NUMBER 6

As i near the end of the novel Life Class by Pat Barker, I've begun to analyze more and more the character Paul Tarrant. After leaving the safety of his art studio in England, Paul enlisted in the army and got involved as a doctor to those who were injured and close to death. This is a huge step for Paul because he goes from a sheltered life of probing questions of life to the real world that asks the question of 'life or death'. After dealing with many people dying in his arms, when Paul talks with Lewis his roommate, he recognizes his own change in tone of the topic of death. When Lewis asks a question about how many patients die, Paul answers in a statistics, and marks his own changing perspective, "Paul realized Lewis was questioning his coldblooded way of talking about [death]"(172) As a reader, I feel a distance from Paul as he becomes more and more desensitized to the emotional topic of death, this is the apparent goal of Pat Barker.

Continuing on this page, Barker further describes Paul's mind-process as he thinks nothing of 'who the people are' that are dying rather than thinking of numbers of open beds for more patients to be dropped off. Barker speaks through Paul's eyes, "He couldn't remember any of the people who died. Not their faces. Only their positions in the huts so that he could direct the next batch of bodies that were being delivered on stretchers to open-beds"(172). Paul refers to humans as "batches of bodies" and clearly illustrates his distance and isolation within the medical huts, as her works as efficiently and as unattached as possible.
Throughout the novel I've noticed Paul's ever changing perspective as he searches to find himself he many times gets lost in the ruckus of what's going on around him, especially when he's off working at war.

NUMBER 5

As I get further along in the novel Life Class, by Pat Barker, the story takes a dark turn. Like I mentioned in the last blog, Paul Tarrant, the main character, has a recognizable change in the way he views himself and the others in his life. Barker illustrates this as she isolates the reader from Paul, now speaking in a third person narrative that excludes all emotion and thought, Barker narrates, "Paul undressed quickly and got under the blankets. He lay with his arms clasped across his chest, fingertips tucked into his armpits"(172) Paul is described without emotion as his actions show his distance from both the world around him and from the reader.

Another technique that Barker uses to represent Paul's changing charisma is by her choice of description. As Paul is pushed into the war, the change that has taken place in his character is obvious when Barker uses bland descriptions to speak through Paul's eyes, and describes Paul himself as being timid to provoking conversation. Lewis (Paul's roommate) and Paul eat and drink coffee as they think about the day ahead, Barker writes, "Lewis was sataring at Paul, a question on his face. Paul quickly looked down and away"(176) Before the war, Paul thrives to question and be questioned, always searching for the deeper meaning of things, but it seems now, amidst the war, Paul has turned away from "silly questions" and thinks only of survival and accomplishment.
This adds to the consistent topic of 'change of significance'.

NUMBER 4

As I continue reading the novel Life Class Pat Barker illustrates the life of Paul Tarrant, a young artist begins to see his life of studios, cafes and other young artists as insignificant to the war that is erupting. Paul leaves England to live with his mother in a small town up north. When Paul returns to meet Elinor in Cafe Royal (their usual place of meeting), he notices a change in the atmosphere, "There was an edginess about the place now: excitement and fear. Not fear of death--no the fear of being irrelevant"(147) The world of creativity and wonder had turned into a self-conscious corner of the world, throbbing for importance. Before Paul had been suffering to find himself as an artist amongst the great and famous faces of artists surrounding him, but now he felt this whole group was misplaced in a world of patriotism. Did he need to risk his life to find himself?

Paul has been a confused character throughout the novel and now in the midst of war, he goes to extremes to feel significant. The story moves quickly, as Paul signs up for war. He is rejected for being ill, which further pushes him to the depths of unimportance, but after pulling some strings, we see Paul working as a doctor on the front, picking up half-dead bodies to try to save as he's been trying to save himself his whole life. However, Paul finds significance and pride in what he's doing. When he is sent out to meet a new doctor, he notes the man, "he won't last five minutes. He looked gangly, all arms and legs. There was something about his expression--not just youth and inexperience, something else--that made Paul uneasy"(165). Paul has changed from the war, he's become aware of how small his attributions were before he joined the fight and in seeing this young man, he sees himself as he was before: unaware. Paul's questions of art have now altered to questions of medicine, his questions of life became answers of death. Paul has become dark and lonely as a result of his position in the war.

NUMBER 3

Another reoccurring finding of mine is that of the impulsiveness of many of the characters. Paul, an artist learning at a studio in Britain many times ponders the idea of packing up his things and changing careers or simple the quick decisions of going to his significant other (if you can call her that) Teresa's house. To show these impulses, Barker's diction helps to emphasize how the character's pace can change so quickly. Barker describes a few of Paul's last nights with his friends from the art studio, he uses words like "passionately", "singing", and "swaying" all in a happier context(85). Barker continues to illustrate the quick change of pace when he narrates, "abruptly, [Paul] became morose" and continues to use words like "plunged", "staggered", "clamorous" and "exasperated" (85). Paul's excitement has faded away and turned into a nerve of anger and anxiousness. This has quick-change of pace might signify the relationship between Paul and Teresa that was all fun and lighthearted but now seems to be becoming more deep and intense than what Paul seems ready for; in a way setting him off into the night drunken and unprotected.

As the book has continued, I've started to notice Barker's use of literary techniques that we've discussed in class. His diction like I noted above helps to signify the change, in both short terms and long terms. Earlier on in the novel, Paul noted Teresa's appearance in wonder and intrigue, describing her to have, "shining hair, high cheekbones, and red, painted, pouting lips" and he continues to admit that, "he was instantly attracted to her" (18). The infatuation he has for Teresa is so apparent but as the book goes on, we can see that this infatuation fades and grows more into a pressing question that is no longer playful and more demanding. Now rather than seeing Teresa's untouchable beauty, he recalls the way she looks sad and helpless, Barker describes her as "sullen" and "wincing", he illustrates her being "swallowed up in the crowd" (83). The way that Paul has began to note Teresa so differently shows the long effect of a pressing question that cannot be answered. Also continuing on a common theme that I've been noticing and examined in past posts, Paul begins to see Teresa's innocence more and she is become more like the girl described at the beginning of the book. This girl was a tottering teen in the park that was helpless to the preying middle aged man. As Paul had questioned the girl in the park's innocence before he now is questioning Teresa's and in this I've begun to see a strong connection between the girl in the park and Teresa. Both out of Paul's reach, and both so intriguing.

NUMBER 2

As I continue to read the novel Life Class, certain things remain constant themes or motifs. Innocence and vulnerability are clearly present in a book that focus' on young love. And as I read further I've noticed that also the theme of whether or not one should push to find the truth within a relationship or enjoy the peace while you still have it remains present. This theme, so far, applies to Paul, who questions the liability of Teresa's "crazy ex-husband" but cannot make the decision to blatantly ask her about it. After Paul and Teresa have a toss up about his seeing her ex-husband at the fair, Paul reflects on his decision not to press her about him, Barker speaks for Paul when he writes, "He should have challenged her about the note, only he knew that if he did and she lied it would be the end of the affair. And he wasn't ready for it to end" (84). The "affair" refers to the relationship between Paul and Teresa which is exciting and interesting but as it continues, Paul finds there is a lot that he still doesn't know about her. And by learning about Teresa secretly, Paul is faced with the question of whether or not understanding Teresa and her husband's relationship is worth risking his relationship with Teresa.

Teresa's vulnerability is one that is obvious, but Paul's is only now becoming more apparent when he can't make the decision to confront Teresa about her ex because he doesn't want to lose her. Paul is vulnerable in this situation also because the fact of the matter is that Paul is now the "other man" in Teresa's relationship with her ex-husband and as Paul's emotions are already unstable, the threat of an angry ex husband can lead to further vulnerability. As I continue to read I am watching for more examples of innocence and vulnerability like Teresa and Paul.

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.

Hello

Hi, welcome to my blog, here I'll be writing about multiple different pieces of literature taken from magazines, web articles, poems, novels, ALL SORTS OF PIECES.

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