5/11/2023 0 Comments Night book summary chapter 6![]() ![]() Perhaps in no other chapter does the voice of Landon change as much as it does throughout the course of this chapter. He returns to this theme before the novel ends. Thankfully, he didn't grow up in the place like this, but others do, and Landon finds this thought "depressing." Without consciously acknowledging it, Landon has taken his first step toward trying to figure out his purpose in this world - that is, what he can do to make the lives of other people that much better. When he says he "couldn't imagine growing up in a place like this," he is in the initial stages of taking some responsibility for the orphans. Games and toys are broken, the surroundings are stark, and each child owns only a stuffed animal or two. He has grown up in luxury, yet here, the children have so little. Landon finds himself touched by the condition of the orphanage. Jamie's faith in Landon's goodness is succeeding, in Landon's words, to "twist you every way but normal." " With her, Landon feels that he can do and be more. "Unlike Jamie," Landon says, "I deserved to feel bad about myself - I knew what kind of person I was. Up until now, he has thought of himself as irresponsible, perhaps even unkind at times, and Jamie is offering him a different self-image to embrace. When she suggests that he become a minister, Landon laughs off the idea, but it is comments such as that one that are beginning to change Landon's self-image. She sees a side of Landon that no one else sees, and Landon feels a certain amount of pressure from her view of him. Quite the contrary: Jamie sees the genuine Landon, the one not concerned with social mores and popularity, who can be polite, kind, and generous. ![]() But Jamie isn't misguided - that is, she is not forcing Landon to be someone he isn't or seeing something that isn't there. That is hardly how anyone, perhaps even Jamie, would have described him in the past. When Jamie tells Landon's mother that he has "a special heart," both Landon and his mother are surprised. In this chapter, Jamie is beginning to believe in a Landon who does not yet exist, but who has the potential to. Jamie's reaction reminds him of how much he has and how little he appreciates it. Landon has always taken his wealth for granted and has tried to escape from his home as often as possible. This allows Landon to see his house through her eyes - the paintings of his ancestors, the hand-made furniture, the graciousness of the neighborhood - instead of through his own. When Jamie sees Landon's house for the first time, she is shocked by its magnificence. In addition to his growing resentment, he now feels guilt. She then gives Landon a tour of the orphanage, which depresses him in its starkness. In spite of her deep disappointment, Jamie understands Mr. Jenkins rejects their idea to perform the play there he reminds them that the subject matter might sadden the orphans. They turn their attention to the orphanage, where Jamie has volunteered for the last seven years. Given Jamie's prowess in the classroom, Landon is surprised Jamie doesn't aspire to more in life. On their way to the orphanage, Landon and Jamie discuss their future, and Jamie suggests that Landon become a minister after college, a suggestion he finds "absolutely ridiculous." Jamie reveals that her own dream is to get married, with a tremendous crowd in attendance and her father walking her down the aisle. Landon reflects to himself that his favorite part of the house is the window that allows him to escape his home late at night. On their way, Jamie stops by Landon's home and is astonished by its size and grandeur, especially when compared to her own modest house. Jamie and Landon are charged with driving to Morehead City, the next town over, and asking the orphanage director, Mr. In response to Jamie's idea to perform in front of the orphans, Miss Garber, the drama teacher, suggests that the entire cast (not just Jamie and Landon) perform for the orphans.
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