The Secret History

To live forever

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So I'm not sure if this has anything to do with TSH, but I will be reading The Goldfinch over the summer. I could post my reactions to it like I did with TSH, but then again, The Goldfinch doesn't have anything to do with TSH. I'd like to read TSH again and see if my thoughts have changed. (But it's just that I had the opportunity to choose The Goldfinch as my independent novel for this school year.) Please do tell me what you think!

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Book recommendations?

Now that I'm done with The Secret History (and done with the AP Lang project), are there any other books that you think I would enjoy? And should I continue reviewing them in the way that I did with TSH?

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Rhetoric Study:

This selection stood out to me. I thought it would help if I read it aloud.  This is where Richard realized that Julian is not who he seems to be. 

The first paragraph says that Julian is egotistical, but Richard still wants to see him. For the longest time, Julian has not been present. The events leading up to the murder, Julian wasn't there. Richard has been longing to see Julian. Richard wants Julian to see them in the same light, regardless of the fact that they killed Bunny. 

This passage says that although Julian is their teacher, someone they look up to, he is human. Like everyone in this world, Julian has something to hide, and has flaws. Julian wanted to feel better than everyone else, he was selfish and egotistical. Richard wanted Julian to weep. To finally show his feelings.  Like everyone else in the world, Julian is judged - by his colleagues, his students, everyone. 

To live forever.

(510-511)

(Music: Einaudi: Nuvole Bianche)

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Final Verdict

To be honest, I thought I would regret picking this book. I thought that it would be excruciating to get through. 

I loved seeing little tidbits of their lives. These were Richards thoughts, in his perspective. I put myself in his shoes - wondering what he wondered, discovered what he discovered. His unawareness of the events that occurred kept me on my toes.

Was the Greek group really who they said they were? Where has Julian been this whole time?

I'm glad that I chose this book. 

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Character Files: Charles and Camilla Macaulay

The Twins

Name: Charles Macaulay Gender: Male Occupation: Student (takes Greek with Julian) Religion: Catholic

Appearance:

blond hair

gray eyes

plays piano

nervous traveler (parents were killed in a car accident)

drinks A LOT

RUNS AWAY WITH A MARRIED WOMAN

Name: Camilla Macaulay Gender: Female Occupation: Student (takes Greek with Julian) Religion: Catholic

Appearance:

blond hair

gray eyes

looks too much like Charles

“bramble rose”

nervous traveler (parents were killed in a car accident)

statue of diana

“really pretty”

smokes

ALONE TAKING CARE OF HER GRANDMOTHER.

I can't describe one without describing the other. Out of everyone in the Greek group, I think these two are the worst. And I love them for that reason. I feel like the worst of Charles just got to him. He was paranoid but protective. Camilla is the only thing he has left in the world, and for Henry to take it away from him would cause Charles to be angry. Charles was very weak and lacks self confidence. On the other hand, to me, Camilla took advantage of him. Actually Camilla took advantage of everyone. She presented herself as this ethereal figure, when she was manipulative and selfish.

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Updated Character Files: Francis Abernathy

Name: Francis Abernathy Gender: Male (homosexual) Occupation: Student (takes Greek with Julian) Religion: Catholic

Apperance:

thin

angular

elegant

albino face

red hair

attempted suicide

UNHAPPILY MARRIED (arranged marriage)

I think Francis was one of my favorite characters. I was disappointed when he ended up with someone he didn't like. He said that he already found someone he wanted to be with. He said that his grandparents forced him to marry someone if he wanted money. Why should his sexuality change anything? I feel really bad for Francis.

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Updated Character Files: Bunny Corcoran

Name: Edmund "Bunny" Corcoran Age: 24 Gender: Male Origin: Connecticut Occupation: Student (takes Greek with Julian) Religion: Presbyterian?

Appearance:

wears glasses

6’3

sandy blond hair

blue eyes

slightly smaller than Henry

rosy-cheeked

the only person who can make Henry laugh

the only card game he knows is Go Fish

draws well

his parents are probably bankrupt

has a girlfriend (Marion)

sloppy

DEAD

Bunny somewhat represents loss of innocence. Richard took his life away from him in an instant. Not only that, but like Richard, Bunny became more aware of how horrible Henry was during his rituals. Henry was the only one who really knew Bunny, but Henry went behind his back. 

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Updated Character Files: Henry Winter

Name: Henry Winter

Gender: Male Origin: Missouri Occupation: Student (takes Greek with Julian) Religion: Catholic

Appearance:

dark haired

wears glasses

square jaw

coarse, pale skin

blue eyes

was roommates with Bunny freshman year

hates noise, company, messes

“hard to live with” - Bunny

“sort of rude” - Richard

works too hard

takes himself too seriously

knows 7 or 8 languages

father is a construction tycoon

had an accident (NDE) when he was little

hit by a car (scar on his right eye)

very nearsighted

only child

afraid of people taking advantage of him

“He’s not what you think he is”

DEAD

Henry is very isolated. 

He also has a relationship with nature. His last name is even Winter. It also says that Henry was obsessed with nature.

Henry was a mystery to me. I never knew what his next move would be or what he wanted to do with Richard. In my mind, he is the master mind of the Greek group. He did kill someone, but I don't think he's the worst in the group. I think he was only protecting the group, especially Camilla.

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Updated Character Files: Richard Papen

Name: John Richard Papen

Age: 28 (when he tells the story)

Gender: Male

Origin: Plano, CA

Occupation: Student (takes Greek with Julian)

Appearance:

long hair?

I'm not really sure what Richard looks like. He doesn't describe himself a lot. I vaguely remember him saying that he needed to cut his hair. And he was also fairly attractive

Fish out of water

only child

has issues with parents

tries to escape reality

was majoring in pre-med

studied ancient Greek

hated pre-med and studied literature instead

his favorite book is The Great Gatsby

he doesn't like croquet

Richard represents the American dream. Although he doesn't stereotypically "go west," he is presented with many opportunities in Hampden. With this transition, he also has to be self reliant. He doesn't have his parents to help him. This shows when the Greek group leaves for winter break and Richard refuses to piggy back off of them. He would rather suffer than rely on another to prove that he is good enough to be living alone.

Richard also represents loss of innocence. He was naive when he decided to pursue studying with Julian. When he eventually discovers the group's secrets, he realizes that some of his first impressions were very wrong. 

This leads to isolationism. Richard has always been alone. From the start of the novel, his parents didn't care for him. He was alone. When interacting with the Greek group, he thought he was happy because he had friends. But he knew inside that he didn't know them well enough and he was still alone. At the end of the book, he tells us how other people are doing, and what he's done. He dates Sophie Dearbold, but they eventually break up, leaving Richard alone. And his dream with Henry reminds him that he's alone.

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Image Study #4

This is the last scene in the book. Richard dreams about Henry. For some reason, this dream gave me hope. I feel like Henry finally found peace.  They're both unhappy, but at least they were able to find closure.  But of course Henry leaves in the typical Henry fashion.  I thought this was the perfect ending.

[allthingseurope]

Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow (by n.miloradovic)

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Henry was only trying to protect Camilla. They really do love each other.  He wanted to protect Camilla because Charles was harmful to her. Charles was physically abusing her.

And Camilla loved Henry so much that she refused to marry Richard.

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None of them are happy.

Francis was forced to marry someone he doesn't like.

Camilla has to take care of her grandmother

Charles ran away with a married woman.

And Richard is all alone.

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They're all broken. Just like after Bunny's death. The group couldn't stand each other. When Henry died, they all went their separate ways. Even Camilla and Charles haven't talked. 

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So Charles is missing and Francis and Richard go looking for him. They searched the bars, the campus, everywhere. They end up at Camilla's hotel and they see Henry's car parked there. They tell Camilla that Charles has gone AWOL.

THEN CHARLES SHOWS UP WITH A GUN. Wanting to kill Henry before Henry kills him. 

Charles started shooting, hitting a window AND HITTING RICHARD.

Charles and Henry continue fighting and no one pays attention to Richard. 

The Innkeeper finally notices, and before they get caught Henry takes the gun, tells Camilla that he loves her, and shoots himself. 

The last sacrifice. 

(536)

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They all loved Julian. He was pretty much their father figure. Especially Henry's.

Wasn't Julian supposed to help them through this? He just abandoned them. 

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Julian left. But why?

(513)