BEER Group Read. The looseness, the attitude

[Mark Kohut]

And that Maxine IS defensive shows she is defending her care against that American/NYC value of
independence......

----- Original Message -----
From: Bekah <bekah0176 at sbcglobal.net>
To: Michael Bailey <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com>
Cc: P-list <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Sunday, October 13, 2013 11:33 AM
Subject: Re: BEER Group Read. The looseness, the attitude

I loved that Maxine was walking her kids to school,  but feeling a bit defensive.  Those passages give the reader info about the age of the boys without actually giving specifics. They also give info about Maxine.  This is New York,  not Podunk,  and there are lots of unknowns on a NYC street from the traffic to strangers and construction debris.  

As a small town elementary school teacher for many years, I know that from Kinder through 2nd grade conscientious  parents walked kids to school a lot. There is a very(!)  busy street which goes right by my old school.    By 3rd grade most of the parents had quit the walk, depending in large part where they lived,  but there were a few hold-outs.  Many,  many (!) parents here drove the kids to school - even if only 3 blocks - all ages.  (Not feasible in NYC.)  Others,  living further than a mile,  took the bus.    Parents can be very safety conscious in this situation and get a wee-bit over-proctive.  (But there are also a few on the other extreme,  who send their kids walking alone to school on the first day of Kindergarten.  -  I rage!) 

Apparently Maxine and the boys were probably feeling that it was time they should be on their own.  -  Not too far from school but not across a side-street either.  Tells me they're probably 8 to 10 years old - 2nd to 4th grade.  (?)  -  But … no friends to walk with? (oh well)

Bekah





On Oct 13, 2013, at 8:53 AM, Michael Bailey <michael.lee.bailey at gmail.com> wrote:

> So - big spoiler, I guess...(scrollen Sie, por favor)
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> The frame tale is she's still walking the kids ta school,but feeling defensive about it, so the other shoe drops a-and by the end, she lets 'em go on their own
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