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A Home at the end of the World by Michael Cunningham


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10. Discuss the significance of the title A Home at the End of the World. Does it suggest hope, despair, or both? Explain

I think the title suggests a little bit of both hope and despair, although perhaps in unequal quantities. All three main characters had dealt with despair in their lives, Clare had had a hard time acepting herself first of all, she had been through previous relationships which did not work out and did not have a great connection with her parents. Jon had not had an easy life - his childhood did not prepare him for the world out there, and he had to deal with his homosexuality. Bobby never recovered from the death of his brother - at one time he mentioned that he was living for the living and for the dead - or soemthing to that effect. Now at last, they found a home together, each at peace with themselves and with their demons. There is hope that this strange family will succeed.

 

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10. Discuss the significance of the title A Home at the End of the World. Does it suggest hope, despair, or both? Explain

I think the title suggests a little bit of both hope and despair, although perhaps in unequal quantities. All three main characters had dealt with despair in their lives, Clare had had a hard time acepting herself first of all, she had been through previous relationships which did not work out and did not have a great connection with her parents. Jon had not had an easy life - his childhood did not prepare him for the world out there, and he had to deal with his homosexuality. Bobby never recovered from the death of his brother - at one time he mentioned that he was living for the living and for the dead - or soemthing to that effect. Now at last, they found a home together, each at peace with themselves and with their demons. There is hope that this strange family will succeed.

 

 

That is really insightful Maureen, well done :)

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Yes, I suppose you're right. I think I might've wanted him to really love Clare and that's why I saw things where there really wasn't anything to see.

 

It would have been nice if loved Clare in the way she wanted him too but he did love her and with the birth of Rebecca, there was the feeling of a new start for them, I found with Rebecca, Jonathan was different, he was so concious of his emotions, before Rebecca, he tended to hide how he felt but he opened himself out to Rebecca. :)

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9. What role does Erich play in the character’s lives? In what ways do you think he is a catalyst for change? Discuss the significance of death in the novel.

 

I think Erich's role in the book was to help the characters to look at themselves and I think unfortunately the catalyst was his illness. I felt that the presence of Erich was one of the reasons why Clare left, I got the impression that she did not want Rebecca to be faced with Erich's illness, while at the same time, the presence of Rebecca helped Erich in a positive way I thought. With Jonathan, I could be wrong but I felt that he wanted to give Erich some form of relationship because he and Erich did not have one, they could have had one if they had both taken a chance. With Bobby, Erich was someone that he could help, support and keep safe, he barely knew Erich (the only thing they had in common was their love of music) but he took him into his home and took care of him, at the end of the book when Jonathan takes Erich into the water, Bobby concerns (and fears) show because he is thinking of Erich's health and reminded of the time Jonathan jumped into the water when they were children.

 

:bookworm:

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9. What role does Erich play in the character’s lives? In what ways do you think he is a catalyst for change? Discuss the significance of death in the novel.

 

while at the same time, the presence of Rebecca helped Erich in a positive way I thought. :bookworm:

 

 

Yes I thought so too. In fact I think she managed to extract the best qualities of Clare, Jon and Erich. However, funnily enough, I did not feel she made that big an impact on Bobby's character. In fact I think this was the strongest flaw in Bobby's character - his lack of fatherly interaction with his daughter. He cared for her as he would care for a puppy, but we never read that he was playing donkey with her, or making finger puppets, or plasticine. He failed in the role of a father in my opinion...

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Yes I thought so too. In fact I think she managed to extract the best qualities of Clare, Jon and Erich. However, funnily enough, I did not feel she made that big an impact on Bobby's character. In fact I think this was the strongest flaw in Bobby's character - his lack of fatherly interaction with his daughter. He cared for her as he would care for a puppy, but we never read that he was playing donkey with her, or making finger puppets, or plasticine. He failed in the role of a father in my opinion...

 

I thought he was quite vague about Rebecca too Maureen, the general feeling was, 'she's there', I think in some ways Clare got what she wanted, someone to give her a baby and Jonathan being the father figure, he did played with her, teach her, cherished her, everything a Dad would do. :) I think Bobby failed too but he seemed to have made his peace with it, I know this sounds so obtuse but it was like he had done his job, even though Rebecca was unexpected for him, it seemed like he had done his part.

 

I have really enjoyed myself discussing the book with you all.

 

:bookworm:

Edited by Weave
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12. Did you watch the film? How did it compare to the book?

 

 

I haven't seen the film but I am going to make a point of watching it, to see how they compare :)

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I watched it this week, and it is quite faithful to the book, although there are some changes. The fact that Bobby let Clare and Rebecca leave

made more sense in the film, as it was Jonathan who was sick and dying, and therefore Bobby stayed to take care of him.

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Hi all, I’ve been following your discussion with interest, even if I haven’t been very active over the past week, due to an assignment. Now that is thankfully out of the way, so I can participate more actively!

I’m doing this on Word, as it’s going to be a long answer, so the quotes will be in red...

 

Frankie says:

A thought that came to my mind at some point: I had problems with the names Clare and Alice, I sometimes thought of Jonathan's Mum when I was reading Clare's thoughts and vice versa. I came to realise that the two names have so many alphabets in common that it might be the reason behind my confusion. Then I started to think if this was intentional on Cunningham's part, and I went even further than that: I began to think maybe Clare is the mother figure Jonathan left behind when he left for college. The one he grew annoyed with, partly because she was interrupting his and Bobby's alone time and partly because Bobby didn't seem to mind, he actually welcomed her company. Maybe on some subconscious level Jonathan needed a new mom figure in his life and Clare offered him that

 

That’s a really interesting point. Actually, if you think about it, both these women are quite hateful in their own way. They are both selfish, want to “possess” Jonathan, and are quite unhappy with their own lives. They have both rebelled against their parents, with very different outcomes – while Alice is holed into an unhappy marriage in a small backwater, Clare has had different lovers and has moved to a buzzing city. I’m not sure I agree with the fact that Clare served as a mother figure; I think she was more of a counterbalance to him – she was full of life and colour, while he was very bland and cautious...

 

Frankie says:

In my opinion, one could say there are two families, sometimes separate, sometimes overlapping, in one's life. First there is the family one grows up in, whether it be a 'normal' family, a foster home, some kind of institution. The second family is the one you make for yourself when you move out and start your own life. It's not only your partner and the possible children, but your friends who you go to and who come to you when in need. It's the people you WANT to spend your holidays with.

I think the book is basically saying families come in all different shapes and sizes, and it's not only about blood lineage. It is saying that a family life is not always continual, it's a complicated, ever-growing, ever-evolving mixture of people who touch your life daily. In the end, a family is something one can define for themselves.

 

I completely agree with your take on this Frankie – I find this is very true to life. While you are inevitably linked to the family you are born into, you move on to have your own family and circle of friends, who sometimes get to know you much more than your own parents / siblings. Jonathan, Bobby and Clare made their own family which worked well for them; actually much much better than any of their own families.

 

Frankie says:

Did anyone get the sense that Jonathan felt already during his childhood that his mother was suffocating him? Not that I'm questioning the suffocating, I'm just wondering when Jonathan made this discovery.

 

I don’t believe that Jonathan ever expressed that he feels suffocated by his mother... he is definitely annoyed when she tries to impose her presence on his friendship with Bobby; I get the feeling he consciously chooses to go to a college far away, and he doesn’t go back to his home town, his visits to his parents’ house are few and far between... I get the feeling he tries to live his life away from his mother; I never get the impression he is trying to put distance between himself and his father...

 

This is the first time I have participated actively in a reading circle, and I’ve really, really enjoyed it! I’ll stop here for now as otherwise it will be a never-ending post... more to follow :D

Edited by shirleyz
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^I got that impression too Maureen, that he had no sexual interest at all in Clare, he was like a sister to her, Clare knew that they would never sleep together, but she still secretly hoped that Rebecca would be his daughter because she wanted all of his qualities to be part of her but I think if given the chance, Jonathan would have been a influence on Rebecca's life. :)

 

that's a good point Weave, Clare tried to get the best of both worlds - a daughter with Bobby, with Jonathan as a father figure. Someone also mentioned that Bobby hardly has any relationship with his daughter, while Jonathan cares for her as well as (if not better than) Clare... However, he thinks of the legacy he leaves her - a home at the end of the world where she can retire to be safe away from the world and find peace, just like her parents before her

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10. Discuss the significance of the title A Home at the End of the World. Does it suggest hope, despair, or both? Explain

 

I think the title conveys peace – after their turbulent life, everyone has managed to find a base where they feel they belong. Bobby knows he will always be the family’s point of reference, Jonathan is learning to accept himself (and the possibility that he could be ill), Erich is close to the end of his life, finally in a place where he is accepted and well taken care of. Even though Clare leaves the household, I think she does so with a changed mindset – she is part of something bigger, a family, and not a loner trying to fit into life on her own. Ned’s ashes are finally laid to rest close to the house, the boys have a thriving business where another gay couple works (more acceptance, the family becoming larger?) – they have definitely started to set some roots...

 

Surprisingly even Jonathan’s mother is finally at peace – she is doing a job she enjoys, and is sharing her life with an “unsuitable” younger man, so probably her old rebellious trait is coming out again in her old age!

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That's a very apt answer Shirleyz, and I agree it does impart peace and a feeling of rest and closure. I never thought about Alice when replying to this question, but the title really conveys the sense of contentment and happiness to her otherwise unsatisfying life. At the end everyone seems comfortable with the decisions which have been taken, the life ahead and at peace with their perturbed lives.

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10. Discuss the significance of the title A Home at the End of the World. Does it suggest hope, despair, or both? Explain

 

I think the title conveys peace – after their turbulent life, everyone has managed to find a base where they feel they belong. Bobby knows he will always be the family’s point of reference, Jonathan is learning to accept himself (and the possibility that he could be ill), Erich is close to the end of his life, finally in a place where he is accepted and well taken care of. Even though Clare leaves the household, I think she does so with a changed mindset – she is part of something bigger, a family, and not a loner trying to fit into life on her own. Ned’s ashes are finally laid to rest close to the house, the boys have a thriving business where another gay couple works (more acceptance, the family becoming larger?) – they have definitely started to set some roots...

 

Surprisingly even Jonathan’s mother is finally at peace – she is doing a job she enjoys, and is sharing her life with an “unsuitable” younger man, so probably her old rebellious trait is coming out again in her old age!

 

Brilliant answer Shirleyz :)

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Hey guys, I apologise for not being here much the last couple of days, but I had tonsillitis, and fever, and did not feel like writing much.

 

Just wanted to thank everyone for taking part, it has been a great discussion, and everyone's input much appreciated. :)

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Hey guys, I apologise for not being here much the last couple of days, but I had tonsillitis, and fever, and did not feel like writing much.

 

Just wanted to thank everyone for taking part, it has been a great discussion, and everyone's input much appreciated. :)

 

Don't be worrying hen, I hope you feel better soon, take care. :hug: :hug:

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I am loads better now :) thanks Weave.

 

 

11. As a young mother, Alice says of her relationship with her son Jonathan and his best friend Bobby: “Sometimes in those days I thought of Wendy from Peter Pan—an island mother to a troop of lost boys” (p. 87). What do you think she means? How does the theme of “lost boys” figure into the novel as a whole? What role do the women play in relation to this theme?

 

 

Alice felt and behaved quite differently than the rest of her peers in Cleveland, with whom she felt no affinity whatsoever. She also has not much in common with her husband Ned. She found common ground with Bobby, the other ‘alien’ to Cleveland and consequently forged a strange friendship with him and with her son. She managed this because of the bond she developed with the two boys, a sort of mother figure who would join them on their adventures, ready to hand out advice, much like Wendy used to hand out ‘medicine’ to the boys on the island. Both Bobby and Jon were different children - both ‘lost boys’ in their own way, who needed a strong person to turn to. I think that first Alice and later even Clare were a Wendy figure to both Bobby and Jon throughout the novel at different periods of their lives.

 

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