John Williams claims that contrary to what most people percieve from Stoner's story, he led a very good life, better than most actually. So why, after all those ordeals, disappointments, defeats, regrets and so on did Stoner feel accomplished? One would rarely think about what he has been through as an ordinarily happy or complete experience. All that vivid melancholy, the palpable sadness, the (altough most of the time, natural) forced stoicism. Was it the completeness of both the good and the bad? The staying true to himself? What could possibly be worth it to not only endure but cherish a life like that?
Maybe it's not that there was anything especially redeeming in Stoner's life. It's that most of our lives are even worse.
>>24749107That’s a lotta words for “I just wanna grill”
He hit pretty much all the same milestones as I have>modest but fulfilling career>loveless marriage>estranged daughter >brief but passionate affairI'm only in my 30s but I feel pretty content and I've seen others lives turn out worse. I've also seen people who have things I can only dream of yet don't seem half as happy as I am.
Does gooning to much cause ED?
>>24749123This guy wisdoms
>>24749107>went from dirt farmer to professor through his love of reading>got to indulge in his love of reading his whole life>published a book on a topic he cares about>felt the love a father has for his child>experienced love as a matter of course and then true love>eventually found his spine and stood up for himself>taught countless students and shared his passion for literature>died peacefully with his true love, his book, in his hands99.9% of people will not lead the life he did. The overwhelming majority will barely experience a fraction of what he did
Do most people see his life as a failure? I read it as a fulfilling life. it was frustrating and compromised for the main character but it wasnt meaningless.
>>24750098I didn’t approach reading it by evaluating his life. The sometime fixation this board has with whether Stoner lived well smack of anxieties well outside of the text itself. His dying moments are evidence enough of Stoner’s contentment, if not happiness. Still, I think it’s the wrong question.
>>24749107Thanos for appreciating me and my drug addiction
>>24749107I did not care for Stoner
This book is not great... and your justifications fall short. I don't regret reading it. I regret reading it with the expectation of something great. I am sorry.
>>24750187If that is so how does one reach happiness despite similar circumstances?
>>24750210Skill issue.
>>24750225What would you like me to say? That the real treasure was inside you all along? It’s a bad enough question to bring to the book, let alone your actual life. Most happy people figure out how to live by living. It’s not a worthwhile question because the “answer” is inaccessible to the intellect, and attempts at making such a thing intelligible are bound to be both fruitless and painful.
>>24749107he wanted a mundane life of reading and talking about reading and he got it, it's a boring book about a boring nigga
>>24749107Basically the main reason people like Stoner is just because he's a literally me character. So Stoner must have lived a good life because that way I have the smallest permission to glorify my own mediocre life too. Hey I have a 110 IQ and a bachelor's degree so at least I'm above average. My life is better than most so it was worth something right?
