Random Writing #2: Chapter 4-6 Reading Journal

<Neverwhere> Chapter 4-6

 

 

 

                  Finding a symbol in a novel is like finding a treasure that your parents had hidden when you were young. It is thrilling and exciting. A novel is usually an imaginative story in which the author tries to deliver the theme in these symbols. You can actively understand the story by finding the hint and grasping the meaning in it. Thus, symbols that represent object or cases arouses questions and interesting ideas.

                  First of all, the conversation between the rat and Richard made me think of how to prove our existence. Richard tries to prove who he is to the lord Rat speaker in the underground by his library card and credit card. In the real world, we prove who we are by showing our identification card or student card. However, in the story these kinds of methods did not work. This gave me a question “What truly proves who we are?” After a long time of thinking, an interesting answer came across my mind. We can prove our existence and what kind of person I am by the relationship between people like family and friends. Richard could not prove who he was because he was eliminated from the memory of people in the Upper world. People around you can show who you are because they can explain what kind of experience they had with you. Thus, it made me realize how important relationship between people is in the above world.

                  Second the story of Anaesthesia and the Bridge allowed me to think about a life principle which is to take something we want by giving up something special. Anaesthesia was hurt in the above world and a rat brought her down. She seems to miss the above world because when she starts to tell her story to Richard she has her eyes fixed on the ground ahead of her. Richard asks if she ever tried to return to the above world, but she said “You can’t. It’s one or the other. Nobody ever gets both.” Plus, the bridge that you have to cross to go to the Floating market took Anaesthesia away. To Richard it was shocking but to Hunter who crossed the bridge together thought it was utterly usual. Through these incidents the narrator wanted to raise the common sense that you have to give up something to get something to the reader’s mind. We think it is obvious but we have to respect what we are giving up. It might be a person or even your life. The narrator wanted this to be valued.

                  Third, the Floating Market gave me a question about trust in our society. In the Floating Market, people sell unusual products such as dreams, weapons, rubbish, lost property, and candles. Also, they bargain things they want instead of using money. While Richard who was from the Upper world was observing this market he had a question “Why isn’t anyone stealing?” People in the underground can maintain this market because they trust each other. On the other hand, the above world does not trust each other so we have guards who check that we don’t steal. To be honest, it is really difficult to imagine this kind of market because I am too used to the society of no trust. Hence, the narrator wanted to criticize our society of no trust.

                  All in all, these chapters brought up 3 impacting ideas. It pointed out how to prove that we exist, the principle to give up something for something, and the real society of no trust. It is easy to just pass over obvious things around us. The author brought up the common sense around us to the surface to give us an opportunity to think about them.