Blog/Discussion Summary (12/1)

Blog Summary: pages 329-366

The blogs and comments focused a lot on Gould’s use of third person and his motives for using it. Kristel and Jasmine both think that it is a way for him to distance himself from events that he finds embarrassing. Jasmine cites page 241when Gould is at a lost as to what to do with the surgeon’s bones. She also believes that it highlights the despair of his situation and when he is confused. Kristel cites page 289 when Gould is vomiting and also suggests that, unlike the third person point of view, the first person “leads to a direct claim of actions and reactions.” In reference to his sex life, she also notes that he uses the first person to talk about his relations with Twopenny Sal, but uses the third person to talk about his relations with Mrs. Gotliebsen; perhaps he is ashamed for “cheating” on Twopenny Sal. Sarah suggests that this is a sign of multiple personality disorder.

Ryan questions how Gould is able to survive all that is going on around him. He is surprised that Gould has relatively good health despite the fact that his cell floods daily, his best friend is a decaying corpse. Jasmine offers the idea that he has a higher immunity than we would have today because of the time period and its dirtier living conditions, or that this should just be ignored completely.

Roman blogged about the concept of an author of a story being a “gaoler” because he or she can shape a story to fit their wants and needs; which can in turn, “gaol” other characters based on how the author portrays them.

Discussion Summary

The majority of the discussion focused on the use of third person and whether or not it is a sign of insanity, and focused on pages 336-337 and a little on page 357. The following ideas were proposed in addition to Gould’s own reasoning:

• · Many agreed with Gould’s own rationale that he uses it in instances when he wants to separate himself from embarrassing events.
• · It is used as a coping mechanism
• · Hammet and Gould are becoming one person or Hammet forgets that he is supposed be writing as if he were Gould
• · By referring to himself in the third person, it makes certain actions and events ok in his mind
• · Childhood regression because he calls himself Billy Gould as opposed to William Gould
• · He is trying to create his own identity
• · Reasoning for use of third person is a combination of all the ideas

There was a question as to whether or not Gould actually left Sarah Island, supported by the fact that he refuses to go into detail as to how he escaped and randomly found Twopenny Sal in the wilderness.

Finally, the discussion turned to how Gould is able to survive all of the horrible things that he describes. Some question how he is able to accomplish such great feats as escaping the island and dragging around a sled, yet he has great difficulty in completing relatively simple tasks such as crawling into the hole of the hut. This led the group to question Gould’s trustworthiness.