Does Teresa have....<Spoilers, won't say them in title>

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danielma
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Does Teresa have....<Spoilers, won't say them in title>

Post by danielma » Mon Oct 10, 2011 10:31 pm

Would I be right in presuming that Teresa actually has a hint of Aspergers Syndrome????

Seriously I was thinking about this whilst I'm sitting here at work (I can't wait to get back home and read more tonight)...The depiction of Teresa, she lacks an imagination. She views the world in a very logical mannor. This can be seen in her interactions with Johannes as they were playing Tekken, she almost gets frustrated that a man (Lee) could beat a bear (Kuma) in a fight...another hint is the Harry Potter discussion that she has with Johannes, its like she can't accept the idea of fantasy, as if it weren't logical so therefore it just can't exsist...its almost like these instances of make believe do not compute for her because it is not logical or plausible in the real world. There is a few other instances where you see that she thinks these things.

My first thought was what an odd child...but thinking about it, it sounds a little like Aspergers Syndrome...it kind of adds up. At first I thought, well odd outsider who doesn't quite fit in. But something struck me about the logical methods of her thoughts. She applies logic to nearly everything she encounters. Then it started to add up, the social skills aren't just because of her being an odd child. There is a lot about her character that actually does tie in to some of the characteristics of Aspergers.
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Re: Does Teresa have....<Spoilers, won't say them in title>

Post by Nightrider » Mon Oct 10, 2011 11:32 pm

It's possible, but at the same time Teresa had no problem functioning when she was away from home. They were all bunch of little girls who could not fit in ...except for Theres who apparently couldn't fit in on this planet. Now she was the real mystery....I'd like to dicuss her in the near future.
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Re: Does Teresa have....<Spoilers, won't say them in title>

Post by danielma » Mon Oct 10, 2011 11:41 pm

Nightrider wrote:It's possible, but at the same time Teresa had no problem functioning when she was away from home. They were all bunch of little girls who could not fit in ...except for Theres who apparently couldn't fit in on this planet. Now she was the real mystery....I'd like to dicuss her in the near future.

Well granted, I still have more to read. But there were just a few little things about her that felt like a slight hint of Aspergers.

Your right, she has an idea how to socialize with others...you could see it with Johannes and even Agnes (a little)...but its not a full connection of social life. She interacts with people but she doesn't quite know how to empathize is what I picked up, at first I thought, well pre-teen adolescance does that and puberty has struck her...but even as a child, she doesn't quite know how to connect on an emotional level with people around her....this is really made clear in her 'trolling' ways online and some of her thoughts in general. The biggest clue though is still her 'logical' application of life. She views the world in a very logical sense where the simple idea of fantasy just does not compute. That and she doesn't really know how to connect on an empathetic level with those surrounding her. It just feels like there may be a slight hint of Aspergers there in her through the short time that I've spent with her so far. Granted, even I have to second guess this thought, simply because she does show emotional jealousy as her best friend Johannes starts dating Agnes...she does feel (obviously) but its more so in her social interactions and her logical thinking that I have to wonder. Maybe I'm wrong though, but it was a thought that occured after reading "The Other Girl" section and spending time with her.
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Re: Does Teresa have....<Spoilers, won't say them in title>

Post by Nightrider » Tue Oct 11, 2011 12:47 am

Well Teresa is obviously socially stunted girl that is able to function on her own and does not fall apart(much) when chips are down. Read on and you'll see. I knew lots of people like that in my high school days. They would completely freeze up in social situations, but were amazingly sharp when one on one. If there's one thing that is seriously wrong with Teresa is that she is incredibly lonely and cannot find anything in common with pretty much everybody she knows. That's when she comes across Theres she sees a kindred spirit and is completely head over hills. Teresas solitary life makes her extremely easily influenced entity. As you read on you'll see that being social outcast is the least of Teresa's problems... :)
Damn...I wish the book was longer. I already miss it. :(
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Re: Does Teresa have....<Spoilers, won't say them in title>

Post by lombano » Tue Oct 11, 2011 6:43 am

My understanding is that people with Asperger's find it much more difficult to socially interact in group settings, so that actually fits. Her arranging the beads into systems, obsessively making necklaces, etc all fit fairly well.
In some online review Theres was described as autistic, but while some of her behaviours as an infant might fit, it's said she has good fine motor skills, and given her upbringing is astonishingly good at reading people and 'connecting' with them.
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Re: Does Teresa have....<Spoilers, won't say them in title>

Post by drakkar » Tue Oct 11, 2011 8:14 am

This is the core of I think LS is so good - you never quite know if Theres is a disturbed girl with some heavy diagnosis, or if she is a supernatural being. She (barely) is within the first, but then you have the very weak supernatural issues like the red smoke, which MIGHT indicate the latter. The book balances on a razor edge between the supernatural and realism, and between warm-heartedness and utter sorrow.

Also here JAL set out with an idea which then is toned down to ambiguity. In LTROI it was Eli, here he said in some interview his initial thought was tha Theres should be a totally odd person, like a girl from another planet (I think he used that allegory), and then it was toned down into a almost realistically case.
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Re: Does Teresa have....<Spoilers, won't say them in title>

Post by lombano » Tue Oct 11, 2011 6:17 pm

drakkar wrote:This is the core of I think LS is so good - you never quite know if Theres is a disturbed girl with some heavy diagnosis, or if she is a supernatural being. She (barely) is within the first, but then you have the very weak supernatural issues like the red smoke, which MIGHT indicate the latter.
I see no incompatibility - Theres could be a human being with a supernatural condition, sort of like Eli in that sense, actually a much milder supernatural condition than Eli's. And additionally, she can be a severely disturbed person, just as someone who is already disturbed could become a vampire. This 'both' situation is how I interpret it, others seem more contirved to me.
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Re: Does Teresa have....<Spoilers, won't say them in title>

Post by Wolfchild » Tue Nov 01, 2011 1:28 am

lombano wrote:
drakkar wrote:This is the core of I think LS is so good - you never quite know if Theres is a disturbed girl with some heavy diagnosis, or if she is a supernatural being. She (barely) is within the first, but then you have the very weak supernatural issues like the red smoke, which MIGHT indicate the latter.
I see no incompatibility - Theres could be a human being with a supernatural condition, sort of like Eli in that sense, actually a much milder supernatural condition than Eli's. And additionally, she can be a severely disturbed person, just as someone who is already disturbed could become a vampire. This 'both' situation is how I interpret it, others seem more contirved to me.
I couldn't quite connect with this story because I never really got a sense of "Other". In an interview, JAL said that he likes to write about ordinary people who unexpectedly encounter the "Other". I suppose Theres represented the the "Other" in this story, but I have known children with what are now called Autism Spectrum Disorders. Except for the perfect pitch/voice, Theres seemed no different to me than some other children I have known. Maybe my experience with such children caused me to be horrified for Theres rather than be horrified of what she does. She never really felt like "Other" to me, and so neither did Teresa or any of the other wolves.
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Re: Does Teresa have....<Spoilers, won't say them in title>

Post by lombano » Tue Nov 01, 2011 2:36 am

Wolfchild wrote:I suppose Theres represented the the "Other" in this story, but I have known children with what are now called Autism Spectrum Disorders. Except for the perfect pitch/voice, Theres seemed no different to me than some other children I have known.
I found her ability to say the right thing, etc to her fellow teenage girls as extraordinary, given her upbringing, as her voice. That to me doesn't really fit in with autism, even if other things might. For me it was a combination of things, rather than any particular single characteristic, that made her 'the Other.'
Wolfchild wrote: Maybe my experience with such children caused me to be horrified for Theres rather than be horrified of what she does.
Surely they're not incompatible?
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Re: Does Teresa have....<Spoilers, won't say them in title>

Post by drakkar » Tue Nov 01, 2011 6:27 am

Wolfchild wrote:I couldn't quite connect with this story because I never really got a sense of "Other". In an interview, JAL said that he likes to write about ordinary people who unexpectedly encounter the "Other". I suppose Theres represented the the "Other" in this story, but I have known children with what are now called Autism Spectrum Disorders. Except for the perfect pitch/voice, Theres seemed no different to me than some other children I have known. Maybe my experience with such children caused me to be horrified for Theres rather than be horrified of what she does. She never really felt like "Other" to me, and so neither did Teresa or any of the other wolves.

lombano wrote: For me it was a combination of things, rather than any particular single characteristic, that made her 'the Other.'
That is my POV as well, for example the red smoke also indicating the other.
But it is just barely so, the end with Theres and Teresa walking towards the wolves is a very open ending indeed.
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