Marley and Me

It was winter again and John was worried how Marley was going to make it through the winter with all the ice and snow. For Christmas they decided to take the kids to disney land. They left Marley at the vets where they kept him in intensive care. When Jenny picked Marley up he was very tired, out of sorts and his hips were even weaker than before. After he was home for half and hour janny called and said she could not get him to come back inside and that his stomach was swolle,. John knew this was not good, so he rushed home and took him to the vet. The vet confirmed his fear that marleys stomach had flipped again. she tried verything she could but nothing was working. John called jenny and told her the news and then told the vet it was his time. He asked if he could have some time alone with marley and after a long time the vet came in and put him to sleep.
John woke up early the next morning and went outside and started digging his grave. later the whole family cam out and said their goodbyes to him and then john burried him. Everyone was extremely sad and tried not to talk about his death because it only made them miss him more. John was very lonely, he had just lost his best friend. he decided to write a column about the loss of Marley and how even though he was a horrible dog he was mans best friend and had showed him important lessons in life and was there for them every step of the way when they were building their life together.
The next day john checked his mail and found tons of letters from other dog owners saying they were sorry for his loss and aslo saying that marley was not the worst dog in the world theirs was. They told stories of what their dogs had done and john began to believe that maybe marley wasnt the worst dog after all. all of these letters really helped john get through marleys death. they were even thinking about getting another dog that looked and sounded just like marley.

Marley was a big part of their lives and they were lost without him. They realized that he was what they always talked about and what made them happy. When he was gone their family was not complete thats why they decided to get another dog just like marley.

Marley and Me

They decided to get a farm animal and ended up getting chickens. This was when john noticed that Marley was going deaf. He noticed that when the chickens crowed he did not even budge, then one time he went up behind him and called his name and claped his hands and Marley didnt even budge.
It was becoming very hard for Marley to go up the stairs. He would not sleep downstairs though and every time John went up the stairs Marley would follow him even if he was only going to get a drink of coffee. John quite his job at the gardening magazine and got a new job at the Philadelphia inquirer, they didn't have to move again because it was only 45 minutes away.
It is now summer and Jenny took the kids to visit her sister in Boston. That meant Marley would be home alone all day. When he was younger this would not have been a problem, but now it was hard for him to control his bladder for long periods of time. john could tell He felt bad about going in the house. John sent Marley to a local kennel. One day when john was at work he got a call that marley was not doing well at all and they might have to put him to sleep. His stomach had flipped and there was only a 1% chance that he would make it without surgery, and that it could flip again. As the weeks passed marley was getting a lot better, but john knew he did not have long before something like this would happen again. Something did happen but it was not the last thing. Marley fell down the stairs nothing was broken and he seemed fine, but then later that night he could hardly move and john thought this was the end, but he was wrong. The next morning marley was feeling a lot better.

Marley is having more and more problems with his health, i think it is very hard for john and the rest of the family to deal with. he has been with them for so long the thought of loosing him is unbearable.

Marley and Me

When Colleen turned two John applied for a job in a Pennsylvania and got it so he and his family packed up and moved. As they were getting ready to board the plane one of the workers said Marley was too big for his cage and could not go on the plane. John begged with her and luckily she let him on. then right after this happened the boys frogs got loose and John and Jenny were on their knees trying to catch them. They caught the frogs and almost missed their flight. When they were finally on the plane and all settled they heard a noise from down below and knew that it was Marleys.
It was around Christmas time and the kids were waiting for it to snow. they had never seen snow before and their parents had told them it would be coming. On christmas day there was still no snow. For chirstmas the kids got a toboggan and snow gear but they couldn't use it. Finally 3 weeks after New years it snowed ,the kids woke up early and the whole family went out and played in the snow. John even took a turn on the sled and so did Marley, they went down together and crashed, but no one was hurt, marley seemed to enjoy it. Towards the end of the winter John could tell Marley was getting old. He could barley make it up the hill he once so easily could.

The Grogan family had many funny moments and all of them contained Marley. He made them happy and smile even though he could be a pain in the but. He had been there through the beginning of their life together and became a big part of who they became. slowly he was beginning to get old and not act as much like a puppy, he was still as hyper and badly trained though.

Marley and Me

John and Jenny had another baby this time a girl named Colleen. Many people were surprised they had another kid, most people only had one or two. Soon after Colleens birth John turned 40. Several days after his birthday Jenny through him a big surprise party. A few days later while John was out gardening, Marley who was by his side sensed a storm on the way. John could tell he was nervous but wanted to finish up his gardening. Soon the sky got very dark and it started to rain, all of a sudden a huge lightining bolt struck and both John and Marley fell to the ground. John now realized why Marley got so scared during storms, he was trying to protect John but he just wouldnt listen.
John was a newspaper columnists and was always looking for interesting stories that would let him get out of the office and do things. One day he decided to write a story on dog beach, the last beach that dogs could go on without the owner being finned. John took Marley and went. Marley met a friend while he was there named killer and they played together. Then all of a sudden Marley started circiling in the water like he does before he goes to the bathroom. The number 1 rule at dog beach was that the dogs dont poop in the water and that is just what Marley did. Everyone on the beach saw and john was very embarrassed and they left and never returned and the beach closed within a year.

Marley may be a bad behaived dog but he is always right by Johns side there to warn him and protect him even though sometimes John doesnt listen he just stays right by him.

Monday 2/16

Jenny told John that Marley was going to be in a movie, he was so surprised he could hardly believe it. His dog who was so hyper and destructive was going to be in a movie. they had to film the first scene over and over because Marley was not behaving well at all and was ruining the scene. Finally they told them that Marley could leave and they would call them if they needed him back, they thought for sure they were done with Marley, but they called back weeks later and said they needed him again.
Soon after filming the movie they all moved because their house was too small for all four of them and Marley. they moved to Boca a rich town that John often made fun of in his column, this made him a little worried about moving there, but eventually he liked the town.Marley was getting worse during storms, so they bought a huge cage and thought this would solve all of their problems, but it didn't. Marley was able to escape from his cage, they tried to repair it but he would figure a new way out.
On a nice sunny day they all decided to go out for dinner. They brought Marley along and tied him to the table. They were just toasting to a lovely evening when they noticed their table was gone, Marley had seen a dog and went chasing after it pulling the table behind him. John and Jenny went racing after him and caused quite a scene for everyone around them. They cut the evening short and went home without eating.

Marley causes them many problems during his life, but they are actually very funny if it is not happening to you. I'm sure that they were funny to John and Jenny later on as well.

friday 2/13

One night when John was almost asleep he heard a scream. He and Marley both went outside and saw some of their neighbors out their already. Some of them were chasing after a guy. When John got out there they told him to wait with the girl. She was 17 years old and her name was Lisa. John went over to her and tried to calm her down, by stroking her hair and saying soothing words to her. Things he would do to his own kids to calm them down. While John was staying with the girl Marley was on the lookout for the returning criminal, he looked different in the way he was standing and acting. John knew that if the criminal returned Marley would fight him till the death.
Another night when John was asleep Jenny woke him and said she was going into labor. She was only 21 weeks pregnant and knew this was not good. They rushed to the hospital and she was in labor, the doctors gave her medicine to stop the labor. When she was able to go home she had to be on bed rest until the baby was 35 weeks old. This was very hard for Jenny, because she could not play or pick up her son or do anything around the house.
Soon after Jenny got off bed rest she went into labor and they had another boy named Connor. Now with a toddler and newborn neither of them were getting much sleep. This made Jenny get angry very quickly at John and especially Marley. One night she even told him that she wanted to get rid of him, but after awhile she was not made anymore and said she would never get rid of him.

Marley may not be a well trained dog, but he proved to John the night of the stabbing that he would protect them if they were ever in danger. Marley was Johns best friend even after all of the damage John had to clean up and fix because of Marley.

thursday 2/12

John and Jenny decided to take a trip to Ireland, but first they had to find someone to watch Marley. They made a list of all their friends and were left with only one name, and that was Kathy a girl they knew from work. She agreed to do the job, john made a list of all the things she would need to know about Marley. Jenny told John not to give her the list because it might scare her away, but he did and she didn't run, yet anyways. As soon as they got back Kathy was packed and left once they got in the door. When they got back Jenny took a pregnancy test and it was positive, they were both so excited.
When they found out she was pregnant they didn't tell anyone this time, they also didn't show their excitement as much, in fear that this pregnancy would end up like the last one. When they went in for a checkup the doctor said everything looked good. John and Jenny started leaving Marley in the house when they went out, each time they would find something destroyed. One time John bought Jenny a necklace for her birthday and Marley swallowed it. John went through his poop everyday until he found the gold necklace. this was just one of the many times that Marley at something or tried to hide something.
Jenny was going into labor and they had planned to stay in on of he birthing suites, but they were all full. They ended up having to have their baby where all of the Mexicans gave birth, because all of the other rooms were full too.finally she gave birth to a boy and they named him Patrick. When they brought him home they were afraid of how Marley would react around him. They saw a different side of Marley when he was around Patrick, he was very calm and gentle, completely different from how he normally was.

I was surprised that they found anyone to watch Marley because it seemed like all their friends that he was such a terrible dog. I don't think that Kathy ever came back again. Even though Marley is a very hyper and destroying dog, he knows who to be gentle around and when to comfort his masters. He may not be smart but he is loyal and caring at times when he needs to be.

tuesday 2/12

When Marley was almost 6 months old they took him to obedience school. It did not go well at all, he would not follow any of the instructions. The trainer used them as an example of how dogs should not behave, she said there are not bad dogs just bad owners and that any dog can learn to behave. Next she told John to let her walk Marley so she could show him how it was supposed to be done. Marley behaved just as badly for her, he almost pulled her arm off because he was going so fast.. At the end of the class she told John to stay so she could talk to him. She told him that Marley was too young for the class and should come back in a couple of months.
They found a good vet for Marley and frequently asked him questions.One day when they took him in the vet said they should get him neutered. John did not really like the idea, but Jenny thought it was a good idea. Eventually they decided to have the procedure done. Oh the way to the vet John let Marley stick his head out the window and before he knew it half his body was out the window. Jenny had to stop the car and help get Marley back in the car. This was quite a scene for all the people around them.

I cant believe that they still kept Marley after all the trouble he has already caused them. He does provided a lot of laughter for them and observers, so that is probably one of the main reasons they love him, even though he is a disaster.

Tuesday 2/10

Marley began to grow very quickly, he no longer looked like a little puppy. He was almost potty trained, due to Jenny letting him out in the middle of the night. They soon found out that Marley had ADD, that was why he was always so hyper and rambuncious. He was always taking things and putting them in his mouth. John and Jenny could always tell when he had something because he would run away from them and get really excited, it was a game to him. They named this game the Marley mambo.
A few weeks passed and one night Jenny mentioned that her period was late and that she was feeling weird. They both knew they wouldnt be able to sleep, so they went to buy a pregnancy test, and of course Marley came with them, he loved to ride in the car. When they got back Jenny took the test and it confirmed that she was pregnante.
After ten weeks Jenny had a doctors appointment. When they got there the nurse told them she was going to let them listen to the heartbeat of the baby, but she couldnt get anything. She called for the doctor and he tried and still got nothing. Jenny and John were devasted, the doctor told them they could try again in a few months.
Jenny was very quiet on the ride home, she wouldnt let it all out. When they got home she went in the house and sat on the couch and started to bawl, Marley came over to her and put his head in her lap and stayed there while she cried and held onto him. He was never a calm dog, this was a completly different side of him.

Monday 2/9 Marley and Me

The story starts when John Grogan, the main character and author of the book, talks about the story of his first dog named Saint Shawn. He was a great dog and was good at learning tricks and would never go to the bathroom in the house, he was the perfect dog. He died after 14 years, it was only the second time Johns dad had cried since he was married.
When John was all grown up he married a woman named Jenny,one day Hanny was looking in the newspaper adds for a dog. Both of them have jobs in the newspaper business, so at first John thought she was just studying over some of the articles. It turned out that she wanted a dog. She said she wanted to get one as a practice before they had kids,because she had just killed a plant John had given her and said to John how can i keep a baby alive if i cant even take care of this plant.
John agrees to get a dog and they go and pick one out together. In order for John to pick a dog he has to shake the cage and see which one's didnt run away. There was only one that didnt and the owner said she would sell them that one for 350 instead of 375, Jenny could never back down on a bargain so they got clearance dog. They would have to wait 3 weeks before picking him up.
John and Jenny had a hard time deciding on a name. They finally heard a song playing sung by Bob Marley, who they listened to a lot while they were dating. At the same time they called out the name Marley and that became the new puppies name.
Jenny was not there when John went to pick up Marley because she was visiting her sister. John was secretly glad, because this meant he could have Marley all to himself for a while. When it came time to go to bed Marley started whining as soon as John left, so Marley ended up sleeping right next to his bed.

Chapter 26

Holden ends his story by not telling what happened after he went to the park with Phoebe. He does say that he went home and got sick and was sent to the rest home, which is where he is telling the story from. He mentions that he is going to go to a new school in the fall and says that he will apply himself there, but doesnt want to talk about it anymore. He wishes he hadnt told everything he had did to so many people, even his own brother D.B. His brother comes to visit him in the rest home.When he talks about what happened to him it makes him miss all the people in his story.

I think Holden cant get close to anyone because he is afraid he is going to lose them, just like he lost his brother Allie. He always seems to miss people or things even though he might not have liked them.

Chapter 25

After Holden leaves Mr. Antolini's he walks to Grand Central Station and sleeps on a bench there. the next day he walks down fifth avenue, when he sees the children he feels overwhelmed and thinks that when he crosses a street he will disappear. Whenever he crosses a street he calls out to allie so he wont dissapear, and asking him to let him make it to the other side of the curb. He says he is going to leave New York and never go to school or home again.He imagines himself living byhimself and never talking to anyone and marrying a deaf mute. He goes to Phoebes school to return her the money she gave him. He gets even more depressed while he is there. He goes to the museum where he is going to meet Phoebe and shows two kids the mummies and they get scared and run off. Holden sees fuck you written on the wall for the second time that day and thinks that when he dies they will write that on his gravstone.Then he passes out but makes it seem like it wasnt a big deal. Phoebe arrives and wants to go with Holden, but he wont let her. he feels like he is going to pass out again. she wont look at him and gives him his hat back.he tells her he wont go and that she should go back to school, but she wont and he says he will take her to the zoo. they go to the zoo and on the way walk on seprate sides of the street, after they look at the animals they walk on the same side of the street but not side by side. Holden sees a carousel and gets Phoebe to go on it. they have made up now and Holden is wearing his hat and is feeling very happy and even thinks he might cry.

Holden is becoming extremely crazy. I dont even think he knows what he is doing. Allie's death is destroying him.

chapter 24

When Holden arrives at Mr. Antolini's house he can tell they just had a fancy party, there was dirty dishes everywhere and he could tell Mr. Antolini had been drinking. they sit down and Mr. Antolini asks him why he got kicked out of Pency. Holden said it was because he did not like the rules and then gives an example of how in debate class students were punished for going off the subject they were given. Mr. Antolini says that going off subject can be very distracting, and Holden realizes that he is not going to win the argument and he becomes uncomfortable. The tension is broken when Mrs Antolini comes in with coffee. When the conversation begins Mr. Antolini says that he is very worried that Holden is going to have a big fall and he is going to become very angry and frustrated with the world and the boys that were at his old schools. Holdens starts to become defensive and says that he kind of liked the boys like Stradlater and Ackley. After a moment of slience Mr. Antolini further explains the fall he is talking about. He said that if Holden would apply himself in school more he will realize that many men and women have been troubled by the human condition, and he might better understand himself. Holden is interested in what he is saying, but is very tired. They talk for a little while longer and then Mr. Antolini makes up the couch for him and Holden goes to sleep. He wakes up to find Mr. Antolini stroking his head, Mr. Antolini says it was nothing but Holden thinks he is gay and is making a pass at him and rushes out of the apartment.

Holden is always judging people too quickly. sometimes he wont know a thing about someone, but he will judge them just by the things they do. That is what he did to Mr. Antolini.

Chapter 23

Holden called his old teacher Mr. Antolini, he told him he got kicked out of Pency. Antolini said he could come over if he wanted to. Holden liked Mr. antolini, he was his favorite teacher. When he went back to Phoebe's room she had music on. Holden asked her if she wanted to dance. Phoebe was a very good dancer, unlike most little kids. soon after they were done dancing Phoebe heard the front door open and knew that it was their parents. Holden quickly got in the closet. Phoebes mom came in and asked her a few questions and then told her to go to bed. When she left Holden came out of the closet and said he better be going, he couldnt keep Mr. Antolini waiting. He was almost out of money and asked Phoebe if he could borrow some of hers, she said it was her christmas money, but she gave it to him anyway. Then Holden started crying and he couldnt stop. He said he was scaring the hell out of Phoebe but he just couldnt stop crying. he finally stoped and gave Phoebe his hunting hat. she wouldnt take it, but he made her. he said she loved those kind of hats and probably slept with it on, and then he left.

Holden will call up anybody that he can think of to talk to. It doesnt matter what time, place, or how well he knows them. That is not normal at all espically for a boy his age. He has also started to cry a lot lately over nothing at all.

Chapter 22

When Holden came back into the room Phoebe had the pillow off of her head, but all she kept saying was "daddys going to kill you. Holden said he wont becuase he is going to go away and work on a ranch. Then Phoebe asked him why he got kicked out of Pency.Then Holden starts talking about all the phonies there and tells a story of this old guy that came and wanted to find his name that he had written in the bathroom. He said it depressed him. Then Phoebe told him that he hates everything. he said he didnt and then she told him to think of something he likes a lot. Instead he started thinking about the two nuns he met and this boy that went to one of his old schools that jumped out the window because some boys were trying to make him take back something he said and he wouldnt. Then Phoebe asks him again and he says that he liked Allie and talking to her. she said that didnt count because Allie was dead and then Holden starts to get mad and says that just become someone dies doesnt mean that you dont like them.Next Phoebe asked him what he wants to be. He starts talking about when he heard the little boy singing, he had it wrong though it was "if a body meet a body coming through the rye." Then he told a story and said he wanted to be the catcher in the rye. when hes done all phoebe said was daddys going to kill you. Holden decideds that he wants to call one of his english teachers from Elkton Hills so he leaves the room to go call him.

Holdens parents are going to be very angry and disappointed when they find out he got kicked out of Pency. You can tell because Phoebe keeps repeating and repeating that their dad is going to kill Holden. Phoebe is a very smart child, she knows that Holden hates everything and he pretty much confirms that when he said the only things he liked were Allie and talking to Phoebe.

Chapter 21

Holden gets to his apartment and takes the elevator up his home. He is lucky because the elevator guy is new and does not know who he is. Holden tells the new guy that he is going to visit the people that live across from him and he eventually lets him. He goes to Phoebes room and she is not there and he remembers that she sleeps in D.B. room when he is not home. So he goes to his room and sees Phoebe sleeping. He comments that kids look cute when they sleep, but adults never do. He sees Phoebes notebook on D.B. desk and reads through all of it and then he finally wakes Phoebe up. She is very excited to see him and gets very awake. She starts talking about lots of stuff and asks if he got her letter that talked about her school play. She asked him if he was coming and he said he would. She then realizes that he is home 2 days early and suspects that he got kicked out of school. She says that their dad will kill him when he finds out. Holden tries to make up some excuses as to why he got kicked out but she would not listen. So he left and got some more cigarettes.

I think Holden has no place to go so home is his last resort. He seems to be happy when he is home, which is surprising since he is never happy. I think he really misses his home and family, but he doesnt want to come out and say that.

Chapter 20

Holden stayed at the bar and kept getting drunk, he stayed there and got so drunk that he could hardly see. Then he decided that he would give Jane and call, but he changed he mind and instead called Sally Hayes. Her grandmother answered and told him she was asleep but finally she put her on and sally told him to go home and go to bed and hung up eventually. Holden kept pretending that he had been shot in the gut and was holding his stomach for a long time.Holden left the bar and decided to walk to the park and try and see the ducks by the lake. He had no where to go. he started crying and said it was because he was lonesome and depressed. Then he dropped the record for Phoebe. He finally found the pond but he couldnt see any ducks. he was starting to get really cold and had ice chunks in his hair. He thought about what would happen if he died and how all his family would come and they would burry him in a cemetary. Then he started talking about Allie and how they did all this when he died and how he didnt like cemetaries and didnt want to be burried in one. Then he decided he better go see Phoebe in case he died, because Phebe really liked him and would be really sad if he died,so he started walking to his house.

I feel really bad for Holden, his life is really messed up and so is he. He keeps talking about dying and now he is even picturing himself dead. When he talks about his brothers death you can tell it was really hard on him and his family and that none of them have really gotten over him since his death.

Chapter 19

Holden goes to the Wicker Bar and starts thinking about Luce. He says that he always talks about sex and called people flits. All you have to do is mention someone and he would tell you if they were a flit or not. Luce is three years older than Holden and goes to Columbia University. When Luce arrives he said he could only stay a few minutes because he had a date. Holden started bugging Luce with questions about his sex life, he hated that. Luce kept asking Holden if this was going to be a typical Caufield conversation, because he wanted to have a nice relaxed conversation.Holden kept asking him who he was dating and he said a Chinese girl. then Holden asked him if she was better and Luce started getting mad again and asked Holden when he was going to grow up. He also told Luce that his sex life was lousy and he had to really like the girl in order to do anything with her. Luce said that Holden could go to his father who is a psychoanalyst and can read the patterns of your mind. Holden thinks about it and Luce says he has to go. Holden asks him if he can stay for one more drink because he is very lonely, but he says he has to go.

Holden is very messed up and it seems like he has been that way for a while. He is always asking everybody weird and personal questions that no normal person would ask anybody. His questions always seem to drive that person away from him, but he doesnt really seem to care.

Chapter 18

After he left the skating rink Holden went and got something to eat. Then he thought about calling Jane again and asking her to go dancing. he had never taken her dancing before, but he saw her one time and said she was a good dancer. Then he started talking about a guy she dated one time and how he had all muscle and no brains. When he asked her why she liked him she said he wasnt a show off he had an inferiority complex. Holden said all girls will say that if they like the guy. He called Jane , but she didnt answer, so he called a guy from one of his old schools, he said he could meet him at 10 for drinks. It was a long time until 10 so he went and saw a movie. He said it was so horrible he could hardly stop watching it. It was about a guy in the war that lost his memory. Holden said he could never be in the army, he would rather be shot first.Then he said if there is another war he would volunteer to sit on top of the atomic bomb.

Holden is starting to talk about killing himself often. It seems like he has no reason to live. He hates everyone and everything and thinks they are all phonies.

chapter 17

Holden was early for his date with Sally, so he sat down and watched all the girls around him. Then he starts talking about guys and how some of them can be so boring. He talks about a roommate he had named Harris Macklin. He was a very boring guy, the only thing he could do was whistle. Finally Sally arrives and he tells her they are going to see the Lunts and she gets all excited like he said she would. When the show ends Sally asks if he wants to go ice skating and he says sure. Neither one of them are good at ice skating, and Holden can tell that Sally's feet are hurting, so he asks if she wants to sit down and get something to drink. While they are having their drinks Holden asks Sally if she hates school. He tells her he hates it and then starts naming off this huge list of things he hates. He then asks Sally if she wants to rent a car and go to vermont and stay in a cabin and when they run out of money he could get a job and eventually they could get married. Sally is not to fond of this idea, she tries to let Holden know, but he is too caught up in the idea. Holden gets angry and calls Sally a pain in the ass and she gets very upset. Holden tries to appoligize but he wont accept her appology so he leaves.

Holden acts very strange in this chapter. He is starting to get really depressed. You can tell becuase he starts saying how he hates school and he hates living in New York. He just wants to get away from everybody and forget about his troubles.