Maps to Anywhere 2nd Half

For the second half I got a little confused, but for the most part it seemed like a flashback from the beginning of the book. Some new characters were introduced, like Lester and Cora, and also Bernard's aunt. I liked the big story from the part of The House Of The Future. This story starts off with Bernard and his mother and father going to Tomorrowland to see this futuristic house model. Bernard is fascinated and starts to imagine what it would be like to live in this house. How much easier it would be if his family lived in this house. It goes into grave detail about the different aspects of the house and the amazing features that come with this house. One thing that, or person, that isn't at this tour of Tomorrowland, is Bernard's brother Gary. In the first half he is only mentioned once or twice and he is already dead in the first half. This half and especially this story is more about his death and how the family coped. That is what I am going to focus on mostly.

"I pictured the progress of my brother's disease as a gathering of dark clouds that closed off any avenue of light, clusters of heavy, tentative drops, a downpour held in suspension for a year. Below it stood our stucco house, my parents wishful within its walls, Father postdating payments on our car, mother blowing ghostly smoke" (101). Gary's illness is progressing and starting to really effect the rest of the family. I think it is really strange that they compare the disease to a gathering of clouds that close off avenues, right before a thunder storm. This made the disease seem like it was sudden and the family was not expecting it to be this bad or progress this quickly. It hit the family hard, by the line that talks about the Father not paying the car payment and the picture of the mother just sitting in a chair smoking cigarettes repeatedly, starring off into space.

"It rained the evening my brother died. As we drove home from the hospital, another city was reflected in the pavement, its palm trees smeared, its marquees incoherent, its upturned towers sunk in puddles. Father drove the Plymouth slowly, apologizing for every wrong turn. Mother slumped in the front seat, sedated with a dose of Miltown, unable to lift her cigarette, softly asking "Where's my son? Swimming with the stars?" (101). The dreadful feeling that comes after you finally realize your loved one is gone. Not knowing what to do or say to each other so just riding in silence. Every thing around seems so dull and lifeless. Nothing is beautiful anymore. His father isn't paying attention to where he is driving anymore. It seems to just be automatic to him at this point, except he keeps making mistakes. His mother can't even puff a cigarette because it hurts so bad. The pain is almost physical. Mother wondering why it had to be her son, why he had to be taken away from her already.

This section was a little bit of a debby downer. Especially the future home section. It was so detailed that I could picture the progression of his brother, getting worse and worse as time goes on. Bernard trying to ease the pain by keeping his brother distracted, but in the end realizing it was a lost cause. Mother scrubbing and disinfecting Gary's room, almost as if he was contagious, which in turn probably made Gary feel even worse than he already did… She tried to get him help but also made him feel like he was alienated by disinfecting his room like he was a germ himself. I think Bernard was affected the most because he did spend so much time with Gary. They would swim together and play board games or  guessing games. Like Gary was gone in physical sense but never in mental sense.