Bounty

I found Bounty to be a really engaging, enjoyable novella. I would be interested in reading some of the other things written by George Saunders. The story line was a very clear manifestation of the Hero's Journey, and it was interesting to see which portions of the plot correlated roughly with the defined stages. The stage I thought was especially poignant was the 'Bestowing of Knowledge'. Not only does Cole embark on this journey to save his sister, he continues on to fight for the rest of the Flaweds, because he realizes the importance of this fight for their society as a whole. This is such an important stage of growth for individuals, because only when people learn to act altruistically can society truly see change.

Bounty Response

This story was very interesting and sad because we see it from the point of view of a character that is subject to a lot of discrimination and who has to deal with a lot of problems. I particularly liked the ending because even after his life is good and Connie is safe he thinks still joins the rebellion because he realizes that the problems that the world faces are much bigger than his own. I think that's important to reflect on in our own lives because even if we don't personally face problems, we should still work to make the world a better place.

Bounty

In reading this text, one of the main takeaways I found was of how we as humans often take things for granted. In a society that has been divided into the oppressed (flawed) and the oppressors (normal), it is very interesting to see how those not in power act when they need something. In particular, I was caught up in the passage on page 43 where Cole talks about the old times and he would do anything to go back there. Cole specifically writes, "What a beautifulcountry this must have been once, when you could hop in a coupe and buy a bag of burgersand drive drive drive, stopping to swim in a river or sleep in a grove of trees without worrying about intaking mutagens or having the militia arrest you and send you to the Everglades for eternity" (43). This quote really hit me as it basically is in reference to the world that we are currently living in. Too often we get caught up in the small issues like having too much homework or not being able to hang out with friends, but in reality we have our lives so easy. We can do everything that Cole dreams about and we can do it whenever we want to. While the story is about a fictional apocalyptic society and was a very interesting read, it also brings out life lessons that we can learn about for our own personal lives.

11/11/14 Cristal Kim

This story was definitely imaginative and intriguing; the medieval setting of Bountyland and the consequences of human neglect are a unique combination. I found the story dark at first, people who have to suffer the consequences of others' contamination and ignorance without escape, and how helpless they are against the face of the government unable to reign any real power as "Flaweds." However, through all the trials Cole had to suffer, my mind kept going back to the father's words, "you meek will inherit the world." In a world so clearly flawed in its logic, he still had hope for the future; and this idea is reiterated at the end when he joins the rebel barn, for the sake of Connie and her baby. He knows that the baby is the future and will inherit this world, but instead of idly standing by and waiting for something to happen, he takes matters into his hands. He is no longer "meek." This shows that there is still some hope for the future; there is still a chance that they can change this world.

Bounty

What a fantastic read! I was enthralled by this particular novella, and its almost Shakespearian dialogue. Cole met a number of people who spoke in soliloquies, which allowed the reader to learn a lot about a character or situation in a very short amount of time. The writing felt very approachable, which allowed me to take the place of Cole during certain portions of the text. Although Cole was somewhat predictable in his choosing to do the illogical thing in every given situation, it did not distract from the story's overall plot. For instance, after Ned Ventor rescued Cole from an unpleasant slavery experience, I half-expected him to at least make it back to Ventor's ranch for a little while before running off, but I soon realized that would make too much sense and wouldn't provide a very exciting plot line for the story, so I was not at all surprised when he ran away after escaping from the boat. I think this novella does a great job of capturing the human element of both the Flawed and the Normals: while there are some normals who are brutal and violent towards Flaweds, the majority of them feel bad for them, but see no way of changing the current system. I found this to be very realistic, because in many circumstances where one group of people is supposed to hate another, they really don't. It is just difficult to change the prevailing system or change the mindsets of those who do hate.

If there is more to this story, I would really love to read it because it is well-written and exciting, in my opinion. I enjoy stories written from the perspective of a first-person narrator because they allow me to more effectively connect with the events that take place within the prose. I took away some interesting insights from this novella, including the power of mission, no matter how vague that mission may be. Cole knew that he wanted to reach Connie, and suffered immensely in order to get to her, but upon reaching her, realized that he didn't exactly know what to do next. His mission of reaching her was so strong that when he finally did reach her, he felt the desire to go off on another mission because he felt comfortable about Connie's situation. Mission is a very powerful force, and I like the realism used to portray Cole's character in this story: he does not pretend to be an exceedingly manly or moral man, he is just a guy who wants to make sure his sister is okay. This is represented well after he falls off the train and is beaten into slavery by Chick Krennup, selling out the doctor who took off his bracelet, and denouncing Connie as a slut. Ultimately, this situational practicality really resonated with me and left me feeling satisfied with the story upon completion of the reading.