Both present and past Smithy are constantly judging women on their physical appearance and it's really starting to creep me out. Throughout the novel, McLarty has made the reader feel close to Smithy, and that they can trust him because of his honesty. He is constantly making negative comments about himself and has truly told us his entire story, even the parts he told us he wanted to leave out. However I think McLarty might have gone too far by telling Smithy's thoughts about the female body. Ever time we encounter a female character, the first thing Smithy tells the reader is her breast size. Some may argue giving us these personal details makes Smithy seem like a more reliable narrator, and while it does make us feel more close to what Smithy was thinking, for me it is a little too far and makes me not like Smithy as much as a person. Smithy is always so self conscious about people judging him by his outside appearance because he is insecure about his weight. However ever time he encounters a female character, the first thing he thinks is a comment about her body and I think its a little hypocritical.
While I am very proud of Smithy for all the progress he has made both internally and physically, he needs to stop constantly obsessing over women's bodies.
While I am very proud of Smithy for all the progress he has made both internally and physically, he needs to stop constantly obsessing over women's bodies.
Yeah, this bothers me a little, too, and I don't know enough about what guys are thinking to know whether or not this is something a lot of them actually do. I think I understand it more with his teenage self--hormones, etc. Once you get into the middle aged range, it just feels kinda creepy.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that this is really creepy, but I feel that it's necessary for Smithy. Sure, he's pointed out a lot of his flaws, but he's slowly changing, and these flaws aren't as true for him anymore. I feel that this boob weakness o Smithy's can be his fatal flaw. It's something that could easily bring about his downfall and show that he isn't invincible. At this point, I'd like to know he isn't invincible because he's survived being shot (multiple times), getting hit by a truck, getting the pee beat out of him, falling asleep and waking up in a blizzard, and being a fat guy biking across the country after not exercising for years and not getting a heart attack. He needs some weakness that will bring about his defeat.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that Smithy is a very lucky guy for overcoming so many different obstacles where he probably could have died. However I don't know if his "boob weakness" is a fatal flaw that will bring about his defeat, but it does make the reader question what he really values in women. The only people he doesn't comment on their physical appearance is Norma and Bethany, so maybe it has to do with respect.
DeleteI understand where you are coming from on this topic, but I think that it works with Smithy. We know Smithy thinks positively about every person -- he's just not a negative guy. And keep in mind, Norma and Bethany are the only two women (apart from his mom) that he has really had contact with for a long period of time. So when he is finally out and about, noticing the world which he has missed out on for such a long time, he is attracted to the thing that he last really payed attention to: boobs. As someone said in class, Smithy is very much stuck in that 14 years old (American) mindset
DeleteI actually completely agree with you on this. I never really realized that there is something to be said for the fact that he doesn't want to and definitely shouldn't be judged on this physical appearance that he talks so self-deprecatingly about, yet he seems to almost judge the various women he encounters based on their breasts or "nice little bottoms". It isn't at all fair for us to discuss how Smithy's initial physical unattractiveness shows nothing about who he is when he constantly ogles over physical attractiveness. I'm glad you brought up this point, it makes me think of Smithy a little differently.
ReplyDeleteAgreed agreed agreed agreed. I mean I can't totally blame him for his opinions or whatever but the way he talks about it is pretty disgusting. If those women heard him talking about them like that they probably wouldn't be very flattered, and even as readers we feel uncomfortable. The hypocritical thing is very true and brings up an interesting side of Smithy that we haven't really talked about. Maybe somehow it makes him feel better about himself?
ReplyDeleteI agree that this tendency of Smithy's is kind of inappropriate and almost creepy at times. He does, however recognize this (although takes no action to curb this behavior) I do remember him saying something about knowing it was weird but not being able to help it, which is a bit hard to buy, because we know Smithy is a very determined character. Nonetheless, this is certainly a flaw in his interior character that he probably underestimates the significance of.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason that he thinks that way is why he is so insecure about his weight. Since he judges people based off of their body, he assumes that everyone judges him that way too.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, Smithy does not describe a single pair of breasts that he doesn't like. He seems to accept them, big or small. It is just that he notices them every time!