The Art of Losing

I was surprised at how much I came to agree with the description Wilhelm percieved as that of a loser. "You are steady, faithful, you get stood up. You're very sympathetic, even the young girls feel that. You'd make a good provider. But they go more for the other types, its as clear as anything." (pg. 18) Lately the possession of these previously mentioned characteristics has become stereotypical for weak. Frail. Those who tend to have too much faith in people are the ones that get hiurt the most. The world isn't really a kind place, it is bitter and cold. It may seem cynical to think of it as a place where there really is no hope, but the truth is there is hardly any to rely on. No matter what, people will always let you down, always dissappoint you. There is always a higher risk of losing than there is a chance of winning, and we will all have to face that sooner or later.

Like a Kid

For the first part of what I read from Seize the Day by Saul Bellow, I noticed how the relationship between Wilhelm and his father shows an unusually strong resemblence to that between my mother and grandmother. "Greatly hurt, Wilhelm struggled however to be fair...Dad is no longer the same person, he reflected...it's time I stopped feeling like a kid toward him, like a small son." (pgs. 8-9). My mother and my grandmother have never really gotten along. For a long time, the bond between them has been weak, and still, my mother is all my grandmother has left. I have often witnessed the irrationality with which my grandmother treats my mother, often blaming her for things she has no power over whatsoever. Despite this, like Wilhelm, my mother does the best she can to be fair to my grandmother. In some way, I believe she still wants to feel like a little girl. She wants the tenderness and love my grandmother never really gave her, she never got the chance to feel "like a kid toward" her.