Canadian Books In Ontario Public Catholic -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Canadian Books In Ontario Public Catholic? Answer: Introducation The above quoted lines from the book, The Space Between by Don Aker, clearly indicate the existential angst felt by the central protagonist of the novel, The First Stone, by the same author (The First Stone). The novel is often seen to be a portrayal of the social issues faced by the adolescents in the present-day world (Bates). Some of the social issues faced by the adolescents in the present-day world are bullying, sexuality, suicide, peer pressure, teen gambling and various others (Bates). The novel has at its center, the character of Reef Kennedy, who suffers from existential crisis post the death of his grandmother as well his grandfather (The First Stone). Reefs grandmother is the only silver lining in his otherwise dark overclouded life and post the death of his grandmother he is thrown into despair and tries to relieve his pain as well as suffering by causing pain and suffering to others. It is often seen that the negative things of the past can be overcome through effective bonds of friendships and other relations in the present times. This is the thesis statement of the present essay. It is to be noted that at the beginning of the novel, the central protagonist of the novel is found to be careless person, who is trying to recuperate from the death of his grandmother. He is a confused person, who is sent from one foster home to another. He has finally made some new friends, who are helping him to overcome his past troubles. The feelings of Reef, at this point of time are similar to the protagonist of the novel, The catcher in the rye by James Salisbury, when he says that, Among other things, you'll find that you're not the first person who was ever confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior. You're by no means alone on that score, you'll be excited and stimulated to know. Many, many men have been just as troubled morally and spiritually as you are right now (Bloom). He and his group of friends have a hanging out spot, which is now going to get demolished. He is obviously disturbed by this news. It is at this point of time that he starts feeling, Pe ople are always ruining things for you (The First Stone). His friends are also having their own troubles. Jink, for example is having trouble with his mom, who feels that her son is on the path of self-destruction and thus she says, I tol him and tol him..I sez,you gonna get the shit kicked outta you if you keep spendin time with the likes a Rowdy Brewster. I kin take care s myself, he sezBut when did that boy ever listen tme?. Reef, who is suffering to come to terms with his own emotional problems and says, Mothers are all slightly insane(The First Stone). Reef is so angry with the news that their favorite hangout spot is going to be demolished that he wants to hurt the people, who are going to demolish the place. Therefore, he makes a plan to hurt the people, who are doing the demolition work and takes the help of his other friends. The conversation between him and his friend is interesting here, You sure about this? Bigger asked.Of course I wanna give Rowdy some payback (The First Stone). He tries to hurt them but gets caught in the act and runs away. He finally reaches a place where he thinks that he has finally outsmarted the demolishers. He picks up a stone and hurls it into the darkness to vent out his anger. The stone coincidentally goes and hits a car in which a young girl, Leeza gets hurt and she remains in coma for several months after that. Reef, is overcome by this incidence and is willing to pay the price for his actions. He confesses his crime and is sent to a rehabilitation center. The final stage of his journey begins i n the rehabilitation center, where he helps Leeza to recover from the stage in which he had put her in. The novel, The First Stone can be seen as a novel of sin and redemption just like the novel Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (Dostoevsky) and the poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Coleridge (Coleridge). It is important to note that Reef instead of running away from the act, which he has committed, accepts full responsibility for it and is willing to rectify it. The moral as well as spiritual regeneration of Reef begins at the rehabilitation center, where he comes to terms with his moral as well as spiritual depravity. It is interesting to note his own conception about himself when he says, Hallow. Depleted. A body that breathed (The First Stone). Reef at the rehabilitation center begins to question his own past and the kind of life that he has been living till now. His opinion about the words is significant here, He thought about words. Thought about which ones got said and which ones didnt. Like the words he wished hed said to his grandfather. All those times hed bitten them backReef thought about other words. The ones his grandmother used. And the ones he wished hed said to her (The First Stone). It is interesting to note that Leeza knows all along that Reef had a hand in her accident as well as the present condition in which she is right now, but she appreciates the help as well as the atonement that Reef is trying to achieve. She, just like Reef, believes that the negative things of the past can be overcome by the positive deeds of the present. In this context, it can be said that the author is trying to portray the central characters of the novel, as the haunted spirit of Dante in his The Divina Commedia, where he says that the human beings are like the haunted spirits of hell, who have no past as well as no future but only eternal present. Many critics even consider Reef to be a very conscientious character on the basis of his words, I put her in that place. Me. Like Rowdy did to Jink. Except Rowdy used his hands. Looked Jink in the face while he did it (The First Stone). It is also important to note the effort that Reef puts in the recovery process of Leeza. The effort is appreciated by the hospital staffs when they comment that, Shes been a different person since then-eating better, putting a hundred percent into her physio, really taking control of her recovery. Her change in attitude made a world of difference. And you made that happen, Reef (The First Stone). It is interesting to note that at the end of the novel both the characters Reef as well as Leeza consider that both of them can help each other in their healing processes. In this regard, the novel can also be seen as a story, about the choices that people make. Reef and Leeza, at the end of the novel had the choice to go back to their previous lives or they can start on their journey of self-regeneration by helping each other. Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes clear that the novel focuses on the growth as well development of the central character. Reef. In this regard, the novel can also be seen as a story of crime as well as redemption. The central character of the novel commits a mistake and in the rest of the novel he tries to atone for that mistake. It is also important to note that the novel also details with aspects of contemporary adolescent life bullying, peer pressure, sexuality, crime and various other aspects. It is important to note that the journey of Reef through the entire novel reinstates the overall thesis statement of this essay that the negative things of the past can be overcome by the positive relationships as well as the friendships of the present. References Bates, Catherine MF.Use of Canadian Books in Ontario Public and Catholic Intermediate and Secondary English Departments: Results of a Survey of Teachers of Grades 7 through 12. Ontario Book Publishers Organization, 2017. Bloom, Harold, ed.JD Salinger's the Catcher in the Rye. Infobase Publishing, 2014. Coleridge, Samuel Traylor. "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (text of 1834)."Poetry Foundation. Dostoevsky, Fyodor.Crime and punishment. Penguin UK, 2014. "The First Stone."Browseinside.Harpercollins.Ca, 2018, https://browseinside.harpercollins.ca/index.aspx?isbn13=9780006392866.