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Lost Memory of Skin, Prt. 2, chapters; 1-4

Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 6:37 pm
by Suzanne
LOST MEMORY OF SKIN

Russell Banks

Part two, chapters; one, two, three and four

Re: Lost Memory of Skin, Prt. 2, chapters; 1-4

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 1:02 pm
by realiz
What are your thoughts on the Professor? He seems to have some secrets of his own and I'm wondering if his motives should be questioned.
I moved the above over here as we learn a lot more about the professor in these four chapters. He is a very interesting character. Here we have someone very, very different from the Kid. He is smart, super smart, one in a million, yet very emotionally detached from his family and his own feelings. His eating habits are bizarre and his disassociation from this behavior as well as his own body shows quite a lack of emotional intelligence, or maybe just lack of emotions?

He does view the Kid as just a specimen to study, but he doesn't seem to view his own life a whole lot differently.

Re: Lost Memory of Skin, Prt. 2, chapters; 1-4

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 3:32 pm
by giselle
smileyface123123 wrote:I think the professor sees Kid as an object, instead of a person. He looks at him as if he were a bug under glass. The professor appears to care what happens to Kid, but I think it is for his own selfish reasons.
I think we have to separate the Professor as a person from the Professor as a researcher and professional in his field. As a researcher, the validity of his research (ie - interviewing the Kid and what may come beyond that) depends on maintaining the integrity of the research process, whatever personal considerations may exist, whether they stem from the Professors life or from liking the Kid or wanting to help him, these considerations have to be kept strictly out of the research process. So, inevitably, the Kid is like a bug under glass and it has to be this way if the research is to mean anything. I don't think we should see the Professor as distant or unfeeling, he is just doing his job. It will be interesting to see if a friendship develops between them because this will make this professionalism very diffcult to maintain. Also, it will be interesting to see if the Professor is actually interested in research or has alterior motives and is using research as a ploy.

I enjoyed the scene where the Professor arrives at Benbow's and meets the 'colourful' characters there. Quite interesting how this plays out, complete with stories of 'Nam'. I found this scene quite plausible - the damage done to Vietnam war vets by their experiences in the war can have a huge impact on their functioning in society and I believe many vets have ended up on the very perimeter of society, somewhat like the Kid. The Professor is different though, apparently a war vet although that might be a lie, but he has a prestigious position with a major, mainstream institution .. perhaps he isn't doing so well despite this, and his problems are expressed a bit differently, as weird eating habits or in other ways.

Re: Lost Memory of Skin, Prt. 2, chapters; 1-4

Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 4:16 pm
by realiz
I don't think we should see the Professor as distant or unfeeling, he is just doing his job.
Perhaps, but it does seems that there is something a little more personal under the surface, and, he doesn't seem to be anymore feeling when it comes to his personal life. I kind of like him.

Re: Lost Memory of Skin, Prt. 2, chapters; 1-4

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 12:39 am
by giselle
The Professor is an odd duck but I think likeable, highly intelligent, distinguished researcher and academic but quirky personal life, including over-eating to satisfy his 'cells' and unusual sex life ... it is quite easy to wonder about this guy and his motives .. he is befriending the Kid, perhaps ingratiating himself with the Kid, doing him considerable favours on the QT, perhaps this is part of his research approach or maybe he has other motives. Its interesting that the Kid calls him Humungous and a few other things (haystack I think) ... I'm not sure if its simply the Kid's personality/lack of social skills to use such mocking names or if its a defence mechanism to keep people at a distance.

I wonder as well about the Kid's comments that Benbow (and Calusa) is like a movie set. Seems to me that the Kid (and maybe the Professor) may be living as if on a movie set, a stage I guess ... as if life and what it brings their way is not real to them, that they are just playing a part. The Kid says he wants to leave Benbow because it is like a movie set but I get the feeling that he cannot escape the part he has to play, even if he lives somewhere else.

Re: Lost Memory of Skin, Prt. 2, chapters; 1-4

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 12:05 pm
by lindad_amato
At this point I'm still wondering what the Prof's personal demons are. I guess we'll find out.

Perhaps the Kid sees his surroundings as a movie set because he has spent so much time alone and on the computer. Without going off on a tangent about how overexposure to TV and computers can affect children, I'm wondering how the kid's upbringing may have affected his touch with reality.

Re: Lost Memory of Skin, Prt. 2, chapters; 1-4

Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 9:37 am
by WildCityWoman
I took it, from these 4 chapters, that at this point in the story The Kidd did NOT want to leave Benlow - he doesn't want to go back to the Causeway.

The Kid seems interested in what the professor is telling him - about Captain Kidd, etc. He seems interested in the history of the place.

I'm liking the professor - so far. Hope he's not going to disappoint me.

Re: Lost Memory of Skin, Prt. 2, chapters; 1-4

Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 10:52 am
by lindad_amato
WildCityWoman wrote:I took it, from these 4 chapters, that at this point in the story The Kidd did NOT want to leave Benlow - he doesn't want to go back to the Causeway.

The Kid seems interested in what the professor is telling him - about Captain Kidd, etc. He seems interested in the history of the place.

I'm liking the professor - so far. Hope he's not going to disappoint me.

I'm still not trusting the Prof. We'll see what happens.
I agree, the Kid definitely does not want to go back to the Causeway. I don't know quite how he's going to cope with his new pets.

Re: Lost Memory of Skin, Prt. 2, chapters; 1-4

Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 4:13 pm
by smileyface123123
The professor is extraordinarily smart, and I think he feels a bit above other people. He does not think anything of trying to manage Kid's life so he can have him as the subject of his research. He is able to blend in with other people as he did with the two Vets at Benbows, but as nice as he seems to be with them, I think he is somewhat on the outside looking in, observing. He tries to get out of Kid the nature of his crimes, but Kid does not tell him. I think Kid is wary of him, wondering what he wants out in exchange for his kindness. The professor does go out of his way to make sure Kid can stay at Benbow's by paying Benbow, but I still think it is for himself instead of for Kid's benefit.

Re: Lost Memory of Skin, Prt. 2, chapters; 1-4

Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 10:05 pm
by Suzanne
The professor creeps me out. I think the kid is smart to be warry of him. What do you guys think about the professor's weight? His weight may be a big reason I don't trust him. I feel that he is consuming people. Is he truly helping the kid and the men under the causeway or is he feeding off them? Do you think the professor's weight has any meaning?