Rob a music junkie who is both childish and indecisive captures what it is like being a thirty-six year old guy who runs an almost-failing record store. Furthermore, his love life is not perfect. In Nick Hornby's novel High Fidelity, Rob struggles with the realities of life oftentimes not being able to unmask the potential he may have. In addition, his girlfriend Laura, just left him for the guy upstairs. Now, Rob is faced with the realities of a failing record store, as well as the pondering question about why Laura left him. Being the music junkie that Rob is, Rob sets out to do what he does best, rearranging his music collection and starting all over. Sooner or later, Rob realizes that picking pieces of a rather predictable record is …show more content…
For instance, in times of stress he sits back and rearranges his music collection for comfort “QUOTE HERE”. This is a rather convenient mindset because Rob enjoys this comfortability of being able to predict things, because when he is unable to predict things, he is rather uncomfortable. In many ways this explains why Rob has a hard time facing realities of life; it is because Rob likes predictability which often means he is in control. The biggest difference between people and records is that people have the tendency to be unpredictable, such as Laura his girlfriend when she points out “QUOTE HERE”; she changed, she was no longer predictable. Even then Rob struggles with the idea that she changed “QUOTE HERE”. This is why he so desperately clings on to this philosophy of life. It gives him a sense of power, but yet certainty that perhaps things can be rewritten even unpredictable things. Furthermore, comfort and control tie hand in hand for Rob. For instance, when he says Djing was his favorite job Rob explained “INSERT QUOTE HERE”. It was his favorite job because he controlled other people, basically making them do whatever he wished. He could slow the music down or speed it up and watch the reactions of people. Rob always feels the need to be in control whom he is because when he is not he turns to self-pity “INSERT QUOTE HERE”. So, comfort is control and uncomfort is no control. In …show more content…
This begins when he meets Charlie, Charlie seems rather high-class and ahead of the game. Rob takes a quick notice of that as well as her friends who seem to follow the same path. Rob says “QUOTE HERE” indicating that his philosophy of life is flawed. Rob realizes that these people are ahead because they faced unpredictable realities therefore also facing unconformability, where he wants to change. He comes to that one point where he saw Laura at her dad's funeral and felt something inside him change “QUOTE HERE”. Also, when Laura dragged him along to see Paul and Michelle, where Rob was not excited about “QUOTE HERE”. Laura sort of rigged him into seeing their record collection because she knew he would love them “QUOTE HERE”. He faces somewhat the realities of life and things seem to shift. Even though Rob is rather wishy-washy and always falling back into old
By identifying Robert’s warning signs of depression that we see in chapter 10, we are able to delve into the inner workings of his brain and see what he truly desires in life.
...interracial relationships. However because of the way he acts when he hears about the two of them, it is obvious that he has led a sheltered life. But even after his entire life of not understanding what was going on in the world around him, one night with Robert enlightened him and changed his view on people and his surrounding environment.
Rob uses his past relationships to measure his new relationships. His first relationship with Alison Ashworth proves to be the beginning of a never-ending cycle. Rob never places much effort into his relationships because of his initial heartbreak where he was left for another young man. Hence, when Rob is confronted with his failing relationships, he has to compare himself to the man his girlfriend left him for.
I believe that if it weren’t for Robert’s visit and presence, the narrator more than likely wouldn’t have had this kind of experience. Maybe, the narrator wouldn’t have changed his mind of thinking and feeling at that moment. Who knows if he did change for the long run, but maybe it was a much-needed moment that he was eager to have, for himself, for his relationship sake. To realize that there is much more to seeing then what he just sees in front of him, because Robert taught him that even though you have your vision, some can still be blind to
Additionally, a young man appears in Laura’s life that sings outside her bedroom window, writes poems to her, and follows her around town to demonstrate his passionate love for her. Porter states, “She tells herself that thro...
When Robert arrives at the couple’s house, the husband does not know what to say to him. The husband asks stupid questions about the view from the train: "Which side of the train did you sit on?" (1055). The husband knows that Robert cannot see the view, but he asks him these questions anyway. Also, the husband thinks to himself, "I didn’t know what else to say" (1055) which is a clear indication that he does not know how to relate to Robert. Both of these quotations show that the husband does not know what to talk about with Robert because he only sees Robert’s handicap, instead of seeing him as a complete human being who has emotions, thoughts, ideas, and beliefs.
9) Stanley, Adam Paul. Remember A Day:An Analysis of Over Twenty Years of American Rock
While having a conversation with Joe, Charlie says, "Everybody on the floor came around and they were laughing.you been here long enough. " (Keyes 34) " By correcting his own mistakes, Charlie shows that he is progressing towards a more educated future. His progress towards an educated future helps him make a brighter future and points at him becoming a complete person.
There were many jobs that Rob had taken during the years; with each job he has there is a lack of passion and drive which results in his lack of commitment. Even from the beginning of the novel, Hornby writes, “Later I could see that it was a false momentum, because it didn’t belong to me at all” (Hornby 87). In the late 80s Rob was a DJ at a “club”, he loved the music and the feeling it gave him and the crowd he played for. As a DJ, Rob realized that the environment wasn’t from him, but the music that he played for others, it wasn’t his. Th...
Both quotes show the extent of Charlie’s change throughout the novel. Silvey also uses this element to successfully create empathy from the readers and make the book that much more brilliant.
Jake has experience lying to people “he took a moment or two to feel both proud and sad about his performance” (250). Unfortunately, Jake never learns his lesson “His sense of freedom swelled as he drove into the now moving street traffic, though he couldn’t stop the thought about that FM stereo radio and crushes velvet interior and the new car smell that would even make it better” (250). Jake continuous down the road he thinks is going to get him everything he wants, even though he has no job or insurance.
The night Laura Wishart was found dead, Charlie changed as a person: he started to see everything in a different light, even his home life. He comes to terms with his mother; he realises that her personal issues are being taken out on him and dominating their family life. Ruth Buc...
As Cliff walks into the Kit Kat club he enters the world of promiscuous uninhibited dancers, and people of the like. Men approach him to dance, and women entice him with their charms. He obviously wasn’t all that accustomed to this kind of happening, but he didn’t shy away from it. The first night he lived this almost unreal experience, he met a woman. Sally was a one of a kind woman of her time, being on her own, making her own living, whether that living be on stage or with a man who suits her interest for a while.
But perhaps Robert’s most enduring quality is his artful pillory of those about him. When on form, his wisecracks at the expense of others can be as withering to the subject as they are amusing to everyone else. Take the incident earlier today when he asked the vicar (preacher), ‘Do you charge for taking a church service?’ ‘Not a penny’ he replied. ‘From what I saw this morning, you’ve got it spot on!’ I am convinced Robert’s personality and sense of fun resulted from the games his dad played with him as a kid. He used to throw him in the air – and walk away. Needless to say, another good thing about Robert is that he can take a joke as well as. Mind you, so can Pamela, because she's taken Robert.
Laura started off in a bubble, and has lived in it all her life. She has been protected from the real world, so she has never experienced the effects of betrayal, poverty, or labor, let alone death, which she does get to experience, by the end of the story. Laura meets face to face with death, and the results of it will change her look on life forever. It is a wonder she ever had a chance to be a caring, sensitive person with a sibling like Jose. Jose is an unfeeling, heartless and self-absorbed person who is completely clueless to those around her who don’t have lots of money or expensive assets. She sings songs with mock passion: