I love how you're breaking this down word-by-word and clause-by-clause. I didn't consciously plan it on that level, but I put myself in my writing-"Stephen" mindset, and apparently that affects everything down to where I put my commas.
I use "needy" and "helpless" to describe "Stephen" all the time, so I think they work. He needs people; specifically, he needs love and approval, most notably from father figures (Papa Bear, God, the President) but also in general. And he can't get these on his own. (Have you read his book yet? If you don't mind spoilers, there's a line I want to quote at you.) He is constantly reaching out, often to the Nation in general -- pleading for our sympathy, our applause, our votes -- and at the same time he's doing things for us (as he sees it); he says "I've got your back" and he means it -- but all of this, everything he does, all the love he elicits, it's never enough. That's where the helplessness comes in. He's trying so hard, but he's not succeeding.
The problem is the walls he builds around himself. His anger and his pity plays -- the real Stephen has literally called these "walls" and "defenses", and that shows very clearly in "Stephen". He built these walls to keep himself safe, but they're keeping him from actually connecting with people.
His ignorance (which Stephen has called "willful" -- he's not just lazy, he is actively fostering a lack of knowledge) is another wall. What you see as "him being hopelessly inconsiderate" is a direct result of that. His compassion, and he has a deeply compassionate streak, is inhibited by his willful ignorance.
He is a tragic, tragic character, is our "Stephen".
You better believe the follow-up's gonna hurt. It takes place between chapter 20 and the epilogue, so you know there's a happy ending in the future, but there's a lot of pain along the way. Stephen desperately wants to connect with Jon, and for the first time the other person wants to connect with him just as desperately; but it can't happen until his walls are torn down, and there's no easy way to do that.
Come to think of it, I hadn't intellectualized this, but we get glimpses of that in later chapters here too. Stephen's ignorance starts to come down (most notably in chapter 16 and the end of 17), and it hurts every time.
You're exactly right: Jon knew. Jon's reaction to Stephen is a curious combination of blind spots and the ability to see parts of him that most people don't.
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I love how you're breaking this down word-by-word and clause-by-clause. I didn't consciously plan it on that level, but I put myself in my writing-"Stephen" mindset, and apparently that affects everything down to where I put my commas.
I use "needy" and "helpless" to describe "Stephen" all the time, so I think they work. He needs people; specifically, he needs love and approval, most notably from father figures (Papa Bear, God, the President) but also in general. And he can't get these on his own. (Have you read his book yet? If you don't mind spoilers, there's a line I want to quote at you.) He is constantly reaching out, often to the Nation in general -- pleading for our sympathy, our applause, our votes -- and at the same time he's doing things for us (as he sees it); he says "I've got your back" and he means it -- but all of this, everything he does, all the love he elicits, it's never enough. That's where the helplessness comes in. He's trying so hard, but he's not succeeding.
The problem is the walls he builds around himself. His anger and his pity plays -- the real Stephen has literally called these "walls" and "defenses", and that shows very clearly in "Stephen". He built these walls to keep himself safe, but they're keeping him from actually connecting with people.
His ignorance (which Stephen has called "willful" -- he's not just lazy, he is actively fostering a lack of knowledge) is another wall. What you see as "him being hopelessly inconsiderate" is a direct result of that. His compassion, and he has a deeply compassionate streak, is inhibited by his willful ignorance.
He is a tragic, tragic character, is our "Stephen".
You better believe the follow-up's gonna hurt. It takes place between chapter 20 and the epilogue, so you know there's a happy ending in the future, but there's a lot of pain along the way. Stephen desperately wants to connect with Jon, and for the first time the other person wants to connect with him just as desperately; but it can't happen until his walls are torn down, and there's no easy way to do that.
Come to think of it, I hadn't intellectualized this, but we get glimpses of that in later chapters here too. Stephen's ignorance starts to come down (most notably in chapter 16 and the end of 17), and it hurts every time.
You're exactly right: Jon knew. Jon's reaction to Stephen is a curious combination of blind spots and the ability to see parts of him that most people don't.