The ouroboros or uroboros (/ˌjʊərəˈbɒrəs,
ˌjʊəroʊ-/, from the Greek οὐροβόρος ὄφις tail-devouring snake) is an
ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail.
AGENDA:Blog post:
5. One of the few things that we know for certain about John is that he loves Kathy. But what does John mean by love? How do John's feelings for his wife resemble his hopeless yearning for his father, who had a similar habit of vanishing? In what circumstances does John say "I love you"? What vision of love is suggested by his metaphor of two snakes devouring each other? Why might Kathy have fallen in love with John?
WRITING: Work on your stories
Thursday, March 17 Master class with Sonja Livingston
When John Wade says "I love you," he says it when he is plagued by his past, either his father or his time spent in Vietnam in the Charlie Company. He is obsessed and completely dependent on her, like someone might be alcohol or drugs, but not truly in love. His metaphor of snakes is not romantic, it is horrifying. He is talking about how they will love each other so much, they will destroy each other, and only one will come out alive. Kathy might have fallen in love with John, either because of the whole "I can fix you" weakness some people have, or because she is fascinated by him. Perhaps she finds his dependency on her attractive. Or she became obsessed with him as much as he was with her. "I guess Kathy loved him so much she couldn't see what was happening all around her. Like this pixie dust. Sprinkle on the love, you end up fooling yourself," (96).
ReplyDeleteRashi'd, Rosalia, Kadejah
ReplyDeleteThe snakes devouring each other suggest that the love that him and Kathy share if it doesn't work neither one of them would be able to make it without each other. John is basically trying to show his dependence on Kathy that he has and he needs her in a way to stay a live. John "love" doesn't really happened until his past starts to torment him, his past experiences which had the effect on making him feel the love he shared. "I love you he wrote back, and I hope someday you'll believe in me"
When John says he loves Kathy he means he can love her as much as his father loved him.His love for her was limited like his fathers love for him. Kathy had the habit of vanishing during her affair to be with her mistress.John mentioned that he loved Kathy when he brought up the subjects of the snakes. "And I love you Kath. Just like those weirdo snake." (O'Brian, pg. 61). The snakes eating each other was a metaphor saying that they cant live without each other.
ReplyDeleteJohn loves Kathy like how he loved his father as a child . He brings up that he loved her when he mentions snakes. "I love you. Just like those two weirdo snakes I mentioned. One plus one equal zero!" (O'Brain, 91) The metaphor of the snake eating means that they'll infinitely love each other and can't live without each other. Kathy loves him because she is fascinated by him and that she wants to fix him of whatever he's tormented mentally about.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, Reyenne
Jahde Janelys and Jasmina
ReplyDeleteThe snakes describe him and Kathy's love for each other. Without one, the other wouldn't prosper in this endless process. John is showing how dependent he is on her and confessing his love for her and how he can't live without her. He really shows his love once he starts to go crazy. She loves the mystery that he represents.
I think that john’s love for Kathy is like more of an obsession or really strong passion. I think the stalking her and always following her come from his father always ignoring him so john has this need to know every little thing about her and know where she is so she can’t do him like his father did. Or the writing of the weird letters is for reassurance of his love for her to keep her attention. I don’t think he is in love with her he just loves her as a person he is dependent on for being there for him always because he never really got that from his father. The snake metaphor suggests he is so passionate for her that their love for each other will come to destroy each other and that is scary. Kathy might have fallen in love with john because he gave her so much attention and it was distracting to the rest of the problems going on in her life.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in his hearts of hearts John does hold love for Kathy but at the same time I believe that he has at least in some way has been corrupted or changed by the war that makes it almost impossible for him to really love someone in a even remotely normal. John is obsessed with her and at the same time is not always fair to her or her needs or wants. And she on the opposite side seems to hold a leave for him that is partially one that even she does not understand but could be because she has some hope of fixing John or making him better. Their relationship is toxic to it's very core and the ouroboros that John gives to her is a symbol of this. Two are hopelessly grasping for the things that they really want from one another and are doomed to destroy each other.
ReplyDelete-Cameron Bennett
I believe that the love john has for Kathy is there, there is no doubt about it. Although being mentally scared from the war he cant show his emotions to her, and the snake kind of represents that there relationship will not work if one or the other are apart from each other.
ReplyDeletehe is scared to share his love with her because his dad who always seem to leave him twisted in the wind and he doesn't trust to let people in anymore. Kathy might have fallen in love with john because he gave her so much attention and it was distracting to the rest of the problems going on in her life.
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