Chapter 22

I think the last chapter was a wonderful close to the book. It demonstrated that you can take your principals and beliefs with you and share them with those who are willing to listen. You may find others that have the same interests and together you can strengthen and open the eyes of others. The values that Eric and Mary took with them from the Minimites are being passed on to their children in a way that compromises with the rest of their community. They do not go to extreme, but have a happy medium that suits their needs and does well for them. They have found their own success and realized that you do not always have to follow... you can learn and take what you want and customize it to fit your needs and the lifestyle that agrees with you.

Chapter 21

Clearly, my assumptions were wrong! Eric and Mary have realized that they have learned what they came there to learn and have other goals they wish to accomplish. Staying there would not allow for this to take place. They have finally come to a true understanding about the life of these Minimites and can make sense of all their reasoning and intentions. Eric has decided that the amount of technology needed is only what the Minimites have come to use and perhaps even less than that. I still beg to differ from a personal standpoint, but thats just my opinion. So much more efficiency could be achieved, but I suppose that is not of importance to those in this community. I am glad Eric and Mary are returning home and think they have learned all there is to learn from the Minimite society.

Chapter 12

The dating game describes a very traditional, conservative way that young unmarried guys and girls are allowed to interact in. It’s kind of cute how the guys are so bashful, and they have to go through all the trouble of requesting permission in writing from the girl’s parents to be able to see the girl, and then go on visits…it sounds like such a pain though! They probably must be so happy once the parents and the girl accept them, that they wouldn’t even think of pursuing another girl, which is probably not allowed in the community, given the zero divorce rate. This protective environment the Minimites created for their children is one of the main reasons why most of them decided to adopt this lifestyle. I wonder if these marriages are indeed happy ones since it sounds like the two are pretty inexperienced when it comes to knowing what they want or look for in a relationship. What happens if they get married and realize they are not suited for each other, since as mentioned in the text, once there is mutual acceptance the marriage happens pretty quickly. On the other hand, they have been raised to be religious and obedient (maybe that is partly they don’t get divorced). However, this is their culture, and they seem to have found a way to make it work.

Chapter 20

Well Eric and Mary have finally given up one of the last things that have kept them from being apart of the inner circle of this society.... the car. I was surprised that they has given it up so easily and not put very much thought into it. It was more than just giving up the car, it was about submitting to the lifestyle completely. It was a step that brought them closer to the community and gave a hint to us that they would remain there for the foreseeable future. I wasn't expecting this at all especially since Mary was able to pick anywhere she liked to move after the journey was complete. With the giving up of the car and the purchasing of the house it is obvious that they have decided to stay for a bit longer.

Chapter 19

G. K. Chesterton's was quoted in this chapter for saying "The woman does not work because the man tells her to work and she obeys. On the contrary, the woman works because she has told the man to work, and he hasn't obeyed." I cracked up when I read this line and found it to be so true. When I think about my mom and our household of six, she is definitely the Alpha parent. Although she is much more passive than my step-father, she is the rule making, trend setter, and enforcer. When things need to get done it is never my step-father asking her to do something, but rather her making sure he does what she asks of him. When it comes to raising the children and running the house, he dares not pretend like he has a say. She leaves the bills and working to him and he leaves the house and kids to her. It seems to suit them as well and winds up working out to all of our benefit. If certain things were left up to my step-father we would probably have eaten grilled steak 5 nights a weeks. There would be less structure, less rules, but more work. Mom tends to keep things well rounded and ensures that there is even responsibility on all of our parts and that each of us contributes to the household and stays on top of our studies and extra curricular activities.

Chapter 18

Eric stated in the beginning of that chapter that he was excited about the birth, because it meant a change from the daily activities was about to take place. I got to thinking... is this why in the olden days women had so many children? One to stir things up and create something different and two to help take care of the house and work needs? Were children brought into this Minimite world for reasons other than to have the joy of one person from the joining of a husband and a wife? Of course it is not the case with Eric and Mary, but perhaps the number of children a couple decides to have in the Minimite community has more to do with factors that aren't considered in modern day society.

Chapter 17

Well it finally seems as though Eric is breaking. This once radiant and interesting life is becoming a chore. His tone has also changed and it is more gloomy then ever before. It seems as though he feels stuck... not moving forward, not moving backward, just the same everyday. I think everything that was new and undiscovered is now losing its excitement as the weeks go on. It feels as though Eric is almost beginning to dread the daily tasks, because nothing changes. Work, work, work everyday. You can't take a vacation and you certainly can't stop or slow down unless you want twice as much to do the next day. This once comparison to a mundane 48 week work schedule is looking not so much different, in fact in my eyes its worse and maybe Eric is beginning to sense this as well.