In preparation for Tuesday’s class visit, everyone split into groups to discuss and analyze the roles of some characters as well as the significance of their stories.  We also formed questions that would be important to ask the book contributors when they came into class.

As stated by Kaylee, men throughout the book thought of women in two different perspectives.  We discussed how men treat their mothers with respect and love while they treat other women in the book as sexual figures. A primary reason for this is because of the sense of purpose and belonging that these men feel between themselves and their mothers. With a majority of them having a poor father figure, their moms symbolize strength and stability in their lives.  As for the miscellaneous women throughout the book, these men look at them with lust and not the qualities that they see from their mothers.  The men don’t believe any other women can replace the mold of their mother.

Dr. Coogan:

  • What does he become to them? A character witness, a sponsor, a connection to the outside, a way of connecting to themselves? There’s a note that some people are followers, and when they’re together, they follow him.

The best way to describe Dr. Coogan is as the light at the end of the tunnel.  For many of these men, they grew up with poor role models, whether it be their parents, partners, or friends.  Through starting the writing program for the prisoners Dave allowed them to reflect and solve their greatest problem.  Identifying who they were, who they are now and who they want to be.  These prisoners struggled to express themselves, for example, sucking up their emotions and not crying. In some way, writing out their stories become the coping source to express all the feeling they felt and kept bottled up within themselves for their entire lives.  Dave serves as a leader to the men but primarily as an initiator.  He puts prisoners in position to be successful by initiating their personal growth through writing.