Review: The Elegance of the Hedgehog and Sarah's Key

Key
Elegance

Spoiler Alert: I may ruin the plot twists if you read this; however, I may entice you to enjoy the stories if you read this.

I was sitting back in my chair with my copy of The Elegance of the Hedgehog<, reflecting on the story, when Sarah's Key slammed into my thoughts. There are so many connections and crossovers.

Both follow the lives of a girl and a woman separately until the story lines cross. However, Sarah's Key the the girl is in WWII and the woman in contemporary, and the Hedgehog's two protagonists are contemporary. The stories both center around apartment buildings in Paris. Both stories delve into the power of personal destiny and the power of the individual. All the characters change due to interaction with one another. The stories have to do with the role that self-knowledge and self-perception play in our lives and ability to interact with each other.

The girls in both stories struggle with their power to impact others. Sarah is a fighter; she both saves and harms someone. But, her plan could have worked if her parents would have helped. Paloma at first finds it pointless to fight and then changes her mind. Paloma discovers the key to life is to engage rather than to observe. Sarah cannot escape her engagement. It seems as if the authors use the young characters as a canvas to paint out how determined and shaped a person is by when, where and to whom she is born. I guess the same is true too of the older ones. It reminds me of J. Alfred Prufrock's question "Do I dare disturb the universe?"

The older protagonists are changed as well. Julia is a restless fighter too; she has to discover the truth regardless of the cost. The status quo holds no power over her, yet in the end the status quo wrecks her life. But, she is willing to bear the brunt. Whereas, Renee is bewitched with her understanding of the status quo and what it requires of her.

Both stories preach the power of kindness and selflessness (Ozu and the farming couple) and the necessity of being willing to receive other's generosity (of spirit and stuff). Both are very tight, complete stories, which, luckily, is something that my mom taught me to appreciate. They are not wholesome stories in the Focus on the Family or Disney sense with a safe story line with clear black and white boundaries. They're good stories in that they all strings of idea are tied together and accounted for. They're beautiful in their willingness to explore and redeem seeming ugliness. Is it possible for something good to be born out of something bad? These brilliant stories answer yes.

I remember going to see The Departed with my mom. We met a couple from the church I grew up who was leaving the theater in disgust-- they couldn't get over the violence and language. My mom and I listened to their distressed comments, and then went to the movie. My mom wryly observed afterwards, "I believe we saw very different movies." I'm glad I grew up in a Christian family that wasn't appalled by four-letter words or anger or violence. I wasn't raised to be fearful or ignorant, but to believe in a good and powerful God who enjoys beauty and story and is bigger than any evil.

I think integral to any well-constructed story is hope. There's always the capacity/chance for the character to grow and be changed-- in essence to experience grace. However, the character doesn't have to capitalize on the opportunity. In these stories, all the protagonists are open to grace even though they don't escape evil. There is the beauty.








A wiki overview of the book.

Reading Scripture

Reading Scripture is always a good thing. It is especially good when I get to the read the Old and New Testament readings during the worship service! Can I tell you how much I love doing this? It's like asking a fish to swim laps. A pigeon to deliver a note. A ferret to ferret. A rainbow to curve.

The answer: It's beautiful, mysterious, natural, and perfect. Oddly enough, it's a chance to get to use my seminary education. Any reading is an act of interpretation. I study some commentaries to make sure I get the emphasis correctly. I practice because it improves my reading and intonation. I really think God can use his Scripture to speak into a person's life sans sermon. I don't want to hinder the power of the Word and the Spirit.

Plus, let's face it: I'm a nerd. It's a really good devotion, and I'm prepared to hear the sermon. It's really nice to read out loud. I forget this because I'm always in a hurry.

This reading business has been a really pleasant gift of high church. I've always bemoaned the fact I have no gifts that can be used in worship. One time I joked with a friend, "Maybe I can run laps for the offertory." But, this is a really odd junction of my unique self fitting into the body of Christ. It's quite nice really. Can you tell I'm reading Romans 12:1-8 and Psalm 138 tomorrow? But not in that order.

I've gotten a lot of compliments and thank yous for my reading and voice. Who knew? My favorite compliment went like this, "You understand the concept of the comma." So, it's ever so nice and ever so rare for the x (my enjoyment) and y (usefulness) axis to converge on me like this.

quotidian rhymes with branch davidian

Some people think the rapture is happening this Saturday. That should put a little pep in your step if you're into that kind of thing. Of course, that makes me think about my first year of teaching when I planned a field trip to the Raptor Center. A lot of my pentecostal and other fundamental-ish students were interested how a Rapture Center would work. I then got to explain the pun. But, I can't see that misunderstanding happening in too many parts of the world.

The next four weeks of school are going to be pandemonium. There's an advantage to knowing that, I guess. I also know that the chaos will fly by.

My Sunday night Bible Study is on the Sermon on the Mount. We studied "love your enemies" tonight. The whole study has been challenging. Tonight my take away was that loving my enemies ultimately comes down to trust in God. I'm also developing a passion for Psalm 37. I'm always taken back how deeply imbedded the Psalms and Pentateuch are in Jesus' words. He knew Scripture. Of course, he is the Word. The Sermon on the Mount is a good reminder of the mystery and challenge of the Christian faith. I'm not sure how Jesus would feel/react to followers being concerned about figuring out the date of the rapture-- or about other ones judging them.

(I wrote this May 15th-- so the dates are a little off.)

excitement with numbers

I'm really excited about my birthday! I'm turning 32 on Monday, May 2. You're thinking, "Um, okay. You're getting old." But, you're missing the momentous coolness of this birthday.

32 is 2 to the 5th power (2x2x2x2x2). And the second of May is 5/2. Therefore, I'm turning 2 to the 5th on 5/2. It's like inverted genius. You know how people have golden birthdays: it's the year you turn the date of your birthday. In case you're unfamiliar with this concept, my birthday is the 2nd, so my golden birthday was when I turned two. My sister's birthday is on the 14th so hers was when she turned 14.

But, what is awesome about tomorrow's birthday is that it incorporates the day and the month... and EXPONENTS. I feel that this is omen of awesomeness for the year! Who knows what's going to happen? I may meet my soulmate, travel to India, write a best-selling novel, learn Hebrew, develop all the fruits of the spirit, get the coolest job ever or get accepted into a dream PhD program without applying. God's into numbers-- read Revelation. Then again, he's not into numbers in a Nostradamus sort of a way.

Plus, I'm really digging my thirties. I'm more relaxed and cooler. I was on this first date ("the interview" as my brother calls it) with this guy who was 32. He was talking about how old we were. I was thinking, "Speak for yourself!" It was our only date. I agree with my favorite professor's take on aging; he said the only thing he missed about his twenties was his body. He didn't miss the neurosis, the self doubt, the drama-- just the six-pack abs and being able to swim a fast mile.

cage match: gutsy v. prudent

"Dream no small dreams, for they have no power to move the hearts of man." - Goethe

I'm full of angst about getting my certification. I could secure my job for next year by enrolling in 5 education classes by June 30th. But, I don't want my job for next year. This whole week I was full of dread about going back. But, it's a tough economy and I have no guarantee for a job. And, I know what it's like to be unemployed.

There's always the option of keeping my job, and letting it be just that-- a job. But, I have no respect for people who treat teaching like that; it's not like you're merely filing papers. I believe it's relational-- even soulful. It requires passion for the student and the material. I feel used (to the point of feeling dirty) and completely unappreciated when I enter the classroom. There's an hour of my day that isn't a fight.

How do you know if you're seeking God's will or calling your desires God's will? How do you know you're being good and true versus being lazy and impatient? And by "you", I mean "me". Three years seems a long time to me, but by Biblical standards, it's nothing. I haven't had some sage say to me, "Young Grasshopper, it's time for you to change jobs."

I am having a change of heart in regards to Charlotte as I mentioned in my previous post. Yet, I'm growing more restless with my job. That's problematic. But, as I was running this evening, I was thinking about having to pry my faith out of the context of the American dream. I so want a good life. But, I want it both ways: I want a comfortable middle class life and a fulfilling job. I want to grow in my knowledge of and relationship with God without any cost or discomfort.

Kierkegaard wrote, "Purity of heart is to will one thing." Monasticism has the idea of singleness of heart, too, even though most people claim it has to do with living alone. (Newsflash: monks have never lived alone-- even the hermits in the desert had lose federations that gathered for worship and functioned as support. And, the hermits were known for their hospitality.)

So just writing these paragraphs has helped me to reframe my question. Maybe I'm too focused on what I'm doing... or not doing, when I should be focused how I'm doing it, with what attitude and for whom. I want it both ways in wanting to be significant by God's standards and by the world's standards. I want to impact people's lives and get a spread in O magazine sharing with people how awesome I am. Some believers manage, but they're few and far between. This reminds me of what my writing prof at Regent would tell us about our writing: "You're in charge of the depth. God's in charge of the breadth."

I want a job that I get my undisclosed strengths. I like writing, reading, thinking, planning, communicating. I also like doing and moving around. The Johnson O'Connor told me that I should teach, write or start my own business. And, they said I should teach adults. So, maybe, once again, I've hit on something. I could volunteer and maybe lead a Bible study at my church for practice. I could look into teaching at Community Colleges and GRE programs and literacy programs.

Prudence used to be girl's name; it isn't any longer. I don't think we see it as a worthwhile character trait anymore. We've replaced prudence with greed and self-reliance, which aren't nearly the same thing.

public transit ain't American

Last night I confessed to my sister that I'm actually coming to a truce with Charlotte. It's to the point that I even bought some "art" for my apartment. It is a pretty city... beautiful trees, grass, brick, skyscrapers, cemeteries, funky little restaurants, daffodils. It smells good at night. There are things to do... even if you have to go into public places and ease drop in order to find out. There is art... even though it's locked up most of the time in pretty museums. There are cool people casted as bankers, housewives and other drone-like roles. There's good running in walking in some areas. I saw an owl on my street last week, which was cool after I got unfreaked out from seeing it fly in peripheral vision.

But there's one thing I hate: being dependent on a car. I don't like to drive. I resent having to own a car and spend tons of time in traffic. Of course, I pointed out to her that I lived for three years in Vancouver without a car. I survived with a bike and a bus pass-- that's the good life. I didn't have a car in Japan either. My rational and relentlessly intelligent sister asked, "What American cities that you'd want to live in have good public transit?" I started to hem and haw. New York. She said, "It's probably the best the US has to offer, but you still can't get across Central Park on public transportation. The metro has crappy hours. The El and T are problematic. And, MARTA is a total joke." I pointed Portland has good transport, but my sister doesn't really consider Oregon and Washington as legitimate parts of the US. They're misallocated Canadian provinces to her way of thinking. This is to say she ignored me.

She said, "Germany has excellent public transit. It also has a different tax system, culture and mentality. Public transit goes against our fierce individuality and our resistance to government involvement and control."

She's right. It's not just Charlotte; it's anywhere in the US. I've fought feeling at home here all of my life for just and unjust causes alike. I guess I'm going to file public transit as a lost cause.

rejection

Adventure and risk are exciting and exhiliarating, but rejection is no fun. I had an amazing couple of weeks of adventure: interviews, dates, etcetera. But, then, there's the waiting time. Then, there's the no thank you. I got a rejection letter from a school I interviewed with two weeks ago. Then, to add insult to injury, I got a rejection letter from a school I did NOT apply to. I have to admit the latter had a little less sting, but it was out of right field weird.

My second day of spring break was fairly productive... now I'm waiting on a friend to call. I guess, I need to go on a walk or something.