The Professor's House: An Ode to Working Parents Everywhere?

In this particular novel, it centers on a professor in his fifties named Godfrey St. Peter, and follows his transitions from a new house to having new son-in-laws, and ultimately to his near death. I think what is so captivating about Godfrey is how completely normal he is. Unlike the other novels we have read in class, Godfrey's character is simple and his dissatisfaction with is life stems from its normalcy and separation of his family members. I feel that Godfrey could be anyone's father, and that the events that occur in his life are things our parents can all relate to.

After Godfrey's daughters marry and he starts his life in a new house, it seems that Godfrey has lost all interest in his life. He re-evaluates his life and sees no more pleasure,which could be because his daughters moved out, in addition to the death of his favorite pupil Outland.

I think that "The Professor's House" is really quite an interesting novel in terms of its ability to relate to modern day middle-age society. It never fails to surprise me that even some ninety years ago, family organization (or disorganization in some cases) has not changed much. I think that these events are all quite typical, and the feelings that Godfrey experiences are certainly not new to adults going through a mid-life crisis. I think that once the "last bird leaves the nest" most parents reevaluate their lives, because it has changed so much. Although Godfrey's reaction might be a little extreme, it is certainly not uncommon.

Ending of Wonder Boys

This book was truly an insight to the entire writing process. Even though it took place over such a short time it showed the creativity and the struggles a writer has to go through while writing a book. It sows how sometimes an idea is completely wrong and just needs to be thrown out or how easily it is to be sidetracked from working on one's piece. Chabon creatively mirrors Tripps work ethic to his life and illustrates through the situations GRady comes across how it effects or illustrates the way he is as an author. From the chaotic experiences and the never ending pathetic yet sadly comical situations he finds himself in throughout the novel shows how he is not able to find an ending to a 2000 page novel and how chaotic that book has become. this truly has been my favorite book we have read in class because of the way it was written and the way Chabon related Grady's life experiences over a weekend to a 2000 page book he has been writing for a while now, and how crazy his weekend was and it still seemed realistic. This novel was truly a pleasure to read and I'm ecstatic Professor Newman put this in the curriculum because it is a must read and I cannot wait to see the movie!!!!!!

Disjoint and disconnection leaves me befuddled

I rarely encounter books such as this where the plotline leaves me baffled, utterly lost for words. I have had to re-read every page more than once to grasp its content, yet still feel disconnected from the characters and plot. The first few pages of the novel initially lead me to believe that the book was literally about the Professor’s House, with its extended descriptions of the house. I was relieved to soon discover this was not the case, slowly absorbing details about this mysterious St. Peter, whose reason for being called a saint I am curious to know, as with other characters who addressed similarly.

So, we know that the Professor leads a busy life juggling family life and lecturing students. He loves teaching the youth, and plans his time carefully around his family. His Spanish Adventures, which he spent 15 years working on, gave him some commercial success. We’ve been introduced to his two daughters and his wife, provided intricate details of their physical appearances. But what does this contribute to the novel? Each chapter introduces new characters, but the linkage between the chapters confuses me, as it seems to be unrelated to the previous chapters. I have yet to discover the purpose of the novel, or what the character or plot developments are.

St. Peter is a most intriguing character. I find him overly critical, pushing the limits of acceptability at times. There is a particular instance in the second chapter where the narrator comments on how he even goes as far as criticizing the physical appearance of his eldest daughter, despite the fact that the rest of the world stares in awe at her beauty. This reoccurs in the seventh chapter when he again comments on the flaws of Rosamund. Should he not be proud of her beauty and be able to see beyond her stooped shoulders and tall frame, like a normal being? He seems a bit too involved in his work, almost robotic in the ways he isolates himself from the world. He is undoubtedly selfless though when it comes to his family, spending his entire earnings from his Oxford prize on buying a house for his family.

The focus of the novel is unclear in my eyes. With all of the separate plotlines revolving around his daughters, his son-in-laws, rivals such as Langtry, random swimming adventures with McGregor and company, I am unsure of who or what to focus on. It seems to be a month-by-month account of snippets of Godfrey’s life. Some scenes seem utterly pointless, such as the one where Kathleen asks Godfrey to help her choose furs. Where is this conversation heading? What is its purpose? The themes of the novel are not so obvious to me either. Marriage and wealth seem to be a prominent issue in the book, especially with the circumstances of his daughters, and Godrey’s reluctance to accept money from others such as Louie. But this does not stand out to me as the primary theme of the novel.

Character Breakdown

I find that this novel is more about the characters than it is the actual story. I am very interested in the development of the characters and how their true colors show through very vividly. Godfrey St. Peter especially intrigues me because he seems to have very distinct sides. Half the time, he seems disconnected from the world and his family. As a creature of habit, he only likes to write in one location, being the attic of his former house. He appreciates his alone time and also enjoys the lake, which, in its stillness, is a comfort to him. He is considered by many to be erudite and even thinks himself much too smart for his student. However, he is portrayed as being a source of comfort for his students, peers, and family. Many have come to him for help and advice and he always tries his best to accommodate their needs. I am interested to see where his story ends up at the conclusion of the novel.

Another character that makes me think is Louie Marsellus. I do not care for him because it seems as though he also tries to boast and put himself higher than everyone else. He is constantly grabbing the attention of Mrs. St. Peter and other people of status. I think that he is simply attempting to climb the social ladder more than he already has. I believe that he does not deserve the wealth he has come into due to Tom’s hard work. I also think that Rosamond, his wife and daughter of the St. Peter’s, is annoying. Her actions make one believe that she has actually convinced herself that she did something to gain the wealth she has because of Tom. I do not think that she deserves the money any more than Louie does and that they should use the money to help those in need, rather than doing with it “what Tom would want” and buying stuff for themselves. They seem to be completely oblivious to the fact that everyone sees them as snoods and unworthy of the fortune. They seem to be too wrapped up in their own affairs to look around at the people that actually need to money. The Marselluses are seen trying to “give back” by sending the St. Peter’s to the opera and to give them a nice life, but when it comes to the important events, they are unreliable. It seems to me that they are more in love with the money than they are with each other.

However, on the other hand, the other St. Peter daughter, Kathleen, and husband Scott to be so in love with each other. They are my favorite couple in the novel and they seem to by truly in love. Even if they are not as affluent as the Marselluses, they have each other and that makes them happy. Although Kathleen can be seen as jealous of Rosamond, I believe that she is truly the happier of the two sisters.

Unappreciative and deceitful individuals and the naivety of young love

A feeling or annoyance has begun to grow over me in response to the character of James Leer. Initially I was fooled into sympathising for him and the tales of his unfortunate family circumstances and upbringing. The revelation of the true nature of his history makes us lose all faith in the credibility of everything he states, and the discovery of his numerous thefts also make us dislike him more. It is obvious that even Grady Tripp is fed up with his lies, declaring saying that he merely wants to know “once and for all what the truth is about the little bastard”. In my opinion, Leer is fortunate to have someone like Tripp care so deeply for him and go to the extents that he does to protect him. Leer seems to show little gratitude for all that Tripp does for him.

I am intrigued by the mystery surrounding the true identity of Leer’s biological parents. I speculate that given Leer’s age and accounts from Tripp it is definitely a possibility that Amanda and Fred Leer are his true parents. I feel as though there is something important that is being kept from us at this stage in the story, something shockingly revealing about Leer and his past. Leer seems to be the pivotal character at this point in the novel, and despite the fact that I am not too favourable of him I feel that he will have a significant role later on in the novel.

There are also interesting developments between Grady and Hannah Green. Sexual tension exists between them, but given the age difference, which spans around two decades, I don’t see any serious relationship will result from this. Green acts flirtatiously around Grady, luring him to dance with her and waiting for him in his office. This leads me to believe that she desires Tripp more than he desires her. Tripp is much more interested in her opinions, on Wonder Boys specifically, than her as a person. Tripp seems to accept her advances but does not push for the relationship to advances. Green’s physical attraction seems to be the primary draw for Grady.

Grady and Green’s relationship is the opposite of the obscure relationship between Leer and Crabtree. Crabtree seems to almost molest Leer at every possible opportunity. I am disturbed by the nature of their relationship. Leer, given his youth, is at the stage of his life where he is sexually confused and Crabtree takes advantage of his confusion. Crabtree cares about Leer, as demonstrated when he immediately followed Grady to save Leer from his so-called parents, but whether or not the feelings for each other are mutual remains to be seen. Their relationship was so unexpected, I was not even aware of Leer’s sexual orientation towards men. I was under the impression that he desired Hannah Green up until the point of their public display of affection. Crabtree seems to have varying tastes when concerning individuals of interest, from young boys to transvestites. I draw a blank on the future of the relationship between Leer and Crabtree.

i dont like the book

I personaly do not like the book. To be honest, regardless of how much basing we did for Admission, I still like the book. Although the book is like a soap opera and predectable, it is interedting in showing the meaning of admission itself. It is also a book I can relate because it is not too long ago that I had to apply for admission. But for Wonder Boys, it gives me a weird feeling. Everytime I read the book, I feel like I get mad at Grady and James. I think James is extremely naïve. When he mentions that rich people are never happy. I just feel like it is such a naïve thing to say. I feel like he sounds like a kid who listen to their parents lecturing about life lessons. His relationship with Grady does not make sense to me. I find it odd that Grady is helping James and even taking him to his inlaw’s house for Passover. I do not know if grady is helping James by protecting him or hurting him. Aside from being naïve, I also found James to be an insecure youth who is lost in the world. The fact that he complains about Pittsburgh and says that he hates it there makes me think of myself. I remember complaining about Pittsburgh and the school. This just reminds me of how insecure I was and still am. I think the purpose of puttig James with Grady and their adventure together is to contrast certain aspect of Grady’s unbdeveloped emotion and self-knowledge. I do not think Grady knows much about what he wants or what he likes. He can easily ask Sara to give up the child, and he can also easily promise Sara to be with her. Yet, he then goes to Emily’s parent’s house for Passover. This shows that he still wants Emily to forgive him for his affair. Grady is stuck between Sara and Emily. He is unsure of whom to chose. I think he only wants something for an instant. Take the incident with Hannah Green for example, he wants to dance with her at the moment, but he is also debating on what to do to get Emily back. He wants Hannah for an instant and then goes back to wanting to save his marriage. He then gets distracted and forget about his problem with Emily. His unstable desire is also shown in his three marriages. So overall, I do not like Grady nor James. I think both are extremely insecure. This book is also confusing. I think there is so much problems that is happening at once and is extremely dramatic. However, I do have to admit that it makes a good movie.

Wonder Boys compared to the other books

I personally believe that this novel is somewhat interesting. On hand, it feels as if nothing productive has been described throughout the entirety of the novel. I feel as though something epic should happen due to its short time span. However, on the other hand, I also feel as if so many pointless events have happened. Yes, the death of a beloved dog is a big deal for those that knew him but I do not believe that it should be a main topic throughout the entire novel. I suppose that I just expected more out of the book due to the short.

I was happy to finally read about a character that was not held down by societal norms. Although I was constantly shocked that he was a college professor, I thought that it was interesting how he did not care about his responsibilities when engaging in illegal activities. He was constantly high, and yet he did not seem to care that his students or peers knew that he was doing such things. I am unsure of which character I can relate to the most. I feel like Amory was too tied down by society and what others thought, which forced him into following the rules. I cannot really relate to many of Portia’s actions, but I feel like I somewhat like Grady’s attitude toward societal rules. Although I am a rule follower like Amory, I like that Grady does what he wants to do, whether it is legal or not. I would never be able to do the things that he does, but I respect him for having the guts to do the things that Amory would only do due to emulation. Grady paves his own way and I think that that is one of his good qualities.

However, this being said, I am very happy that Sara looked past her feelings toward Grady and stuck to her thoughts. She did not immediately base her decisions off of emotion, which is a good quality to have. Many women are caught basing things off of emotion and not thinking about what is best for her, which is why I respect Sara. I personally think that, although she cheated on her husband, she handled the situation better than Portia did. I think that Michael Chabon portrayed her in a positive light, other than cheating on her spouse. The idea that he displayed the woman of the household as having a higher position than her husband speaks to the contemporary aspect of the book. This novel deals with many contemporary issues, such as smoking marijuana, in a way that was more enjoyable than Admission for me.