Film Editing and William Bell

Crabbe by William Bell ENG4C For:Mr. Hawkins Due: Monday December 17th 2012 I was very surprised when I began to read the novel Crabbe by William Bell, the theme of the book was very clear and delivered a distinct message. We cannot run away from our problems, we cannot run nor hide, for our dreams, mistakes and daily lives will always find a way to catch up to us. It was rather shocking to me how much I could relate to the novel, I once had the same mind set as the protagonist†¦ I was unhappy with whom I was, and began to believe that it was the fault of everyone around me.Throughout this summative task, I will deliver a plot summary about the novel itself, I will reflect on what I have learned after reading Crabbe and finally I will relate the novel to a personal experience. Franklin Crabbe, an eight-teen year old boy lived the life everyone dreamed of, he was raised in a very wealthy household, his father being a lawyer offered to provide him with everything he needed to prog ress in life as a successful young man. Franklin was intelligent, with a mind like no other. However, every family has their secrets. Franklin developed a drinking problem; he drank Silent Sam, a Vodka baring no scent to it.Franklin seemed to be a bright young man; he was supposed to attend University to become a lawyer just like his father. Throughout the years Franklin’s parents refused to allow him to make his own decisions. They chose his courses, they planned his future and they determined his career path for him. Franklin began to feel like he was useless, like his life had no meaning, due to the pressure he was put in by his family and those around him Franklin decided to escape the stresses of his everyday life, he decided to run away from home, to the woods and never look back.He wanted to be just like everyone else, he wanted to make his own decisions, he chose to run away to prove to everyone he was capable of living on his own. Upon running away, Franklin encounte rs numerous challenges and adventures, which shaped the way he viewed life. Unfortunately Franklin got attacked by a bear, causing him to fall down a waterfall, luckily for him a woman named Mary saved him from drowning. Mary, a married University student is also traveling through the woods, running away from her problems.Due to the injuries Franklin received, he spent the next few weeks in Mary’s care. She taught him the basics to being one with nature, she taught him how to use a compass, read a map and most importantly how to hunt. Throughout the weeks of being together, Mary taught Franklin how to successfully live on his own. With winter just around the corner, Mary and Franklin decide to part and go their separate ways. Franklin became very confused in the matter; throughout the weeks of being with Mary he developed an endless love for her.Trying to find out more about Mary’s past and why she decided to run to the woods, he started reading her journals, journals which he promised never to open. While reading, Franklin discovers that Mary murdered her husband and has a warrant for her arrest. Scared, he finds his way out of the forest. An ongoing vehicle stopped and picked up Franklin, when the driver noticed how badly Franklin’s fingers were frozen he rushed him to the clinic as soon as possible. At the clinic Franklin finds out the doctors must amputate his fingers; otherwise his whole hand might become infected.When he was admitted into the clinic, Franklin Crabbe refused to give the doctors his real name, after the long days that followed he gave in and proclaimed his identity; the doctors immediately contacted his parents. Franklin was devastated to see how much pain he brought to his family, eventually he broke down and explained to his parents why he felt like running away, he admitted to being unhappy and feeling useless. Sympathetic, his parents brought him home and they avoided any further talk about the woods. The emotional novel, Crabbe by William Bell taught me to always face my problems face on.It showed me that hiding from my fears is never the right option. In life we are constantly faced with obstacles that make us feel hopeless, where we feel like we don’t have anybody and we bottle up our emotions inside, thinking that they will dissolve. There are many times you feel alone, with no one to turn to causing us to feel empty and alone. The novel taught me to never give up on myself, when facing a problem it is best to do it with someone by your side, a family member or a friend. When life throws challenges your way, it is best to tackle them as they come instead of letting them pile up.Reading this novel I learned that there is always a better day, things will always be okay if you have faith in yourself. While reading a novel I began having flash backs to multiple challenges I faced, although not as extreme as those Franklin experienced, one stuck out to me. Earlier this year a very close friend and I got into a dispute. Neither of us knew the reason we were arguing but instead of talking and resolving our issues as friends we decided to run away from the conflict and not speak to each other.We have spent months avoiding each other, afraid of saying how we truly felt. After months of turning the other way when encountering each other in the halls I knew that we had been running away from our problems for too long. I didn’t know how to properly deal with the situation so I just stopped, I stopped avoiding him and I never tried to speak to him. The problem between us isn’t resolved, but after reading this novel, I might just give it another try and face my fears.William Bell is truly an exceptional writer; we tore at my heart strings and made me relate the novel Crabbe to my own life. While reading the novel, I was able to learn a lot when it comes to facing my problems. As I have reached the end of my summative, I really hope I was able to do the book s ome justice. When I began this process, I did not know where to start, but once I got into it the words just began to flow perfectly. The plot of the story taught me many valuable lessons, lessons that I will consider when encountering problems later on in life.