The End (and Ambivalence)

I had a professor in college who stopped class one day – actually stopped her lecture to read to us from the dictionary – when a student misused the word “ambivalent.”  The student thought “ambivalent” meant “not caring very much about something either way,” but it turns out that the word means “feeling really strongly both ways about something at the same time.”

The passage at the end of chapter forty-seven brought the word “ambivalent” to mind:

Grandio launched a big long rant about Mommers that rose and fell all that afternoon and through our meat loaf dinner.  “I could have made that call, I tell ya!”  He filled one cheek with potatoes.  “One hot second and I would have reported her.  Taught her to respect the laws that–”

“Stop!”  My own voice rang back at me.  “I can’t stand it if you keep going on about her!  I can’t!”  I burned with tears and silence for the next few seconds.  I expectedc him to shout back at me, but he didn’t.

He finally ducked his head and mumbled, “You’re right, girl.  That’s it.  I’m done with it now.”

Somehow, I knew he meant it.

I can’t imagine how it must feel to be a in a situation like Addie’s.  She knows that she can’t count on Mommers; she knows that she isn’t safe with Mommers.  At the same time, Mommers is her mother, and they did have some genuinely good times together – though not many.  It seems to me like this must be the ultimate example of ambivalence – desperately loving and desperately hating a person all at the same time.

I’ll confess to feeling ambivalent, myself, about the ending of Waiting for Normal.  I love that Addie ended up with Dwight, and I love the idea of Addie, the Littles, Dwight, and Hannah building a true family and home.  I also love that Leslie Connor didn’t tie all the ends up in a pretty little bow; she left Addie feeling conflicted about some things, and she left Mommers about to have a new baby.  I don’t like stories that end fakey-perfectly, so I appreciated the uncertainty.

At the same time, though, I’m really frustrated by some of mysteries that were never explained about Mommers.  What was this job with the office supplies, exactly?  What was she doing when she was gone for days at a time?  I have suspicions about some of it, but my guesses were never confirmed.  I know this is Addie’s story, but I really, really wanted to know about what was really going on with Mommers.

What do you think about the end of the story?  What do you think will happen next in Addie’s life?  In Mommers’ life?  Brynna’s?  (I find myself oddly interested in the character of Brynna.)  What will Elliot do without Soula?  What will things be like for Mommers’ new baby?

By the way, this evening’s posts are my last . . . and in fitting with our theme, I’m feeling rather ambivalent about that!  Life is getting busy for me these days, so I’ll be glad of one less responsibility, but I’m also going to miss the kind of thinking that goes into the Together blog.  I hope to facilitate sometime again, perhaps in the summer, when a teacher’s life slows down.

Here’s hoping you’ve all enjoyed your experience with Waiting for Normal.

A Little Name Game

When I was in first grade, my teacher – Mrs. Parrish – opened a book one day and announced, “Now, children, we’re going to find out the meanings of your names.”

It had never occurred to me that names might have meaning.  Soon enough, though, Mrs. Parrish informed me that Emily meant “industrious,” or hard-working, which was not literally true of me at age six.  Nevertheless, I think I’ve grown into the label; along the way, I’ve also developed a genuine interest in names.

These days, I make it a practice to research the definitions and origins of characters’ names.  (I mean, I don’t do it obsessively.  I can’t tell you the root of every character in every story I pick up, but, y’know, I do it when it comes to mind.)  Sometimes the definitions accurately reflect the characters; sometimes, as in the case of the Harry Potter series, researching the names can even add to the story.

In Waiting for Normal, not all the meanings appear to be significant.  Still, a couple of the definitions are surprisingly cool, so for interest’s sake:

 

FAMILY

Addison (Addie) – Literally “red earth,” from the name Adam, and the story in Genesis of Adam being created from earth

Denise (Mommers) – From an old Greek name, meaning “dedicated to Dionysus,” the Greek god of wine and partying

Dwight – Okay, this surprised even me; “Dwight” comes from exactly the same root as “Denise” and therefore carries the same meaning!

Jack (Grandio) – From John, meaning “God’s grace”

Brynna – From a Gaelic expression meaning “exalted and high-minded”

Katie – Short for Katherine, which means “pure”

 

FRIENDS

Soula – This is the name of a shoe store and also a town in Greece, but I couldn’t find a source for it as a given name.  Could it be connected to the word “soul,” possibly?

Elliot – Greek for “God is Lord”

Rick – From Ancient Germanic, this means “powerful leader”

 

AT SCHOOL

Robert – Germanic for “shining with fame”

Helena – “Sun ray,” from Greek

Marissa – Hebrew.  “Wished-for child.”

 

A COUPLE MORE . . .

Pete (Mommers’ friend) – “Rock,” from Greek

Hannah – “Favored grace.”

 

So?  Did any of these surprise you?  Do any seem meaningful to you?  A few of them definitely struck me.

Oh, and just for fun – “Leslie” means “holly garden,” while “Connor” means “lover of hounds.”  What a great name this author has!

Where does your name come from?  What does it mean?  Does the meaning of your name suit you?  How did you receive your name?  Is it significant in some other way?