The Social Porcupine

Comparison of the books Jayber Crow   by Wendell Berry and Of Human Bondage  by Somerset Maugham. Contains spoilers.  I read Jane Eyre and Anna Karenina back-to-back with the purpose of comparing them. Ironically, I did not plan on comparing the next two books I read, nor did I expect them to be so uncannily similar. Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry  is the story of a boy becoming a man and how he immortalizes his suffering. It is a story of community lost due to progressive thought and industrialism, and of the lonely man. It is written to stir the senses toward empathy, perhaps somewhat toward apathy, but the light is tinted. Jayber Crow's story is not happy story, although he falsely believes himself to be happy.  Of Human Bondage  by Somerset Maugham follows the life of Philip Carey, of his search to find meaning and focus, and how he repeatedly succumbs to man's nature to the desire of treasuring suffering above goodness.  I shared most o...

Book Review of Jayber Crow (and sometimes of Hannah Coulter ) Contains spoilers Wendell Berry is best known for his essays and poetry, but I have begun with his novels, great literary works about a small Kentucky town called Port William, and the community who consider themselves Port William's membership.  I read Hannah Coulter first, a sweet and somewhat scandalous novel about a simple young woman who grows up to be a happy wife and mother, and then at last a reflective and welcoming old woman. It was one of those books that felt good to read. The prose was poignant. The story meant many things, like a well-spiced apple pie does, rich in texture. I wanted to savor it forever, and yet was glad to live after having finished reading such a book.  And so, I began  Jayber Crow, considered to be one of Berry's best novels.  At the start I loved it more than Hannah Coulter. We are introduced to Jayber, a barber who loves his clients and their stories, who com...