The Sleepy Conscience Club discussion

page 61.

"You could tell by all the trucks covered with hardened clay that were trying to park along the streets by women, with most of the men overseas. They drove them pretty well, too, and it made me think of how people can sometimes do things you never would have thought they could."

I think this passage sums up a lot of Tooles early epistemology. He thought he could do anything. He was that kid that knew he was capable of obtaining the pinnacle. He offed himself because he realized the world generally does not reward or encourage genius but often resents it and will have a heavy hand in suppressing it. Toole was brilliant but not a fighter.

As to the chapter. I was impressed with the pace and style of young David telling his story. Then was equally impressed with young Toole maximizing his talents in order to write for Bobbie Lee. The style changes dramatically and the book deviates from a child's memoir to a polished preacher giving a sermon. Very well done

As too the story Aunt Mae continues to be a matriarch in young David's life, he learns from her gallivants and trysts. I believe he see's that life is meant to be fun and he deserves to be able to smile and dance despite what Bobbie Lee thinks about the behavior.

Although I don't think Bobbie Lee is trying to perpetrate an elaborate ruse. I think he believes its for the best if people live a structured God fearing existence. Bobbie Lee is trying to help people the best he can. Save there souls and prevent people from succumbing to the temptations of the Devil.

Back to David, I think David sees Bobbie Lee for what he is, generally well-intentioned. I think the Deacon is not well-intentioned, and David will continue to have problems with the Deacon and his wife. They are definitively the antagonists.

I think that is all I got.

I was thinking about whether or not it is possible for the author of a fiction novel to be sexist if he is not sexist. For instance If you are an Author and you are not sexist but you write a fiction book that has tones of sexism in it does that make you the author sexist, or does it just make the reader an idiot. Another for instance, if you write murder mysteries does that make you a murderer. Or does it make the person who reads your books and accuses you of being a murder an Idiot.

Unless Jordan writes a nonfiction essay about some Women being Idiots for thinking that a man is sexist because characters in his books have tits and wear skirts because that's the style that women wear and they are anatomically correct in his fiction book then he might be a jerk for wasting time to write an essay about some Idiot women. But even that still does not make him sexist. But it sure does reinforce the idea that a women who might call him a sexist is without a doubt an idiot.