Henry Lockwood
Professor Young
Class Question #8
24 October 2016
Lee and Cully's Interaction
Question: Describe the interaction between Cully and Lee. What happened to Cully? In what way does Lee help Cully?
When someone has tried so hard to achieve something, they may go to drastic measures to finally have his or her goal realized. In Friendswood, Lee Knowles is unable to get her voice to be heard about Banes Field. She is left to take matters into her own hands and feels it is necessary to construct a bomb to finally get her voice heard.
Cully and Lee’s interaction is a great example of the phrase “in the wrong spot at the wrong time”. Cully thought he was going on a routine look around after he heard a noise; however, what he found was an explosion caused by a woman who feels she has no other choice. Cully gets caught in the cross fire and is flung backwards onto the ground, causing physical harm. After the explosion Lee realizes that her new actions are causing other people physical harm and that this time she has taken it too far. She helps him into the car and as they are driving to the emergency room, Cully says "God! I saw this coming. this is my f*cking punishment!" (Steinke 362). This experience is an enlightening moment for both characters. In this scene, Cully finally feels he receives what he ultimately deserves. Cully's guilt complex can be compared to that of a child. Typically, when a child hurts another, he or she allows the other to hit them back to resolve any regret or guilt the first child feels. In Cully's case, the pain from the explosion makes the guilt of causing pain to Willa subside. Physically, Lee helps Cully by bringing him to safety and getting him the medical attention he needs. Emotionally and mentally, Lee helps Cully reach a state of acceptance, leading him to write a note for Willa apologize for the situation he put her through.
Lee helps Cully reach a state of positive accountability after the encounter. It is only after Cully feels his punishment that he feels it is his responsibility to accept his mistakes. Cully takes the beginning steps to formally apologize to Willa by attempting to put the issues to rest. In the note Cully wrote "I could have stopped it. You didn't even know you where there" (Steinke 379). Cully words show he takes the responsibility for his actions. He makes no excuses. He takes the entire blame and doesn't hide that he did something wrong.
Not only does Lee help Cully, but Cully also helps Lee. After seeing that she caused another individual physical harms, she finally feels that she is done spending all her time trying to expose the pollution in Banes Field. This leads her to begin trying to rebuild her relationship with Jack which was torn apart by the same actions long ago. Lee's last stitch efforts to expose Avery Taft appears to be a success as the corruption is unearthed and other citizens begin to come clean about their own experiences. It was all over and she could finally relax.
Overall Friendswood was a very enjoyable novel. Typically, when I am forced to read a book for school I don't find myself being able to sit and read it for long periods of time. However, this novel was able to keep my attention. I felt that the conclusion to this novel was the best way Steinke could have ended it, and it gave the entire novel the justice it deserves.
Work Cited
Steinke, Rene. Friendswood. New York: Riverhead Books, 2014. Print.
