Martin, Ann. 2002. A corner of the universe. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 0-439-38880-5.
A corner of the universe is a young adult novel set in the early 1960s. Hattie Owens is the young heroine. The novel explores how the events of one summer changed her life. Hattie, an only child, learns that her family has been keeping a big secret from her; she has another uncle, Adam, who is mentally retarded. Adam comes to visit only because the institution (or school) he has been living at since childhood closed down. At first, Hattie doesn't know what to think about Adam. He acts differently from anybody she has ever met. But she soon finds in him a kindred spirit.
Although she enjoys spending time with Adam, she does get embarrassed when he acts inappropriately in public. One time, for example, Adam escapes from home wearing only his pajama bottoms. She sees him walking by her house, and she chases him down�he's in quite a hurry�and tries to convince him to go back home. She doesn't want to treat him like a child�after all he's ten years older than she is�but she knows he shouldn't be out wandering about town half-dressed either. She walks him home, and has to pass the home of one of her classmates, Nancy. Nancy just happens to be outside, and when she sees them walk by she jeers at both of them. Both are upset.
The book is a reflective look back at that summer's events. It highlights the good and the bad. The book's focus is on the relationship between Adam and Hattie. In addition, the book focuses on friendship�and in contrast loneliness. Adam and Hattie are both prone to loneliness and isolation. Adam is kept "hidden" from sight. His mental problems lead his parents to isolate him. He's not "polite" enough to mingle with people. He's not included in their social life. Adam can't attend church with them. He can't attend parties with them�even at his own house. He has no friends besides Hattie and some older boarders. (The Owens family runs a boarding house.) Hattie only has one friend her own age�a friend who is never home during the summer. So Hattie does feel some isolation at least from her peers. Adam encourages her to find some new friends that she tries with some success. In fact, she has her first real birthday party with friends�Adam and Leila�at a carnival.
In many ways, Adam's friendship brings joy to her life. But in other ways, he brings hardships. Adam's behavior is erratic and unpredictable. There is no predicting what Adam will say and do next. (He loves to quote from I love Lucy. The climax of the book is when Hattie makes plans with Adam to sneak out of the house and visit the carnival at night. Hattie has permission; Adam does not. Since she has attended (and cared for) Adam in the past by herself, she doesn't foresee any troubles. Unfortunately, the night proves too overwhelming for Adam. When they are on the ferris wheel, it breaks down. Adam becomes impatient. He starts screaming and kicking. He has lost control. He starts climbing out of the box�Hattie and Leila have to hold on to him so he won't fall. The police and the ambulance arrive on the scene. He is rushed to the hospital. This shows Hattie just how serious Adam's mental problems are. She had never realized that her grandparents might be overprotective of him for a reason. Although she doesn't truly make this realization yet. She still sees them as being mean. (I can understand both points of view. They don't want Adam to be hurt. They don't let him out of the house by himself�at least without permission�because they don�t want him to get hurt. They don't want to put him in any situations where he would be overwhelmed or confused�like the carnival with its bright lights, noises, and new (unfamiliar) environment. On the other hand, they treat him with less respect than he deserves. While he may not be capable of complete independence, he is capable of more than they think he is. They are always chastising him. He talks too fast. He walks too fast. He eats too fast. He chews with his mouth open. He interrupts. He doesn't really know how to function "appropriately" in social situations. He doesn't realize what "normal" behavior is�when to talk, when to keep silent, how to observe the proper amount of distance from people. He comes off as being "over" friendly with people�his conversations are unusual at best. They let their own prestige take precedence over their son. They are so embarrassed of their son, that they'd rather lock him in his room and go to the party than to show him in public. His parents do make a lot of mistakes. But I think in some ways they do love their son.)
Late in the summer, Adam faces another hard event. Angel Valentine is the young lady that Adam has a crush on. She, as might be expected, does not return his sentiments. She tolerates him at best, but tries not to be alone with him. Well, one day Adam decides to bring her flowers. He goes up the stairs, opens the door without knocking, and discovers Angel in bed with her boyfriend. He is crushed. He rushes out of the house. He doesn't return home. The family calls the police, and the search begins. The search ends when they find his body in the shed in his backyard�he hung himself.
The rest of the novel deals with how his death effects her life. She contemplates what life might have been like for Adam. She sees that Adam was "brave" in taking his own life. It took courage and strength to decide to end his life. She resolves any feelings of anger she has for Adam, and decides to celebrate his life�the good and the bad. She realizes that she is forever changed because of her friendship with Adam. She has learned some important life lessons that will help her succeed in her own life.
While the novel ends happily for Hattie, Adam was not as fortunate. I was disappointed with the way this novel ended. While Adam did have "hard" days in the novel, he had plenty of happy days. Adam was free from the rules of society. He was his own person. He didn't care if what he did was against conventions. If he wanted to sing and dance, then he sang and danced. If he was excited or happy, he showed it. In the proper environment�with the acceptance and support of family or friends�Adam could have lived a happy�and long�life. Perhaps, Martin's point in the novel was that this was a time in America where the public did not understand or support those with disabilities. Perhaps, she was making a statement about how poorly they were treated in the past. After all, Adam did spend the majority of his life in an institution. He went over a decade without seeing his family. He never got to visit for the holidays. They never visited him�at least the novel does not say that they visited him during his stay. They kept his very existence a secret from Hattie. They thought of him not as a person, but a burden. Hattie is one of the few people that sees him as a person�and not a burden. To her, he is a friend�a good friend.
The novel is a tragedy. Adam did not have to take his life. In a "perfect" world, he would have found his own place. He would have had family and friends to support him, to encourage him, to love him. Adam's biggest problem was loneliness and isolation. He felt different. He was treated as "different." He was normal. He felt everything that "normal" people feel. He felt attraction and desire for Angel. He didn't want to be thought of as different. He didn't want his offer of love to be laughed at or rejected. Even if he felt hurt or confused because he found Angel with another man doesn't give him the right to take his own life. If he had had other friends, family, etc. to turn to, perhaps, he wouldn't have had to make that final�and fatal�choice.
The book's depiction of suicide upset me. Although Adam was having a bad day, an upsetting day�and even if he'd felt badly in the past�I don't think that life was so hopeless that death was the better alternative. Of course, in my opinion, suicide is never a good option. I don't think that anyone should have the "right" to decide when his or her life should end. Adam, in his present state, could not know if life would improve. He had found a friend in Hattie; he could have made more friends. Given a few days to think things over, he might have found some hope to keep on living. Granted, since the novel is from the point of view of Hattie, the reader does not see into the mind of Adam. Adam could have been more emotionally disturbed (depressed, suicidal) all along. He could have been contemplating suicide for weeks, months, or years. The reader just doesn't know the internal motivations of Adam.
The novel seeks�in a small and subtle way�to depict a mental disability. The main character is Hattie. Adam is just a side character. He's very important to the novel. But the reader only "sees" into the mind of Hattie. The reader learns about Adam only through what Hattie discerns. In many ways�most ways, actually�Adam is the catalyst for Hattie's growth. Adam does not get the chance for happiness or success that Hattie gets. Adam does not grow in the novel. The reader is shown not how the world impacts Adam, but how Adam impacts Hattie. Therefore, in some ways the novel is limited in its depiction. Instead of the novel being a "positive" portrayal of a person with disabilities, the novel shows how hopeless and helpless a person with disabilities is. Instead of showing a person overcoming one's disabilities or meeting the challenges successfully�the novel shows that one's disabilities cannot be overcome. In fact, living with a disability is so hard, so challenging, so frustrating�that it is better to be dead than to be disabled. Of course, I'm probably being too harsh on the novel. I'm sure it was not Ann Martin's intent to make that general statement. As I mentioned previously, perhaps her intent was to show how hard it was to be disabled at a time in society when there was not understanding, acceptance, or accommodation. The novel clearly illustrates how important it is for one's family to be supportive. If that was her intent (to show how things were in the past) then the novel achieves some success in my eyes. It makes one think.
Another weakness in the novel is the lack of medical knowledge, description, discussion of the exact mental illness. The reader never learns just exactly what is wrong with Adam. They are not told what kind of mental illness or mental retardation he has�what caused it, etc. I can foresee two explanations for that. One, Martin could be saying that during this time�most people�perhaps even the medical community itself�did not understand mental disabilities. Perhaps it was never clearly diagnosed by doctors. Or perhaps, the family never had it explained to them. Or perhaps, the family did not take the time to understand it fully. Maybe since they weren't having to care for him the majority of the time�it just wasn't that crucial for them to understand their son's exact problem or condition. The second reason would be a weakness or flaw in the story. Maybe she didn't want to "burden" the story down with medical jumble. Maybe she thought her audience wouldn't need to know or want to know. I would like to give Martin the benefit of the doubt and assume that the first reason is the correct one.
I have mixed feelings about this novel. The novel does a good job of depicting an unforgettable summer in Hattie Owens' life. The novel doesn't do as well depicting Adam's life. Adam is an unforgettable character. He's charming. He's lovable. One sees him as harmless. I don't think he would ever purposefully harm anyone or anything. He loves life. He loves nature. He loves living. He finds joy in simple things. He doesn't appear to let anybody or anything get him down. He's upbeat most of the time. He's not shown as sullen or moody. Sure, he has temper tantrums when he doesn't get his own way, but overall, he seems more contented with life. He does have a few conversations with Hattie that reveal that life isn't perfect�that the things people say�and the way people treat him does upset him, but he's shown as a very vibrant character. His suicide is in many ways unpredictable and unnecessary. Yes, he's prone to unpredictable behavior. But Adam was someone who greeted every day with a smile and a hug. He was cheerful. He was bright. He was friendly. He never�or almost never�showed the world his frown. Yes, he'd have bad days�if he didn't get an ice cream cone when the truck came by�but it was nothing worthy of killing himself over. I don't see his life as being that horrible. Because we only see Adam through Hattie's eyes�the reader does not know the real Adam. Perhaps, Adam was hiding pain, hurt, fear, frustration, depression, suicidal thoughts, anger, etc. beneath his smile. If that was the case then perhaps the novel would have been strengthened by being written in third person omniscient.
In other words, I see some strengths in the novel. Hattie and Adam are memorable characters. Perhaps, both rely on what the reader adds to them. Since the reader does not get the real thoughts of Adam, it is easy to infer based on appearances what kind of person he was, what he thought about life, etc. I did not see the novel as ending positively. While Hattie could see the summer as ending well�because she was so much stronger, so much braver, new and improved and ready for life�I saw it ending sadly. I'm not saying Hattie wasn't sad about it; she was just making the best out of a bad situation. I honestly don't know if I would recommend this novel to. I know that I would not have enjoyed it as a child/preteen�or even a teenager. Growing up, if a character died in a book�I'd avoid the book completely. I did not read any books about dogs because I didn't want to take the chance that they might die in the end. I was just not emotionally prepared to deal with issues like death and suicide. However, I realize that many people�kids, teens, etc.�would be prepared to handle such a book. So I would definitely consider the book good enough to go on the shelf.
Culture Six is an assortment of miscellaneous cultures.