SSTLS Passages

“‘You’ve got to stop buying books, Nee-gro,’ Vishnu said. ‘All those doorstops are going to drag down your PERSONALITY rankings’” (90).

This passage relates to the theme (Literacy and/or Literature in the Online Social Network Era) because in this time period, there are very few people who still read books in the traditional sense (meaning in the physical form). Books are hardly regarded as important, necessary or common. Instead, they are seen as objects that hinder one’s social mobility. This is shown clearly when Vishnu comments that the books would only drag down Lenny’s personality levels, making him less desirable to others. Also, Vishnu refers to the books as mere doorstops, implying their insignificance in this world and is ignorant of their importance. This passage stands out because it satirizes today’s issue regarding the increase use of the internet and the decrease of literature.

“She looked at my Wall of Books with a neutral expression, although by now my volumes mostly stank of Pine-Sol Wild Flower Blast and not their natural printed essence” (102).

This passage reveals how out of place books are in this time period. By covering up the books’ natural scent, Lenny is trying to conceal a part of himself. Perhaps he is self-conscious of its unnatural smell to others or maybe he does not want Eunice criticizing his collection. Whatever the reason, this act reveals the uncommon place that books have in this time period. This passage stands out because even though Lenny tries to mask the books’ natural smell, he cannot hide his love for books. He describes the books’ scent as a “natural printed essence,” whereas he uses the word “stank” to describe the Pine-Sol. This further shows how Lenny, just like books, is from a different time.

“I thought Ben was really brain-smart because I saw him streaming Chronicles of Narnia in that café in Rome, but this Tolsoy was a thousand pages long BOOK, not a stream, and Lenny was on page 930, almost finished” (144).

This is another passage that reveals how misplaced books are in this time. In a world where everything is streamed online, there is little space for literature that is not digitalized. It shows that the mere act of streaming something is an impressive feat of its own, so actually reading a thousand page book is beyond comprehension. This surprise towards reading illustrates the irrelevant position that books now hold. The passage stands out because it shows a rare moment where Eunice seems mildly impressed, to say the least, of Lenny’s treasured hobby. She somewhat compliments his incredible feat, reinforcing the notion that literature is nearly nonexistent in this online era.