Reflection on personal reading 4/11/24

 

  • “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara tells the story of a group of young men who are artists in their 20s trying to make it through life. One of them has a form of autism but his friends, including his brother, take care of him because his parents have suffered so much loss and grief that they are not able to care for any of their children anymore. The couple lost four of their children. The story evolves into accounts of the said parents' childhoods and explores why they are like this. It all eventually relates to the way their own parents treated them. They were unable to love anyone since their parents had treated them so terribly while they were being raised. The main message of the book is that some people have experienced too much emotional trauma to change, be happy, or love others. This is a very unfortunate but true fact because once humans get past a certain emotional point, they are unable to become as they once were. I believe that this is extremely possible and very hard to live with. But the brotherly love throughout the story is touching, heart-warming, and beautiful. 

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