Reader Series: 'The Vile Village,' Lemony Snicket
This is the seventh post in a series leading up to the premiere of Netflix's 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' on January 13, 2017. The series will cover each of the 13 books and 'Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography.' Be warned: there are spoilers ahead.
In a take on the well-known saying, "It takes a village," the Baudelaires are to be cared for by the village of VFD, provided they do several daily chores and do not break any of the multitude of rules. The siblings, with the help of handyman Hector, begin discovering a series of couplets, clues that could lead them to the Quagmires. When a captured man named Jacques Snicket is declared to be Count Olaf, sentenced to death by fire at the stake, and then found dead in his cell, the entire village proves itself to be just as frustrating and inept as the rest of the adults in the series.
Utilizing mob psychology and the last in a series of bad disguises, Count Olaf manages to execute a Snicket sibling, label the Baudelaires as murderers, and escape with girlfriend Esme Squalor. From this point, the Baudelaires give up on Mr. Poe's assistance. Although they freed their friends, the Quagmires, from the bird fountain, they end this guardianship again alone. Instead of waiting to be sent to yet another home, they decide to set out on their own.
In some ways, this decision in favor of independency makes their lives a little easier: Olaf doesn't use ridiculous disguises anymore, they aren't dependent on undependable adults, and they slowly discover more and more about the real VFD. The Baudelaires start using the completely unfair system to their own advantage, learning more about skills they need to survive in Count Olaf's world.
I felt incredible pride as the Baudelaires struck out on their own. Knowing the series and the Lemony Snicket tone, I knew their story would still be unfortunate for quite some time, but they're finally acting on a truth they came to accept in the previous book - the only thing they can rely on Mr. Poe for is his persistent cough.
In a take on the well-known saying, "It takes a village," the Baudelaires are to be cared for by the village of VFD, provided they do several daily chores and do not break any of the multitude of rules. The siblings, with the help of handyman Hector, begin discovering a series of couplets, clues that could lead them to the Quagmires. When a captured man named Jacques Snicket is declared to be Count Olaf, sentenced to death by fire at the stake, and then found dead in his cell, the entire village proves itself to be just as frustrating and inept as the rest of the adults in the series.
Utilizing mob psychology and the last in a series of bad disguises, Count Olaf manages to execute a Snicket sibling, label the Baudelaires as murderers, and escape with girlfriend Esme Squalor. From this point, the Baudelaires give up on Mr. Poe's assistance. Although they freed their friends, the Quagmires, from the bird fountain, they end this guardianship again alone. Instead of waiting to be sent to yet another home, they decide to set out on their own.
In some ways, this decision in favor of independency makes their lives a little easier: Olaf doesn't use ridiculous disguises anymore, they aren't dependent on undependable adults, and they slowly discover more and more about the real VFD. The Baudelaires start using the completely unfair system to their own advantage, learning more about skills they need to survive in Count Olaf's world.
It is true, of course, that there is no way of knowing for sure whether or not you can trust someone, for the simple reason that circumstances change all of the time. You might know someone for several years, for instance, and trust him completely as your friend, but circumstances could change and he could become very hungry, and before you knew it you could be boiling in a soup pot, because there is no way of knowing for sure.
"Depressed" is a word that often describes somebody who is feeling sad and gloomy, but in this case it describes a secret button, hidden in a crow statue, that is feeling just fine, thank you.
"We are dating!" Esmé cried in triumph. She climbed aboard Olaf's motorcycle and tossed her helmet to the ground, showing that she cared no more about motorcycle safety than she did about the welfare of crows.
But [Sunny] didn't fall. Sunny took a few more self-sustaining steps, and then the three Baudelaires stood together, casting long shadows across the horizon in the dying light of the sunset.
I felt incredible pride as the Baudelaires struck out on their own. Knowing the series and the Lemony Snicket tone, I knew their story would still be unfortunate for quite some time, but they're finally acting on a truth they came to accept in the previous book - the only thing they can rely on Mr. Poe for is his persistent cough.
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