NUMBER 1

For this quarter's outside reading assignment, I've gladly chosen the Novel Life Class by Pat Barker, a sassy book based in Britain during a time of new expressions in the world of art and ideas of war threatening the rest of the world. Paul, a young artist struggles to succeed and make worth of his hard work at an art studio where he meets and acquaints with other, successful, young artists who he finds inspirational and intriguing. In the first section of the book, after Paul storms out of his art class in a rage against his art professor, he becomes intrigued by a young girl. This girl is alone and a mess, and is being pursued by a middle-aged man who appears to have no good intentions. Paul intervenes in the situation but someone passively, never confronting the young girl, always a few steps behind, mesmerized by her presence, "He looked at the slim, naked ankle and felt a tweak of lust that hardly broke the surface of his consciousness before it was transmuted into anger. Who had done this to her? She was such a child"(9). The young girl's innocence is so clear and understandable, yet as an outside party we can't fully grasp why she is in this condition, has she done something to deserve it? Further in the book, this girl is not mentioned (or at least not for the next 70 pages), however the intensity of Paul's feelings and attention at this point make this seem a symbolic event. I think that knowing that war is soon going to take over Britain, this girl could be a representation of Britain.

Further along in the story, we meet Elinor and Teresa, both young artists like Paul in Britain. Elinor has been Paul's friend for as long as he's been studying at the art studio, and she introduces him to Teresa, a troubled girl, who has a messy background that makes Paul even more interested in knowing her. Soon Paul finds himself falling for Teresa, "As the door closed behind him, he was amazed by the bone-aching pain of the separation. He'd known her only a few hours, it oughtn't to be possible to feel like this" (35) Immediately the two become vulnerable to the other, when Teresa lets out her story that she had a husband who won't leave her alone even though they are separated, and because Paul cares for Teresa, he feels a responsibility to take care of her. After Teresa hears something in the night, Paul goes outside to look around, assuming the guardian role and Teresa, "gazed around, the moonlight glittering int he whites of her eyes. 'Perhaps it's me. Perhaps I'm imagining things.'"(50). Continuing on the idea of innocence, Teresa assumes the role of a helpless young lady, prey to her own husband. This may be a reoccurring theme because of the time period, being in the 20s gender separation was much more apparent. Or it might be an addition to the image of the innocent young girl shown earlier in the book, sparking the question of what this young girl did wrong to get to where she is? Teresa is questioned for the oddity of her situation of hiding from her own husband, so are we abandoning those that are truly innocence because society believes pure innocence can't truly exist?
I think this book will continue on the topic of innocence and persist to find a theme within it.