As chapter 5 begins, the author speaks of how he has finally been paid for one of his short stories, so his wife is extremely pleased. He states, "The check validates her decision to have a child with me, proves that my days as a bum are gone." This line really shows how Rita expects Chris to become the bread winner that society expects of men when they have a child. Society places a large emphasis on materialistic possessions and being able to spoil your child. He talks about how the money is immediately spent on things like dinner on the town and curtains for the baby's room. The name of the book is also mentioned in this chapter when Chris goes down to the river. He explains the origin of the quotation and how a Greek named Heraclitus said, "You can't step into the same river twice." Honestly at this point I had no idea what he meant. Of course you can step into the same river twice. Chris then goes onto explain and says, "...and it occurs to me that you can't even step on the same bank twice. Each footstep alters the earth." This is an extremely profound statement. Rita insists on getting amniocentesis to verify that their child will be healthy and well. Toward the end of the chapter we learn that that baby is doing well. In chapter 6, the author continues to express his desire to search for and find something with meaning. There is a lot of water imagery in this chapter, which seems to be a common theme throughout that memoir. You really get a sense of how important Chris's journal is becoming to him. He talks about how his supplies and backpack are dispensable, but the journal is not. In the following chapter, Rita takes a Lamaze class and continues to worry about something going wrong with the baby. The pressure of being too inadequate to be a parents is again a central idea in this chapter. Again the selfishness surrounding being the best parent and having the best things consumes Rita. In chapter 8, Chris is picked up by a missionary, Al. Al immediately starts talking religiously about how it is God's will that they be riding together today. Al believes that Armageddon is coming. He says, "The prophecies are being fulfilled, my friend. Men and women live unmarried and sex is on TV. Grocery stores have electric machines that read invisible numbers. The Antichrist lives in Nevada." Chris also soon meets a man named Winner at a truck stop who seems to be a crystal meth addict. Much of this chapter is the ramblings of these two men. It was hard to follow at times. In Chapter 9, Chris reflects on parenthood. He thinks about how parents are expected to be aware of everything. He says, "A father must face everything. I try to open my vision in the way that helped me see the watermark on the trees." He is trying to use what he learns from nature and the woods and apply it to his life, more specifically being a father. In the final chapter of the reading assignment, Chris talks about the circus and the Parrot Lady who worked there. He says that the dwarfs refer to "upper crustacean" entertainment. Her show was for men only. She undresses during the show to reveal that she has tattoos of exotic birds all over her body. She swallows a giant light that makes her body "glow from within" and illuminates all of the exotic birds and their colors. Most of the chapter involves events taking place while Chris is working on the circus, but ends with him once again heading onward to a new place. He says, "...I was loyal to no direction. I was neither kinker, nor freak, yankee, nor reb, boss nor bum. I wasn't much of a playwright either."
VOCABULARY:
Kinker: A performer in a circus
Dexedrine: a form of amphetamine
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