At this point, we aren't at all sure where this journey will take him geographically other than his destination is Denver then LA. The sole reason for him going is because Bethany's body has been found in Los Angeles. I kind of think that Bethany's body in LA is kind of an excuse that even Smithy himself isn't directly aware of to go somewhere. He already has quite a bit of trauma at home with his parent's sudden death and his awkward encounter with Norma. I get the sense that he just needs to leave.
The physical changes he goes through seem quite immediate. He goes from beers and pretzels to fruits and tuna sandwiches without much hesitation or complaints. More surprisingly, he quits smoking on a dime with seemingly no remorse or desire to smoke again. We gradually get his transfer from a skinny runner to a fattening smoker in the past scenes and it almost makes sense. He starts gaining weight once he returns for war, which is completely understandable. It makes sense to start gaining weight and being depressed (but is he? he never mentions being specifically depressed) after returning from war after coming very close to death.
Among the things that Smithy does to make us adore him, is his love for Bethany. His love for his sister is completely unconditional and wonderful. He goes to great lengths to find and comfort her. She is the character the Smithy most often mentions, and he almost always mentions her in a positive light. When he is describing the things she does that would be considered odd and weird normally, he considers beautiful (i.e. her poses). Despite the fact that she is often acting crazy, Smithy still does his best to reason with her. I think it is kind of sad how we read all these endearing and cute chapters about what Smithy does in the past, but we know that eventually he will devolve into a drunk, chain-smoking couch-potato. Sometimes I wonder if this shapes how we view him in his past scenes.
Although Smithy should be considered a sort of hero in Bethany's life, I think the person he has saved most so far is himself. His journey has been nothing but healthy for him (asides from the bumps and bruises he acquires in random scenes), and he has been expanding his horizons (literally and figuratively) with his healthier food, soberness, and non-smoking, and he has started to notice the benefits of them.
Although Smithy should be considered a sort of hero in Bethany's life, I think the person he has saved most so far is himself. His journey has been nothing but healthy for him (asides from the bumps and bruises he acquires in random scenes), and he has been expanding his horizons (literally and figuratively) with his healthier food, soberness, and non-smoking, and he has started to notice the benefits of them.
I think it's kind of interesting that this journey isn't even really mostly about Smithy's health -- it seems to be just sort of a side-effect. He thinks about it every so often and says hey, I've lost weight! or he notices that it's easier for him to read but besides that he's just happily wandering across the country. It's cool that he's sort of inadvertently saving himself.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to think about how Smithy's relationship with Bethany, and the way he thinks of her, shapes how we view him. It makes me curious to want to see how his relationship with Bethany would of been if she were still alive and he were a fat, drunk, chain-smoker. I have a theory that Bethany may be mean to Smithy, but Smithy would still love her. This would further our sympathetic thoughts about Smithy, but this is only a theory.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Smithy has the overwhelming physical obstacle of crossing an entire continent on a bicycle in his late forties, a difficult feat at best, he also has a much greater problem that cannot be cured through the various health improving tactics: his various emotional problems caused by the death of his parents and Bethany, yet also due to his past with Norma. Overall, I believe that he will improve not only his health, yet also his emotional life by the end of the novel.
ReplyDeleteI think your point about how is Smithy actually depressed when he comes back from the war without realizing it is interesting and makes sense from his traumatic events both in the war and with Bethany. I also agree his journey has been healthy for him, but he has risked his life multiple times in the journey and could have died at least three times (hit by the car, nearly shot my Bill's son, shot by police) so I wouldn't say its completely good for him.
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