User:Kieras96/Student draft of Hard Love

Nailah McNair Kiera Scott Zarieal Taborn Broneicia Williams Ms. Garvoille English,1 February 28,2011

Characters

 * ’’’John F. Galardi, Jr’’’, a 16 year-old boy that is immune to emotion (Wittlinger 1), writes zines to say what he feels in print.
 * ’’’Brian’’’, a particularly awkward fellow, is John Galardi’s best and only friend. Brian, a girl chaser, which is considered normal for his age, has not had much luck with the love of his life, Violett Neville (Wittlinger 2). Brian’s luck with women soon changes when he meets Emily, his future girlfriend.
 * ”’Marisol”’-Marisol is the girl John meets that helps him express his feelings through zines. Marisol, being a lesbian in her time, is always ready to leave home and escape, especially while she is in “escape velocity” (Wittlinger 222).
 * ’”Anne Van Ester Howsen”’ - Anne, an often depressed woman, is John Galardi’s mother ( Wittlinger 11). She is divorced from John Galardi Senior, John’s father. Anne is engaged to Al.
 * ”’Al’” - Al, a generally accepting man ( Wittlinger 215). Al is engaged to John’s mother, Anne.
 * ’’’John F . Galardi Sr’’’ - John Sr., a self-centered business man, is John’s father ( Wittlinger 74). He is a ladies man and has no respect for the fact that John sees woman after woman is his father’s home.
 * ”’Emily”’ - Emily, a red-haired freshman, is Brian’s girlfriend. She tends to be bubbly and always energetic ( Wittlinger 84).
 * ”’Birdie”’ -  Birdie, a buff yet prissy young man, is Marisol’s best friend ( Wittlinger 51). Birdie unlike Maridol, He hates zines.
 * ”’Diana Tree’’’ - Diana, also a zine writer, becomes someone that John writes to to express his feelings ( Wittlinger 48).
 * ’’’Helen’’’- Helen, Marisol’s mother, is an accepting woman for the most part, but is still in denial at times about her daughter’s sexual preference and she joins gay friendly clubs in her community to cover it up. ( Wittlinger 56).

Plot
‘’Hard Love’’ is narrated by John and takes place near present day in Darlington, SC. The characters John, Brain, and Marisol, all high school student, are introduced. John starts expressing his feelings concerning his idol, Marisol, his mom, his friend Brian, and his dad. In chapter 1 John talks about his zine and wants to get it published. He meets Marisol through their interests in writing zines. John began to have feelings for Marisol, but she doesn’t feel the same way about him. John wants to take Marisol to the upcoming junior prom. Marisol thinks that John only wants to go as friends, but is confused at John's desire to parade his heterosexuality to his friends.

As the novel continues, John finally begins to communicate his feelings toward his mother and stepfather. In the beginning of the book, he doesn’t have well enough experience with being able to express himself. While he was with his partner Marisol, he answered to her comment on page 67, “Look, I’m not going anywhere. You can feel free to go, but I’m staying right here. That was one example of how he changed from being a soft quiet guy to opening up. In these chapters his support for his friend Brian also grew. While he was going to rehearsal for his play, John responded to him nicely on pg. “Did you bring your inhaler? Want me to wait for you in case you need a CPR?” His friendship increased while showing how he feels towards his mother, father, and and those are the examples he proved.

As John and Marisol’s relationship continues, it shows its strengths and weaknesses. Marisol’s mother gets John and Marisol tickets to go see her favorite artist Ani DiFranco in concert, which leads to Marisol spending the night at John’s father’s house. Marisol makes it clear that nothing will happen between them that night, but John’s father thinks differently. John, Sr. shows a lot of unusual affection towards John and Marisol the next morning because he thinks that his son was finally taking after him and becoming a “ladies’ man,” which wasn’t the case at all. In chapter ten, John convinces himself to write letters to his mother and father expressing his feelings about the divorce and how life has been for him in trying to cope with the situation. In the letter to his mother John says that though “most of the blame [is] on dad, who does indeed deserve his share, it’s [his mother] who screwed [him] up on the daily basis for the last six years” (Wittlinger 138). In the letter to his father, John writes, “Even though I blame you more than mom for the miseries of my growing up, I don’t hate you. . .You don’t even call up any feeling in me at all. Who are you?” The statement express all the stress and tension that John has been letting build up inside himself for the past six years. In chapters eleven through twelve Marisol and John go to the prom. Things don’t turn out the way John is planning it to, because he tries to make a move on Marisol, already knowing she is a lesbian. Marisol ends up making a statement to John that contradicts the way John feels. She says “No, not...love. Some kind of deep...connection” In short, John replies “No! Marisol, I love you!” Once again, John is left feeling alone like nobody is there, or cares for him and is in need of an escape. Uncertainty will often lead one to believe something they want to happen will and is happening. For John Galardi in chapters 13-17, the prior topic is relevant. In chapter 13, John is speaking to Brian about what had happened between him (John) and Marisol at prom. Then, John’s mother walks in and butts into the conversation. Later, John attempts to make his mother touch him, she does for a second but quickly pulls back. Soon after this incident, Marisol calls to inform John that she intends to go to the zine conference John had been anticipating. John mails off the letter he had written to his father and left the one for his mother on her pillow before he set off with Marisol. Also in this chapter Marisol and John arrive in Provincetown where the conference is being held. After meeting someone of her interest, Marisol decides to bunk with the “lesbos” ( Wittlinger 196). While alone in his own cabin for the   ;      weekend, John writes a poem entitled “I'm Not Lying,” around midnight, for Marisol. Marisol informs John the she isn't going back home, but to New York because she was in “escape velocity” or is ready to go off on her own(Wittlinger 210). In the final chapter John says his goodbyes to Marisol and finally gets the closure he needs to move on in life.