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The Signature of All Things
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Part 1 -The Tree of Fever-discussion thread
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Irene
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Dec 05, 2014 05:09PM
Hi, we are starting threads for each section to discuss. This thread will only discuss section one.
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The section title is interesting. How is the title for this section a related to the events that occurred?
Well I thinking that Henry is propelled in many of his doings with a kind of feverish frenzy in his quest for wealth. Nothing is stopping him and he isn't letting anything get in his way. He has this burning desire to conquer everything in his way. I am not sure but did anyone else find it ironic that these "sick trees" are suppose to have the cure for the malaria fever?
Okay beware for page 38 I was screaming NOOOOOO!!.
Rebecca wrote: "Well I thinking that Henry is propelled in many of his doings with a kind of feverish frenzy in his quest for wealth. Nothing is stopping him and he isn't letting anything get in his way. He has th..."I thought the same things. His feverish ambitious is his driving force.
The trees' bark are slightly different from the other. I remember he mentioned the darker bark. The passage said,"appeared" to have cured malaria. I'm interested to know if the information is factual or fictional.
Exactly what are you referring to on p38. I read ebooks on my nook, so the page numbers may be different.
I think Henry was sexually assaulted on the ship by the men.
After he got laughed at by Sir Joseph. I didn't see that coming.
What make you think that Irene?
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Hi Rebecca, the 4th paragraph in chapter 2, Henry is given advice by Banks, "You shall be at the mercy of the older sailors, but you must never complain about them, or things will go badly for you." This sentence made me think about that.
Rebecca wrote: "After he got laughed at by Sir Joseph. I didn't see that coming."Do you mean, Henry went out and did all the things he didn't do because he wanted to be known as a gentleman?
What it really means to be a gentleman and was they really were are worlds apart. To be considered a gentleman was to have money and hold a prestigious position in the community.
I was disappointed that he went and hooked up with the prostitute and that he is going against everything he was taught although I understand his intense anger with Sir Joseph and that his action of rebellion somewhat.
Rebecca wrote: "I was disappointed that he went and hooked up with the prostitute and that he is going against everything he was taught although I understand his intense anger with Sir Joseph and that his action o..."Does being rich constitute happiness?
Henry was raised in poverty. He was part of a big family. His father was a man of integrity.
How would you describe Henry's character?
Sheila wrote: "I enjoyed this first section, and learning about Henry's life and adventures. Interesting though that this chapter starts with a young girl named Alma, but then we are told that she is just a littl..."We learn the status she is born into, but the author wants us to learn her roots.
What themes do you notice? What thoughts and beliefs keep repeating?
I like Sheila enjoyed this first section, we got the first glimpse of a "family history". I can't say the story so far has evoked any deep thoughts.I see Henry as a driven person, he knows what he wants and does his all to get to where he wants.
AAAAACH! I just stinking responded to the thread, then accidentally deleted it. Blarg.
Okay...what I think I said was something like this...I enjoyed the way Gilbert starts the novel. I like that we are introduced to Alma with promises that we'll return to her later. I also found it interesting getting to know Henry. When we first meet him, (when Alma is born), I liked him as a character. After all, his isn't devastated that Alma isn't a son! Then I found it hard to empathize with him as we learned about his life. His hatred and disgust for his father, his obsessiveness with fortune, and his deceptiveness make it hard for me to connect. But there are redeeming qualities, too. His commitment to "right living" and chastity, as well as to his goals are commendable. I also like the mutual respect of the partnership...er... marriage to Beatrix.
I'm curious to see how these traits play out in Alma's character, and if this dogged nature will be a continuing theme in the book.
I think, as Rebecca stated, the feverishness of Henry's actions connect with the title of the section as well as being the icon of his goal for status and success in life.
Henry wants to be rich, and he plans every step carefully with precision. So far his life is one big business. It was like a business decision when he marries Beatrix.One line I found interesting was," To be properous and happy in life, Henry, it is simple. Pick one woman, pick it well, and surrender."
Surrender? What do you think the author meant by surrender? Do you think Henry is capable of the act of surrender?
As you say, Henry acts with precision and planning. Even the act of following the advice is an organized plan. I don't see Henry surrendering. Perhaps we could say he surrenders the ideas of...fate...or...feelings of "c'est la vie". He is so focused on his goals, and perhaps he surrenders to that idea of success so completely that he lets go of things that would detract from that (like a night buying over-priced popcorn watching the latest Hobbit--haha).
Daniale wrote: "As you say, Henry acts with precision and planning. Even the act of following the advice is an organized plan. I don't see Henry surrendering. Perhaps we could say he surrenders the ideas of...fa..."Sound relaxing and fun
So while all these events are occurring in his life, event from The Whiskey Rebels were in motion
I took the fever tree as being a form of aspirin - it lowers the temperature and inflammation of the person taking it so that they can heal. Similarly, Henry denied himself during this period in his life and resisted the typical emotional and physical passions of a boy his age.Henry is driven by logic and calculation, but he does have a feverish passion for success. I agree that he wouldn't buy the large popcorn while watching the latest Hobbit movie because he would calculate the cost per kernel and determine it was a poor investment. In fact, he might not go to movies at all ;)
Do you agree that Henry has found the recipe for success?
I enjoy the writing, the telling of this story. I do not like the characters. It is hard to believe that two humble and virtuous parents would raise six consistantly immoral sons. Although Henry's work ethic may be seen as a virtuous quality, his single-minded drive by greed is dangerous. He steals from his father's employer knowing that it could imperrile his father's reputationand livelihood. He turns his back on his parents. The only reason he resists the temptation of alcohol and sex is in persuit of his goal of gaining status. As soon as he discovers that he will never be accepted into British society, he brutalizes a prostitute and driks to excess and ends up in a bar fight. I think he has met a good partner in Beatrix. She also turned her back on her family. Her parting blow to her little brother was cold. Let's hope Alma does not have some humanitarian streak or is developmentally delayed or physically limited. I don't think these parents will have any tolerance for a child that does not share their greedy ambition.
I was thinking that the fever drug was referring to Quinine.
Irene wrote: "I enjoy the writing, the telling of this story. I do not like the characters. It is hard to believe that two humble and virtuous parents would raise six consistantly immoral sons. Although Henry..."I enjoyed reading your comments. I was thinking about the same thing.
Getting back to the previous comments about Henry being frugal and basically doing anything that would guarantee success including turning his back on his dad. How would people in upper class society (rich)look at this as opposed to middle class society (working)?
I like to hope/believe that our values are not so closely determined by our economic background that family relationships vs financial gain can be addressed viewed from some general lense of upper vs middle class perspective. I know of those who have grown up in middle and lower class families who strive frantically for economic security and those in both groups who believe that their loved ones are a far greater treasure than all the money in the world. And, most often, the perspective is somewhere in the middle with differences arising within the same family.
Wow, great question, Irene.I think if you look through the lens of the time period in which Henry and the family live, I think the division and values are a little more defined. I think the upper class neighbors Henry and Beatrix have look down on Henry. I think there is a sense of "old money" vs "new money", and those who just are rich vs those who had to work for it. The upper class/old money looks down on Henry, not so much because he walked away from family, but because he had to work for his fortune. The new money/working class look up to Henry for attaining what they could not.
Family connections were not the same then as they were now. Family was often used for connections, upward mobility, and leverage. Henry's dad was sort of an anomaly going out of his way to protect his...wild...son.
I am not sure that I would agree that family commitment has shifted that dramatically over the past 200 years. Although the nobility had often married for dynastic reasons, romantic love was well known and sought by the majority of people. And, parental love for children has always been an incredibly strong force. With little social safety net, family was the only thing that stood between survival and devistation. There were no senior centers to care for a person when s/he became too frail to care for self, no pention plans to provide financially once one could no longer work, no welfare programs to help out if one became disabled from an accident or illness. Not only did people experience the same bonds that naturally occur in families, but they were fostered as the insurance plans of each member. I think we live in a far more individualistic society today with far weaker family bonds.
Towards the end of Part 1, it states, "Henry himself suspected that the jalap cure was bogus..." Later in that paragraph it states,"...Henry Whittaker had doubled his wealth."What type of a person is Henry?
What type of person is Beatrix?
What type of person will Alma be?
