When it comes to having a girlfriend, Harvey gloomily states that he “was afraid to ask them out” and “really felt like a creep.” As much as he wanted a nice girlfriend who would be a sympathetic listener, he makes it clear that it was just not an option for him. He did not know how to talk to girls, he did not have a car, and he was not rich, and these factors greatly lowered his self confidence. To him, loneliness was inevitable, and he had no choice but to deal with it and move on. Harvey has obviously been a “quitter” for his entire life, but I would argue that it was not always fate that got the best of him. It was the “easy” choices Harvey made, of his own free will, that lead him into such a state of depression. Although he cannot control where he came from, he can control where he goes in life, and should stop blaming his failures on his family situation.
I really admire the incorporation of the “modern-day Harvey” into the story. These additions remind the reader that they are being told a story from the point of view of a man who experienced it firsthand. This Harvey has different opinions and outlooks of his life than he had when he was an adolescent. He now says, “You can’t impress everybody…,” which is something he did not realize in high school when he wanted to be the “star” of everything he attempted. This Harvey does seem wiser, because he can look back on his life, but I can still sense the frustration he has about all the misfortunes he encountered when he was younger. Understandably, it is hard to dismiss how we perceived the world while growing up.
The theme of identity molded into Harvey’s story suggests that Harvey wants to be the best. But, he bases this standard off of his peers. When he tries to be a football star, he determines the best to mean being on the frontline. The coach does not allow this to happen. When he tries to be more outgoing at school, being the best to him means beating up other boys. Therefore, he does not have many friends. While Harvey wants to choose his identity in these situations, in the end, his environment and peers choose for him.
From Lalita:
ReplyDeleteI never realized how much Harvey is fated until I read this blog post. I just thought that we are all fated in where we live from the very beginning. Thus, our environment impacts our lifestyle. His parents are immigrants, and they choose to live in a sketchy neighborhood, which makes life a bit more difficult for Harvey because he has to adjust. Yet, he makes these foolish decisions that become obstacles that he must face.
I think it is also interesting that this older Harvey is commenting on his past experiences. As this older Harvey is reflecting on himself, it seems like he is giving advice to not only the younger Harvey, but to the readers as well. Maybe the author wants the readers to understand Harvey's actions and to learn from them, the same way that older Harvey is.
- Lalita Nivasnanda
Jessie: I like your comments about the modern-day Harvey image. You make a great point about personal storytelling and how there's a two-headed narrator, in a sense -- older Harvey and younger Harvey (the subject of his story).
ReplyDeleteJessie-
ReplyDeleteI think you picked a really good topic/picture for this blog post. For most of the story, I have thought that Harvey is not fated at all and that he is making the decision about where his life is going. But I think you have really good points in talking about his peers and football coach. The idea that he had lower self confidence about himself when trying to ask a girl out is really true as well. His family didn't have tons of money so he couldn't take girls on nice dates or drive them anywhere. I also think you are correct in making the point that he needs to make better decisions if he wants his life to have a more positive outlook.