This week, we read “Stone Boy” by Gina Berriault. I liked this read because it leaves me with a lot of questions. It is also frustrating for that same reason. I want to know if Arnold actually has feelings and what exactly he was thinking after his brother’s death. He dealt with it in an unusual way and that doesn’t necessarily mean he felt no remorse or grief. I am curious to see what a psychiatrist or any other mental health professional would have to say about his behavior. I feel like they would have an explanation for why he reacted the way he did. I don’t think Arnold is malicious or apathetic. I feel like he was in shock and he continued to suppress his pain and guilt. He was only nine years old. He was quite young and he might not have known how to handle a situation as insane as killing your sibling.

We also continued working on our character profiles. I think I’m going to use Seymour from ‘Bananafish’ because the text is interesting I want to unpack everything. I would enjoy taking apart the story and analyzing its meaning.