Title: Shoplifting From American Apparel
Author: Tao Lin
Pages: 68-103
SUMMARY: On the way to the police station, Sam meets a teenage girl in handcuffs and starts talking to her. This time real drama occurs in the jail. The inmates become violent and attack the police or other inmates. Sam sits there observing. Sam hangs out with Robert and Hester for many days. Robert informs Sam that Sheila was in a mental hospital. Sam goes to Florida away from all the worries and meets Audrey and Joseph. He texts Kaitlyn that he likes Joseph as a friend. Sam and Audrey spent more time together and Jeffrey joins in. Sam and Audrey go to the beach and kiss as they enjoy the evening. Audrey reminds Sam of Sheila and tells her that he wants to be a Marine Biologists.
QUOTATION: "'What did you want to be when you grew up?' said Audrey. 'Marine biologist,' said Sam" (Lin 103).
REACTION: This is the denouement of the book. It's humorous how random Sam is. When Sam and Audrey were kissing, they were at the beach and Sam was just staring at the water. When Audrey asked what Sam wanted to be in the future, I think the first thing that came to Sam's mind was Marine Biologist because he just guessed. The naive protagonist doesn't know what to do in future. He is just waiting as time passes by. I like the way how the book started with Sam and ended with Sam. Shouldn't the book be called "The Great Adventures of Shoplifting Sam" or just "Adventures of Sam?"
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Shoplifting From American Apparel (Pages 34-68)
Title: Shoplifting From American Apparel
Author: Tao Lin
Pages: 34-68
SUMMARY: After released from police station, Sam chats with Luis on gmail and Luis reminds him that his life is actually miserable. Sam's parents were living in Taiwan and he got arrested. They again have an interesting chat about how Sam has good rankings on amazon. It turns out Sam has to do community service for weeks until he pays off for his crime. Sam resides with brother Ben and his girlfriend Julia in Manhattan. On Christmas Eve, Sam receives new year messages from Kaitlyn and Mallory then goes with them to drink. They get drunk easily with other writers. Sam and Kaitlyn go to Sam's brothers apartment and make love. Sam has a moment of paradox. He wants to move on with Kaitlyn but he doesn't want to forget Sheila. A month later, Sam walks into New York University 's computer store and picks a Sony "in-ear" headphones and put it in his pockets. A short Hispanic woman stops Sam and asks him what is in his pockets and he answers cellphone. Sam admits that she caught him and again he goes through the same phase he did back when he shoplifted from American Apparel. Sam again ends up in the police station.
QUOTATION: "'I haven't been arrested and my parents haven't left the country I'm residing in. I don't speak to my parents but I'm already over that. So it is different with you. You didn't tell me that. I feel like petting your head'" (Lin 37).
REACTION: The speaker was Luis. Luis compares his life with Sam. This quote made me realize how screwed up Sam's life is. He is an adult but it feels like he needs someone to guide him. That's my opinion because this guy keeps shoplifting. Is that a mental issue, does it have a reason behind it? I should have asked Mr. Tao Lin.
Author: Tao Lin
Pages: 34-68
SUMMARY: After released from police station, Sam chats with Luis on gmail and Luis reminds him that his life is actually miserable. Sam's parents were living in Taiwan and he got arrested. They again have an interesting chat about how Sam has good rankings on amazon. It turns out Sam has to do community service for weeks until he pays off for his crime. Sam resides with brother Ben and his girlfriend Julia in Manhattan. On Christmas Eve, Sam receives new year messages from Kaitlyn and Mallory then goes with them to drink. They get drunk easily with other writers. Sam and Kaitlyn go to Sam's brothers apartment and make love. Sam has a moment of paradox. He wants to move on with Kaitlyn but he doesn't want to forget Sheila. A month later, Sam walks into New York University 's computer store and picks a Sony "in-ear" headphones and put it in his pockets. A short Hispanic woman stops Sam and asks him what is in his pockets and he answers cellphone. Sam admits that she caught him and again he goes through the same phase he did back when he shoplifted from American Apparel. Sam again ends up in the police station.
QUOTATION: "'I haven't been arrested and my parents haven't left the country I'm residing in. I don't speak to my parents but I'm already over that. So it is different with you. You didn't tell me that. I feel like petting your head'" (Lin 37).
REACTION: The speaker was Luis. Luis compares his life with Sam. This quote made me realize how screwed up Sam's life is. He is an adult but it feels like he needs someone to guide him. That's my opinion because this guy keeps shoplifting. Is that a mental issue, does it have a reason behind it? I should have asked Mr. Tao Lin.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Shoplifting From American Apparel (Pages 1-34)
Title: Shoplifting From American Apparel
Author: Tao Lin
Pages: 1-34
SUMMARY: Sam is the protagonist. He has a girlfriend by the name of Sheila. Sam wakes up and eats cereal then goes to gmail chat where he talks to his online friend Luis about watching pornography and wasting lives doing nothing. Sam doesn't talk to Sheila much and lives sometimes in her mother's house in Pennsylvania. The relationship of Sam and Sheila is awkward. They move to New York. Their mundane conversation about the simplest things in life continues. Sam thinks about writing a book. Turns out, Sam was the one who didn't express any feelings for Sheila. Sheila becomes sad that Sam isn't interested in her anymore. Sam likes iced coffee. Few Weeks later, he shoplifts from an American Apparel. The police handcuffs him and takes his picture. After taken to the police station, Sam meets different kind of people; a skinny Hispanic, a bald Caucasian and a tall Asian. They were there for shoplifting reasons as well. More people get put thrown into the same cell. They all had eerie stories to tell and somehow started to sound like rapscallions. Most inmates were extremely angry at the police and yelled at the police as if it was not their fault. Sam was later released from the police station.
QUOTATION: "'Oh yeah,' said Sam. 'I don't have to worry about money anymore, I just steal batteries.' 'Do people really buy batteries off eBay,' said Luis. 'Yes. I have undercut the competition. Walmart is crying' (Lin 15).
REACTION: This conversation Sam has with Luis on gmail chat is hilarious but also painful. I viewed this as a dark humor whether Mr. Tao Lin intended it to be or not. The way these guys are just talking about the most random thing in life is funny but the dark side is that it seems like their lives are going to waste. Sam wakes up arbitrarily everyday and has no plans. The way these characters lives' are portrayed is so eerie. It goes to a point where they start having random conversation about the simplest things in life. With the book's title and the stealing of batteries gave me as a reader an obvious hint that Sam was going to shoplift. Also, these are real events because Mr. Tao Lin him self told me that he considered this as a memoir.
Author: Tao Lin
Pages: 1-34
SUMMARY: Sam is the protagonist. He has a girlfriend by the name of Sheila. Sam wakes up and eats cereal then goes to gmail chat where he talks to his online friend Luis about watching pornography and wasting lives doing nothing. Sam doesn't talk to Sheila much and lives sometimes in her mother's house in Pennsylvania. The relationship of Sam and Sheila is awkward. They move to New York. Their mundane conversation about the simplest things in life continues. Sam thinks about writing a book. Turns out, Sam was the one who didn't express any feelings for Sheila. Sheila becomes sad that Sam isn't interested in her anymore. Sam likes iced coffee. Few Weeks later, he shoplifts from an American Apparel. The police handcuffs him and takes his picture. After taken to the police station, Sam meets different kind of people; a skinny Hispanic, a bald Caucasian and a tall Asian. They were there for shoplifting reasons as well. More people get put thrown into the same cell. They all had eerie stories to tell and somehow started to sound like rapscallions. Most inmates were extremely angry at the police and yelled at the police as if it was not their fault. Sam was later released from the police station.
QUOTATION: "'Oh yeah,' said Sam. 'I don't have to worry about money anymore, I just steal batteries.' 'Do people really buy batteries off eBay,' said Luis. 'Yes. I have undercut the competition. Walmart is crying' (Lin 15).
REACTION: This conversation Sam has with Luis on gmail chat is hilarious but also painful. I viewed this as a dark humor whether Mr. Tao Lin intended it to be or not. The way these guys are just talking about the most random thing in life is funny but the dark side is that it seems like their lives are going to waste. Sam wakes up arbitrarily everyday and has no plans. The way these characters lives' are portrayed is so eerie. It goes to a point where they start having random conversation about the simplest things in life. With the book's title and the stealing of batteries gave me as a reader an obvious hint that Sam was going to shoplift. Also, these are real events because Mr. Tao Lin him self told me that he considered this as a memoir.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
