“Bound” ends exposing Bridget’s hope of her family understanding why she left for three years and forgiving her. Bridget is able to put up a strong front because she does not believe she did anything wrong which is why I represented her with strong smile coming out of the airplane. Her hope to come home and fix everything is strong, but in reality, what is waiting for her is not exactly what she is prepared for. Bridget wants everyone to understand the help she has provided, which will surprise her when she arrives to her family and see people have moved on without her. In my drawing representation Ronald and Chelsea don’t have a face expression because they are the main one who stopped believing she would come back to them and how much of a stranger Bridget is to them now. Her mom, who is next to Ronald, shows how happy she is that her daughter did not die and is coming back. She is the only one that feels genuine relief, but still critical of her daughter’s choices. Bridget’s dad, who is next to her mom, does not seem specifically or relieved. Bridget’s dad has come to terms on how his daughter abandoned her family and even relates to Ronald more than his own daughter. Bridget’s dad feels a stronger connection to Ronald by relating to Bridget’s abandonment. The couple with Huan’s name on a paper are the possible adoptive parents he might leave with. Everything that is waiting for Bridget demonstrates that people won’t receive the notion that she helped others, but instead she abandoned her family to fulfill her own conscious.
I agree with your argument that Bridget will be surprised to find out that her family moved on without her. Although she does not view it as abandonment, Bridget made a life choice and her family coped with her decision. I also think that since she was assisting in an orphanage during the Vietnam War affected her sense of time. She experiences a standstill and time doesn’t move forward but Bridget’s family experiences time normally and the three years that she was gone is definitely missed.
ReplyDeleteBy Christina R.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Christina's assessment that her assistance in the orphanage affected her sense of time. She was so concerned for the well-being of these children that in the blink of an eye, three years had past. Also, while I do see how Bridget felt about helping the children in Vietnam as a calling, I understand the resentment by her entire family. She had people that cared about her and depended on her (Chelsea) here in the States and she cannot come to terms that she is needed here. I'm not sure whether it is hope or naivete at the end of the story, but her delusion about everything being fine with her parents, Ronald, and Chelsea upon her arrival was sad.
By Chris T.
I agree that Bridget goes to Vietnam to fulfill her own conscious, for she stays in Vietnam longer because she wanted to stay. She neglected her own family because she believes they will be fine without her. She places the Vietnamese orphan's needs over her own families, which I think should be admired, but yet, she is still seen as a mother who neglected her own family. Like you said, her family has moved on, showing that people will not wait for you. I think subconsciously Bridget knew her family moved, and that is the reason why she wants to adopt Huan. She wants someone who will understand her, for her family does not anymore.
ReplyDeleteI agree because leaving family hurts the person who left them. People feel torn because of the hurt inflicted on themselves for not having closure for loved ones. In Bridget's case, as a mother, she struggled to move on from her choices to abandon her daughter, so she felt the need to return with the instincts of a mom wanting to hold onto the past.
ReplyDeleteBy Kevin L.
I disagree with your claim that Bridget will be surprised to see that her family moved on without her. She is aware of the divorce that her husband has filed, and she has a distant connection with her family. Her communication with her husband is limited to the topic of their daughter, and he immediately dismisses her efforts to talk about their relationship. The final two pages of the chapter read more like someone's ideas rushing forth trying to convince themselves that everything will be fine, when they know at a deeper level that too much time has elapsed to salvage most of her relationships.
ReplyDeleteBy Robert R.
DeleteBy Robert R.
DeleteThis is a nice interpretation of your photo. I really liked that you chose to draw faces and leave faces blank in order to bring out the depth of the situation and feelings involved in this story. I agree with the interpretations of the faces except for the face of her daughter Chelsea. As a young child, Chelsea seems to be the only one who doesn't understand that her mother left her. She has also been the only one having continuous conversations with her mother keeping the bond and relationship alive and growing. In my opinion it seems as though she should have a happy face knowing that her mother is coming home. However, I am curious to understand why you believe she, along with her father, has lost hope. I like that you mentioned Bridget's false hope in thinking that all will be just as she left it when she goes home. It's sad that she is unable to see how much leaving her family behind truly affected them.
ReplyDeleteBy Ariel R.
I really like your interpretation of the faceless Ronald, and Chelsea to depict the loss of hope. I find this representation insightful, and true to the story "Bound," in which the audience gets a chance to read an American perspective in Vietnam during the war. This unique perspective adds a layer of meaning to Phan's collection of short stories by highlighting how the Vietnam war affected everyone, not just the Vietnamese in their homeland.
ReplyDeleteI like how you decided to draw something that was not mentioned in the book because many of us were left wondering how everything ended up for her. Using what wasexpressed in the book I agree that it was most likely what happened. Everyone was affected in different ways and even thoughs who did not go had an affect. It is interesting to see how her intentions were so good but still had such a negative outcome, as you showed.
ReplyDelete