The Face on the Milk Carton Conflict

In The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney, there is a man vs. self conflict. Janie was trying to decide whether to call New Jersey and report her kidnapping or to just stay quiet. On page 166, Janie said, "'That other family - those people in New Jersey - you think I could just call them up and say, I'm fine, so stop worrying and don't bother me, either? They'll be in court, they'll call the FBI, they'll get lawyers." In this quote, Janie was talking to Reeve about how she didn't know what to do. Reeve told her not to call, but she was worried about the other family. She didn't want them to get her parents in trouble, or draw any attention to the situation. If she didn't say anything, the other family would still be worried, but if she did, people could get in trouble.

Also, another reason that this is man vs. self is that she was mad at herself for not fighting back when she was kidnapped. "'And the little girl that never looked back,' said Janie. 'I hate that little girl.' She began to cry. The tears made no noise and took no effort, but they burned fiercely, as if they were the acid remains of her horrible deeds" (166). Even though she was only three, she didn't think she was a good daughter since she didn't get upset or try to go back to her real family. She said she hated that little girl, which was her when she was younger. It made her very upset, and it made her debate on whether or not to call an even tougher decision.

The Face on the Milk Carton Predictions

I am reading the book The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney. In this book, Janie thinks that her parents kidnapped her, but she can't figure out how or why. I predict that even if she finds her real family, she will stay with her "parents". On page 121 it says, "'Nothing happened?' repeated her father. He had aged. Tonight he was indeed a grandfather. Lines creased his cheeks as if he had slept on a pile of books. The distinguished hair was just a tired gray. 'We paced the floor for hours in complete panic. Wondering if you'd ever come back. Wondering if you'd bother to let us know. And you dare tell me nothing happened?'" In this quote, Janie's father is telling her how worried he was when she had skipped school and was missing all day. This shows that her parents care about her, and she realizes that. Even if they may have kidnapped her, they still care about her and show her they love her. For this reason, I think Janie may want to stay with them.

Also, on page 124 it says, "And whether he was thinking of Janie next to him, or Hannah gone forever, she did not know. Think of me, Janie thought. I'm your daughter." Here, Janie is hoping her dad is thinking about her. Even though she is not his real daughter, she wants him to think of her like she is. Since she feels that way, she may want to stay with them even if she finds her real family because she thinks of them as her parents and she wants them to think of her as their daughter.

And lastly, on page 125 it says, "New Jersey must vanish. Jennie Spring must never be. She resolved to be Janie Johnson with all her heart, mind, and soul." When Janie first thought she was kidnapped, it was because she thought she saw her picture on a milk carton. The name on it was Jennie Spring, and it said she was from New Jersey. I think this shows she will want to stay with her parents because she is saying she wants to forget about what she saw on the milk carton and try to keeping living the same life. She wants to stay with her parents who love her, and that she's had a great life with so far.

The Face on the Milk Carton Character

In the book The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney, I think that the main character, Janie, is hopeful. Janie saw a picture on the back of a milk carton of a little girl who had been kidnapped 12 years before. She thought the girl was her, and she couldn't believe that her parents would do that. On page 26 it said, "I'm sick, she thought. Deranged. Imagine imagining they kidnapped me! I mean, talk about proof of a loving family. From the folded laundry to the refrigerator note-". In this quote, Janie was thinking about all the nice things her parents had done for her. This showed that Janie was hopeful because she didn't want to blame her parents for kidnapping her. Instead, she thought of reasons that it couldn't be them. She hoped that she wasn't kidnapped, but if she was, she hoped it wasn't them who kidnapped her.

Also, Janie is very observent. On page 33 it said, "Her mother was beautifully dressed. She hung up her crimson wool coat and slipped off her high, slim heels. Her feet were very long and very narrow and finding shoes was a real trial. Janie's feet were short and wide. There's nothing in me that's like her, thought Janie. Is it because I have none of her genes? Because she is not my mother?" This showed that Janie is observent because she noticed how different she was from her mom, and the things she noticed were small things, like the size of her feet. Another difference she noticed was on page 34 when it said, "They talk more that I do, too, thought Janie. They spout conversation continually, both of them. I have more listening in me that talking." This quote showed that Janie was different from her parents because they talked more than she did. All of these things made her think that she really could have been kidnapped, since she wasn't very much like her parents. If she wasn't so observent, she may not have noticed these things.

The Host Setting

The Host by Stephanie Meyer takes place in the future, and although a lot of things are more advanced, some things are still the same as today. On page 70 it said, "I was packing my rental car with the few things I planned to take with me." Here, Wanderer was leaving to go on a trip. In this futuristic book, they still had cars that drove on highways just like we have today. Also, this was a rental car, and people rent cars today when they go on vacation or having their cars worked on. Since it is a rental car, it means she does not own it, and this shows that cars aren't a key to her transportation. In current day, people use cars on a daily bases. In this book, they regularly either fly or walk to where they need to go.

Also, places that we have today still existed in this book. "It was easy enough to find the freeway and then follow the signs out of San Diego. Soon there were no signs to follow, no wrong turns to take. In eight hours I would be in Tucson" (72). In this quote, Wanderer was driving her car from San Diego to Tucson, two cities that exist in current day. She was taking the freeway to get there, which is another way that is used often today.

Overall, this book has a lot of things in common with what we have today, even though it takes place in the future. Stephanie Meyers must think that there are things that people will continue to find useful and will use them in the future.

The Host Reading Skills: Checkpoint #4

I am reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I predict that Wanderer will be able to overcome Melanie's power because on page 48 it says, "Melanie squirmed, figuratively, in the recesses of my head as I tried to consider it rationally. Maybe I should give up... The words themselves made me flinch. I, Wanderer, give up? Quit? Admit failure and try again with a weak, spineless host who wouldn't give me any trouble? I shook my head. I could barely stand to think of it". I think that this shows she will overcome Melanie's power because she is very determined and doesn't think failure and giving up is an option. If she is determined, she will be able to complete her task.

Also, I am confused about how Melanie and Wanderer are able to communicate. On page 47 it says, "You murder an entire species and then pat yourselves on the back. My hands balled up into fists. I could have you disposed of, I reminded her. Go ahead. Make my murder official". From this quote, it seems like they are communicating through thought. How are they able to do that? Are most hosts able to talk to the souls? If not, what makes Melanie so special?

This book is also like the book The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima because they both have people called "Healers". On page 3 of The Host it says, "The Healer's name was Fords Deep Waters. Because he was a sould, by nature he was all things good: compassionate, patient, honest, vituous, and full of love. Anxiety was an unusual emotion for Fords Deep Waters". In this book, the Healers are souls who help people and give souls to their hosts. In The Demon King, the Healers do similar things. they help people and care for them, and just like the description of them in The Host, they are compassionate, patient, and full of love.