The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
This novel is the perfect example of how a traumatic event in your life can change the trajectory of your future for good and for bad. The story of Theo and the Goldfinch painting is a parallel of how we are bound to an event, like tragedy, and how we cannot escape it unless we set ourselves free. In the final pages, Theo reflects and says: “if I could go back in time I’d clip the chain in a heartbeat and never care a minute that the picture was never painted (page 765).”
The explosion, the painting, the guilt, the bad relationships and Theo’s addiction were his chains. All of the negative elements stemming from that final moment with his mother seem to be that catapult from which everything bad would continue to plague him. But was it really the explosion that cast the spell? Theo was being suspended from school and his parents were separated. Maybe the explosion propelled and set into motion all the negative things that were going to happen to Theo…the literary “fork in the road.”
A big part of this book was based on relationships, good and bad. Theo seemed to have people in his life that were either trying to help him and love him or he had those that were doing him harm. The main source of negative relationships started with his father. How could a parent be so conniving and narcissistic at the expense of their own child? But on the opposite side of the spectrum, you have strangers (Hobie and the Barbour’s) who love and protect Theo just as his mother would have.
Now for Boris, he was the good and the bad all together. He was Theo’s only friend after Andy. Boris took care of him but he also fueled the additive nature in Theo. Boris stole the only thing that Theo valued after his mother died. Boris got Theo into trouble as a teenager and as an adult. Boris was extremely influential on Theo’s life and seemed to “appear” when life seemed bleak. I’m still not sure how I feel about Boris.
I thought this book was very well written. The characters were fully developed and had depth to them. There were just a few characters like Kitsey and Platt that never truly revealed their intentions but maybe that was the point since they were peripheral characters. It was a long book and I really felt that there were some lengthy periods that might not have needed so much attention but overall I enjoyed reading this. It dealt with the desperation of tragedy in an honest and real approach.
Do you feel that fate brought Theo and Welty together in order to lead Theo to Hobie?
What was the purpose of Theo marrying Kitsey? Why did Kitsey want to marry Theo and not Tom?
What were Platt’s intentions? Did he have an ulterior motive?
Do you think that Mrs. Barbour always loved Theo? Why did she seem so cold when he came to live with them?
After the tragedy of his mother’s death, why did his father, Mr. Barbour and Andy have to die? What was the significance in those deaths?
Why was Hobie so understanding and accepting of Theo’s lifestyle? Was Hobie just a loving “dad”?
This book was beautifully written. I had spent so much time with this book that when I finished the last page I felt a bit of void in my life. I had spent so much time with this one that I felt like I was losing a friend. It is such a beautiful story.
I don’t believe in fate so much as I believe that people are presented with decisions/opportunities and they can choose to make the most of it. I think that Theo meeting Welty led Theo to the opportunity to meet Hobie. And both Theo and Hobie took advantage of the situation and made the most of it. Theo gained a father figure and Hobie gained a son. This relationship was advantageous to them both and it was something they both really needed in their lives–whether they knew it or not.
I think that marrying Kitsey represented achievement and success in Theo’s eyes. Sometimes what we perceive as successful isn’t really so. And it also isn’t necessarily what will make us happy. I believe that Kitsey wanted to marry Theo in order to make her family (especially her mother) happy. Theo was also someone that Kitsey was comfortable with and that she could rely on.
I think Platt wanted to one-up Theo and take away what was his. I don’t believe Platt’s intentions were honorable or truly an act of love, or he would not be sneaking around with Kitsey behind Theo’s back.
I do think Mrs. Barbour always loved Theo as son, but didn’t know how to express it. She was not just cold towards Theo, but all of her children. It seemed as though she built up an even thicker wall between herself and Theo because she knew he was broken and could be taken away from them at any moment.
Theo’s life was certainly full of a lot of tragedy. I think the deaths of Theo’s father, Mr. Barbour and Andy all represented different things. But mostly it represented the fact that tragedy occurs all around us everyday and there is no rhyme or reason to it. It is out of our control and is something that happens everywhere and to everyone. Even affluent people like the Barbours are affected and impacted.
I think that Hobie understood and accepted Theo’s lifestyle. I would not say that Hobie agreed with Theo’s lifestyle. Part of loving someone unconditionally is loving them with warts and all. Hobie loved Theo with warts and all. He understood that Theo was a very broken young man and that being a surrogate father to Theo meant having to accept some very difficult things. It meant learning to understand why Theo did the things he did and continue loving him despite those things. It does not mean Hobie gave him a free pass or agreed with Theo’s actions.
I really loved Hobie and Theo’s relationship. Being a stepmother really makes me appreciate that you can have a parental bond with someone that is not related to you biologically and still love each other unconditionally.
This book was so up and down for me. There are elements that I really liked and there are moments that make me cringe. I’m still embattled by his neglectful family (minus the mother). Theo’s time in Las Vegas hurts my heart for him. I feel like the book went astray in that part of the story. I’m conflicted by my worrying for Theo. Either the book was so good that it made me care too much or it was so bad that it left out critical story lines that needed fixing. I think I can say that it was very good at keeping me guessing. I wasn’t sure where it was leading me and I still don’t know if I like where it led me. I’m still on the fence with this book.