MeJackson

Book 2 starts in Artie's point of view/where he is in life now. I didn't understand that it was Artie's life for a second or two because of the shading in the back. That's generally used whenever Vladek is having a flashback moment. But, this gives us a little insight about how Artie came up with the character sfor his comic book. Vladek's marriage with Mala is what some people in America go through now. Their spouse is only using them for their money and for thier own personal gain.

Book two is where more of the descriptive parts of the Holocaust come into play. The fact that people were given numbers, and striped clothes that were too big or too small for them actually happened. Even having to shave thier hair, and run naked through the snow. This is a good example of how miserable Jews were while they were in the concentration camps.

PS: I'd also like to take this time to reccommend the movie 'The Boy in Striped Pyjamas.' It's a movei about the Holocaust through the eyes of a boy who's father is on the side of hte Nazis. It's really sad but a really good movie.

So far, there have been more speaking parts to his graphic novel. In this case, its easier to show the characters reations by drawing them and backing them up with dialogue. There are many parts of this graphic novel that are similar to waht actually happened in the Holocaust. For instance, people being moved to the ghettos and forcibly taken to be put on trains to go to concentration camps. How they knew whether it was Auschwitz or not they were going to, I don't know. But, there are other examples like hiding in places to escape the police, and risking other peoiple's lives to get them to hide them was true. Even the part where Vladek and his friends were ratted out by someone they thought they could trust happened. This goes along with how people thinkg Anne Frank and her family was found out. As soon as I was finished reading thefirst book, I got up to start reading the second.

Anyone know what Raus means? I know Juden means Jew but not Raus. Does it have anything to do with the title of the book?

Well, I just finished the book. The Epilogue was the last section I needed to read and was by far the shortest one. This book was amazing. It had plenty of drama, action, and bits of fantasy/supernatural in it. The only thing I didn't like was how the main characters are set in their 60s and you couldn't remember it. For most of the book, I kept thinking they were teenagers.

Anyway, Ralph and Lois got married (as was expected). I wasn't really looking forward to the epilogue because I thought it would be a ‘lived-happily-ever-after' kind of thing with all of this sappy lovey-dovey moments. But, it wasn't. Lois gave Ralph a puppy for Christmas. Both of them are in love with each other, but they can't help but keep thinking about their first husband/wife that passed away.

One day, years later, (actually in this case it is now 1997, Ralph woke up early. (5:49 am). He wondered why he woke up, but his subconscious mind told him he knew why. So, Ralph just lay there, listened, and heard the deathwatch. The same ticking sound he heard when Carolyn was dieing. Ralph started suffering from Insomnia all over again. He then started hearing the deathwatch everywhere, at the same volume. But, this time he knew it was coming from him.

Just like Harry Potter, Ralph's scar started hurting more and more. But, unlike Harry Potter, its not when danger is near (or Lord Voldemort is mad or anything) his scar hurts the louder his death watch gets, meaning, its almost time to fulfill his promise/destiny. Lois has figured out that Ralph has gotten insomnia again and is worried about losing him.

Ralph knew he was going to die. So did Lois. Ralph knew that Natalie, Helen's daughter, was going to get hit by a Ford unless he took her place. That was his promise. He would save one life for his own. So, in the end, Ralph died, but he felt no pain at all. Once he died, the scar on his arm vanished.

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Aura's are described as "gateway openings to a secret city of hidden meanings, concealed motives, and confined agendas" (pg. 758).

I have now completed Section 3 (Chapters 20-29/pgs 517-753). I have also found out what "ism" this book is. This book, and several other fictional stories that have to deal with people having powers that need to save the world is called Fatalism (the fact that everything happens for a reason).

Ralph and Lois are chosen to save the world (well in this case the people of Derry) from the Crimson King. In terms of British Literature, its like Harry Potter having to stop Lord Voldemort. The two books have main characters where everything happens for a reason but they don't realize they have the powers to begin with. For example, in Harry Potter, Harry made the glass at the zoo disappear when he was mad at his cousin Dudley, so he got stuck in an exhibit at the zoo. Ralph is suddenly able to see people's auras and to shoot out energy attacks at people with a karate chop motion. Of course, in both books they have friends that help them and have these certain powers too. Harry Potter - Harry, Ron, Hermione. Isnomnia - Lois. Also in every book, the main character goes through times where they have to sacrifice themselves for others or they have a time where they don't want to be soley depended on to save the world.

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Eyes:  

"Those dark Spanish  eyes of hers looked up at him, filled with brilliance and wonder" (pg 520).

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Auras:

"Lois fixed the waitress...with a look of dark concentration. S she did, Ralph saw Lois's normal blue-gray aura deepen in color and draw inward, becoming a kind of body-hugging capsule" (pg. 534) aka Lois is jealous of the waitress

Because of the auras, Ralph and Lois can sense/read each other's body language.

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Topics of Book:

The bad = Bald Doctors and the Crimson King.  The Bald Doctors represent Order/Good and how Ralph and Lois has to defeat the agents of Random (Chaos/Evil) mainly Doc #3 aka Atropos and the Crimson King. Atropos made Ed the way he is; cursing and being abusive to Helen. Atropos has taken him over. Atropos has been telling Ed all about the Crimson King. Atropos has been making Ed go and get flying lessons to do a suicide flight.

Love =  Lois has had a crush on Ralph for years. Carolyn knew about her crush on him

Death = Thousands of people and Susan Day at her speech if they don't stop Ed'ssuicide flight attempt. Ed's mission is to kill Susan Day and everyone gathered at the speech with a suicide flight. Atropos, Ed, and Charlie Pickering set houses filled with women and children on fire. Helen Deepneau and her daughter Natalie are in one of the burning houses.

Climax of story = *Ask me for this. I don't want to spoil it for others*

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References:

Ralph referenced Hitler and suicide flights as a part of the Holocaust to what Ed is doing. (Pg.525 paragraph at the top of the page).

Lord of the Rings