Group+3+Meeting+Two

= Meeting Two: = Discuss the mood or tone of your book. What is the overriding emotion of this book? What examples back up your claim?

**Mood and Tone:** //Mood and Tone:// The overriding emotion of the book often switches between hope and despair. Whichever the case, Charlie's emotions - his joy, as well as his sorrow - determine the tone of the text. However, this section of the book focused more on hopelessness.

//Hope:// A few instances pull Charlie out of his depression. For instance, Charlie often remembers the forbidden kiss that Sam secretly gave him during the Christmas party. Charlie is also able to feel good when spending time with his friends and talking to them about things like music. Finally, Charlie develops a relationship with one of his other friends, Mary Elizabeth, after playing a major role in a rendition of //The Rocky Horror Picture Show//. The two go to a school dance together, and, for a time, Charlie is happy about this relationship. Everything seems to be going well for a while, but the positive tone of the book is often overturned by a more gloomy outlook.

//Despair:// As Christmas Day approaches, Charlie becomes more and more afraid of going to a "bad place" where he cannot see anything, thinks too fast, and sees the whole world spinning. Charlie often panics over trivial issues, such as not knowing what to get his father as a Christmas gift. He continues to mourn the death of his Aunt Helen; On Christmas Eve, a few years ago, Helen died in a car crash after leaving to purchase a birthday gift for Charlie (whose birthday is on Christmas Eve). Charlie remembers his family history of domestic violence and sexual abuse. He becomes even more depressed when he finds out that Sam (who he loves) had sex with her boyfriend, Craig. After taking drugs at a party, Charlie is found freezing, blue, and asleep outside in the snow. Chalie starts smoking ten cigarettes a day and is forced to see a psychiatrist. Charlie's girlfriend, Mary Elizabeth, starts to annoy Charlie; she is clingy, controlling, and never lets Charlie talk. At a party with his friends, Charlie is dared to kiss the "prettiest girl in the room." He chooses to kiss Sam (his crush) rather than Mary Elizabeth (his girlfriend). Thus, all of Charlie's friends hate him, and Charlie hates himself for being a phony and not confronting Mary Elizabeth about his feelings earlier on. Charlie begins to smoke pot and do anything he can to stop himself from thinking; he simply wants to cease to exist.

**Key Questions:** 1. //Why is Charlie so depressed around Christmas time?// Charlie's Aunt Helen died in a car crash on Christmas Eve a few years earlier. She died in an accident on her way to buy Charlie a birthday present. The two were very close, and she was his favorite relative.

2. //Why does Charlie wish// It's a Wonderful Life //was about Uncle Billy's life instead?// The main character of the movie, George Bailey, was an important man in the town; his life clearly had meaning. However Uncle Billy was just a fat, drunken man; Charlie wanted to know how someone like Uncle Billy could have a meaning in life.

3. //How does Mary Elizabeth change when she starts dating Charlie?// Mary Elizabeth starts becoming very clingy and far too talkative. She never lets Charlie say anything and her entire personality changes. Charlie feels like she is a phony and starts to dislike her.

4. //How did Charlie's relationship with Sam change?// Sam had sex with her boyfriend, Craig. Therefore, Charlie becomes very depressed. At a party, Charlie kisses Sam because he thinks she is the prettiest girl in the room. Sam is really mad at him for hurting Mary Elizabeth's feelings, and their relationship is now extremely strained.

5. //What are some significant changes Charlie goes through in this section of the book?// Charlie becomes more depressed and starts to smoke ten cigarettes and some pot each day. Charlie becomes slightly more mature and sexually aware. However, he also develops a greater sense of self-loathing because he sees himself as a phony. Therefore, Charlie wants to stop existing and no longer simply enjoys life.

**Meeting Summary:** Susan brought in Munchkins from Dunkin' Donuts for our group to share. Then, we talked about what we liked and what we disliked about this section of the book. In general, we like the book so far because we are able to relate to the events occuring in it. The style of the writing, how it is written in a more colloquial mannter, is also a nice change of pace. We found it strange that, when Charlie remembered his trip to the zoo, he recalled seeing a mother cow poop on a baby cow's head; at this, he laughed hysterically for hours. We also found it sad when Charlie's sister had to have an abortion. We talked about character development when we discussed the mood and tone of the book, and when we answered the key questions. The meeting was both successful and enjoyable.