The Unconclusion...

So the book finally comes to a close, and it leaves a lot of unanswered questions. I can't decide on whether or not I like it that way, either. On one hand, I like the fact that I don't know if J. made it out alive and managed to beat the record for longest Junket or whatever, but on the other hand, part of me really hates the fact that I don't know what happened to all the characters. I understand why Whitehead put the climax at the beginning of the book, but I was really expecting a more dramatic ending--like maybe he could've shown the shooting from a bunch of different view points since that's how he portrayed the rest of the book. But, what's done is done, and we can't change the way the book was written. I mentioned in class that I'm not sure I even think John Henry is a martyr anymore, because he didn't really prove anything by defeating the machine. Sure he beat it, and that's great that he was able to stand up for himself, but what else did it do for him? It killed him, and the machine went on to live...okay, maybe that's just my cynical side owning up to natural journalist nature, but I can't help but agree with what those freelance journalists were saying. I still think John Henry should be recognized as a folk hero--he's a much better character than Paul Bunyon, but I have mixed emotions now. Regardless, I did enjoy reading this book for the most part--it made me think a lot, which is always nice, because it keeps me on my toes. I think I would've enjoyed it a lot more if I'd been able to take my time while reading it though, but I guess I could take the time to read it over winter break if I felt like it...