Jacquie

[Rachel-K]

Why did Manny fall for her? What are your impressions of her? Do you feel you understand her choices? Do you think Manny understands her?

[Librarian]

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rkubie wrote:

Why did Manny fall for her? What are your impressions of her? Do you feel you understand her choices? Do you think Manny understands her?

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I think Manny thinks Jacquie made him feel better about himself. She's very interesting. I can't figure out why Jacquie would now be with a boyfriend like Rodney.  He has a temper----From page 25 "He's been kicked out of a couple semipro leagues because of his temper". That doesn't seem to fit in with Jacquie's persona in The Lobster that she would have a boyfriend with a temper.

      This passage is also telling about Rodney and Manny and makes me wonder about Jacquie's motives for picking  her men.-----p.26 "From what  little she's told him, Manny knows he takes whatever under-the -table jobs he can get because he's not legal, and worries that once Jacquie gets her degree she'll drop him for someone educated. He's asked her to marry him, out of desperation, she thinks. Manny can identify. As humiliated as that half wave made him feel, mostly he was just grateful she showed up. He's okay as long as she's near him, as pathetic as that sounds. In a strange way, he and Rodney are brothers, both of them at her mercy."
Librarian

Message Edited by Librarian on 03-11-2008 12:24 PM

[LucyintheOC]

I think Jacquie is picking her men based on chemistry. Maybe, even convenience. She's not looking for something permanent. So if she's attracted to a man and interested enough, she engages in a relationship. She's not looking for commitment and ties at this time in her life. The author doesn't really give many clues as to her age. Obviously we know she is a college student--but being a college student doesn't pin down an age anymore. I think, maybe, she's more of "modern young woman" who is preparing herself for a career and to be self-sufficient--more interested in her education and subsequent career than she is marriage and motherhood until she establishes herself as her own person (or meets someone that she really wants to commit to while still pursuing her own goals).