My Year of Meats II
While reading through the chapters of “My Year of Meats”, I find myself waiting for the sections on Akiko. I find Akiko’s life to be very interesting. She is timid and shy, always agreeing with and obeying her husband, but at the same time she possesses a strong presence. Her illness (bulemia) is the only thing in her life she feelsthat she can control, and she enjoys when her husband is away so that she can have peace and quiet. Akiko’s husband “John”, I have found to be quite the jerk in our readings for this week. Not only does he get drunk and try to have sex with Jane on their business trip, but he beats Akiko and treats her like an animal. Akiko’s job for John, is to wacth the “MY American Wife!” show during the day and fill out a survey, then make the meal for John when he returns home from work. On one ocassion, Akiko writes a 2 for “Authenticness” and makes lamb chops for dinner (which John is totally against because they are Australian). John hits Akiko for her faults, sending her into the television and hitting her stomach. After this, Akiko gets her period, but hides it from John.
An interesting fact in this book is about the “estrogen” injected in animals during the middle 1900′s to make them gain weight quicker. Jane told us about the facts and how after a while, preganat women were even being perscribed to take this “estrogen” pill to make their babies stronger. But in realiety, the pill was also used as a morning after pill (go figure). The health effects were detrimental, and many children were born with certain cancers and could possibly even be fertle. Jane then began to think, she is a “larger” woman and was unable to have children due to a cancer that she had, much taller than her parents and her mother could have taken these “estrogen pills” as perscribed by her doctor. Why is meat being pushed so much when the side effects are dangerous? Many farmers refused to obey the new laws prohibiting the drug, and still used it on their livestalk for quicker, fatter, and more money producing results.
I found it interesting how Janes “fling” had gotten her pregnant when she was possitive she could not. We were given alittle background on Jane’s previous marriage and its failure due to her being “sterile”. At around this book I thought it started to pick up and becom interseting. Would she keep the baby and tell Sloan? On his visit to the city to see her, she was hoping to tell him but did not. What will happen next? I am enjoying this book, I find it very intersting and up to date. I want to keep reading more!
Kristy Martin said,
April 13, 2008 at 10:56 pm
I am also really enjoying getting to the sections about Akiko. I feel so bad for her that “john” treats her the way that he does! I am also really starting to like Jane more than i did. I feel that she is very strong some times, and at other times just trying to figure out who she is in the world.
aae619 said,
April 16, 2008 at 5:34 pm
I, as well, liked to hear what was happening to Akiko. She had such a hard life and I just wanted her to come out on top in the end. I just wanted her to be the winner and prove to everyone she could fend for herself. With both women being pregnant, i was hurt to find out Jane, who actually wanted her baby, lost it. She wasn’t exactly “in love” with the father at the time, but she was going to support it. And then Akiko hadn’t wanted a child with John because of the way he treated her and she was the one who was going to have the child….ironic how that works out. Im glad most everything turned out for the best, in the end.