Misery loves company, and so on. That's the reason why people love this book. They see in Stoner a reflection of themselves; it's all because we are in this era where people have severely low self-esteem, everyone deep down considers themselves to be losers, everyone has suicidal thoughts, etc. That's what this novel is: pornography for losers. We see a similar phenomenon with The Stranger and Notes From Underground.

Stoner is nothing more than a worm. For one who is in such a position must recognize that there are only two options: 1. Realize that you have nothing to lose and strive for something greater, or 2. End your miserable existence. Because a life like that isn't worth living, if you lack the guts to improve your position you must at least have the courage to end the suffering. When the life of a dog becomes too pitiful we go to the vet and put it down.

And let's not get deeper into Stoner's other moral failures. For one, how he completely abandons his parents. They toil the earth day in and out, finally manage to scrap some money to send Stoner to school, and what does he do? Leaves them to rot in the fields. The marital rape is one instance where I disagree with the mainstream opinion, which decries Stoner as an evil rapist. I, in contrast, believe this is the only instance in the whole book where Stoner showed bravery. Stoner saw something he wanted and seized it, he didn't care what was moral, what other people believed; he against all odds obtained the woman he desired and then exercised his right as husband. Almost a divine act by Stoner; like Zeus raping Europa, or the Romans raping the Sabines, or Gilgamesh raping the brides. Here I am not making any kind of moral argument in regards to rape, I'm simply saying that Stoner saw something he wanted and did everything he could to obtain it, a fire which is present in all great men across history.

Oppenheimer when he went into Truman's office with Dean Acheson said to the latter, wringing his hands: 'I have blood on my hands.' Truman later said to Acheson: 'Never bring that fucking cretin in here again. He didn't drop the bomb. I did. That kind of weepiness makes me sick.'

casablanca

casablanca

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