I just needed to get this out, and I really don't care if anyone reads it. XD

So my stupid, idiotic, don't-know-why-I-call-them--me-friends friends have been giving me crap ALL day because of one stupid thing that I said, that I believe I have total right to say.

We're reading the Grapes of Wrath in our English class. Not to ruin it for anyone, but at the end they find a starving man in a barn. One of the women has just lost a baby and is still lactating. While this starving man is telling her no, she makes him breastfeed off of her.

I'm sorry, but WTF? It ruined the book for me, I had no problem saying so, and I argued that this was a social taboo that could not have been accepted during this time.

My friends asked if I would have not done that, and I said HELL NO.

Their arguement was that the man was dying. I'm sorry, but I don't give a shit. You're dying, I'm lactating, still don't care. I'm not letting a grown man that I don't know, suck off my BOOB.

I got labeled as morally unjust, and they told me that I was an idiot to my face. I also got called a "murderer" because I said I would never EVER do that.

One. I don't care what you think.
Two. Yes, I do think that's wrong. It's a stranger, it's your body. Dont' do that.
Three. I should be able to have my own opinion about that!

It's so frustrating when your friends are just jerks that they can't understand why I would say I would not do that.

And that's my rant.

If it helps at all, I understand where your friends are coming from though I would not do that either. >.< It is a tough choice. Dying man? Okay, I never read the Grapes of Wrath. Had a chance to but it just isn't my cup of tea. Anyway...

I would feel an obligation to do something to help, but no offense, lactating? That is taking it a bit too far for me (personally speaking). And also, that will not stop the man from dying. If he is already in the process of dying then that's it. Sorry folks. His body is already going through all the processes. Just giving him some milk is not going to cut it.

You do have a right to say you will not do what that woman did. Honestly, I doubt most people would. If there was some other way to help, like getting a doctor or such then I am sure you would jump up and do that. Also, I agree. I know enough from summaries and small-talk that the setting/time of the story would not alllow this to happen. The woman would be scorned afterwards. She would not run that risk of disgracing herself. No one would actually praise her.

Granted, I do not think what she did was wrong. It was her body, her decision, and who knows - in the book apparently lactating can stop the process of death. Okay, I spoke a bit too soon. I probably would not do what she did, though I feel like I would need to do something to help. Catch 22.

There you go =D Hope you feel better.

-pets both- let it all out..let it all out :P

lol, I understand why she did it. But the whole situation is rather... disturbing.

You see, they were inside a barn which leads me to assume that there had to be food around. Giving him breast milk would only have stopped his dehydration, which then could be fixed with water instead of milk. AND this was set in the 30s. So not only would it be bad now, but it would be really bad then.

What got me all fired up too was that my teacher said that it was a symbol of the Madonna, and compared it to the pieta by Michaelanglo. Which insults me horribly, because I want to be an art major and I'm going to italy in two weeks. Because that's a statue of a mother holding her dead son and being so incredibly filled with gried and pity.

Not a woman breast feeding a full grown man.

SO yeah. lol.

Mmm. Oh dear, lol that is what my roommate said the symbol was when I told her about the rant. Ah the Pieta by Michaelangelo. I am actually an Art History major so I know what you talking about exactly XD ha. Mmm that is a far outstretched. Comparing a scene like that to the Pieta...Hmm. That is too far of a stretch, there had to be another Madonna symbol he used instead of that one...

lol I am glad you were able to get it off your chest though.

EXACTLY!

lol. Exaccccttttllllyyyy. A different symbol please. Don't use a social taboo that will make people not like the book.