Re: JCO: Re: Black Water

Hi Katie,

Now that I am not involved in the academic world, I read first for
enjoyment, and then a second and third time for a more clear
understanding. In the busy world of graduate students (or undergrad or
high school, I'm not sure where you are in your studies), students do
not always have the luxery of multiple readings; but if you do have
time, I suggest you try reading for enjoyment first and then reading a
second time for deeper symbolic meanings. Perpaps you can obtain the
reading list for a class and read the material ahead of time for pure
enjoyment and then read it again with the class you are taking for
greater themes and symbolism. Anyway, that's the advice that I received
but rarely followed when I was a student.

As I remember the early chapters of Black Water, it seems that JCO
wanted us to understand Kelly's intoxication with the Senator and the
politacal world of power, and how vulnerable that left her. Kelly could
have exerted control, but she chose to go with the Senator. As far as
why she did not try to save herself, I may not remember that part well,
because my memory tells me that she did try but was unable to get out of
the car. I'll have to read it again to see how that plays out in the
book.

This story is different from most of JCO's work in that it is based upon
easily recognized historical events. When I read Black Water, I could
not stop thinking about the very real person who was left to drown when
Ted Kennedy paniced and left Mary Jo Kopechne to drown without getting
help. At the time of the historical incident, I was young and idealized
the Kennedys and could not reconcile his actions with my idealized
vision. I tried to understand how the Senator must have felt, must have
paniced and must have blamed himself, must still blame himself
(justifiably) for her death. It wasn't until years later, when I read
Black Water, that I began to think about how Mary Jo must have suffered
before she died from asfixiation.

JCO has the power to take us places we could never go by ourselfves.

Jane

----- Original Message -----
From: <BoArDiNgcHiCk421@aol.com>
To: <jco@usfca.edu>
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 1:54 PM
Subject: Re: JCO: Re: Black Water

>I can relate to Jane in the sense that the fun of reading has slipped
>from
> me sometimes. After have Mrs Cleary last year for english, I learned
> how to
> find the deeper meanings in books. Dont get me wrong I love
> understanding the
> book symbolically but sometimes its better to just read. In this
> book, it
> seems as though she is intoxicated with the Senator. She may or may
> not have
> control but she definitly was not herself in the events. It seems
> very perculiar
> to me that she would not try and save herself. She sits as the car
> fills with
> water telling herself that he will come back for her and THEN she
> will swim
> to safety and rescue herself. Why does she wait for him? Why can she
> not fit
> herself through the space where he did (she is most likely smaller
> than him)
> and save herself? There may be an underlying message that Kelly is the
> characterization of the women of the world that cannot stand up for
> themselves.
> This seems to be a very common theme because I found it in You Must
> Remember
> This as Enid was very insecure with herself and allowed her uncle to
> take
> advantage of her.
>
> Katie
>
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