Also, did anyone else find it weird that on page 122, April referred to Jennifer as "Niffer" instead of Jen or Jenny?
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Although there are larger topics that could be dealt with, i found it very peculiar (yet could see where she was coming from) that when April was introducing her plans of moving to Europe to Frank, she kept telling him not to laugh. Since we all know that she wants him to refrain from laughing AT her, not WITH her in a giddy "we're going to Europe!" kind of way, i wonder why she even bothers saying this. Since she knows his opinions of women being on the same level with men, and could probably guess that he'd find it somewhat amusing, i wonder 1)Why she bothers doing this, and 2)What gave her the courage to present such an idea to Frank? thoughts/comments?
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In response to the second question, I would have to say that due to the fact that April has nothing to do all day, it would lead me to believe that a lot of things pass through her mind. She probably wants to end her own boredom by trying to convince Frank to move so that she can work for herself instead of being bored. I mean I guess it could be interpreted in a few different ways, as to what the reasoning behind this proposal was, but I just think that she wants to have something to do, and living her life the way it is now, will not fulfill that need. The only other option is to move away somewhere. Why she randomly chose Europe, I am not completely sure, but only April will know the answer to that. And I also think the "Niffer" thing was kind of odd.
I think she does it because she knows if he starts laughing, she won't have the confidence to finish. Also, she probably finds it disrespectful of him to be laughing, thus she asks him not to. Additionally, as Frank stated, she probably prepared the monologue all day and did not want anyone interrupting her while she was describing her plan. I don't think it was necessarily courage to bring up the idea, because I don't think April is afraid of Frank. She is very straightforward with him and they treat each other as equals. I don't think there is a point in which I felt that Frank was anymore sexist than the norm in the 1950s was. For example, many people thought that it was sexist of him to think it was a man's job to mow the lawn. Today, I'm sure, many still consider that a man's job as well, unfortunately, but it isn't a double standard or anything, it's just the way humankind has evolved culturally. In response to "Niffer", it's just a nickname.
I think April keeps telling Frank not to laugh because she simply doesnt want to be interrupted. Also, she knows Frank will most likely disagree with her, as he usually does, so she probably doesnt want her plan to be challenged at all. And I agree with Olivia, I don't think APril is really scared of Frank. I think that, although it is difficult to tell as we don't get as much insight into her thoughts, the entire move to Europe is a scheme April is planning to achieve her own goals while disregarding those of her family, especially her children's.
Also, I think April is being very sneaky in her explanations for the move to Europe. She keeps saying she'll work so Frank can "discover himself", but I think she must also have another motive.
And yeah I dont think the Niffer thing has any real significance, just sort of wierd.
I'm thinking that she asked him not to laugh so much because she wanted him to take this seriously. She does say on page 114, "'Do you think I'm kidding or something?'" Besides interrupting herself to tell him not to laugh, he interrupted her a few times afterward, showing that he wasn't really taking the idea seriously, confirming her belief that he did not like the idea much at all. Though, I do remember in previous instances where he stated how much he had liked Europe as he was stationed there during World War II. As for presenting the idea to Frank, I don't think she was really nervous about telling him. I think she was more anxious that he may just ignore her and not listen to her idea, or that he may not be in the right mood and would dismiss anything with the same carelessness he uses at work. So, using the birthday thing (he seemed to be surprised) she probably tried to get him in a more relaxed and open mood, trying to make it "perfect" for him, and then with the wine. I noted that she didn't want him to take a shower, probably because she had so much to tell and she was worried he may go to sleep soon, as he was so "busy" at work. I wonder if she knows about his affair, because if she did she is sorta good at hiding that she knows.
About "Niffer," I've never heard anybody call somebody that... though to be honest I don't think I know anybody named Jennifer... still it has a weird sound to it. Maybe... she's trying to make her daughter sound more special, as most other people may call a Jennifer Jen or Jenny or Miss.
I somewhat agree and disagree. i agree with the fact that the answer to the second question is a result of too much free time and boredome for april. The thing that i would disagree with is that the idea of europe is such a far out concept, i think april wants to move to europe because it would be a change in their boring, middle class america lifestyle. also i believe subconsciously she chooses europe because a lot of romanticism surrounds europe and she may feel that he and frank need to regain the love they once had for each other
I thoguht it was weird and i was totally confused about who she was referring to, but now I get that it is Jennifer without the Jen part. It can be nothing or it can symbolize that April sees things in a way that most people don't. For example, she sees suburbia life for what it really is and blames the whole problem on herself instead of Frank.....
To the first question, it might be that APril had been planning what she was gonig to say the whole time and wanted to say the whole thing before he could stop her. For the second question, i do not think that she had any courage as shown by the fact that April was trying to make everything perfect for Frank before she dropped the bomb......
When Frank gave the whole speech when the campbels were over about how fake their town is she realizes how miserable and bored she is and she realizes that they are not any better than all the other people they complain about because they are not doing anything about it so she decides to take action and actualy move to paris. also i think it is interesting how easy it is for her to make up franks mind all she has to do is compliment him and talk about him being a man and how great he is and then all of a sudden he is very confident and he wants to move and actually does some work in his office.
also i think it is so sad how they treat their children, when april asks them how theis day was and then when they answer she says ok give mom a break like she is faking her interest, also they never have an oppurtunity to talk at dinner, they are being ignored and not given enough attention.
I agree with Zack that because April doesn't really do anything during the day, all she does is think about different things. And also, if they move to Europe, maybe April wouldn't spend every day thinking, and actually doing something. Cleary, April doesn't really care what Frank thinks about the idea, because if she had, she would have known before she told him that he wouldn't like the idea. This is also why she keeps telling Frank not to laugh, because it wont stop her from finishing her thought.
I agree with the opinion of April being bored and having nothing to do with her life so Europe seems like the best idea. Also she wants to escape from this considered American Dream lifestyle that she doesn't seem to find amazing. She is out looking for something to make her more excited because what everyone has in mind as perfection does not fit her values at all.
I think that April wants goes through this process of trying to persuade Frank to move to Paris because she is completely and totally serious about it. She wants to break the boring suburban lifestyle and live amongst something exotic. Her kids can grow up cultured and well-suited for professional life and it can give her a job, which is something she longs for deep down. Who doesn't want to move to Paris and just hang out?
I agree with Olivia when she says that April does not need courage to discuss this with Frank. They are married and equal and they spend nearly every night together, and I think she is simply talking to her husband, not to a CEO or something. What is more courageous is her apology to Frank for being so cold.
As far as "Niffer" goes, it's just a small family nickname.
I think April is very manipulative when bringing up the subject of moving to Europe. She presents the idea on Frank's birthday, a time when he is supposed to be happy. She also apologizes for the way she had been acting. Finally, she talks about his manliness, saying "You're the most valuable and wonderful thing in the world. You're a man." (p 121).
April probably tells Frank to laugh because she was very serious about this idea and put a lot of time into conceiving it. As such, she obviously does not want her idea to be ridiculed.
In response to the second question, I do not think that that she ever lacked the courage to present such an idea to Frank in the first place. I think she had been thinking around with for quite some time (with all the time on her hands) and was just opportunistic (and indeed, as Hannah Bialer noted, manipulative) in presenting the idea to Frank on his birthday.
Zach, I don't think that April "randomly" chose Europe at all. Europe - especially places like Paris, Vienna, Rome - has a certain sophisticated, cultured, and even mildly exotic appeal that probably really resonated with suburban Americans in the 1950s. Where else would they travel while still expecting a comparable quality of life?
"Niffer" may be an unusual nickname for "Jennifer", but it is certainly not that weird by any stretch.
I wonder if their apparent reconciliation after Frank's birthday is genuine, or if April is just putting on a false display again in order to mislead Frank. As others said, April definitely has some other, not entirely clear, motive.
Well i think she bothers doing and and gets to the courage to do it both because she is just so frustrating. It's all she can think of to save her and so she formulates her plan and gets really excited about it. Why she bothers with this whole plan while knowing how he thinks about women is also interesting because I sort of find it interesting also how while knowing this and being so miserable she hadn't made a change sooner, and how they stayed married for so long.
I agree with what hannah said about April being manipulative in when she told Frank about her plan.
Another thing that i noticed is that when April explains her plan she fails to mention how this would improve the lives of her and Frank's kids. She says that it will be a good chance for her to get a job and escape the boredom that she faces during the day. Also, she says that it will be a good opportunity for Frank to find himself which is something that he never truly had the chance to do. I think that the children really arent going to gain anything from the move to Europe and that it is a little selfish of April and Frank not to be thinking of ways that Europe can improve the lives of their children.
I also think that niffer is just a nickname and doesnt have any significance.
Since we all are just saying the same or similar things, I wanted to bring up a new point. I noticed that on page 22, April and Frank are described as children again: "And they fell asleep like children." I feel that the constant comparisons to children throughout the book and the fact that April and Frank often act like children shows that neither one was given the chance to follow their dreams and mature into an adult. I think that this idea of following their hopes and dreams is what April is attempting to pursue through their move to Paris.
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