Marilyn回家处理母亲后事期间,James带Nath学游泳,Nath的怯弱让他想起那个年纪的自己。小时候的他自卑,没朋友,他希望Nath跟他不一样,希望他能融入小伙伴,甚至是受小伙伴的榜样人物。他甚至帮Nath物色适合的玩伴,Jack。但是当Nath被小伙伴嘲弄,James的内心是纠结的,一方面他理解儿子的处境,想安抚儿子,因为他也经历过类似的屈辱;另一方面打又想打醒儿子,改造他。但似乎James什么都没做,却轻描淡写的说话句:“Some kids teased him at the pool yesterday. He needs to learn to take a joke.” 真是个沉默的,不沟通的家庭!
处理母亲后事回来的Marilyn,整个人完全变了,她不在再为家人精心准备餐食,全部变成了速食餐。鬼使神差的她开车去了医院,在医院里看到了受人尊敬而忙碌的Dr. Wolff,她以为没有孩子,没有丈夫的牵拌她就可以重新找回人生。于是她开始计划离开家庭,先去社区大学选修相关课程。最后她真的离开了家,带着家人的一点一点气息悄无声息地走了。
时间又回到现在,Marilyn的小女儿,Hannah的小女儿着实让人惊讶,又是一个极度敏感的小人。这句话昨天晚上读的时候,“Hannah’s body knows all the secrets of silence”
我听着都有点怕,这小姑娘这么小就这么敏感。
Words
1. apiece 副词 每人
“Each morning, he served the children cereal for breakfast and sent them to school with thirty cents apiece for the lunch line. ”
apiece: If people have a particular number of things apiece, they have that number each.
Eg: He and I had two fish apiece...
我和他一人两条鱼。
很简的词,但是以前不会这么表达,我只会用each, They each had one book. 或者each放在句尾。
2. Keep your arms underwater.Whip you legs out.Like this.
whip这个词即表达了蹬,又有力量。好好记住这个说法。下次教别人游泳的时候想想怎么说。
3. Nath circled the girl who was It with the other children, bouncing on his toes to keep his head above water.
It是小孩子的游戏。(in children's games) the player who has to catch the others。理解这个游戏,下面的游戏就好懂了。
4. bristle
If you bristle at something, you react to it angrily, and show this in your expression or the way you move.
Expressions
今天总结一些实用的动作相关的表达,看看内向小男生Nath的细微动作。
1. Nath asked every night, crimping the foil tray of his TV dinner.
Nath掐折他的快餐锡盘,crimp这个下意识的动作,表现了Nath的不满但又小心翼翼
2.“Do I have to?” Nath asked, pleating the edge of his towel. ”
摆弄洗浴巾的边,表达出一种不情愿的心理和怯弱的一方面
3. He shoved Jack aside and ducked underwater, and when he reemerged at the edge, he climbed straight out without shaking himself. He didn’t even wipe the water from his eyes, just let it stream over his face as he stalked toward the door, and because of this James could not tell if he was crying.
摘录来自: Celeste Ng. “Everything I Never Told You: A Novel”。 iBooks.
没有抖掉身上水,没有擦掉眼睛里的水,怒气充充地走向门口。这时的Nath内心是愤怒的。