Log 2

The Song of Achilles_2011_by Madeline Miller

    I chose “The Song of Achilles” as the book for my reading log, which was about a great demigod, Achilles, who fell in love with an exiled prince. I met this book coincidentally, during a class that needed us to pick a book related to Mythology or Sci-fi. Although we did not choose it finally, I was personally interested in it, which is about the love between two boys. I like this genre of story where the unspeakable mind is hidden from eye contact, although the surface seems still, the love within is like an unripe fruit, tart, and difficult to suppress. I also like the endings of Greek mythology, which are always tragic, making the stories more unforgettable.

    This week, I read the first three chapters. We started engaging with the story from the perspective of the poor prince, Patroclus. At the beginning of the story, I saw marriages in two families. Patroclus's mother was a moron, his father had married her for her family's fortune. Achilles's father was a kind, devout person to whom the gods had given a goddess, but due to the unwillingness of the goddess, his father could only marry her by grabbing her hair and infringing her.

    "Peleus (Achilles’s father) did all that the gods had instructed him to do… The blood from the wounds she had given him mixed with the smears of lost maidenhead on her thighs. Her resistance mattered no longer: a deflowering was as binding as marriage vows." 

    I felt awful for these two marriages, but this was truly how history was. My parents are born in a relatively traditional era. "We got married too early," my mom said. They did not get familiar with each other before marriage, and thus they always had quarrels over big and small things. Nowadays, marriage has been considered important, I felt fortunate to be born in this era where I could decide who and when I married.

    Back to the story, the tragedy of Patroclus did not stop at his unfortunate birth. Patroclus was born weak, cowardly, and gloomy, which was quite different from most literature where protagonists used special strength or wisdom to strive in life. However, this kind of figure was more appealing to me because I was neither strong nor brave. Watching him being tricked by fate was as lovely as a faint flame on a candle that seemed to be extinguished, but was dimly lit.

    At the beginning of chapter three, Patroclus strived to protect his dignity by fighting with an aristocrat. He accidentally killed the aristocrat and was exiled to the country of Achilles. The story finally entered the major storyline, Patroclus’s second contact with Achilles. I liked how the author described Patroclus's appearance: “hair lit like honey in the sun…his heels flashing pink as licking tongues.” The author used many senses to describe Achilles, which made this beautiful boy more vivid and attractive. Also, I liked his personality; he was not written as a childish boy who hated Patroclus due to his identity as a slave, nor was he written as a kind person. All his kind and apathetic behavior was because he was Achilles, a demigod with a pure spirit.

    I looked forward to their following interactions! In the end, I was sure that this was the book I would like.