| At this point, I have read about two thirds of The Last Picture Show, and I am intrigued by the story. There has not been much of a plot this far, though. The story mainly consists of three main things: Descriptions of the physical level between couples, Sonny and his new pal Ruth, and weird occurences that would never happen in real life.
McMurtry goes into great detail when describing what the couples do in their spare time. He spends too much time describing how intimate they get, and the situation constantly appears in his writing. He puts a lot of emphasis on it- it's like he wants the reader to feel like they're there, in the midst of things. "After the proper amount of kissing Sonny deftly unhooked her bra. This was the signal for Charlene to draw her arms from the sleeves of her sweater and slip out of the straps. Sonny hung the bra on the rear-view mirror. So long as the proprieties were being observed, Charlene liked being felt; she obligingly slipped her sweater up around her neck." (21) But McMurtry doesn't stop there- he keeps going. He puts so much emphasis on this that it makes it awkward. It is one of those books that I feel awkward reading in public because I feel that people will know what I am reading and will judge me. Sometimes, he just goes too far. Although it sometimes gets a little awkward, it makes it an easy read, so I am not complaining.
McMurtry also puts alot of emphasis on the relationship between Sonny, Ruth Popper, and his coach, Mr. Popper. He tells many stories about the guys' experiences with Coach Popper. But he frequently talks about Sonny and Ruth together, which I guess kind of ties in with what I just talked about before. He finds a way to talk about how Ruth cheats on her husband with Sonny in almost every chapter. I know there is a reason he emphasizes their relationship, I just have yet to figure it out. Hopefully I'll find out soon.
"Ruth got her dress off, but when she bent to pull the slip over her head one of the straps caught on a bobby pin-for an awkward moment she could not get the slip loose. Her face was hidden in the silk. Sonny moved to help her, but just as he did she tore it loose and looked up at him with a wry smile, as if to comment on her awkwardness." (117)
Events in this book are very weird, awkward, and downright inappropriate. (This contains adult material- beware.) There are two parts in this book that I need to talk about. One involves a large party that consists of skinny dipping, and a creepy younger brother. The other involves bestiality. When I first read about the naked pool party, I was shocked. McMurtry described a party in a pool where no clothes were required. "'That's my little brother Sandy' Bobby Sheen said. 'Don't pay any attention to him-he's not in the club. He just likes to swim under water with his mask on and look at girls" (94) This quote sums up the attitudes of the people that Jacy wants to hang around. They don't care about anyone but themselves. I don't know why Jacy would want to hang around them anyway.
Another strange event that I felt extremely awkward reading was when all of the boys went down to a farm to have sex with a blind cow. I have never felt more uncomfortable reading a book than I did the moment I read this. They grew up thinking that this was normal. "The farm kids did it with cows, mares, sheep, dogs, and whatever else they could catch. (103.) McMurtry makes this sound completely normal for the town of Thalia- I could not be more thankful that I did not live in Thalia during that time period The other strange aspect of this was that the boys stood around and watched people rape the cow, like it was no big deal. This story will scar me for the rest of my life.
But other than the weird events, this book is pretty good. It is fascinating to see what a small Texan city was like back in the day. It is intriguing because it allows the reader to get into the character's heads, and to see what a small Texan town was like back in the day. |
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