Friends

So in section 17, Chris talks with Gordie about friends and how they can "hold you back." Do you guys think that Chris is right about Gordie in comparison with the rest of the guys? Also, do you think his idea still holds true today? And in what way do you see it? This one is more about human nature in general than about the book specifically, but if you can draw parallels from the story then go ahead, especially for the first part.

Gordie

So I guess we'll start out kind of like we did with Shawshank. What do you guys think of Gordie so far? Just share any opinions you have of him, either as a character or the narrator, either will work.

The Body

Ok so here are the readings for The Body:

#1: 1-11
#2: 12-18
#3: 19-End

Andy's Escape

So I think the whole question and answer thing worked pretty well last time so here's another one:

At the end of the story, Red shares his ideas about Andy's escape. In there, he believes that one day Andy just happened to notice the weakness of the walls, and later, somehow suddenly discovered the sewer pipe. He basically thought that Andy's escape was based on a lot of dumb luck. Do you guys agree with Red's idea? In other words, do you think that the circumstances of Andy's escape were pure luck, or do you think he had actually thought out a plan beforehand, at least to a certain extent?

Movies?

We've read half of The Shawkshank Redemption, and as you all probably know there is a movie adaptation. But if we choose to continue reading the other stories in Different Seasons, there are another two movies to go along with it, one for Apt Pupil and another for The Body (that movie's called Stand by Me). I'm wondering how we're going to fit this in, if we're going to. Should we watch all of the movies in one night? One movie after we finish each story? That kind of stuff. And since nobody wants to post it I'll be that guy and post it.

Andy

So now that we have to start talking about stuff: What do you guys think about Andy so far? A lot of the guys in the prison thought he was stuck up. Do you guys think Andy believes he is better than the rest of the prisoners?

Readings

So for the readings I basically just split the book in half. The first one will go up to page 63, at least in Anthony and my books. (Don't worry it starts on page 15.) For everyone who doesn't have the same page numbers as Anthony and me, the last few sentences are : "He wasn't there long, Andy said. Either he quit or Briggs, the fellow in charge of the marina, fired him. But he wasn't a man you forgot. He was too striking for that." It's after they finish talking about El Blatch, so when you get to that part look out for it. The second one will obviously just finish the book.