Is the book reflective of general society currently?

Use this forum to discuss the October Book of the Month "McDowell" by William H. Coles.
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Georgia Lyonhyde
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Re: Is the book reflective of general society currently?

Post by Georgia Lyonhyde »

I think the answer to this question lies in what part of the book you choose to focus on. My immediate reaction was no, the characters are not reflective of society today. I was thinking about Maud and her family taking in a stranger, letting him live among them. The fact that the shopkeeper shielded him from Paige. In fact, all the encounters that followed showed people blindly trusting Hiram and accepting his secrecy. It's only Kitty that decides to whistle blow.

When I think about the first half, I see human weakness, problems, bad parenting, sibling closeness, blended families and see how these characters relate to today's society. Some of the issues would be at home on stage with Jeremy Kyle :no-spoil:
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Post by Radiant3 »

Many aspects of the book and the behavior of its characters are reflective of society currently. In Hiram, we saw a level of ambitiousness and selfishness that can certainly be seen in many. A restlessness and loneliness within some of the characters.
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Post by writer808 »

yes i agree it gives us the picture of the characters and personalities we have in this world
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Post by Browlyns »

Morally yes, it reflects on the modern society where people openly disregards the societal values and norms like incest. The relationships like lesbianism also are modern, I think
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Post by Jacci »

Exactly, common problem in our society either in rural or urban. There are many case leaf unclosed and leave behind.This book tackles more about in our current situation nowadays.
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Post by Sushan Ekanayake »

It is true that in this commercialized society, the human values are disregarded in general. Yet, it is debatable whether the majority is so, or only a minority of people
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Post by ShailaSheshadri »

Yes. This novel has relevance to the happenings of the contemporary society. The characters like Sophie, Billy, and Jeremy reflect the young people who live in modern society. The other characters look generic.
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Post by Cristina Chifane »

Although I don't like the idea of the book reflecting society problems at large, I have to admit it does just that. This may even be William H. Coles's greatest achievement in this book: to have offered a brief overview of many social issues affecting individuals in various ways and leading to their alienation and loss of control.
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Post by Fozia-Bajwa »

Yes of course this book is a proof of the reflection of our own society.
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Post by Quinto »

Its reflective because people nowadays are not afraid to air out their negative and biased opinions in public. Their is no longer decorum but people behaving as they please even though what they speak for is against what has traditionally been the norm.
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Post by Faithmwangi »

I would say it does portray our current society. People no longer feel the need to be courteous and friendly. This has been made worse by the pursuit for money, and once people get the wealth and status, they demean you.
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Post by Uche B »

It shows the negative side of society in the extreme. Egocentrism, selfishness, adultery, mental illness and dysfunctional relationships are all shown in the extreme.
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Post by Uche B »

Sushan wrote: 31 Oct 2018, 23:45 It is true that in this commercialized society, the human values are disregarded in general. Yet, it is debatable whether the majority is so, or only a minority of people
Exactly, we live in a very commercialised society where people care too much about making money and getting ahead at all costs.
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Post by Kalin Adi »

There are some characters that do reflect how many people behave nowadays. There are people that do not care what crime they commit just to get what they want.
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Post by Bluecobia »

I would say that I do not think that the the characters are reflective of society in general. They do relate to some individuals in society but not the majority that I have met.
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