third blog

Shocked. That’s the only word I can use to describe they way I felt when the words “Anyways, that’s all rhetorical now, as they say, because Becky’s not alive anymore. I mean, she’s dead” (Crutcher 135) appeared on the page. When I had first read the back of the book it made it sound like Louie lost everything because of drugs or alcohol and that’s what I thought. So when the events happened for the reasons they did it catch me off guard. Louie didn’t lose Becky through drugs like I predicted, he lost her in a car accident. There were kids on motorcycles in the street and Becky swerved so she wouldn’t hit them, but in the act of not hitting them she hit the bridge and tumbled into the river ending her life. Louie was crushed, I honestly didn’t think their relationship really meant that much for he never talked about it that seriously. It feels like they just got acquainted with each other, but maybe it just feels that way because they was so young. I think Becky really did love Louie. She was kind to him, tried to help him in his time of need and listened. It was so sad to see her go and the effect it had on Louie was almost unbearable. He had another outburst at the funeral, which again sort of damage his reputation. Becky’s mother had got a priest from this big church to do the service and while like at most funeral he started saying she went on to a better place, everything has it’s reasons….. While being a boy who just lost his girlfriend, whom he was very close to, he couldn’t handle the fact that this complete stranger was telling people what Becky was like and how to remember her. It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair to him, to her, to anyone who was close to her. So like at the football game he lets his feelings be known. The line that triggered his feelings was the priest said God moves in strange and mysterious ways. Louie’s response “Why are you saying that? He doesn’t move in strange and mysterious ways. He doesn’t move at all! He sits up there on His big fat butt and lets guys like you earn a living making excuses for all the rotten things that happen. Or maybe He does something low-down every once in a while so He can get a bunch of us together, scared and on our knees. Hell with Him!” (Crutcher 153-154). This statement could offend someone if they didn’t take into consideration that Louie was going through a lot right now and he wasn’t ready to handle a funeral. Unfortunately most people looked down on his outburst. Later Coach Madison comes to Louie’s aid, for he too had lost a girl and he said he would have never made it through that time if it wasn’t for physical sports. Coach Madison believed that Louie should join his track team. Louie said he would except Jasper had banned him from all school sports for the football outburst. Which I think is totally unfair, just because Coach Lednecky didn’t know how to play fair doesn’t mean Louie shouldn’t be allowed to participate in other activities. Madison strongly believes Louie needs this and convinces Jasper with the help of Becky’s dad to let Louie play. I’m glad Louie found a physical way to release his emotions, I can’t imagine what he would have turned out like without it. He would just sit around all day reminiscing about Becky and his time with her. Louie’s life is turning around and he’s feeling great until he finds out about the tree. Jasper decided that in honor of Becky he would dedicate a tree in her name and that was fine with Louie. The only problem was the tree had a plaque and he didn’t agree with what it said; it had her graduation record on it, fine, but the problem was Jasper had signed it. So he took a sludge hammer down to the school at night and blasted the plaque out of the ground. Then he threw it in the river. The next day Jasper asks him about it and he plays it cool acting like he has no idea what Jasper is talking about. Jasper can’t prove anything so he lets it go and asks Louie what he thinks should be on the plague. He suggested that maybe the tree should be from every one and should say “In memoriam” with Becky’s name on it, the tree should do the rest of the talking (Crutcher 214). Well Jasper didn’t take any of Louie suggestions he just made a copy of the original which frustrated me a little because Louie’s ideas were good and made the tree seem meaningful. I wasn’t the only one it frustrated, but since Jasper didn’t want anything to happen to this one he staked out at the high school for a week, but was now long asleep. So it was Louie’s time to shine. His last words before the story’s end “In about five minutes I’m going down to the station to get the hammer” (Crutcher 216). The words made me giggle for he sure showed him.