Agreeable By Jonathan Franzen Analysis
Madeline Allen
English 243
February 27th, 2013
Annotations of “Agreeable” “Agreeable” by Jonathan Franzen was enjoyable for me because I could easily relate to the story of young athlete, Patty. In Franzen’s story, Patty struggles with the relationships within her family and she becomes somewhat of an outsider due to her love for sports. Her mother has never really focused on Patty and their relationship is put to the test when Patty is raped at a party. Originally she confides with her coach, who persuades her to go straight to the police. When Patty’s parents get involved, they encourage her to just sweep what happened under the rug and to move on because of their relationship with her rapist’s parents. She is forced to move on and …show more content…
Page 4, column 2, bottom of page: This shows the commitment that Patty has to her team. She feels as though she is letting her team down if she did not get justice for her rape, which is a selfless and uncommon thought.
Page 5, column 1, top of page: Patty is apologizing to her mother for being raped. This show’s Patty’s guilt and the lack of support her mother has given her.
Page 5, column 1, bottom of page: The fact that Patty felt her mother was reminding her that she was her mother is a point of realization for Patty. She realizes the distant relationship she has with her mother and comes to terms with it.
Page 5, column 2, middle of page: The image of Patty peeling aluminum foil off her dinner alone at night is powerful. This image shows the loneliness and lack of family that is present in Patty’s life.
Page 5, column 2, bottom of page: It was a bold statement of her mother to ask Patty if it would be enough if Ethan just apologized to her. The fact that Patty agrees as a test to her mother and her mother fails her test shows the lack of support from her …show more content…
She asks her father for his advice instead of her mother’s, which shows her trust in her father is deeper than her trust in her mother.
Page 6, column 2, top of page: Patty thinks that the harm from her was mostly in her head, which is another example of the guilt she feels. If she had received the proper medical attention, she would know that a rape could induce not just physical harm, but also psychological harm.
Page 6, column 2, middle of page: The personification of injustice shows the severity of the injustice in this situation.
Page 7, column 1, top of page: Patty is shocked her father is advising her to act like the rape never even happened. She questions this difficult task.
Page 7, column 1, bottom of page: Patty is admitting to being “agreeable” when she doesn’t scream. This notion that she agreed to Ethan is a possible reason for the title of the story.
Page 7, column 2, middle of page: Patty was able to translate her bad situation into a positive situation. This shows Patty’s character.
Page 7, column 2, bottom of page: This is another example of Patty’s mother’s obsession with the campaign. The campaign means more to her than her own daughter and Patty realizes this with
English 243
February 27th, 2013
Annotations of “Agreeable” “Agreeable” by Jonathan Franzen was enjoyable for me because I could easily relate to the story of young athlete, Patty. In Franzen’s story, Patty struggles with the relationships within her family and she becomes somewhat of an outsider due to her love for sports. Her mother has never really focused on Patty and their relationship is put to the test when Patty is raped at a party. Originally she confides with her coach, who persuades her to go straight to the police. When Patty’s parents get involved, they encourage her to just sweep what happened under the rug and to move on because of their relationship with her rapist’s parents. She is forced to move on and …show more content…
Page 4, column 2, bottom of page: This shows the commitment that Patty has to her team. She feels as though she is letting her team down if she did not get justice for her rape, which is a selfless and uncommon thought.
Page 5, column 1, top of page: Patty is apologizing to her mother for being raped. This show’s Patty’s guilt and the lack of support her mother has given her.
Page 5, column 1, bottom of page: The fact that Patty felt her mother was reminding her that she was her mother is a point of realization for Patty. She realizes the distant relationship she has with her mother and comes to terms with it.
Page 5, column 2, middle of page: The image of Patty peeling aluminum foil off her dinner alone at night is powerful. This image shows the loneliness and lack of family that is present in Patty’s life.
Page 5, column 2, bottom of page: It was a bold statement of her mother to ask Patty if it would be enough if Ethan just apologized to her. The fact that Patty agrees as a test to her mother and her mother fails her test shows the lack of support from her …show more content…
She asks her father for his advice instead of her mother’s, which shows her trust in her father is deeper than her trust in her mother.
Page 6, column 2, top of page: Patty thinks that the harm from her was mostly in her head, which is another example of the guilt she feels. If she had received the proper medical attention, she would know that a rape could induce not just physical harm, but also psychological harm.
Page 6, column 2, middle of page: The personification of injustice shows the severity of the injustice in this situation.
Page 7, column 1, top of page: Patty is shocked her father is advising her to act like the rape never even happened. She questions this difficult task.
Page 7, column 1, bottom of page: Patty is admitting to being “agreeable” when she doesn’t scream. This notion that she agreed to Ethan is a possible reason for the title of the story.
Page 7, column 2, middle of page: Patty was able to translate her bad situation into a positive situation. This shows Patty’s character.
Page 7, column 2, bottom of page: This is another example of Patty’s mother’s obsession with the campaign. The campaign means more to her than her own daughter and Patty realizes this with