The Power of Unspoken Truth in Girl On a Couch - Book Report/Review Example

The Power of Unspoken Truth in “Girl On a Couch” Truth has always been a mystery since the olden times. It is something that can “set one free”, orforever enslave the truth bearer. Being able to stand for the truth is a mark of courage, while holding on to a deep secret that may “make or break” a person may be an unbearable cause of suffering. The story drips with untold truths that hover in the Mayock household. The four characters Jules, Philly, Neil and Mandy all have yearnings that do not find expression in words and are kept deep inside themselves, although these somehow find release elsewhere. The brothers Philly and Neil are aptly described in terms of their actions in the story scenes, and hint on their family background and a glimpse of their past. The issue of their dead sister, Sarah Rose whose picture resides in Neil’s wallet and brought out at will when the boys seem to be at a loss, just whets the appetite of the reader, as her story is not brought to fruition. The truth in the feelings of forbidden love shared by Jules and Philly does not necessarily emerge in words, but finds expression in meaningful glances, and eventually, physical intimacies. Restraining themselves in consideration of their present partners Neil and Mandy becomes more difficult as it becomes obvious that the feelings are mutual between them. Neil and Mandy have become mere shadows in the story as they kept mum of whatever observations they may have of the palpable emotions between their respective partners. Jules is one young lady who has yet to find her true self. She is a wanderer who tries to take in life’s adventures as it comes, but needs to stand up for her own convictions. Before coming into the lives and homes of brothers Neil and Philly, she has traveled extensively as a teenager, and has become vulnerable to temptations. She’s played the role of girlfriend to Neil even if she didn’t feel like it just because it was expected of her. It balanced the equation with Philly and Mandy being lovers. She read into Philly’s glances a feeling of being loved by him, which developed her own feelings for him as well. Out in the snow when Philly was mistakenly shot by Neil, she validated that feeling from him as they kissed. There were no words necessary to know such truth. Philly restrained his feelings for Jules out of respect for his brother, Neil who treated her like his girlfriend. Not once did he utter a word to anyone to give him away. It was only with his longing looks aimed at Jules that he was able to express this hidden love for her. When he thought he was dying, he chose to show Jules his feelings by kissing him. The warmth of his kiss comforted them both in the cold, said it all. However, after that incident, he seemed to be apathetic to her, and behaved as if nothing happened out in the snow. This coldness was his insurance against Neil’s finding out the real score because it is not known if he witnessed the sensitive moment Philly and Jules shared in the snow. Being shot might have been a jealous reaction of Neil to their togetherness, or it might not. The brothers were not in the habit of confronting the truth, and let it just settle. It was the same with their sister Sarah Rose. The brothers did not talk about her at length enough to reach the core. Neil may have known deep inside that his feelings for Jules were one-sided. Jules may just be going along with his own fantasies of loving her as his mate out of obligation. He may have noticed how she cringes as he tries to touch her and talk to her in a very endearing voice. However, he does not make a move to rock the boat and confirm the truth about her feelings towards him because he may not be able to deal with the truth. Mandy is Jules friend who is blindly in love with Philly. She is also very dependent on Jules, as she tried to stop her from leaving them on the day of the shooting incident. Mandy is afraid of the changes that might happen if she is left alone with the brothers. She might have a lurking suspicion of Philly’s feelings for Jules but choose to look the other way. However, when she saw the look on Jules’ face when she was asked to hold Philly’s prosthetic leg, she confirmed to herself that Jules felt something for her boyfriend. The element of the deaf girl in the story is a representation of the prevailing theme of hearing but not speaking out. All the characters in the story know something but make no effort to talk about it. The truth when spoken out loud may cause much stress and discomfort, so they wittingly push it down to prevent it to rear its ugly head. Sarah Rose has become an enigma to Mandy and Jules, but they did not dare ask the brothers about her death. All they know about her was that she loved birds and took care of them. A journal of Sarah Rose revealed their names, but that is all they can glean from it. Everything about her is clothed in secrecy. This rare exchange between Philly and Jules says a lot about the theme of keeping secrets to oneself: ““The pigeons”, she said. Philly leaned over to see out the window. He stood and smiled, amused. “Ghost birds”, he said. “But you see them”, Jules insisted. She looked out again at the loft. The birds were gone. She did not know why she’d mentioned them at all. This was why no one spoke, she decided. They never said what they wanted. The words were shields to hide behind.” (Brown, n.d.) The title of the story, “Girl on a Couch” was explained in the story when it was revealed that Jules made up the story of the deaf girl. The girl, Mary Beth was a young girl who baby-sat Jules and her siblings when they were younger. Mary Beth had some boy over, and Jules stayed “behind the couch”, quietly observing what they would do with the knowledge that the children had gone to bed. Jules thought up of scenarios that Mary Beth and her boyfriend may do, however, in reality, they just sat innocently on the couch, just talking to each other. It was Jules herself who did the things she imagined Mary Beth doing when she herself baby-sat some children. She’s had boys over and had sex with them on the couch. Such indiscretions were kept to herself, and had evolved as a story of a deaf girl molested by a man. The truth never really was spoken out loud, and it still had much power over them no matter how they shut it up. The truth stays unchanged even if people try to stretch it, cover it up, bend it or manipulate it any way they want to suit their purpose. It remains the same when one honestly faces it. It is just a matter of dealing with it, and truth spinners usually come out survivors of the hard truth. Reference Brown, K., “Girl on a Couch”, Retrieved on November 10, 2009 from http://freightstories.com/Brown.html Read More