TIL that my book club's debate about character motives hit different after one member said something simple

I was arguing with my friend Jen last Thursday about whether the main character in 'The Road' was selfish or scared. She said 'he's just trying to keep his kid alive, same as any dad' and it made me rethink the whole book. Has anyone else had a random comment from a member totally flip how you saw a story?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisar141mo ago

Jen said something similar in our group about Gatsby and it clicked for me too.

uma_wilson791mo ago

That thing you said about it clicking for you, @lisar14 - that's exactly how I felt when I finally got Gatsby's deal. He's not just some rich guy throwing parties, he's trying to buy his way back to a moment that's gone forever. It took me two reads in high school to figure that out, lol. But once you see it, the whole book changes. And the green light at the end? That's just him staring at what he can't have, same as any of us done at some point in our lives.