Comparing Themes

I think that, even though our two books were very different, they had a similar theme: Just because everyone is doing it, doesn't mean it is right. This is shown in both books. It is shown in Pride and Prejudice through Elizabeth. Elizabeth has lived her life pressured by her family to grow up to be perfect: marry a rich man, stay at home and raise the children, and not work. However, Elizabeth doesn't like this lifestyle. She, unlike her sisters, believes that there are more important qualities to a man than how much money he has. Through out the story, Elizabeth is looked down on for believing what she does, but she never changes what she believes in. This theme is shown in What My Mother Doesn't Know through Sophie. Sophie likes a boy, Murphy, but no one else does. She is embarrassed by him, so she doesn't want people to know that she likes him, or even notices him. However, by the end of the book, Sophie realizes that what other people think shouldn't get in the way of what she thinks, and that she shouldn't be pressured by society.

~Carolyn

Character Analysis: Sophie

Characters: Sophie is the main character in the book What My Mother Doesn't Know. She is also the speaker, and she writes the poems that make up the book. I think that Sophie is a very stereotypical kind of teenage girl. She is confused about lots of different things, especially boys. She is also very adventurous, which is shown with her "in-town vacations" and when she talks to Chaz online.
Sophie also doesn't have a very good relationship with her parents. She describes how they are always fighting and yelling, and how it negatively effects her.
Because Sophie doesn't have that bond with her parents, she turns to her two bestfriends, Grace and Rachel, for advice whenever she has problems. Sophie seems to be very open with her friends about things, but she is also afraid she won't impress them, like when she hid who Robin really was.

~Carolyn

What My Mother Doesn't Know Initial Thoughts

I was very pleased after finishing What My Mother Doesn't Know. It was very different from Pride and Prejudice, but I liked it a lot more. One of the reasons I liked it was because it was it was set in a modern time, so I could understand it much more easily. Also, it was much more relatable. The plot was more interesting to me, and so I was more excited to read it. It wasn't as much of a chore as reading Pride and Prejudice seems to be. I also liked the poetic format it is written in. It makes it a very quick read. I would only have to read one or two poems at a time, so it went by faster.

Overall, I liked What My Mother Doesn't Know a lot more than our classic, Pride and Prejudice.

~Carolyn

Pride and Prejudice Cover Analysis

This topic may seem a little bit "out of the box", but I think you may actually enjoy reading this. When I was trying to get a hold of this book at libraries and bookstores, I saw that Pride and Prejudice had lots of different book covers.

The one I received has a portrait of a lady on the front. I was always wondering who that lady was. At last, I think I have finally found the answer. If Jane Austen were to come up with the cover for this book, I think that she would pick Elizabeth to be on the cover, just Elizabeth. In the story Elizabeth has some very different thoughts that go against what her mother (and maybe sisters) have established for her. Maybe what Austen was trying to convey was solely Elizabeth because she is so different from the rest of her family.

~Ana Gabriela

Book to Book Connection

While reading Pride and Prejudice, Carolyn and I decided to start What My Mother Doesn't Know. What My Mother Doesn't Know is such a quick and easy read; we finished shortly. Though both of us are not finished with Pride and Prejudice, I can still identify the connection between the two books.

In Pride and Prejudice, the main goal for Mrs. Bennet is to get her daughters married. In What My Mother Doesn't Know, the main character, Sophie is looking for what she calls "Mr. Right."

I think Sophie is like Mrs. Bennet, Lydia, Kitty, Jane, and Mary. The reason being is because at first Sophie is like the Bennet's because of their values. When the Bennet's are thinking of men they would would possibly marry, they think of looks and wealth. Sophie used to think that love would be linked with good looks. The tables are turned and Sophie goes against everything her peers have established. She dates what is considered a "loser" because of the commoness between them. He is isn't exactly good looking, but that brushes past Sophie because she likes him for other things beside just that.

Sophie is definetely a dynamic character in the story, not because she realized something, but because she grew as a character. She looks past what everyone can't penetrate. What I mean by that is, in the end, Sophie could see who a person was underneath their looks while her peers could just be mesmerized by good looks. I think her values in the end can compare to those of Elizabeth's. Elizabeth's sisters are in love with Mr. Bingley's fame; she focuses on the things deeper within.

~Ana Gabriela

Chapter XII (Thoughts and Summary)

Chapter XII reveals the way Mr. Darcy feels about Elizabeth. The story quotes:

"Elizabeth had been at Netherfield long enough. She had attracted him more than he liked."

Jane Austen really highlights that aspect of the book by talking about the so called, "moments" they had together. Austen speaks of a time where they were left alone for about half an hour. Mr. Darcy notes how hard he was trying to be engrossed in his book.

Jane gets better soon and comes home. Mrs. Bennet is not happy about it though. She wishes that Jane would get a cough and have to stay at the Bingley Estate for a longer period of time.

~Ana Gabriela

Chater XI (Thoughts)

Chapter XI was an interesting read for me. Jane Austen put a statement at the end that just sends chills down you spine.

"He began to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention."

I feel that this was a contradicting statement considering he was trying to impress her in earlier chapters. I think the reason that he is kind of venturing away from Elizabeth is because her personality came through to him. I can infer that Elizabeth kind of saw that he was trying to impress her, so she kind of went along with it. I also feel that she really started to like him; that's also when Darcy started to get the bad signal. 

At one point in the chapter, the Bingley's are joking with Mr. Darcy, but Elizabeth was hurt and started to defend Darcy. Here is an excerpt: 

"And as to laughter, we will not expose ourselves, if you please, by attempting to laugh without a subject. Mr. Darcy may hug himself."

"'Mr. Darcy is not to be laughed at!' cried Elizabeth..."

The first part of the little scene, was kind of showing the playfulness between Darcy and the Bingley's. The Bingley's are basically saying, "If we are going to have a laugh, Darcy can automatically be the subject of the laughter." 

Obviously, Elizabeth is hurt, and she says the first thing on her mind in an effort to defend Darcy. I honestly think that Darcy did not like that she was only trying to be nice, so that is why he was having those thoughts mentioned in the beginning of this post.

~Ana Gabriela