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KYwoman
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Post subject:  Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 10:20 am |
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 7:26 pm
Posts: 5958
Location: Kentucky (KY); birthplace of Johnny Depp and Hunter S Thompson
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Good start! I think most of the main themes have been touched upon so far and I agree that tolerance, acceptance, individuality, forgiveness are central.
I'll add the old notion of judge not, lest though be judged (people who live in glass houses thing). Also, that change should not always be feared and status quo isn't always best.
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"Buy the ticket, take the ride." 
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DeppInTheHeartOfTexas
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Post subject: Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 10:24 am |
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 10:43 pm
Posts: 10375
Location: Austin
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Good morning, KY! Nice summation of the ideas so far. I would definitely add change to the list. 
_________________________________________________________
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming -
Wow! What a ride!
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San
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Post subject: Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 10:28 am |
Joined: Thu Jun 23, 2005 5:30 pm
Posts: 56946
Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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I think one of the themes is that people who are different to you are not bad. Don't judge people too easy because of being different than you. Tolerance is something that comes to my mind also as a theme.
Religion is also something in the theme, but I can't find the right words for what I mean, maybe I come back later if I think of a way to say it.
I have not read the other answers so probably everything is said already.
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H2H
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Post subject: Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 10:35 am |
Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2005 8:08 am
Posts: 4261
Location: Long Island, NY
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San wrote: I think one of the themes is that people who are different to you are not bad. Don't judge people too easy because of being different than you. Tolerance is something that comes to my mind also as a theme.
Religion is also something in the theme, but I can't find the right words for what I mean, maybe I come back later if I think of a way to say it.
I have not read the other answers so probably everything is said already.
There is a lot about religion as well. I think part of it and I don't know if this is jumping ahead...but there seems to be a lot about the "Christian way of living" when in fact...the priest was terribly intolerant which is not what my impression of true Chirstianity is supposed to be. Or any religion for that matter.
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Ladies....an announcement....I am up for it all the time.
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Liz
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Post subject: Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 10:38 am |
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Joined: Thu Jun 24, 2004 2:13 pm
Posts: 12112
Location: The Left Coast
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San, I think that religious tolerance is also a big theme. It appears this town thinks that it is a Catholic town only. I think many small towns are like that. I even see it in my own town—but the focus there is on education, not religion.
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You can't judge a book by its cover.
The only thing that matters is the ending. It's the most important part of the story.
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es
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Post subject: Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 11:32 am |
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2004 2:56 pm
Posts: 9961
Location: den helder,aan zee
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Liz wrote: San, I think that religious tolerance is also a big theme. It appears this town thinks that it is a Catholic town only. I think many small towns are like that. I even see it in my own town—but the focus there is on education, not religion.
I think even in the religions itself (I hope I dont defend someone by saying this) in most churches I hear that this believe is the only right one.
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who laughs the last didnt got the joke,
freek&sjaak
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lizbet
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Post subject: Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 12:34 pm |
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 8:27 pm
Posts: 677
Location: London, Canada
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morning all! there's something delightful about starting in on something - anything - new!  it just so happens that not only am I starting in on this discussion which I have so looked forward to but after eight years of making do in my little studio apt. I've finally had tradesmen in to freshen things up and give things a facelift! Today I've got help and am starting to put things back where they belong! also we're having a heatwave here in southern ontario - it was 34 C yesterday  BEFORE the humidex and its supposed to be the same today - we lost power for 45 minutes last yesterday afternoon due to everyone using too much electricity trying to keep cool 
so - I'm just poking my head in to give my two cents worth and will have to come back later to see what the rest of you are thinking
''ALL OF US CHANGING. SPEEDING UP. LIKE AN OLD CLOCK BEING WOUND UP AFTER YEARS OF TELLING THE SAME TIME."
the book for me is about 'change' - in only seven weeks the seven weeks of Lent - seven main characters (Vianne, Anouk, Armande, her grandson, Guillaume, Josephine & Roux) all find their lives changing while three others (Reynaud, Muscat & Caroline) resist change and even leave their village & positions in it because of change in others - not sure wheither to say anything about the 'nature' of this change as Liz and DITHOT cautioned us at the beginning of this thread not to wander too far off - so I'll leave things vague and just say that I see CHOCOLAT as a tale of change! 
gotta go put my apartment back together again and try and keep cool while doing so! see you all here again tomorrow 
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trying to live in "a profound state of ignorance"
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Bix
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Post subject: Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 12:44 pm |
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2005 2:14 pm
Posts: 685
Location: Austin, TX
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Excellent answers, all. One other message I got from the book is that you cannot run far enough and fast enough to outrun whatever it is you fear - in other words, you need to stand and face your demons in order to overcome them.
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Live! Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death! ~Auntie Mame
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cait
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Post subject: Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 1:13 pm |
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 5:40 pm
Posts: 7520
Location: NB, Canada
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I agree with all of the themes that have been mentioned so far. I also think it's about connecting people and bringing everyone together. Vianne has a way of doing this through her chocolate. The chocolate is her way of understanding people and their personality.
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Dirt...this is a jar of dirt.
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fansmom
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Post subject: Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 2:06 pm |
Joined: Sat Jul 10, 2004 4:50 pm
Posts: 2059
Location: Olney, Maryland
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I would agree that the foremost message of the book is one of tolerance, but I think there's also a message of enjoying each day, of joie de vivre. Enjoy people as they are, and enjoy each day as it comes.
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Endora
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Post subject: Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 2:24 pm |
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 5:03 pm
Posts: 15111
Location: Darkest UK~ Down in Albion
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Perhaps it's a book about learning how to break the rules. By breaking the rules we free ourselves to a greater range of options, but we also open ourselves up to risk-physical risk in the case of Armande breaking the rules of her diabetes, social risk in the case of those consorting with the gypsies, and emotional risk in the case of Vianne letting Roux into her life. You could also say those breaking the lenten fast are putting themselves in spiritual danger, another significant risk as far as they were concerned.
Would you say they all gained by breaking the rules? Maybe, but they all seemed to lose to an extent too. Whether it was worth the risk, I don't know.
And from what has been said above about it being a book about tolerance-I would say it's more about the consequences of intolerance.
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Work hard, learn well, and make peace with the fact that you'll never be as cool as Johnny Depp. GQ.
New York city's very pretty in the night time...but oh don't you miss Soho
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DeppInTheHeartOfTexas
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Post subject: Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 2:47 pm |
Joined: Mon Jun 21, 2004 10:43 pm
Posts: 10375
Location: Austin
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Cait, I like it when people try to understand me through chocolate!  
Fansmom, I think tolerance is a very important part of the book. As far as joie de vivre, that seems to be a central theme as well --having it as well as the fear of it.
Endora, I thought it was worth the risk for the majority of them, but we will get into that a little deeper as we discuss each character.
_________________________________________________________
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming -
Wow! What a ride!
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Glad to year your apartment is taking shape. Hope you can stay cool. As Liz said, we will be discussing change and each of the characters individually as well. 
