Jojo in NonFic :0

At some point or another, I think many of us have heard of "healing generational trauma." Breaking problematic/abusive behaviors, refusing to make some of the mistakes of the previous generation. I think Julia is a fantastic example of this. We see her diagnosing problems in her parents' marriage. She subtly calls out her dad on his pyrrhic victory during the renovation project, which is a nod to her deeper understanding of their communication faults. As Jason notes, Julia always seems to find the appropiate excuse to escape a family dinner right before the fight or tension. She understands the conflict is inevitable and has found ways to exist outside of it. I think one of the best ways she builds a distinct future for herself is in her romantic relationship. Her own relationship exhibits none of the problems in the marriage she grew up in. Her own boyfriend is "cool" and kind to Jason. When he meets her family, he's confident, friendly, and nothing like th

The complexity of the story of Fun Home makes it relateable to many people who might not have the same experiences, but it also makes it extremely sad. Alison seems to be grasping at straws to understand her father better. It's true that people are complex and multifaceted and imperfect, and it's also true that she seems at least a little bit aware of her biases (e.g. calling herself out on lack of outrage with father's underage sexual relations). However, the entire structure of the book reveals her to be extremely lost. She tries to explain her father's death as a suicide in a convoluted attempt at connection. This example itself is sad to me, because it references a lifetime of neglect and apathy, yet the author meets it with hope and delusional trust. I see this with my close relationships as well. I think it's natural and loyal to try to have more grace and faith in those who matter to you even if some of their actions are surprising and questionable. That said

Dr. Nolan is a crucial figure in many of Esther's moments where she needs some reassurance and validation.  In the beginning of their relationship, when Esther expresses hesistance to reenter shock therapy after her traumatic experience with Dr. Gordon, Dr. Nolan immediately validates her experience. Esther was cautious to even tell Dr. Nolan-- “I gave Doctor Nolan a wary look. I thought the doctors must all be in it together, and that somewhere in this hospital, in a hidden corner, there reposed a machine exactly like Doctor Gordon’s, ready to jolt me out of my skin” (252). When Dr. Nolan firmly asserts that the experience was not supposed to be like that, and that it was bad because Dr. Gordon had made a mistake, she effectively sides with Esther. This sets a new precedent between the two, where any dishonesty in the form of professional "doctor-doctor relationship" reservations is not a risk. This also helps distance Dr. Nolan from other medical professionals Esther vi

I love Phoebe. Part of this is my bias from being very in my feels about my relationship with my older brother this week, but their relationship is iconic and THE moment. I think seeing this story makes you reflect on the potential power of having a sibling. It’s like a built-in friend. The social and emotional significance of having someone with the same family background and traumas, and then being able to grow up with that person is what saves Holden. In a world of condescending, misunderstanding, and jaded people, Holden finds respite in his siblings. He sees glimpses of the purity he’s seeking in nuns and martyrs in his life, but he returns to Phoebe because of the depth of understanding and relative permanence of family. I hesitate to feed into the “it’s your family” thread because it’s certainly not the case that you must love and trust your family. In Holden’s case, his parents have probably made him feel more isolated and traumatized more than they have ever helped. Yet even

 yay :D

 Before I am set free from the shackles of this semester, I have 3 more days of finals. This is the highest number of finals I've ever had, so I'm a little intimidated. Pray that physics is easy guys. On a brighter note, I bought some of my friends Christmas gifts. I feel like God when I wrap them. God and Oprah had a child and it's ME HOHOHO I think I've already partially slipped into the break mentality. A couple days ago I played a couple games of League (low, I know). The winds of freedom under my fingers, the elation in my heart, the voices of my friends cheering their support as I died again and again and again.... brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it. My mom's friend's daughter is coming over to visit for a couple days, and we're taking her to Chicago because the rest of Illinois is boring. My mom says I'm getting a haircut, so I've been agonizing over which haircut to get for the past few days. We could go bob, bangs, layered, black