Two and the same

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ZweiundDieselbe (Original title: The adoration of Jenna Fox ) is a 2008 youth novel by Mary E. Pearson . It was first published in 2009 by S. Fischer Verlag in Germany and is about a young person's self-discovery after a car accident. The themes of the novel include the juxtaposition of science and nature, adolescence and the question of what makes man human. The novel was also nominated for the German Youth Book Prize in 2010 .

Table of contents

Jenna (Angelina) Fox wakes up after a year from a coma . She now lives with her parents and her grandmother Lily in a big old, partly empty house. Seventeen-year-old Jenna can no longer remember anything of her past. The parents therefore suggest that she watch DVDs of her childhood to regain a fraction of her memory . Her parents are very cautious, for reasons Jenna is not initially aware of. She often wonders why they no longer live in Boston . She also sometimes hears the voices of her then best friends Kara and Locke. She wonders what happened to her best friends and why they don't contact her. Young Jenna insists on going back to school. Then she enrolls her mother Claire at the local small private school, even if the concerned Claire was initially against it. In class, she learns for the first time from her classmates about the NEWF and the blue bio-gel that her father Matthew developed. Back at home, she wants to know what's hiding behind the locked door in her mother's walk-in closet. She opens the door with her mother's key, which Claire kept under her mattress. There are three unusual computers behind the door, one of which has her name on it: Jenna Angeline Fox. When trying to dismantle the computers, it cuts itself on the metal edge with which the computers are riveted. Through the cut in her hand, it turns out for Jenna that it consists largely of bio-gel and only a small part of her old body is present. Jenna far exceeds the NEWF points system, because of the large amount of bio-gel Jenna is banned under NEWF laws. Shortly afterwards, she learns from Lily that her brain has been manipulated and artificial knowledge has been played, and she also learns from her father that the bio-gel has an expiration date, which is why they no longer live in Boston, because the climate there is too volatile. But Jenna cannot keep the secret her parents gave to herself and tells Ethan, for whom she has feelings, about the secret. Only later is she fully informed about the accident and researches with Mr. Bender about Kara and Locke, who died as a result of injuries from the car accident in which Jenna was involved. But she is firmly convinced that she is not to blame for the death of the two, as it is in the report. Jenna confronts her parents one more time, she wants to know what is stored on the computers. It is supposedly just backup copies of the DNA of her and her friends Kara and Locke, according to their parents. Jenna's school friend Allys, who is a member of the NEWF, wants to report Jenna to the authorities because she cannot approve of it. Ethan tries to protect Jenna, but Allys refuses to speak to her. Ethan and Jenna visit Allys a few days later to talk her out of it. But Allys is sick in bed, she will die soon, but she has instructed her parents to report Jenna. When she is back home, she overhears her father talking. The three computers are said to be picked up the next morning and shipped to a safe place. Jenna will not and cannot allow this to happen. Lily wants to help Jenna because she can understand her. The next morning Jenna yells for help, causing her parents to run up to their room and Jenna lock Claire and Matthew in their room. So she can dismantle the computer undisturbed and throw it into the pond. Shortly thereafter, Ally's mother appears and asks Matthew for help, he should also plant the bio-gel for Allys so that she can survive. 260 years later, Allys and Jenna live at Clayton Bender's house. Everyone else has died, Jenna has a child named Kayla and soon decides to go to Boston to die peacefully.

Design of the text

In addition to the actual text, definitions of words, the meaning of which Jenna gradually regains, often appear in Two and the Same . In addition, lexicon-like definitions of words appear in the text , where she wonders whether these words apply to her as well as a definition of herself. In the text, inner thoughts or monologues appear again and again , which are written in verse form.

characters

Jenna Angeline Fox

Jenna, a 17-year-old girl from Boston, is in a coma after a serious accident. As the book progresses, we learn that she moved to California while in a coma and slept for over a year. She lives there with her parents and grandmother in a cottage and tries to regain her lost memory. While searching for her memories, she discovers the truth about herself, among other things, because she is no longer a real person. It was only possible to save 10% of her brain and her entire body was artificially recreated, the skin was cultivated. As a result, she and her parents have broken the law, which is why they have to keep Jenna hidden. Another reason for the move is the climatic conditions in California, where Jenna's “biogel”, which makes up a large part of her new body, lasts for up to 200 years. The problems of self-discovery and the question of whether Jenna is allowed to exist at all occupy Jenna throughout the course of the book.

The "old" Jenna

In order to better remember everything, she looks at recordings of herself, which are taken up here and shown in connection with Jenna.

Jenna 7 years

Jenna baked a cake for her father's birthday. Before that, the father is led through the whole house, and it turns out that the father has confidence in Jenna. The cake is not quite perfect, but the father is still happy about it. In this video, Jenna is a happy and carefree little girl who is happy with herself and the world. However, in this video it becomes clear that her parents adore her and Jenna is her everything, her child prodigy. The new Jenna feels happy and unconditionally accepted when viewing the picture, which differs from Jenna's current state. Jenna is worried, does not feel accepted and is no longer a picture book daughter, she is unclean with herself.

Jenna, 10 years

This shot shows Jenna doing a lot of different activities. She takes diving lessons, has a ballet performance, or practices piano. When she looks at the spot in the video with the soccer game, she discovers a scar on her neck that has disappeared. In this video, Jenna is still happy, but she lives an activity-filled life and is always busy. As the child prodigy of her parents, Jenna began to meet their expectations at the age of 10. She also has many friends and today's Jenna is also starting to make new friends. However, their life is empty and by no means full.

Jenna, 14 years

It starts with Jenna's birthday in Paris . She doesn't care anymore about the camera that has become a part of her life. She looks at Jenna's hands with different eyes and she notices that "something is twisted in her". In this video Jenna already shows signs that it annoys her to be adored by her parents and continuously filmed, but she has got used to it and accepts it. The relationship with her parents begins to deteriorate. But she was always self-confident and had self-confidence about what Jenna is missing today.

Jenna, 16 years I

Jenna searches in vain for Kara and Locke, her classmates, in this video. The birthday takes place in Scotland . Jenna's smile seems forced to look at the camera. In this video Jenna becomes really aware that she is adored by her parents and also the pressure to meet the expectations of the parents increases and overwhelms her. She wants privacy and her own life. However, she does not get out of the role of the child prodigy. Today's Jenna has already fallen from her pedestal and is no longer a child prodigy. In addition, she no longer meets the expectations of her parents, she begins to lead an independent life.

Jenna, 16 years old II

This video focuses on Jenna's ballet performance. Jenna doesn't want to dance ballet anymore. She doesn't dance ballet on her own initiative, but because her parents want it to. You learn that the most important thing to Jenna was always meeting other people's expectations. However, she wants to rebel , no longer be the child prodigy and no longer have to meet expectations. However, she does not succeed because she is unable to disappoint her parents and take away the illusion of a child prodigy. Today's Jenna, on the other hand, has more assertiveness and no longer tries to meet expectations.

The "new" Jenna

In the following section chapters of the novel are listed that are characteristic of Jenna's change in the course of the plot.

At the beach

Jenna's mother insists that Jenna go to the beach with her and Lily. When Jenna complains to Lily about it, Lily finally forces her to say what she wants in the presence of her mother. Jenna still can't say what her needs are until Lily forces her to and she finally speaks them out loud. Jenna also doesn't want to be a child prodigy anymore and stand on a pedestal and doesn't even try anymore. From this follows the will for a real life, self-determination and the right to make decisions. Jenna has become much more confident and says what she wants. She finally has the courage to do so and demands a life of her own. The relationship with Lily has improved a lot, the relationship with Claire remains bad. Jenna realized in this section that it is unnatural to keep Kara and Locke in the backups. It puts nature before science. Jenna finds herself again, gets self-determination and independence. In addition, it develops its own will, which are all important building blocks for personality. Lily helps Jenna with this, while Claire still wants to control Jenna.

A plan

Jenna, with the help of Lily and against her parents' wishes, frees the backup copies of Kara, Locke and herself and throws them into the pond behind the house. Although her parents are very angry at first, they make up with Jenna in the end. The neurochips begin to imitate everything natural in a person, they remember it and Jenna becomes more and more of a "real" person. Jenna gets her way and acts against her parents and thus achieves self-determination. The child prodigy Jenna no longer exists. Jenna acts self-determined, she has a lot more self-confidence and accepts herself. The relationship with Lily improves, Lily is Jenna's friend, ally and contact person. Jenna's relationship with her parents is also improving, the parents understand that Jenna is no longer a child prodigy and there is mutual acceptance and love. Jenna destroys the backups because she thinks they are unnatural. Nature is more important to her than science, even if it owes it to her that she is still alive. Jenna's identity is becoming more and more pronounced, she finds herself and her own will and leads her own life.

baptism

Lily and Jenna go to church together. Finally, Lily crucifies and baptizes Jenna with holy water, because for her Jenna has a soul. The daily grind has started again. But in church, Lily makes it clear to Jenna that she believes Jenna has a soul. For Jenna, this baptism is also a symbol of washing away the old and believing in the new. Jenna accepted herself for who she is. She believes in a new Jenna and believes in her soul. The relationship with Lily is very intense. Jenna is a real person and now belongs to nature, even though she is actually a scientific "project". Jenna is happy with science and its progress, otherwise it would no longer exist. Jenna has found herself and her personality.

Two hundred and sixty years later

Jenna's life is described 260 years after the events. Jenna is now 277 years old, she lives in Mr. Bender's house because hers burned down. Her parents, Lily and Mr. Bender are long dead. Allys was also saved and is now like Jenna, 22% of her brain could be saved. They are two old women in the bodies of young girls. There are more of them now, with the limit being 10%, the biogel ages and has a natural lifespan. Jenna was granted 70 years with Ethan and after his death she decided to have a child, her daughter Kayla. She loves her daughter, doesn't want to survive, and because of that she will move to Boston one day. Jenna is no longer alone, she has experienced love and motherly happiness and accepts herself completely. She lives her own life and is happy. Jenna is happy about science because it saves lives and it has been recognized that 10% of the brain is enough to live. Jenna has regained her identity and found her personality.

Lily

Lily is a beautiful woman who is at least 60 years old. She used to be the chief medical officer of internal medicine at the Boston Municipal Hospital. It is not known exactly why she is no longer a doctor, but she has often defied laws in favor of science. In the act today, she gets upset about the scientists doing the same thing. This is because she blames science for the death of her husband who died in an epidemic due to failed antibiotics. It is also a member of the World Association for the Preservation of Seeds, in order to protect plants from genetic manipulation. Claire, her daughter, is her everything. She loves Claire very much and would do anything for her. She even canceled her “Walden,” her retreat in Tuscany before the Jenna thing, to help her follow up on Claire's request. She distracts herself from spending a lot of time in the kitchen and her greenhouse. There she is very determined, quiet and sometimes aggressive, because she knows what she wants there, in contrast to that she doesn't know what to do with Jenna. In addition, there is her piety, which you can tell by the crucifixion upon entering the church where she meets with Father Rico. She is not afraid of death, she thinks there are worse things. In doing so, she indirectly addresses what happened to Jenna, namely the biological death and the illegal rescue by her parents. Lily conceived her own daughter in a test tube and thus has her own child prodigy, but she does not allow Claire to have one too. She finds certain things okay about science, but not interfering with life and death. The basic problem arises through their belief in God, i.e. in the natural. The interference of science in nature. Since Lily was a doctor and is still against what was done with Jenna, it comes out how strongly she is against it, because through her job as a doctor she has an insight into both sides and thus a certain competence. Lily points out the truth to Jenna by helping her remember earlier. She shows Jenna the behavior she used to have, such as B. that she forced herself to be perfect. Lily is very important to Jenna's self-discovery process as she helps Jenna to find herself through her openness. She knows more about Jenna than her parents because she has been Jenna's caregiver. She is the most important person in the family for the self-discovery process.

The relationship between Lily and Jenna

Before the accident

Lily and Jenna were on good terms before the accident, as is normal for a grandmother and her granddaughter. Lily was Jenna's caregiver and was open to her.

After the accident

Lily said goodbye to Jenna, who was in a coma, a year and a half ago, so she can't cope with the fact that Jenna is still alive. For this reason she has no more room for Jenna and sees the rescue as a mistake. Lily doesn't know what to think of Jenna and isn't sure whether she's just a lifelike copy of "her" Jenna or not. She is stunned when she realizes that Jenna remembers her baptism and other experiences from her past. After the accident, she doesn't see Jenna as a person either, but much more as an object. But in the course of the plot Jenna becomes a person more and more human to her, this is noticeable as she increasingly uses the word "person" in relation to Jenna. That's why she is dismissive and why the mood is forced and irritable. It's not clear if Lily sees Jenna as a threat. The behavior changes constantly, but you always notice a certain aversion. She is mostly dismissive, sarcastic, and closed to Jenna.

The first step in the turnaround in the relationship between Jenna and Lily can be seen when Jenna comes into the greenhouse and helps Lily. After a while, Lily tells her indirectly that she is under the spell of Claire (her parents). The second step is later on the beach when Lily helps Jenna prevail against her mother. The third and final step is at the end of the book, where Lily helps Jenna enforce her plan to destroy the backups. The turn is gradual and not clearly visible. With the final christening scene it becomes clear that Jenna is finally recognized by Lily as an independent person. Lily helps Jenna stand up to her parents and Jenna finds her own personality. She no longer wants Jenna to be under the spell of her parents. That's also the reason why she wants Jenna to have more freedom. Lily is Jenna's caregiver again and takes her side, against Jenna's parents, as was the case before the accident.

Differences and parallels in relation to the main character

differences

Lily runs away from her problems. Jenna faces her problems and discusses them. In the conversation between Lily and Claire, a lot is discussed and often argued. In the conversation between Jenna and Claire, it tends to be silent and both avoid the conversation.

Parallels

Jenna and Lily are or were both under the spell of Claire. Furthermore, both are more likely to be against the interference of science in nature. Claire is Lily's child prodigy, just as Jenna is Claire's child prodigy. So there are parallels in the mother-daughter relationship.

Ethane

In the youth novel "Zweiunddieselbe" the character Ethan, who lives in California and is probably 17 to 18 years old, is portrayed as a rather closed person. His exterior looks unkempt and his clothes dark and seedy compared to Jennas and Danes. This shady thing reflects his past, in which he spent a year in juvenile prison for grievous bodily harm. His character, however, corresponds to the opposite of his external appearance, initially suspicious and taciturn, later on, however, open, trustworthy and understanding. Despite his predominantly positive characteristics, he is easily irritable and resentful in certain situations. In addition, he has the ability to interpret actions and actions of other actors and thus to understand their inner being better than others. His initially minor contact with the main character Jenna develops into sympathy over the course of the story and eventually falls in love with her. Ethan was called a monster by the judge after his crime, but he denies this. Jenna is not quite sure what she really is at this point. Ethan helps her here, who is convinced not only of himself but also of Jenna that they are not monsters. In doing so, he helps Jenna see herself as a person. This actually terrible word “monster” connects the two and their fate.

Dane

Besides Ethan, there is another important character named Dane. He is 17 to 18 years old and lives in a white earthquake-damaged house next to the main character Jenna. From the previous history of Danes nothing is reported in the book, only a violent attack on Jenna suggests a criminal past. Dane's initial demeanor towards Jenna is friendly and open-minded. In the further course a certain arrogance plus an exaggerated self-confidence emerges in Dane's being. In addition to teasing, he terrorizes Jenna's classmates, Ethan in particular becomes the victim of his verbal attacks in the book, which mostly relate to Ethan's dark past. Unlike Ethan, Dane “has no soul,” at least according to Jenna, as his eyes are described in the book as empty and expressionless. Only in one scene in the book does Jenna see a kind of inner flame blazing in Dane's eyes, which is only a testimony to his violent nature. Furthermore, the emptiness apparently emanating from Dane makes Jenna doubt the existence of her own soul.

Clayton Bender

Clayton Bender is one of the main characters. He is described as helpful, reliable, polite and talkative. He is Jenna's neighbor and, together with his house, plays a role as a kind of information center, since Jenna often seeks a conversation with him and keeps learning new things about her past from him. He is a nature artist, because he creates works of art from things that he finds in nature. At the same time, he also lives from his works, which he creates with great passion. Clayton is not only a nature artist, but lives like one too. He lives withdrawn in a house with a lifestyle that is very similar to that from Thoreau's "Walden", which can be recognized, among other things, by the fact that his garden is very natural. The real name of Bender is Edward and he ran away from home a long time ago. He meets the real Clayton Bender, with whom he then lives together. When Clayton Bender dies, he impersonates Mr. Bender using the birth certificate and other papers that identify a person. Edward has now lived with the Clayton Bender identity for about 30 years. Clayton and Jenna get on well because they have something in common, as both have assumed, or had to assume, a new identity. This makes Bender a kind of mirror figure of Jenna. But on the other hand, both are different, since Bender is a person who is close to nature and Jenna contradicts the laws of nature with her artificiality. There is also a good relationship with Jenna's father, as Bender is an old family friend. This is how he chose the secluded house for the Fox family and is an important part of the escape plan in the event Jenna is discovered. He's also a confidante as he knows Jenna's secret.

Motifs

The motif of the eyes or looks

The eyes run through the entire book as a motif. The eyes are - especially for Jenna - a window to the inside of a person. They not only serve as sensory tools, but also as a direct expression of the soul, directly connected to the various characters in the novel and their feelings. There are several eye contacts in the book. These characterize each figure to a certain extent. The characterization takes place here by linking the representation of the eyes in the novel with the fact that emotions affect the changes in the eye. This fact, of the unconscious pupillary reflexes, is often used in Pearson's novel because of its characterizing effect.

For example, the "empty" look, as Dane has at the beginning of the text, is a symbol of the rigidity and emptiness in Dane's innermost being. This look can also be interpreted as an “evil look”, which expresses disinterest and contempt. The "piercing" eyes, which the figure of Jenna perceives as just as uncomfortable, are mentioned above all in connection with Dane. This form of gaze is very intense and signals an invitation to fight. This primarily relates to the conflict between Ethan and Dane, who are both wrestling for Jenna's affection. Such territorial battles can also be seen with the eyes of animals. This is why Dane's eyes are also described in the book as “greedy animal eyes” that are “blue” and “piercing”. In addition, the animalistic and instinctual character emerges here, which is directly related to the action, an attempted sexual coercion. In direct contrast to the figure of Dane is Ethane. He has brown, kind and honest eyes. His look reveals that Ethan, in direct contrast to Dane, is more interested in people's inner being. Ethan's eyes also reflect his emotional warmth and that's what Jenna finds so attractive about him.

In addition, the characters' eye movements are interpreted in an even more subtle way according to the rules of neurolinguistic programming . Then, among other things, certain spontaneous eye movements can be used to identify what is happening inside the person. Jenna, for example, exposes a sideways glance from Clayton Bender when asked whether he knew more than what he was telling her as a lie.

The motif of the houses

What is interesting in ZweiundDieser is that there are five buildings that are used to refer to people:

The greenhouse

The greenhouse reflects Lily, who grows the original, unchanged plants there. This characterizes Lily as a nature-bound person. Lily spends a lot of time in her greenhouse. Jenna describes the greenhouse as warm as in the womb. This expresses the well-being that Jenna feels here, as she shows more and more human traits in the course of the plot and is thus more respected by Lily at the point in question than at the beginning of the story. In addition, the greenhouse is repaired in the course of the plot, so Jenna's relationship with Lily gets better and better.

The church

Lily's piety and once again her closeness to nature are made clear here as she meets with Father Rico. This is also critical of the influence of science on nature. Jenna also feels a sense of security in the church , which often triggers new memories. Jenna also looks into the dome of the church, which is supposed to symbolize freedom and thus Jenna's thoughts. Jenna wants to be free and understand what happened to her. Every time you visit the church there are candles or you smell of them. Candles generally stand for consolation, truth and knowledge. Jenna gets all of this when she's in church. Jenna often stands in the middle of the cross between the transept and the nave. The cross stands for death and suffering, which in some ways applies to Jenna, but also for overcoming and the healing that Jenna goes through in the course of the story. On the other hand, the cross stands for the cross between the divine and the human. The crossbar stands for the human, the vertical bar for the primordial or divine. Jenna is such a crossbreed too. Jenna's personality and soul represent the divine, while her artificial body was created by human hands.

Danes white house

The house looks very nice from the outside but has a few cracks from the earthquake that have not been repaired. Like Dane, it's beautiful on the outside, but the inside is sealed off. The white color of the house stands for the innocence that is signaled to the outside, so Dane also looks innocent from the outside. The only thing you can see from the outside through a window is a chandelier, the rest of the windows cannot be seen. The chandelier can be interpreted as a reference to the flame that burns in Dane. Jenna recognizes this flame in Dane's eyes when he surprises her in the forest.

Clayton Bender's house

Is compared to the house from "Walden" by Henry D. Thoreau, very close to nature and quiet. He lives very isolated, like a hermit. He buys the house at a ridiculous price because nobody wanted it because of the earthquake. Horsehair comes out of his broken chair, with which the chair is lined. Horsehair is a symbol of the inner nature of man, but also of death. This highlights that Jenna's father's childhood friend has taken on the identity of the late Clayton Bender. Here, too, the basic problem of identity is addressed.

Jenna's parents' house

The house is in need of renovation at the beginning, with Jenna's positive development, the house is being renovated more and more. The house is a kind of reflection for Jenna's body. At the beginning the house is barricaded, there is no view. As the novel progresses, Jenna becomes more open, and so does the house. The Cotswood Cottage (type of house) is a sheepfold, so not particularly large. But it seems big to Jenna. Since the house symbolizes the body and Jenna's body was bigger before the accident, the house also seems bigger to her than it is. As the story progresses, Jenna finds out that she, and not Claire, rules the house. This emphasizes at this point that she is now in control of her body and no longer Claire, who tried to control Jenna in various ways. Jenna's room is emblematic of her brain and memory. In this there are only the most necessary things like bed, chair and desk, so a certain emptiness, as it also prevails in Jenna's memory. As the story progresses, more and more things come into her room, and she can also remember more at the same time. So new curtains are hung up, which also underlines a development of your own personality, next to your netbook in your room. The netbook stands on the one hand for the great amount of knowledge that her parents put into her brain, on the other hand for the memory of her old life, as she always watches the DVDs with the videos from her childhood on it, of which the parents trigger a memory Hope for influence. The full wardrobe represents Jenna's personality. In it are only things chosen by her mother. After a while she wants new things like a red skirt. This shows the development of the personality. Jenna often looks at the ceiling of her room. From her room she can see a small part of Lily's greenhouse. This symbolizes the fact that Jenna Lily tries to see through the course of the plot, but does not succeed. The house is initially described as cold. Jenna's artificial body is also cold or not alive. But she becomes more and more human or more alive and in the course of the action she comes into the warm greenhouse, where she feels like a normal person. In the end, Jenna locks her parents in her room so she can destroy the backup copies her parents made of her and her friends. This symbolizes that Jenna wants to break away from her old self, to which her parents are so attached. Since her room represents her brain and her thoughts, the locking up of the parents can also be interpreted in such a way that Jenna hopes for understanding for her actions. The earthquake, which is mentioned over and over again in the plot, symbolizes tragic events or people, as through this the houses have been damaged, as well as the body or the mind. Jenna's house, and with it her memory, is being renovated, while Dane's nothing is done. The tragic event at Clayton Bender was the death of the "real Bender". But through him he got the opportunity to start a new life and bought this house.

Expenses (selection)

Web links