The Host

This was a wonderful book with many thought provoking themes that even Stephenie Meyer may not have known was in it. I don't really know what else to say except for buy the book, read it and have as much fun with it as Kymberli and i did. As for as questions are concerned:

Do you think The Host is better/as good.worse than the Twilight series

The Host

One part of the story where i really admired the characters was the part where Jared and Wanderer risk both their lives in order to retrieve atnibiotics for Jamie. Wanderer risked execution by the society of humans she'd been staying with in the caves and Jared risked getting caught by seekers if they got caught. Yet even with these dangers clear and vivid in their minds both Jared and Wanderer still went out in search of the antibiotics that would cure Jamie. A lot of people wouldn't do this, bith in the story and in real life, but Jared and Wanda didn't even think twice. They endured self-inflicted wounds(Wanda had to make sure the souls would treat her for a wound that needed antiobiotics) and the terror of simply waiting ( Jared had to hide in the car with the all to real threat of being caught by seekers right outside the windows). The kind of danger they put themselves in is something only people do for the ones they really care about-people they love so much that they couldn't bear life without them so they risk their own lives to save theirs. This was a touching section and one of my favorites parts of the novel.

Is there anyone you would risk your life for?

The Host

In the story after Wanderer comes upon a scene of a dead soul, a baby soul to boot, she hides and mourns by herself. Jeb comes in to comfort her and tells her that makind is wierd, that we value the individual not the majority. This statement shocked me because it is so true! In terms of racism in our world a lot of people will say-oh im not prejudice or racist against this group, one of my good friends are ...(part of the race or religion that they were accused of not liking). How can you dislike the majority of a people or religion before you even get to know them. And more importantly can you truely be firends with someone that likes you personally but cannot truelly respect what you are or what you believe in. How can you be in love with friends with someone who likes you but despises and maybe even commits hateful acts against others who look like you. Wanderer eventually forgives them for killing the baby soul and continues to love her new friends, understanding that violence and selected friendship is part of human nature; this is the part of humankind that needs to change the most. We need to start loving both the individual and the majority and maybe there would be just a little less hate and violence in the world-as corny as it sounds

What was your reaction to this part of the novel?

The Host

So in reaction to Kyle's murder attempt on Wanda Ian (Kyle's brother, whose falling for Wanderer) calls for a tribunal and defends Wanda. While reading this, I was a little amazed at how he could pick Wanda over his brother. Part of it i believe was Stephenie Meyer's love obsession fetish, where her characters must always pick their lover over everything else and in regards to that, im slightly angered that Ian chose the girl he's crshing on over his brother. But on the other hand he chose morality of family( hehe-hey that sorta rhymes) and that is very commendable. Ian was very close to his brother before Wanderer entered the picture and yet he picked the side of justice and morality-with a picnh of love thrown in- when speaking at the tribunal. I don't know if i could ever speak against my sister the way Ian did against Kyle, especially, as was the case in the book, if her punishment was banishment from our safe haven that would lead to enevitable death. If my sister tried to kill the guy i was falling in love with under the stressful and bizarre situation the chatacters were in, i still wouldn't speak against her. I probably wouldn't defend her either but i sure as heck wouldnt speak against her. I guess I'm still conflicted about how to react to that part of the story but its a very intriguing section

Do you think Ian was right, to speak out against Kyle knowing that his punishment could mean Banishment=Death?

The Host

One underlying theme that i found while reading the host is to just let things go. In the story, the character Kyle just can't get over the fact that Wanderer has become apart of their society in the caves and to some ( Jeb, Jamie, Ian) she's become a beloved friend, family member, and potential love. Kyle anger and hatred for Wanderer (a.k.a. Wanda) consumed him to the point where he attacked her with the attentions of killing her; this little act cost him the love and respect of his younger brother Ian who is falling in love with Wanda. This part of the story is connected to real life in the sense that people so seldomly just let the past go. More often than not, humans tend to hold grudges for so long(sometimes even forgetting the original reason why they were mad-Family Feuds come to mind) when they should have simply let the situation leave their mind and hearts long ago. Holding a hatred or even a lider anger for so long is bad for the soul- as proven by the movie the Grudge. It takes so much energy and time away from the individual keeping the grudge; while the person they are mad at is continuing on with their lives happily, here they are spending time that could be put on achieving their goals and happines, being mad. Of course it is not the easiest thing to do, to simply let the feelings of anger, betrayal, humilation, and grief go (feelings i assume contribute to the emotional make-up of the grude), and certanily you'll always rember the event somewhat making total reconciliation almost impossible but letting it go is the best thing to do for you physical, mental, and emotional well being.

Do you think Kyle's reasons for hating Wanda are justified?

The Host

In the story the character Wanderer (the soul inhabiting Melanie's body) begins to love Melanie's brother- Jamie and falls in Love with Melanie's boyfriend, Jared. I couldn't help but to question her love for them. Wanderer didn't naturally develop these feelings all on her own, but rather felt Melanie's emotion as she roamed melanie's memories. BY constantly seeing and feeling the memories Wanderer eventually loved them just as strongly as Melanie. When Jamie develops an attachment to Wanderer it only because she looks like his sister, and even though Wanderer cares for him she never develpoed a real relationship with him prior to their encounter in order to really care for him: never talked to him, never held him when he was scared, nothing; if she never did any of these things then it cannot be real love. The same applies to her feelings toward Jared. Its like when teenagere are "in love" with some movies star : most only like the actors because they played a funny, sensitive, and brave guy in a movie or two but do not really KNOW how their personalities are in real life. Wanderer was already in love with Jared before she laid eyes on his actual form and Jared despises her. Even if she wasn't an alien he only ever loved Melanie and still loves her.



Do you think Wanderer's feelings of love toward Jamie and Jared are genuine or just an influence of Melanies stong human emotion?

The Host (2nd Section)

As the souls in the story spend more time in their human hosts, they are gradually becoming influenced by the human emotions. Souls are experiencing feelings that are uncommon to them like love, anger, and even dislike (borderline hate). The seekers (the souls that find hosts for the rest of their kind to be inserted into) have even become a sort of militia on Earth; hunting and killing humans, the seekers have gone against their original benevolent behavior. It seems like the souls will eventually become just like the humans they eliminated, who were “unappreciative” of beautiful Earth. Even though these emotions go against the nature of the souls, they enjoy them more than simply being tranquil.

If the souls both like and perform human emotions/tendencies do they really have the right to annihilate the human race? Can they still say they are the better kinder species?