Fatherly Love

It is at this point in the book where you begin to see a couple of the sources which cause Tommy`s unsatisfactory view of life. Most of them are in his own family. His wife Margaret, for example, doesn’t love him, and takes advantage of him by asking for large amounts of money to support their children. His feelings towards this are kept inside, simply accumulating until the point where Tommy might end up having a nervous breakdown. It is not his wife though, which causes the most remorse, but his father. Every son looks for the approval of their father, which normally requires hard work to attain. Although Tommy hadn`t really done much with his life, he still sought love from his dad, which was rarely granted. Dr. Alder (Tommy`s dad), is basically ashamed of what his son`s life has come to. He had accomplished great things during his day, and was very well known in the hotel Astoria. He hated to ruin his perfect image because of his unsuccessful son. Although Tommy appeared to view this situation as a lost case, deep inside he still wanted that father-son relationship which all happy families possessed. This makes me realize how serious bad parenting can be for a child. If only Dr. Alder had supported his son in the decisions he made, then Tommy would have probably developed more security and determination to succeed in life. Bellow gives several well described instances which perfectly show Tommy`s feelings towards his father. In chapter two, he writes the following, “Not long ago, his father had said to him in his usual affable, pleasant way, “Well, Wilky, here we are under the same roof again, after all these years.” Wilhelm was glad for an instant. At last they would talk over old times. But he was also on guard against insinuations. Wasn`t his father saying, “Why are you here in a hotel with me and not at home in Brooklyn with your wife and boys? You`re neither a widower or a bachelor. You have brought me all your confusions. What do you expect me to do with them?” ”(pg. 24). As you can see, Tommy is skeptical with every remark his father says. At the beginning of the quotation you can sense his desperate need to have a normal conversation with his dad. Once he begins to think about it though, he turns a perfectly normal and friendly statement, into a negative insinuation.

Going Nowhere

Not much has happened in the first fifteen pages of Seize the Day. We are only being introduced to a few characters, focusing mainly on Tommy Wilhelm. The story of his life is not one that we haven’t heard before. He never finished his education, hoping that one day he would become a famous Hollywood actor. His dad, a very successful and acknowledged doctor, obviously disapproved of his actions. The book is currently showing how Tommy eventually reached his forties and is now living in a hotel with his dad where mostly old and retired people stay. At this point of the story, I am simply waiting for something to happen, since the main character`s life seems to be quite dull and boring. This is will probably be the dominant tone in the story until Tommy actually changes his lifestyle. I can certainly relate this to the title though, Seize the Day, which basically means to take control of the moments and opportunities that life gives you. Tommy is doing practically the opposite of this. His life is greatly affected by his father’s criticism, which has greatly lowered his self esteem, making him think less of himself. The hotel he stays at, surrounds him of old people, who`s lives` are about to end. This represents the idea that Tommy`s life, just like those who he lives with, is not really going anywhere. The worst part of it all is that he has come to accept all of this and simply give up the dreams and aspirations he had as a young man. I am sure that at some point along the story, this middle aged, frustrated actor, will have some sort of anagnorisis, where he will realize where his life is headed. When this happens then exciting part of the book will begin.

Unfortunate Couples

Chapter nine in the Selfish Gene was very similar to chapter eight, and you can tell by the titles alone. Battle of the Generations, as I had explained in my last blog, was basically a competition between children over who would get the most parental investment. Battle of the sexes, on the other hand, talks about a competition between mates, or couples, over who gets to invest the least in their babies. It is in these two chapters where I begin to grasp the true selfishness of the selfish gene theory, and how it is applied much more to animals than to humans. Evidently, this has to do with the topic we had discussed in class a couple of days ago, where I was able to conclude that humans are a unique species on this planet thanks to our free will. According to the selfish gene, parents are more interested in having the most offspring possible than they are in actually taking care of them. Dawkins states, “Each individual wants as many surviving children as possible. The less he or she is obliged to invest in any one of those children, the more children he or she can have. The obvious way to achieve this desirable state of affairs is to induce your sexual partner to invest more than his or her fair share of resources in the child, leaving you free to have other children with other partners.” (Dawkins Pg. 146). This theory doesn’t have such a strong effect on humans as it does on animals. Our free will allows us to think what we wish to think, and do what we wish to do. If a single mother has a baby that she loves, she will probably take care of it instead of worrying about having more children with more men. In fact, many mothers decide to never have kids at all, using all types of contraceptives to avoid this. Although it is an act of selfishness, it is not the same as described in the book. In the case I described, mothers are more worried about themselves, whether they are still studying, working, or simply don’t wish to carry the burden of having a child to look after. Dawkins`s case of selfishness is when animals do certain things, like kill a sibling, or abandon a mate, just to increase their own possibility having the most amount of genes in the gene pool. This is generally the last thing on people`s minds. Nobody actually goes out into the world competing with each other to have the most amount children.