Re-Thinking

After reading the chapter "Notes" which begins on page 155, it made me completely re-think the previous chapter. "Speaking of Courage," the previous chapter, displayed a day in the life of Norman Bowker after the war. Originally, I thought this chapter was simply showing the day he returned to his hometown and how things had changed. However, the next chapter made me realize that past chapter meant more to Norman Bowker than I had thought. The chapter showed the situation and feelings that he had felt not only on that single day but throughout the rest of his life. After he returned from the war, he did not know where he belonged. The life he had left before the war was no longer the same now. "The thing is, there's no place to go. Not just in this lousy little town. In general. My life, I mean. It's almost like I got killed over in Nam...Hard to describe" (page 156). Norman Bowker did not know what to do now that the war was over. He did not know where to go or what to do. Then, he hung himself. This made me completely re-think that past chapter. It gave new meaning to that Fourth of July that seemed like a simple drive around the lake.