The Great Book Of Amber} Nine Princes In Amber} Chapter two

Continued from last posting…

Chapter Two In Nine Princes In Amber, pages 7-15

To begin, as I was reviewing this chapter, I was also eating supper, and I accidentally  have baptised this section with the juice of my corn on the cob. So sad.



King Corn Film 2007



Anyways, this chapter.

Again within this section we are shown the writing which brings the reader into the mind of our narrator, main character.

We begin in a town nearby, on a random corner. He is walking, and as I read this for the second time, I enjoy the little detail of:

“…and walked for around twenty minutes. Then I stopped in a diner, found a booth and had juice, a couple of eggs, toast, bacon and three cups of coffee. The bacon was too greasy.”

This is non essential information, as far as I can tell.  And also not placed in a way as to be impressive in any way. But it is here. And it’s neat.

Freehold Diner

I can picture this person wandering around a random town nearby, to where he was just held captive, and had just hours before awoken from a drug induced coma and ripped casts off of apparent broken legs.  And here he is, he is trying to find his way, trying to find a place to rest, to eat, to just be for a bit. He finds a diner. Can you imagine the comfort of feeling alone, lost, and chased/persecuted, and discovering a homey old fashioned diner? The bright neon lighting, the stools, the red and silver counters, Formica tables and the best greasiest food you have ever had? A classic Greasy Spoon. And here he is seeking out his comfort, and then to be in a mild way, a human way let down, with the bacon being too greasy. It is too much of a good thing. I am kind of kidding, and being too clever here. I do not mean that last sentence very much. But in truth here he is, and really seeking some solace, and comfort, but is given the real life taste of something just a bit off.

John Krasinski, Maya Rudolph, Maggie Gyllanhal in Away We Go.
John and Maya realizing this dinner is not for them.

We have all been there in life, I think, at least I have been. In a situation, that is seemingly perfect, in the ideal of the scenario, and yet there is something that leaves me a little discomfited. For example eating at a friends’ house, the cordiality, the kindness, the potential good food, the dressing up, the being away from the burdens of one’s own home and housekeeping. And yet leaving with your loved one, in my case my husband/best friend/beloved, and just yearning to be in our home together again. The idea that something was just not the perfect thing you had hoped for, or rather not perfect but at the least potentially comforting, relaxing, giving. And in the end, you discover the real comfort being at home.

Our character does not have a home at this point; he has a sister, who has kept him hostage for the last who knows how long. And this is the home he is seeking to return to. For answers. For knowing. For his comfort in knowing.

And we start his journey home with him in a diner. I think this is really awesome.

The next sentence or so after, he mentions some items he purchases for himself during this time, and in reading this I find it interesting to consider what he does buy. Clothes obviously, shoes that fit well- he states, which is again obviously important. But also there is the purchase of a handkerchief and a pocket comb. I find this really amusing. Why does he buy a handkerchief and a comb? To be presentable? To wipe of some excess sweat he may be enduring from his injuries? To fill this subconscious pull towards a social class expectation or way of being he is accustomed to filling out? I don’t know. But regardless the thought is intriguing, and the act is tickling.

The idiosyncrasies that people have in these unimportant ways are so wonderful to me. I love seeing how some people are prone to wiggling toes in a shower, while others need to do certain innocuous morning routines, while still others have their own coffee mug, travel mug, that they actually spent time considering and picking out. I can imagine, and not imagine these actions, and they are so wonderfully boring and lovely.

And so is this.

Then suddenly he states in the next few paragraphs, a somewhat of a shocker…he wants to kill the person who put him in this state, and he knows in his being that he has killed in times before. This brings on a new sort of layer to our main character. Yet I was still totally rooting for him. And wondering who he was, and would be.

We are then taken with him around the city, until his inevitable arrival at his assumed sister’s home. He hints that he has a plan, a tactic to help him in this unsure and shaky scene. But then without a moment in between this confidence he expresses and embodies and the next scene, we have our character knock on the door with this great method/plan/manipulation ready to fight with, when this is what we read:

“Before I arrived, I’d already decided on the tack I’d take.

So, when the door to the huge old place opened in response to my knock, after about a thirty-second wait, I knew what I was going to say…

There was no sense of familiarity. I didn’t think I had ever been here before.

I had knocked, and there had come an echo.

Then I’d jammed my hands into my pockets and waited.”

You feel confident with him reading this, and then are pulled into the sudden anxiety of the feeling of, being at the door, awaiting the unknown danger ahead. The confidence dies out immediately, and the fear reigns, oh but for a moment. Not long with our narrator, and of course hero at this time, but reading this again I feel the tenseness in my stomach come for him, what is going to happen?!

It’s really great. (I wanted to end this sentence with a persuasive> Eh? But did not. And yet. )

I am now going to skip ahead a bit, to when Nicholas is within his sisters’ home in the library and how he manages this discourse.

The ways in which this conversation was derived are somewhat beyond me. The ability to convey mild anxiety, calculation and luck in a believable real way, are a remarkable example for any up and coming writer to model from.

Enjoy a glimpse into this piece of the chapter:

“Presently, the aid returned, smiled, nodded, and said, “Please follow me. She will see you in the library.”

I followed, up three stairs and down a corridor past two closed doors. The third one to my left was open, and the maid indicated I should enter it. I did so, then paused on the threshold…

I knew her, from somewhere, though I couldn’t say where.

I advanced, holding my own smile.

“Hello,” I said.

“Sit down,” said she, “please,” indicating a high-backed, big-armed chair that bulged and was orange, of the kind just tilted at the angle in which I loved to loaf.

I did so, and she studied me.

“Glad to see you’re up and around again.”

“Me, too. How’ve you been?”

“Fine, thank you. I must say I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I know,” I fibbed, “but here I am, to thank you for your sisterly kindness and care.” I Iet a slight note of irony sound within the sentence just to observe her response.

At that point an enormous dog entered the room-an Irish wolfhound-and it curled up in front of the desk. Another followed and circled the globe twice before lying down.

“Well,” said she, returning the irony, “it was the least I could do for you. You should drive more carefully.”

“In future, “I said, “I’ll take greater precautions, I promise.” I didn’t know what sort of game I was playing, but since she didn’t know that I didn’t know, id decided to take her for all the information I could.”

This just a glimpse into the feeling of this chapter. An idea as to the tensions, and plays our main character is both forced into and pursuing. The thin line of play that he has. And the delicately considered words chose to provide us readers with these tensions.

This chapter also introduces some plot directions, and hints to the past and near future of our character and Florimel his new found and slowly recognized little sister. The plot lines are somewhat surprisingly disappointing to see from this distance of having already read this book, in that it takes away slightly from the subtlety of writing that is seen otherwise, without the drive of plot. However the story in itself is an imaginative one that is enjoyable as its own entertaining being. It is a battle of being in the moment I would think as a writer, and being these characters to best represent them on paper, and also the pressure of feeling to make them go in certain directions. I think Roger Zelazny does a fine job of balancing this; it is upon review after reading the book that its movements become to me more obvious.

Enjoy your reading!

Back again soon, for the next chapter…or perhaps next we will tackle a few at one go…the pressures of writing!

J.

The Great Book Of Amber} Book One} Nine Princes In Amber

Continued from last posting.
This will be a more thorough look into this first book of the series. More of a summary of thoughts and ideas from each of the ten chapters within.

Again this is a book written by Roger Zelazny. And is a recommended book to any collection.

Chapter One> p.1-6

The writing in this first chapter is superb. We begin with nothing. All we see and know is through the limited sight and more limited memory of our narrator. However we begin to admire and feel connected to his character. His ability to ascertain and guess at a situation, and play the political odds in communicating with others is very inviting to us as readers. How will he get where he needs to be, when neither him nor I as his reading ally have no possible inclination to where that could be.

From his initial waking up in hospital he begins to analyze and figure what his  situation presently is. Is he being held captive, why is he here, can he leave willingly? How should be talk to the people dealing with him. Shortly his apprehensions are recognized by the forced medication the Hospital worker is attempting to intimidate upon him. Our character we soon learn is very strong physically and equally mentally. He is able swiftly to put this man down, and to make intelligent, humorous commentary throughout.

This character is far from bravado and conceit. He is we are shown, blind to his reality, and aware of his own potential darkness even in small ways. He tells himself on page one:
" Some natural skepticism as to the purity of all human motive's came and sat upon my chest. I'd been over-narcotized, I suddenly knew. No real reason for it, from the way I felt, and no reason for them to stop now, if they'd been paid to keep it up. So play it cool and stay dopey, said a voice which was my worst, if wiser, self." (emphasis mine)

He sees potential danger to his being right away, however recognizes this fear is likely based on a skepticism he has held for all human motives. This would suggest including his own. He also confesses the self directing him and keeping him safe, is his worst self, and worst especially if it was his wiser self. To imagine villainy and use this to rationalize fear and protection, is not a characteristic he admires in his self, he witnesses that it is his lesser self, his self being smart and cautious. This idea I think can be extrapolated to most any circumstance in today's culture. Getting vaccines, starting your RRSP's, planning your Holiday's, organizing when to get married, have children, organizing risky things, to keep it safe. With pretense of knowledge and knowing better. These are dark potentially and I am included in these temptations, I certainly rationalize fears, and plan, even while trying to tell myself I am not planning.

Let us continue.
Next we are taken to him feeling himself out. Trying to ascertain how his body, mind are working. What hurts, how can he move. The interesting piece here is that he discovers that although it is apparent that he was in an accident, a serious accident, and although his head is spinning, and he feels not very well, that he knows he can likely walk and on the mend. This discovery is soon to be dismissed by a new character int eh story. A nurse with a needle, charged to give it, ordered by the Doctor. She is dismissive of her patients statements of health, is unconcerned and in disbelief of his reports of being fine and wanting to leave. Her only responses are limited to her orders, I will report this, and it is not for the patient to decide but the Doctor.

This interests me, because this is the mentality often present in today's health care system, or even between the old and young, and young and old, or between spouses, or friends. The idea of disbelief, and I know better than you. The other always feeling they know more then the one. Now not to suggest that the one knows anything either. But only to disqualify the confidence in our knowings of others. In our assumptions and calculations. Which are 100% of the time in error, or largely flawed. As we are not intimate within the inner being, goings on of the one, as we are only ever the other. If even the one cannot be fully aware of the inner most happenings, how can the other pretend to be?

I am going to fast forward a bit, and talk now about the language and writing style, that adds to our story.
Our character leaves his room, and head to explore where he is, find the window with the light he viewed from his own, and try to escape this now proven medical prison. This journey is written not with overly descriptive lines and phrases, and yet the ones chosen are done so well, that there is excitement and anticipation, and the view through our characters eyes of exactly what we are seeing alongside him. I find very often in books/novels/short stories, that the descriptions become so expanded and specific. That they are these gigantic clouds of images and words, that I often get lost in, and fly past because I cannot imagine what is being described because it is too described, it is beyond empty spaces that allow some filling to form, it is filled with words and words that erase all potential of vision.

Here is a perfect example of the simple and spot on description by Roger Zelazny during this moment of escape of our main character:
" Doors, doors, doors, no lights from under any of them, the only sounds my footsteps from the too big borrowed shoes."  


And another example:
"I came to a stairway, off to the right, leading down. I took it. It was carpeted and quiet."

I see these images. I can imagine them easily. Think of what he might be feeling going through them. The concise descriptions also serve to bring us closer to our character, as the descriptions do not feel like a separate narration, but rather our characters calculative seeing.


The other interesting thing of note in this first chapter is the dialogue, pretty believable, considering our character is intelligent, fairly young, and has amnesia. The other is in the way it is presented, at times it makes it very fun.

For example, our main character has located the lit room he was in search for, searching for an exit, some information perhaps. And here is an example of the dialogue he has with the man he confronts:

" Good morning. You're in trouble."
People must always be curious as to trouble, because after the three seconds it took me to cross the room, his words were:
"What do you mean?"

This above example includes some inner narration.
Here is the second example:
" All right, Corey-if it will make you happy," he said, "your sister checked you in."
"?" thought I.

Both instances brought me to thinking about what was being said and shown to me, and both brought me moved to smile if not chuckle aloud.

Can you picture or imagine yourself saying in your mind "?". I can and do,do this very often. Or how about making notes in your mind about the greater humanity and ways of being we all so often exhibit in similarity to one another, such as the instance of curiosity about danger. Why would one do that? Is it a common attribute? It is funny and interesting both.

The last line I will note about this chapter is a description that is given from our main character about him. It is a description that leaves you unsure as to what it is describing until the end of the sentence. Some may think this pretentious, I find it delightful.

"I snubbed out my cigarette, picked up another, and removed perhaps two hundred pounds from my feet by resting in a brown upholstered chair beside his bookcase."

There is chapter one. I think I will next write perhaps of chapter two, more likely of a chapter in the middle of the ten, and again at the end.

Enjoy your reading, I hope this was a provocative and fun invitation to this book.
J.

The Great Book Of Amber} Book One} Nine Princes In Amber

This fantasy book written by Roger Zelazny, is a part of the Christmas gift I received from my Husband/Friend/Beloved as a piece of the list of the Best Fantasy Books per annum This one was the first novel on my list. And it did not disappoint!

This book was such a brilliantly written fantasy novel that I recommend it to anyone who enjoys: vivid descriptions of unbelievable things, a darkness to the light of the fantasy world, a living sort of conversational style in that one can hear and be present with the characters and share in the emotion given, be it humour, anxiety based or anything else that can be portrayed via conversation, also action that shows both the high paced scenes and the desperation of a person who is involved in these high action scenes. The book brings such life and subtlety to such wonder and dream.

It took all my strength while reading this book to not continue onto the next book which is housed within the same cardboard neighbourhood and is a direct neighbour to this one. But staying committed to my list, I left it for now. This does one thing however,  reading it later will be all the more enticing. 

This book started in an unexpected way. In a hospital bed. With a man waking from one can assume safely a coma. I found my mind racing to all related contexts in book and film, and I kept thinking: "This is going to be a zombie thing. This is going to be a zombie thing."

Walking Dead Season 1 2011

The zombies, to my non-disappointment, did not show however. My other impression was that this beginning was also very similar to that scene of Kill Bill where Uma Thurman is willing her toes and body to move after awakening from a Coma.

Kill Bill 3 Uma Thurman



This always interested me this idea of will. Perhaps because I like to claim that I have such strong will and so the idea of willing oneself to move seemed like a challenge I wanted to accomplish, without of course the coma or hospital, and of course without the zombies. However this being said my will under truthful inspection, is that of a dog, specifically the dog from the children's movie Up. Concentrating very hard on one thing, intensely, focused, potentially scarily or funnily so, and then.........
squirrel!

So my whole will theory is not accurate for myself, I probably could in that situation will my eyes to close. But even now in saying that my little guy that lives in my head to shout out prideful vane things, is saying "You could totally move your toe too."

Back to the story.

The story begins through the narration of our coma patient. The things he does as simple as squeezing his eyes three times to try to make the room clearer. Taking note of his body's condition, reassuring himself about his own legs. Sharing the fragments of memories that were returning, while still giving us glimpses of his situation. Which as he slowly recalls information and ideas, start to paint a serious and negative picture of where he is and what may happen to him if he remains. The doubts and self scoldings of being too cynical, as well as the prompt planning to escape, are so finely done. You feel and imagine what you would do and feel, and you are with him thinking this out.



Roger Zelazny

 The entire first book that I have read, Nine Princes In Amber retains this quality of writing. It is for lack of any word to describe> real. The conversations and thoughts of our main character are filled with the subtleties that a person would potentially share (I say potentially not for lacking in writing, but because some people are not so subtle).  I marvel at this writer, and I know I have heard of the "City Of Amber" prior to this read, however without great context and knowledge. I am hopeful for this writer that he is loved and welcomed as many other brilliant story writers are and hopefully will be.

I hesitate of saying too much detail of the story, as I feel that it may very well take away from someone reading it themselves. Perhaps I will leave this as the introduction to the book and post a more thorough telling of the story and characters at a later post date, so as to not disclose too much information in one sitting.

The story as an introduction of sorts tells of a mans journey through darkness. He awakens he does not know himself, he has innate abilities and insights in areas he knows little about presently. He renews relationships in a present and new life that in his forgotten life were broken and damaged. He sees things in his new eyes that were not seen in his old. He has been given a second chance of sorts. This second chance leads him to taking many risks and political chances that put him in a very strange and wonderful world and in great danger. This story shows how a person can transform and change, and risk things, and do better the next time around in some ways and in others potentially worse.

This story is loved by me very much. That sounds however it sounds, but there it is.
It shows how one can be courageous, can be intelligent in conversation with those you do not trust, how to risk things for the love of others, how to do what you were made to do.

I will expand and clean up some of these things I am saying in my next post and make it more descriptive and likely more thoughtful/academic/better??

But for now I hope to leave you with some curiosity and the very high recommendation that this book will be a value to any Literature hopeful as myself. There are movements and subtleties and intelligent writing to enjoy.

Enjoy your reading!
J.





Treasure Island

Written By Robert Louis Stevenson.

Children's Classics Everyman's Library Edition

This book was also read by me months ago. And in my conversations about it, it seems like there is a lot of subtext to discuss, of which I guess I find little inclination to try to bridge. However I will do some justice in the name of the wonderful book and do as I am able.

The boy and Long John Silver In Disney's Version Of Treasure Island

The story is one said through the view point/sight/thought processing of a young boy. This is meaningful. As my Husband/Friend/Beloved pointed out to me. All things can be put into question regarding this boys opinion of them. As the context or situation may be warped with lack of understanding or with fading and potential aggrandizing of aged memory.

This being said, it makes me wonder how this is important to me as a reader of this story? I guess it is important in the ways that the boy sees the main characters in the this story in a perspective that affects the way the characters are then displayed to us. If the character is heroic to the boy, he in that moment is heroic to us, if the character is suddenly dangerous the same can be true. However the more interesting thing of this view point being from a boy, is that I find there is also an overlaying narration taking place outside of the boys. This is not accurate as the boy is telling the story, but when for example we are shown the Captain Long John Silver, in a way that is impressive to the boy, with his agility, ability to politicize and lead. I think it is obvious also the ways in which Long John is a frightening man, and a man that one would be drawn to believe in while also knowing he cannot be trusted at all. What I am trying to explain is that although the story is shown through one narrator and therefore the devolution of the other characters is one sided, I felt that I could still see more of the characters during the story and imagine the possibility of their humanity in alignment and in contrast to the boys opinion.

As I have mentioned above I have been told many interesting opinions and ideas about the subtext of this book that were quite moving. However they are not my own and thus I will not bridge them here. However I recommend upon reading this book to be open to the possibility of the the narrators influence upon your reading as well as the subtext of the island and its potential meaning. If you are interested in this kind of reading.

When I read this book what struck me was the characters, the way in which they spoke, and the way in which their voices were written. When reading aloud I could hear their speech, garbled and neat. For lack of better words, it was Pir-at-ey sounding. It made me as a reader imagine this sea dwelling world, where the magic of treasure hunting and being sea mates became dashed with the realization that these characters were not all "yo ho ho and smile and hug you." They were disfigured, ugly, bold, strong, aggressive, drunk, selfish, treacherous, living by a code of conduct that they would easily put aside to match with the moments wanting. Always a moments wanting.

The pirate at the beginning of the book, to whom the boy referred to as the Captain (not long john silver he comes in later) speaks to this momentous wanting. He is supposedly, or one can imagine a pirate retired of sorts. Or more likely a pirate hiding out in his old age. He is a drinker, an intimidating man, and a hoarder of treasures stolen. He has killed, and has stolen and is not now gloriously living out his dream with his riches and loved ones, or sharing treasures among the needy, or just eating and drinking and living finely. He is doing nothing but hiding and hoarding. I picture a person with arms stretched to grasp and hold all that is temporally important to them, with eyes blazing out to anyone who dares approach their pile. This idea is clear in the book. The pirate ultimately is hunted down for his treasure, not for his deeds, or friendship, or for revenge even really, its to take back what another pirate wants as their own.

This goes for the island as well, the Treasure Island. It is the Island with no name but named for Treasure. There are dead bodies there old and newly acquired. Men have left their homes and roles in life to pursue this greed and imagined fame and fortune. This way of living of altering ones lives and beliefs for the pursuit of treasure, is interesting. And the characters that go along with this pursuit. Their conflicting attitudes, such as those of the Gregarious and Uninhibited Financier of the project, or the solemn and directed approach of the Illusionary Captain of the vessel, or the Self Aggrandizing and Brave attitude of the boy. Are all fun to read about and bring a different perspective to the story and how to handle the challenges that approach.

Basically honestly I feel this book has been too long ago read, and too big for me to broach in this kind of a forum. My main point is that it was an adventurous read, the pictures were frightening and very well done, especially for the imagination of a child I would think, and Long John Silvers character would make anyone tremble with fear and admiration.

One thing my Husband and I often talk about is the idea of being either Sneakily Evil/Wrong Doer, or being Obviously Evil/Wrong Doer. Long John Silver to me is Sneakily Evil which can make him worse, as he is charming and persuasive and you want to like him and give him the benefit of the doubt. However that being said, and that is my usual take on that point, there is something about Long John Silver that makes you really sad for him. Sad for his life, his wanting, his feeling like he needs to be on all the time, and in the end and likely throughout his failure at even that.

I hope I have done some good for the story, and am not surprised if I have said little to show its greatness, but I invite you to read and explore this for yourself.

The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz

Everyman's Library Children's Classic Edition

Written by Frank L Baum, this children's classic was my first exposure to children's literature written with its magic, mystery and messages in a time where messages were presented in very provocative ways. And in these ways I certainly have not seen a modern day echo yet...and I know my journey is a long one to be exposed to all the various literary forms of then and now, but for now, I have not seen its echo.

I guess I do not have much to say other than that this story was one that began with me curiously approaching it with desires to read it in a political sight. With its opening dedications to "wife and comrade" I was ready to solve the mysterious puzzle of the story and exclaim "ah ha! its a story with rife with political subtext, comrades of communism fighting for their ideals via literature to the young." But this though really intriguing to me seemed not in the spirit of reading children's literature. So I did my best to ignore this ghost pulling at my sleeves while reading.

What I left this story with was a wonderful depiction of a magical land that far excelled that land shown within the 1930s film with Judy Garland. More interesting characters and descriptions and bazaar qualities of their lives and culture. For example the porcelain people, only able to stand still and be looked upon, could not be touched aggressively or do anything more then gently otherwise they would brake literally, and would need mending, of which the mending would be always visible and done poorly. This compounded with the main groups large sense of curiosity and explorer mentality propelling them towards touch and finally towards temptation of possession, put these fragile people at risk. Even Dorothy herself was distracted from her only one mission to go back home, and to possess the pretty china girl. Have her as her plaything, decoration on a shelf at home. Dorothy did resist this temptation in the end.

This children's story is filled with likewise interesting turns and events with the main characters that I can not believe would be in present day children's literature, in its truthful, subtle, and at times bazaar forms.

I read this story months ago, as a part of a purpose that I set with my Husband/Friend/Beloveds help to begin to enlarge my literary pursuits and expand my mind a bit more. At the time I was moved by the obvious theme in the book about how one is separate from the views one has of oneself and the views of one from others around. Both may be correct views and both are equally flawed not whole, and each even in tandem or knitted together still do not touch the entire one of the person. This was profound to me in the way that it was shown so starkly with each character. For example, the Lion. Meant to be King of Jungle within our social standards. Sees himself as a coward and fears most everything. His friends see him as kind and potentially able. Strangers see him as the biggest beast and want him as their leader and defender. All of these true, and not one fully true. None a lie either. It made me feel like one cannot be too confident in claiming their own faults or triumphs. It really ultimately does not matter what we think we are or what others think either, we end up doing what we do, and hopefully like the lion and the others in his troop, we find our way to fitting in where we are best needed/suited to help.

This all sounds so cliche and obvious. It is. But its more than that to me. Its like thinking about who am I and feeling negative about yourself, and also similarly having ideas about what you SHOULD be doing in life, and then finding that this is all who cares, or wrong, or not quite right, and where you were all along was where you should have been, who you are you are. Not the presentation or the affectations, or the ideas of self, but who you are, who you are being.

Dorothy found her way back to Kansas, to being the niece in the one room house, of living in grays and faded colour, of working in a farm and being in the way. She knew all along that was her being, and found herself getting back to there. Not tempted to stay in Oz or lead or be some other way, but the way she knew that was in her, that was her obligation/devoted commitment. Dorothy was able to get to where she was needed. However now that I write this I wonder about the paradox in that Dorothy knew her place, when I have been saying that one may not know, or perhaps thinks incompletely about who one is or should be. But perhaps Dorothy's challenge with being, can be found within her temptation of the Porcelain woman, and in distractions of friends met along the way, and in perhaps the temptation of believing in the idea her friends had of her, which was of seeing her as caretaker and guide. Had she believed in their view solely, she may have remained in Oz and lived for them.

And this in itself does not sound too bad either.

There is ultimately nothing to take away from this story as a singular message or thought. However it does bring an interesting thought to mind of not being too confident in ones opinion of oneself. Which for me personally is a great thing to know and think of.

This was a wonderful story full of magic, new lands, interesting characters, neat conversations that I cannot imagine happening in present day books, and so much more.

Excuse the impromptu interruption. But I just remembered while looking through photos to include within this post, that this story also has many unusual religious references especially nearing their fight of the Wicked Witch. For example upon their journey to hunt down the Wicked Witch they are told that there is no road this way, as this is a way that no one ever wants to go. Which is curious, obviously because who want to find the Witch, but more so because seemingly suggesting all the Evil or wickedness has been kept solely with this Wicked Witch and in this area alone in Oz. And people there are not tempted to go near or seek it out. It is obviously ugly to them and avoidable. Not always true for us in real life. However more interestingly is when this group seeking her out are attacked by numerous things sent by the witch herself to prevent them. All of which seem akin to the plagues of the Bible and other Biblical references as well. For example: There are 40 wolves sent to attack them, the Tin Woodsman states this is his fight and defends his friends, this is not the unusual part it is within the words, listen: "There were forty wolves, and forty times a wolf was killed; so that at last they all lay dead in a heap before the Woodman. Then he put down his axe and sat beside the Scarecrow, who said, "It was a good fight friend."" This repetitive way of stating the wolves death and the number 40 as well as the reference to that it was good, is speaking to me, of what I do not know or have any straight clue. Here is the next example within this same section: "There were forty crows, and forty times the Scarecrow twisted a neck, until at last all were lying dead beside him. Then he called upon his companions to rise, and again they went upon their journey." Perhaps I am reading to intensely into this, or perhaps this is within me and I see it in other things. I do not know. But all the same the repetitive nature, the killing in the name of good, the one killing when it is his place to do so. It all seems very provocative. As you can see this book has many potential layers of enjoyment and thought provocation to ponder. 

Enjoy your reading, and if you don't, keep reading anyway, and if not, not. Do what you do, and keep doing it.

J.