It was over 60 years ago that I read it and over 15 since I saw the movie so I couldn't remember anything but the sledding accident. It was a total shock at the end. Certainly not the happy ending I like to have. However, when I read the Spark Notes about them making a suicide pact I totally missed that. My mind does wander but this is what is wrong with movies--in a classic like that you should just stick to the book. That being said, in my mind from watching the movie, I envisioned them planning on making their move west in the future and this sledding was just an enjoyable pleasure before Mattie had to leave. I thought they hit the tree when they avoided running their sled into the three children coming up the hill.
At any rate it is a sad fact that once choices are made you often have to stick them out if you don't have the means or the ability to change them. What a sad life for those three and you wonder how it possibly could have been more enjoyable for them to make the best of it but hard to see how--just had to endure. When I read it years ago it seems we were led to believe that they were being punished for their sins, but I am not sure I believe that.
When I read the Spark Notes I could see I had missed a lot of things the author was trying to tell us. But how do the critics know what the author means unless the author said so herself??? I had a literature teacher in college that said we could believe anything we wanted to from a story as long as we could back up our theory. He wouldn't grade us down for a different opinion if we made a good point.
It made me think about the fact that are many lonely, unhappy people that are not being punished for anything, just don't know how to change their life. While I was eating lunch today I saw the brother of my neighbor sitting outside in 40 degree weather listening to his music. Was he banned from the house or was it his choice?
He used to come up with the neighbors after they built their house in 2005 and he would always bring his camper and stay in it even though the house has plenty of bedrooms. He liked to feed the deer and was kind to Bandido. He seemed very shy but ventured over into my yard once to tell me how much he liked it.
My neighbor had told me his brother had lost his good job and was living at home with their parents. He didn't have any other family. When he never came up again I inquired about him and my neighbor said that his cigar smoking made his (the neighbor's wife) unhappy and he didn't have his camper anymore so he couldn't come up with them. Since the wife wasn't with them on this two day trip I assume he had brought his brother to be kind but still he appeared to be banned to the outside although I did not see evidence of a cigar. Just looks like a very sad man. Must be very hard to have a successful brother with two lovely homes and a nice family and he has nothing. Lots of sadness in the world.
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