, say it how it is. They are honest and pure about their surroundings. At a young age they remain somewhat objective and can a give mostly unbiased account of what is going on. The world is theirs to discover and explore. By Morrison choosing to use children she provides the readers with an honest account of the time period without any opinions from one side or another.

Childs View continued....

In response/addition to Julio, it seems to me that Morrison used childrens' points of view to get her message across simply because her fictional story was reality during the 60's and surrounding Civil Rights decades. I believe she wants to portray to the reader exactly how "brainwashed" African American children were, and since young children lack the mental capacity to differentiate racism and bigotry from what is morally correct, if that makes sense. Furthermore, I believe Morrison uses Mrs.Breedlove along with the children to show how the inferiority complex instilled in black children grow with them into adulthood. The epidode of Pauline comforting the young white girl after the cobbler spilled is a good example. Furthermore, it feeds into the daughters Breedlove's sense of inferiority creating a cycle of sorts.

A Child's View

In reading Toni Morrison’s Bluest Eye, we are introduced to the world of perpetuating racism, which invokes many complicated thematic issues. Despite the complexity of the issues, Toni Morrison decides that the best way to make these issues comprehensive for the reader is to expose them through the daily lives and surroundings of children; namely Claudia and Pecola. My question to the group is then simple. Why would Toni Morrison choose children’s experiences, surroundings, and thoughts to expose the themes of race, segregation, and assimilation? Is this a coincidence or is it a way of presenting a more convincing argument by Morrison?

Scene at the Movies

The major point I want to focus on in the differences on how black and white are viewed in the scene at the movie theater. First off, there is this contrast of dark and light at the top of p.123. The lights are turned down, leaving darkness, and then light on the screen appears and the movie begins. No pays any attention to the dark because the light of the movie is what they came to see like the social invisibility of blacks because society only cares about the whites, likewise the light suppresses the dark like the whites oppress the blacks. Then, there is the portrayal of "white men taking such good care of they women" while Pauline does not have the ideal lifestyle at home. This contrast furthers Pauline's suspicions that to be white is to have it all, to be white is the way to find happiness, and being black only leads to suffering and despair. the black is ugly belief, which many of the novel's characters subscribe to, is also furthered by the story of when Pauline did her hair up like Jean Harlow but still did not look like her and then here tooth falls out and again she feels ugly. The white standard of frustrates many of the characters, an impossible standard to live up to due to there skin color, they just wish to be accepted as beautiful in their own right.

Ugliness

What struck me while reading this is text is the fascination with ugliness, how it is explored and reinforced with the different characters. The way in which Morrison brings ugliness to the forefront is through the character Pecola. Pecola is obsessed with the fact that she is black, for that time period, meant she was ugly. We can see how she wishes she had blues, if she had blue eyes she believes she would be beautiful. Then we see the opposite of this in Claudia who does not wish to be beautiful but instead destroys the concept of beauty. She destroys the doll which to her represents white beauty. I am interested to see how this conecpt of ugliness and beauty will play on later in the book.

Hierarchy of Power and Pecola

Toward the end of lecture today, Professor Zimmerman commented on the hierarchy of power in society and that Pecola is placed at the very bottom of that structure. In turn, she is everybody's victim. I see evidence of this in two lines that take place during the scene with the cat. First, when Junior sees Pecola petting the cat and the cat's favorable reaction to it, the text says that "he had seen that expression many times as the animal responded to his mother's touch" (90). In turn, he harms the cat, which in turns, leads to blame Pecola for the incident. Then, when Geraldine comes home and finds the cat, the text says, "She had seen this little girl all of her life," (91), which leads her to pass blame onto Pecola and call her a "little black bitch." This illustrates clearly that when a situation arises or something breaks a pattern, the blame surpasses everyone down through the levels of power, straight to the bottom onto those who are weakest and most vulnerable--no questions asked.

Claudia in 'The Bluest Eye' is torn between the materialistic world that the adults are constantly trying to force on her and her own desire for emotional experience (p.21-22). Does anyone see this desire in connection with the 'memories' on p.36? 'There were no memories among those pieces...no memories to be cherished'
For me, in order to have memories, there must be some sort of experience involved beforehand. I think what Toni Morrison is trying to convey is the prevalence of a lack of emotional experience among the main characters in the book.

Quest for Quiet

In my opinion the major reason Jessie commits suicide is because of her inability to find inner peace (or quietness). Throughout the novel Jessie refers to her desire to find quietness: (pg 18: It’s exactly what I want. It’s dark and quiet: pg 18: “Dead is dead quiet.” pg 56: Smoking is the only thing I know that’s always just as what you think it’s going to be…right there when you want it and real quiet).
I believe Jessie’s quest for quiet stems from the conflict existing within herself. She refers to her son who she says is just like her “as it’s possible for any human to be” (pg 59)and says that both she and Cecil exist in him and they’re “tearing each other apart.” (pg 60)I believe the inner struggle going on in her son, is also symbolic of her own self-conflict. Jessie has characters existing within herself, tearing herself apart, and making it impossible for her to live. We see this inner struggle throughout the novel. On one hand, Jessie gets mad at her mother for not telling anyone of her fits offended Thelma was ashamed, then on the other hand she tells her mother it was hers to know (in reference to the fits)pg 80. On one hand Jessie tells her mother of her plan to commit suicide so that she wouldn’t blame herself for her daughters death (pg. 74), but on the other hand she expresses a need to hurt her mother through language when she declares “What if you are all I have and you’re not enough? What if I could take all the rest of it if only I didn’t have you here? What if the only way I could get away from you for good is to kill myself.” Pg. 72 Jessie was on a downhill battle for inner-struggle and the only way for her to find peace and quiet…would be through her death.

Mama's different approach

Throughout the majority of the play, Jessie never wavers from her desire or intent to take her life. Mama makes many attempts in several different ways to try to change her mind or at least delay her daughter's death. One attempt that seemed to hit home more than the others was when Mama asked, "I guess you think they'll all have to talk about you now! I guess you think this will really confuse them... They're going to be ashamed of you. Yes. Ashamed!." (78-79). Jessie actually responds to this in anger or at least frustration which is the only time that I can recall that type of response. This approach by Mama stood out to me because it appeared she had finally found a way to break Jessie's resolve and I initially thought that she could use it stop Jessie. However, Jessie's emotional response returned Mama into the doting mother that she had been for most of the play and left me wondering what if Mama had attempted to push Jessie in an attempt to rattle her and disrupt her ideal death.

Sad?...maybe but I would say more frustrating

I suppose the last two pages of "night, Mother" is sad (not even close to crying sad) but I just found the characters, especially Jessie, incredibly frustrating. In fact the play as a whole just seems unreasonable to me unless Jessie is a psycho which I suppose is feasible. It just pushes my buttons how cynical and cocky Jessie's character seems even though she is about to kill herself. Her lists are just annoying, as if she's trying to be responsible. She even says "I'm busy"(pg.64). Never throughout the play does Jessie give a reasonable reason for killing herself, especially since she rules out the seizures. This whole deal about her needing something she can control in her life is ludicrous. How much certainty in there in anyone's life!? In conclusion, I guess I'm not sure what I'm ranting about other than the fact that I strongly dislike this play as well as Jessie's character.

Connectedness of Jessie and Her Father

was thinking about the connection between plots and how they interconnected for different characters. What I mean by this is that the two characters who were the most similar in the play, who had the most in common, had a similar plot line. The father and Jessie both experienced seizures which for the most part of their life was kept a secret from them by the mother. Also, the two characters had a deep connection that was not shared by the mother. It appeared to me that both characters death plot line was similar. In both cases the mother knew that the father and Jessie were going to die, maybe not in the same context, but the mother was still aware. Jessie had planned that after her suicide her mother would wear the same dress to her funeral that she wore to her husbands. I am not sure the connection the author was making here but it is clear that we are suppose to the similarities in the character’s deaths and lives.

"Not good company"

At the bottom of page 75, Jesse tells Mama that she acknowledges the fact that she is not good company and Jesse then leads Mama to respond to this question. I believe that the line that follows is one of the most important realizations Mama does in the play and it shows that she is now willing to change her dishonest behavior with Jesse. Mama’s reply to Jesse’s question was “No and neither am I.” Mama confronts truth when she tells Jesse she is not good company and Mama accepts her failure as mother. My question then is, do these realizations come about only because of the circumstances of the night? Or are they driven by something deeper such as love and respect?

After lecture on Wednesday, I too began thinking about one of the last lines "Forgive me, I thought you were mine". I agreed with other comments that Mama felt like she had no control over her life because Jessie did all the work around the house, but I also feel Mama says this because she realizes that even though she lived with Jessie, she did not share intimate secrets with her. When Mama says "I thought you were mine" she realizes that all this time she thought she knew her own daughter, but realizes she never shared the same intimacy with Jessie as Jessie and her father did. Mama seens to resent that, because Jessie's father did not communicate with Mama. I don't think Mama is necessarily jealous of Jessie, but almost wishes that they had had more private talks then just the one they shared the night of her death.

The Mood of "'night Mother"

I wanted to mention the mood of this play and how I think the author creates this mood. First off, the mood is both mysterious and haunting. The idea of mysterious mood results from two things: at the beginning of the play Jessie continuously asks here mother for seemingly unrelated items which she add to her growing collection until we discover they are all tools to commit suicide, and also, when her mother guesses at reasons for why she would want to kill herself, Jessie either says mama's guess is not the reason or avoids responding by making unrelated comments, preparing her mother for life without her daughter to take care of her. The idea of a haunting mood has to do with the attitude displayed by Jessie concerning her upcoming suicide. She express no depression, anger, strong resentment, she just goes about the daily routine politely chats with her mother as if it were a normal day.

We've all felt like shooting somebody...

There are a couple of people that we have felt Mama had a distaste for. Jessie's Dad for example, she could never understand why he would not talk to her, or share his life with her. Jessie, in some instances, has been portrayed as a burden to Mama. After re-reading this short play one line stands out to strongly represent these ideas: "... we've all felt like shooting somebody, but we don't do it." (pg 11) This idea that Mama presents is very representative of her feelings towards Jessie and her Dad. So why is it so hard for understand why Jessie tells Mama? Jessie is using her Dad's gun to take her own life- a very real idea that Mama seemed to be conveying. Mama at some time or another really wanted both Jessy and her Dad to be gone, is it a coincidence that now she has both of those wishes?
"The barrel has to be clean, Mama. Old powder, dust gets in..." That gun will be here forever, all you have to do is clean it out, and it will be new again, it will work again, it will serve its purpose again. Is that all Jessie is doing for her Mama; just cleaning out the cobwebs (herself) so that her Mama can move on, finally, just wipe it away and move on?

Forgive me. I thought you were mine.

When mama says this it seems as though she had already had a plan or a "plot" for how things were going to end. Mama had already forseen how she would die and how Jessie's death would be after hers. No parent truly wants their children to die before them.

She's apologizing for trying to own and control not only Jessie's life but also Jessie's death. When she says mine, it as though she needed Jessie more than Jessie needed her. Her needing Jessie would be why she would have wanted to die first. When Jessie is following through with the plan she is no longer Mama's. She has taken control of her own life for the first time. Mama feels as though if she wouldn't have controlled her all this time it never would have ended like this.

Even after lecture, I still don't know why Jessie told her mother about her plans before doing it. It's as though she hoped her mother would be able to stop her or something.

Why does Jessie kill herself?

Following lecture, I really did not have a clear cut opinion as to whether Jessie killed herself to hurt or relieve her mother. I think it is clear, by Jessie's comment on page 18, ("I'm cold all the time anyway"), that the underlying reason for her suicide is to relieve herself of the emptiness she feels. But yet, I feel that Jessie kills herself to, in a sense, teach her mother a lesson as well. Here's why: Jessie makes lists, has a clear cut routine, and wants to break the pattern that her life has become--this is a lot of where her pain comes from. So, when she begins to make lists for her mother, plans for what to do after she's gone, she is, in a sense setting her mother up for the same pain and torture of routine and predictability. On page 20, Jessie's mother asks, "Your birthday's coming up, don't you want to know what we got you?" to which Jessie replies, "You got me dusting powder, Loretta got me [...] Right?" Apparently Jessie was right. And at the end, we see that Mama begins to follows Jessie's plan by calling Dawson immediately after she hears the shot. In a sense, she is continuing down the same path of predictability that caused Jessie some emotional pain.

"Forgive me, I thought you were mine"

On first reading I was confused by the line, "Forgive me, I thought you were mine." I couldn't understand why the mother would be apologizing for her daughter's suicide, something she had nothing to do with. But after lecture and further contemplation I began to understand the line. In my opinion this line allows the reader to further understand the mother. To me, the mother also felt like she had no control in life. Jessie did everything around the house, for example, the groceries, laundry, and her nails. Furthermore, I also think that she felt like her relationship with her husband was one out of her control. Her husband held the upper hand in situations. But despite the total lack of control the one thing she could control was Jessie. In my mind Jessie was the only thing that she had authority over. She took care of Jessie when she experienced seizures, she had control over Jessie's life. When she says this line, she realizes that Jessie is no longer in her control and maybe for the first time she realizes how she used Jessie for a sense of control. The mother is apologizing to Jessie for controlling her.

The Sunset

On pages 226 -227 Jack catches up with Winnie Richards near a hill during a sunset. Jack is relieved to meet up with Winnie Richards because he has questions with regards to Dylar. However, much to Jack's dismay Winnie Richards cannot provide the answers Jack is looking for and thus he is disappointed. Winnie Richards then discusses the sunset. Jack does not seem to enjoy or appreciate the same view of the sunset. My question to the group is why does Jack have a different view on the sunset? What external pressures and scripts influence his view? Does this seen relate to the seen with the most photographed farm?

Scientific references and technology

I am, what you would consider, a "sciency" guy. I couldn't help but notice DeLillo's numerous references to science and technology throughout the text. DeLillo emphasizes throughout the text the marvels of technology. Dylar is a prime example of the technology. On page 188, the paragraph that starts out with "I would think the controlled..." shows how modern technology has enabled the design of such a "clever" drug. The genetically engineered organisms that "ate" the toxic cloud is yet another technological feat. However, DeLillo is also cautious about technology, making numerous references of how technology can backfire (e.g. Nyodene D).

Confusion about Association

In lecture on Wednesday Professor Zimmerman touched on how Wilder biking across the highway, the sunset, and the supermarket were all tied together. I believe he also mentioned how those scenes referred to the nuns as well. I reread the last chapter and cannot draw a conclusion about how all these scenes are related. I think that perhaps the scene with Wilder displays another scene that leads towards death, but then we see that Wilder is saved. This might be another example of a failed plot, but I am not sure. I was just wondering if anyone had any ideas how the sunset and the supermarket panic especially related to the other two?

Expecting Death

When I first finished this book I was very disappointed with the ending. I wondered how not a single person could die at the end of a book focused on death. I hate to admit this, but I was actually hoping that someone would die. When Jack failed to kill Mink, I expected that Mink was going to kill Jack with the one bullet that was left. Then Mink shot him in the wrist, a non-fatal wound. At that point I expected Mink to bleed to death in the car. By the end of the Nun scene, I was disappointed but unsure as to why. Then came Wilder crossing the street. I thought, "well, this is it, Wilder is going to be the one that dies." I was nervous while reading that scene because I did NOT want Wilder to die. Sadly, Wilder's death was what I was expecting. When he didn't die, I was again disappointed. It wasn't until lecture that I understood why I wanted one of the characters to die. I failed to remember the "all plots move deathward" quote. Professor did an excellent job in class explaining why we expect a book like this to end in death and how without that ultimate conclusion, the rest of the novel doesn't seem to have a plot. Looking back, I realize that the lack of a conclusion is what makes this book great. It forces us to think about death in a way that gives meaning to all that came before it.

In class we have been talking a lot about death, going to the extent of saying that only through death does our lives have coherence and meaning. I thought it was very interesting when Professor Zimmerman made this comparison (using death and meaning of life). I think in reference to books and reading, the idea holds true. Through conclusions (and plots) we grasp the meaning of former episodes. NovelS attain meaning throuh the ending (I guess that's why after reading a long novel which has a crappy ending, we are so disappointed. The novel could be great but if the ending isn't then it virtually destroys the work. Endings are truly very important). However, I don't know if I agree with the idea of endings in regards to people's actual lives. If a person dies young, I don't think very much meaning can be attained at all through his/her death. I think as people grow older they are able to grasp different meanings from occurences of their earlier days, but I don't think death is necesssary at all for such to happen..only time. Just an idea.

Wilder Crossing the Street

I could be reading this the part of the book completely wrong but this is what I gathered from Wilder crossing the street and the sunset scene that followed:
To me, DeLillo uses Wilder crossing the street as a symbolic end to his innocence. When he begins to cross the street he is fearless, he has no concept of death. But when the women begin to cry out to him and cars honk at him he begins to cry. In a way he realizes that he can get hurt, he realizes that he is no longer immortal, that it is possible that he can die. In a way, to me DeLillo uses this scene to explain how all humans are born innocent with no concept of death but society instills the fear of death into us.

"Talk Is Radio"

On page 264 with Babette's and Jack's conversation about talking, Babette says "talk is radio". This stood out in my mind as an import quote from this section. I'm not totally sure about the sign
ficance of this statement, but I felt it meant something like this: with radio if you're feeling in the mood you listen to it--to the music, the news, the opinions--but if the radio is on and you really care about what's playing, you can just block it out, ignore it, disregard its exixtence. The sam could be said for talk, we listen to people when we feel like it, but zone out or ignore the speaker if we get bored. Talk is for entertainment, to pass the time, an amusing distraction. Again, I'm not sure about this hypothesis, so please respond with any agreements or disagreements.

Scripts and Stability

When I read the passage with the nuns, I was struck by their committment to a particular life script. The nun Jack talks to makes an understandable point--in order for non-belief to be feasible, "there must always be believers" (319). I think this is commenting on the security and stability scripts give to society. It's about contrasting beliefs, actions, etc. with something else to make them understandable. Once we get to the supermarket scene at the end, it is evident that scripts are important for society. When the supermarket is rearranged, people become confused and upset--their current script is jumbled around. "There is a sense of wandering now, an aimless and haunted mood, sweet tempered people taken to the edge" (326). This is similar to Jack's confusion when he learns that the nun did not really believe--he was thrown completely for a loop when he realized that the nun was following a script to provide stability for society.

The Nuns?

I have been trying to figure out the significance of the nuns at the end of the story, I want to know why they feel that what they represent is not real (the idea of life after death) but they do it anyways because they feel it is important that everyone else feels it is real. If they do not believe that the after life is real, why do they want everyone else to believe in it? The only possible solution I can come up with is the idea of failed plots and how this book is more or less one big failed plot.

Media Power and Mass Appeal

In reading Don Dellio's "White Noise" I've become aware of the greeat power media has in creating our perceptions of the world as we know it, also the role it has as a stimulus driving us into action as a result of conformed perceptions. In class we spoke of the connection between Hitler and the media and the significance of the statement "We couldn't have television without Hitler." We discussed how Hitler, like television, held mass appeal and could thus move a people to perform heinous acts as a result of a seemingly brainwashing effect. Hitler was able to manipulate people's perceptions, move them to perform unthinkable acts, and thereby create an uncanny level of power through mass appeal. If we think of television in the same light, as a medium holding mass appeal, creating a sense of unity among people's ideas, while possessing the power to create those very ideas, we recognize the necessity in challenging the messages we're fed by the media and not simply allowing them to become our own.

Code of Identity and the Media

I think that mass media is often regarded as a tool or device to transmit information unchanged from one person or group to another. I think that it does serve this function, but it also helps shape society. Because so many people can be exposed to one concept or idea through mass media, it reinforces the status quo. Individuals, especially Jack, change their outward appearances to conform to what is shown through the mass media. For example, Jack is advised to gain weight, grow a beard and become more ugly to appear smarter and more of an expert in his academic field. He also changed his name for the same reasons. Essentially becoming a false or different person to appear to the masses what they perceive as a certain intelligent identity. However alarming it is to see so many characters changing their outward appearances, there is a certain understanding amongt people. The fact that it is highly accepted may be the most alarming aspect. For example when Jack runs into Eric Massingale at the store (pg 82), Eric notes that Jack looks different than when he is on campus, but brushes it off, "I get it, " as to say he understands that everyone perhaps changes to project different appearances to conform to the status quo. Which of course on a broader level, is maintained through mass media's ability to reach so many people. I think this is a running theme especially throughout the first part of the book, Murray changes to appeal to women, Babette runs stairs to change her physical body, Jack learns German because he thinks others expect him to know it, ect....

Existentialism?

It may be a bit of a stretch, but it seems to me that in White Noise, one of Don Delillo's main ideas is that of existentialism. It has been a while since I studied this theory, but if I remember correctly it refers to the world being "absurd" and its people (us) being too satisfied with simply existing and conforming to popular trends. Philosophers such as Nietzsche who supported existentialism claimed that people as individuals had a choice do be different but often did not take advantage of that choice. Delillo seems to poke fun at how uneccesarily similiar people are in scenes such as the opening scene with all of the stationwagons. Jack and his family are Delillo's "rage against the machine" as they have some unusual traits such as Jack teaching Hitler studies

Internal conflict

In reading Don Delillo’s White noise, we find that Jack has a fascination for death and social conformity. Keeping this in mind, I would like to suggest connection, which I found interesting. On pages 133 – 134 there is scene in which Heinrich draws a crowd in awe with his knowledge of the toxic event and its properties. Jack and Babette have a conversation away from Heinrich discussing how Heinrich is “coming out of his shell” and that Jack should go stand in the crowd to listen to his son because his presence as a father would mean a lot to Heinrich. Jack refuses this request made by Babette. Why do you think Jack refuses Babette’s suggestion? Does this scene conflict with Jack’s character? Does this scene correlate to the theme of conformity of the masses?

The gun as the ultimate device

After DeLillo referred to the gun as the “ultimate device for determining one’s competence in the world.” (254) I believe that DeLillo included the gun because (as we discussed in lecture) Hitler had control over death. Hitler could determine who lived and who didn’t. Now that Jack has a gun, he has the same control over one of his biggest fears: death. I also was under the impression that the gun Jack received from Babette’s father, Vern, could be foreshadowing a suicide just as Hitler had done. Jack seems to be more anxious about death, especially by searching for the Dylar in Denise’s room. Several times throughout the novel Jack implies that all plots lead toward death which still leads me to believe that the gun is foreshadowing an important event that will take place throughout the last chapters of the book.

Since the character of Murray has been introduced, he has bothered me. He gives an uneasy feeling in most scenes he's in. A sudden thought entered my mind after reading the part about Babette and the experiment. Murray is Mr. Gray. From the first instance of Murray meeting Babette, he appears to have this obsession with her (pg. 19). It seems as though Murray asks about Babette a lot when talking with Jack. This might be a totally wrong thought, but Murray is capable of many things because of his understanding of the human mind. I think that the gun Jack got from Vern will be used to kill Murray and possibly himself.