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Reading Response #1: Chapters 1-9 in Tepper Isn't Going Out (pp. 3-74)

Calvin Trillin’s Tepper Isn’t Going Out follows the life of Murray Tepper: a 67 year-old man whose favorite activity is to sit and read in his parked car. In the bustle of a modern New York City, Tepper’s appreciation for the tranquility of his own parking space infuriates some and inspires others. Tepper’s own motives to park remain a mystery through chapter nine of the novel. He rationalizes that if “I’ve got a dollar and a half invested in this spot. . . there’s good reason to be here at least until I get my money’s worth” (14). Whether the reasons are logical, financial, or emotional, one thing is clear: when Tepper finds a parking space, he isn’t going out. Trillan’s style in this novel reflects many journalistic writing traits. Within the first few pages, Trillan addresses the setting of the novel, main characters, and key conflict. He provides background on the politics of the novel, and some of Trillan’s characters are journalists. In chapter eight, Trillan incorporates a newspaper article into the text. Hints of journalism pervade Tepper Isn’t Going Out. Whether Trillan examines issues as a novelist or a journalist, he presents a wide array of topics in this work. Tepper’s love of parking in a busy city contrasts his mellow, simple lifestyle with the stressful and hurried attitude which characterizes many people nowadays. Moreover, Tepper represents the old ways of life. Tepper’s and his partner Howard Gordon’s company, Worldwide Lists, is a small business which operates without modern technology. As a colleague tells Tepper, “ ‘its amazing you’re still in business. First came computers. Now the Internet. That means that you and Howard are now at least two communications revolutions behind the times. You guys are operating a biplane there, Murray, in the middle of a lot of jumbo jets’ ” (52). Besides highlighting a shift in lifestyles, Trillan also addresses political issues through his novel’s mayor, Frank Ducavelli. Obsessed with maintaining order and power, Ducavelli imposes extreme regulations to control his city. The mayor preoccupies himself with trivial matters, issues he refers to as “ ‘the forces of disorder’ ” (20). Thus far in the novel, however, Tepper has not expressed any firm opinions about Ducavelli’s policies. Overall, this novel is written very clearly. Chapter seven, “Poker Night”, was slightly confusing because several seemingly unrelated characters all came together to play cards. While the people had only been discussed individually earlier in the novel, all at once they were grouped together like old friends. Additionally, many of these people are reporters for newspapers. By focusing an entire chapter on a poker game played between a number of political journalists, Trillan introduces the power of the press as a theme in his novel. So far, I have enjoyed this book. I am curious to see if Trillan reveals Tepper’s motivation for parking. Is it a question that will ever be answered, or one to be left up to the reader’s interpretation? Also, from a journalistic perspective, it is interesting to see what information Trillan includes and what he does not. For example, Trillan takes the time to explore Tepper’s background and habits, and presents this information from multiple angles. The reader gleans information about Tepper from his friends, family, and random acquaintances. Much like an article covering multiple sides of a story, Trillan’s Tepper Isn’t Going Out provides a wide array of opinions from many different types of people. Reading this book has made me wonder where I would fall in the spectrum of people: among the rushed, the relaxed, or somewhere in between. Where would most people in today’s society be? Trillan hints that society has become increasingly pressured as technology has modernized. I look forward to seeing how he develops this issue in the novel.

Reading Response #2: Chapters 10-20 in Tepper Isn't Going Out (pp. 75-144)

Since the last book response, Murray Tepper’s parking “hobby” has gone from a private amusement into a public spectacle and conflict. Now whenever Tepper parks in a space, a line of people forms beside his car, each person anxiously waiting to talk to Tepper. Most people see Tepper as an inspirational figure: someone who lives by his own rules, regardless of what others may think or say. Ironically, Tepper’s close friends and family initially saw this as a problem, and feared for Tepper’s mental health. As his old friend Jack says, “ ‘I was suggesting that maybe you might want to consult a shrink and now people are coming up to you and talking about consulting a shrink and the shrink is you’ ” (124). Not everyone in the novel, however, sees Tepper’s parking as a positive hobby. Mayor Frank Ducavelli views Tepper as a threat to public stability; someone ushering in the “ ‘forces of disorder’ ” (116). In this second-third of Calvin Trillin’s Tepper Isn’t Going Out, the conflict between the mayor and his citizens escalates over Tepper’s peaceful parking. In addition to the old conflict of a relaxed life versus a busy one, a new issue that emerges in this section of the novel deals with political paranoia. Mayor Ducavelli epitomizes an obsessive, pompous, and controlling politician whose actions bring into question his own sanity. The mayor wages war on Tepper’s parking, despite the fact that Tepper is supported by the majority of New York City’s citizens. Over a poker game, some political critics discuss these unique methods. All of them express disbelief that Mayor Ducavelli could be so unconcerned with maintaining his support basis. As one man, Chuck Gold, sums up the conversation to his friend, “ ‘what you’re saying is that a politician who does anything that is not good for his numbers -- that is, in other words, not in his political self-interest -- can be considered mentally unbalanced’ ” (138). Ducavelli also imposes frighteningly strict security measures in his building. His staff must sit in a metal detecting chair, answer secret questions, and pass an iris scan simply to enter his office. Through Mayor Ducavelli’s character, Trillin questions the methods of politicians, and draws a line between the rational and the extreme. I really like the author’s style in this novel. It is crisp, clearly written, and not verbose by any means. Trillin highlights his fundamental points by repeating them or presenting them through multiple characters. Also, Trillin unfolds the plot gradually, yet does not hold back too much information at any one time. The novel is easy to follow, but it remains intriguing at all times. I like how Trillin integrates clips of newspaper articles into the text, because it offers a truly journalistic feel to the novel. I wonder whether any of the characters in Tepper Isn’t Going Out were based off actual people. I find Mayor Ducavelli to be one of the most interesting people in the novel, especially because of his extreme paranoia. Did any real politician inspire Ducavelli’s character for Trillin? Continuing with Ducavelli, his relationship with Tepper reminds me of Henry David Thoreau’s perspective on unjust laws. Though Tepper does not aim to resist the government, in many ways, he ultimately does go against Ducavelli. At the end of chapter twenty, Tepper is accused of hailing a taxi cab from the street (an act which has been prohibited by Mayor Ducavelli). Thoreau’s philosophy was that when the law is unjust or corrupt, it is the citizen’s duty to break the law. While Tepper does not follow this mindset, many of his supporters clamor for him to take a stand. Like Thoreau, Tepper represents an ordinary person who has the power to take a stand for what is right, even at the risk of upsetting the government. Whether Tepper will follow in Thoreau’s path remains to be seen.

Reading Response #3: Chapters 21-33 in Tepper Isn't Going Out (pp. 145-213)

In this final section of Calvin Trillin’s Tepper Isn’t Going Out, Murray Tepper’s conflict over parking with Mayor Frank Ducavelli erupts into a citywide event. After several of Tepper’s parking expeditions trigger public disturbances, Ducavelli’s focus in fighting the “forces of disorder” shifts from controlling the city to subduing Tepper. The mayor’s attitude propels Tepper into New York City’s spotlight, and he becomes a prominent figure in newspapers and on television. Sy Lambert, a famous, conceited and presumptuous author’s representative, meets with Tepper, telling him to turn this moment of fame into fortune. In a scheme designed to nail Tepper, Ducavelli’s representatives take Tepper to court on the charge of holding unlicensed demonstrations and exhibitions. After several hearings, the court clears Tepper; throughout it all, he was in a legal parking spot. Trillin uses the ending of his novel to highlight two themes: the power of the press, and the random and often inexplicable connections which prevail in life. The power of the press emerges from the hype and attention surrounding Tepper’s actions. The media in the novel covers all angles of the trial, taking as many different standpoints as are possible. In general, the press supports Tepper’s actions; public opinion also sides with Tepper. This brings up a crucial question in the novel: does the media reflect public opinion, form public opinion, or act independently? While this is never truly answered, Tepper listens to political columnist Ray Fannon discuss how he “ ‘has most relentlessly used his column to make underhanded, snide, disrespectful, and maybe even unfair comment about the mayor’ ” (208-209). Fannon operates independently, writing his articles to express his opinion. As for the theme of connections in life, Trillin hammers out his point through Tepper. Not only does Tepper seem to draw universal support from the people of New York City, his job deals with finding connections between categories of people and their interests. The ultimate irony is mentioned by Fannon, who observes a uniting feature of Tepper’s parking. As Fannon points out, everywhere Tepper parks is close to media outlets. Summing this up, Fannon remarks that “ ‘A cynical person would come to the conclusion. . . that Murray Tepper may be not someone who happened to come to attention and therefore became a folk hero but someone who decided to become a folk hero and therefore came to attention’ ” (209). Whether Tepper meant to be noticed or not is never resolved, but acts as another instance of uncanny patterns. These themes of the press and life’s connections must be related to share equal importance in the novel. Maybe Trillin suggests that the job of the press, like the job of Tepper, is to seek the unexplained patterns of society and to then uncover the links behind these relationships. This connects to our goals in Bradford: finding hints of unresolved stories, conflicts, or discussions and turning them into news stories. I think that Bradford would benefit from approaching life like Tepper. He may not see why a list of people who ordered a car-cleaning cloth became the best fund-raising list for both the Republicans and Democrats, but that does not prevent Tepper from trying to solve this mystery. Journalists should also not turn away from strange stories, because often the most puzzling conundrums yield the best stories when they are solved. I really enjoyed reading Tepper Isn’t Going Out. Depending on how I approached the text, it could be regarded as a purely literary novel, or as a journalistic work. Both elements were present in the text. Whether for English class or journalism, Trillin’s Tepper Isn’t Going Out was a fun and useful read.