Pre-writing Assignment 2

“I had lost everything: novel, publisher, wife, lover; the admiration of my best student; all the fruit of the past decade of my life. I had no family, no friends, no car, and probably, after this weekend, no job.” (342)

At this point in the novel Grady finally comes to realize the impact of his reckless lifestyle. Being stripped of everything that ever meant anything in his life enables him to see more clearly, in a way that he was unable to come to terms with before, vulnerability and isolation forces him to evaluate himself. This is a turning point in the novel, and ultimately enables Grady to turn over a new leaf living a life without drugs, with a child that he cares for and with a new wife.

But is Grady too harsh on himself in admitting defeat in his life? Has he really lost everything up until this point in his life and has it all been his fault? I definitely agree that Emily’s decision to walk out on Grady was entirely his own fault, given the fact that he committed adultery. Their marriage was wreckage in the making, it would only be a matter of time before Emily would discover the affair, but only with the combined events in Grady’s life does the gravity of his mistakes hit home hard. Grady also has no one but himself to blame for the lack of presence of family in his life. He made it clear that he did not wish to have children of his own even though the option was available when Sara announced her pregnancy and her desire to keep the child.

I would dispute the fact that Grady Tripp claims to have lost the admiration of James Leer. Tripp went to great lengths to protect Leer, even sneaking him out of Leer’s own house to get him away from his unloving family. But did Leer even admire him that much to begin with? It never occurred to me that through all of Tripp’s efforts, Leer was the least bit appreciate of Tripp, let alone stand in admiration of him. The case of Crabtree is a more complex scenario, in many ways I feel as though their relationship was a slow disintegration of two incompatible mates. James Leer was the one hope that kept their friendship alive in the latter stages of the novel, and once Leer was taken away there was no common ground between them.

I am hesitant to say that Tripp has “lost everything”. Through all of this he has gained intuition, a clearer perspective of himself as a person. He realises that drugs have had an adverse affect on his life and realises the need to change his ways. He also gains a new wife at the end of the novel and a child.