Reading and Sharing around the Globe
Aug 25, 2013
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage - Post and Beam
So we meet Lorna, her husband and Polly, the uncomfortable relative. This is something that actually happens a lot, families with time get more distant, life circumstances change, and someone that was a perfect companion at some point, later on when years and lives have gone on, doesn't seem to be that same person anymore... In Post and Beam, do you think Lorna acts right? Does she "dislike" Polly because her husband does? Or is there something else? Is actually Polly the one that is imposing herself and wants to make Lorna feel guilty because she left? And what about the end of the story? Where does the change come from?
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Hey, I just found out that they are doing a film of the first short story, "Hateship, Loveship" it's called. Check the link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2463512/
ReplyDeleteHa! That's interesting! I think that story in particular is very appropriate for a film.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that I found this story a little bit boring. The grumpy and disgusting husband, the put down wife, the uncomfortable cousin, the platonic love with Lionel... I might have missed the gist of the story.
Relationships change because of the distance, but also because people change. We evolve, priorities change, responsibilities change too. So Lorna feels guilty because she had the guts to leave, although she doesn't seem to be very happy in her new life. Polly doesn't have the guts to leave all behind, but she wants Lorna to feel guilty and probably would like to be in her place. Lorna's husband doesn't like Polly but he neither likes his wife. So nobody is happy and everyone is trying to make the other part feel miserable. I don't like it!!
Did I understand it all in a negative way?
This was not my favorite story and I also felt it kind of negative. However, I was curious about it. I did not like the characters and I particularly didn't like the male ones.
ReplyDeleteIs it only my impression or do you also feel that the male characters in many of the stories in the book are not particularly nice?
In this case, I find Lorna's husband not agreeable. He seems selfish and self-centered as well as rude. I also find selfish Lionel.
I agree with Arantxa's analysis on the feelings of Lorna and Polly regarding their life. After the first encounter, however, I feel Polly just wants to enjoy the trip, the change in her usual life. For Lorna, it seems to be difficult. I don't like how she reacts, how little enthusiasm and true kindness shows. However, I try to understand how difficult it must be for her, having her husband pushing and sending negative messages against Polly and the whole situation. That is why I think at the end she feels bad and thinks about bargaining. I don't believe and I don't find comfort or hope in bargaining. However, who has not ever thought about it?