Percy Jackson Book Club discussion
Deep dives
>
goat boy is sad, therefore i am sad, let's discuss - a deep dive
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
lowri (gcse hiatus)
(new)
Sep 19, 2024 11:55AM
OMGHDJDN GROVER MY POOKIE <3
reply
|
flag
excited for this one as per usual!
Introduction, the tale of a young satyr sent to bring a daughter of Zeus to camp
Once upon a time, a brave young satyr tried to bring a daughter of Zeus, a forbidden child to camp. Little did he know, this journey would be treacherous and that he was destined to fail or so it seemed, for this led to a chain reaction bigger than a satyr who wished to find Pan.
He would have never known that the girl had found a family in the form of a 14 years old son of Hermes and 7 years old daughter of Athena. He would have never known that he was going to try and protect and bring the three to camp, only for one to nearly die. The thought that he would have failed wouldn't have even crossed the wide eyed satyr's mind, yet here we are... the daughter of Zeus a tree, but at least the other two demigods made it back.
He would still have to work to get his searcher's permit and he would have to bring another forbidden child to camp... a certain Percy Jackson... a boy who would open many doors to both doom and happiness, a boy would become something like his brother.
How the subtle PTSD from losing Thalia can be sought throughout the novels (5 og ones)
Before we start tracing the evidence, we should briefly talk about what Grover joining Thalia, Luke and Annabeth meant. In my previous deep dive regarding Thalia, Luke and Annabeth and their bond (read here), Charlie has (rightfully) let me know that I missed someone very important... our favourite satyr!! The reason why I decided not to include him in that deep dive was simply because he didn't belong there. The three formed a different kind of bond, when Grover came into the picture, they saw him as their protector, the only person who could get them to camp (since he knew the way). Grover wasn't their brother, he was their protector. And that was a lot of pressure. When Thalia was turned into a pine tree, Grover lost more than just his searcher's permit. He lost confidence.
Yet, he was the one who had to bring another forbidden child to camp. He was another forbidden child's chance to life.
We can see that he was anxious to get Percy to camp safely, that he needed to get Percy to camp safely for more than just his searcher's permit, but for his own mental health. If you guys plan to reread the first book, make sure to pay attention to Grover's behaviour before he gets Percy to camp, it will make you see Grover in a whole new light. You'll realise that he has PTSD from Thalia and that he wasn't fully confident that he will get Percy to camp alive.
His friendship with Percy and the deeper meaning of their empathy link
His friendship with Percy was, in one word, healing. Him and Percy are the textbook definition of found family. They trust each other with their lives and trust that they got each other's backs. Grover and Percy not letting go of their empathy link is so complex because they know that there is someone on the other end whose life depends on their survival. They trust each other, end of story.
Annabeth, a friend or a constant reminder?
Annabeth and Grover were obviously friends, but at the same time... Annabeth was a constant reminder that he had failed. That he didn't manage to protect all three of the demigods he should have brought back to camp.
These feelings are not explored in the series, but f we read between the lines, we see that only after Thalia is actually alive again, do we see a deeper bond between Annabeth and Grover. Coincidence? I think not.
Luke's betrayal
Okay, I always talk about how Luke's betrayal affected Annabeth, but Grover was an important person in Luke's life, too.
I think Grover was hurt to find that Luke was not only a traitor, but he would have given Percy, another demigod, to Kronos so easily.
The desire to find Pan
Oh, things get interesting here! Grover's whole family tried to find Pan, but couldn't. He wished to be the one to find Pan, to show everyone that he still existed, to get the world to be a greener and better place.
He is also pretty strong, in my opinion, because he saw what happened with his uncle, he knew what happened with himself in the Sea of Monsters, but he kept on pushing until he found Pan.
Finding Pan
In case you can't tell, I'm slowly running out of characters, so I've been keeping stuff brief.
Pan chose Grover for a reason. That reason being that he was passionate, loyal and Pan knew that Grover would give it his all, and that no matter how many times he'd fail, he'd still keep on trying because that is what Grover always does.
On a happier note, let's talk about his girlfriend!!!
His relationship with his girlfriend is so cute!! They keep on loving each other, even if Grover always has to leave on different quests and she has to stand near by her tree. These cute kids (I say even though I'm 16), I love them! They're underrated.
The Battle of Manhattan
First, I don't understand why he didn't use his Panic ability. Second, he was actually a great help during the BoM. He convinced spirits of the nature to fight on the Camp's side, which is amazing because imagine if Kronos managed to get them on his side first. Nature has always been so important in wars (see WW2 for example, in Romania many soldiers were trapped in dirt where they were either sh0t or drowned in it. And there are many other battles like the one I mentioned, if you have the heart look it up).
Okay, I'm crying, now, so let's conclude
All in all, I'm sad now, so I'm gonna go recycle. You should, too. It's good for the environment, that's what Grover would want.
Now, there's not much that shows us just how much Grover's mental health has been affected, but by reading between the lines and noticing subtle details in Grover's behaviour before he was Percy's friend and before Thalia came back, it is obvious that he had been affected, and I'm sorry for watching the character count sm and not being able to go into more detail.
But this is not a proper conclusion, so I'll elaborate: losing Thalia has deeply impacted Grover as we can notice some anxious tendencies, he cared deeply for Annabeth and Luke, and his friendship with Percy has really helped Grover to cope and not blame himself. Bonus mention to him and his girlfriend being adorable!!!
The next deep dive was suggested by Isabelle V and it's the perfect excuse for me to binge watch the series again, so everyone, please grab your CHB shirts, your ballpoint pens, your Yankees hats, and be quiet on set, we shall find the differences between the show and the book, and to be a little extra - I'm going to add the movie to Isabelle's suggestion (I want us to have something to laugh at, call me a comedian - except I am not funny).
Once upon a time, a brave young satyr tried to bring a daughter of Zeus, a forbidden child to camp. Little did he know, this journey would be treacherous and that he was destined to fail or so it seemed, for this led to a chain reaction bigger than a satyr who wished to find Pan.
He would have never known that the girl had found a family in the form of a 14 years old son of Hermes and 7 years old daughter of Athena. He would have never known that he was going to try and protect and bring the three to camp, only for one to nearly die. The thought that he would have failed wouldn't have even crossed the wide eyed satyr's mind, yet here we are... the daughter of Zeus a tree, but at least the other two demigods made it back.
He would still have to work to get his searcher's permit and he would have to bring another forbidden child to camp... a certain Percy Jackson... a boy who would open many doors to both doom and happiness, a boy would become something like his brother.
How the subtle PTSD from losing Thalia can be sought throughout the novels (5 og ones)
Before we start tracing the evidence, we should briefly talk about what Grover joining Thalia, Luke and Annabeth meant. In my previous deep dive regarding Thalia, Luke and Annabeth and their bond (read here), Charlie has (rightfully) let me know that I missed someone very important... our favourite satyr!! The reason why I decided not to include him in that deep dive was simply because he didn't belong there. The three formed a different kind of bond, when Grover came into the picture, they saw him as their protector, the only person who could get them to camp (since he knew the way). Grover wasn't their brother, he was their protector. And that was a lot of pressure. When Thalia was turned into a pine tree, Grover lost more than just his searcher's permit. He lost confidence.
Yet, he was the one who had to bring another forbidden child to camp. He was another forbidden child's chance to life.
We can see that he was anxious to get Percy to camp safely, that he needed to get Percy to camp safely for more than just his searcher's permit, but for his own mental health. If you guys plan to reread the first book, make sure to pay attention to Grover's behaviour before he gets Percy to camp, it will make you see Grover in a whole new light. You'll realise that he has PTSD from Thalia and that he wasn't fully confident that he will get Percy to camp alive.
His friendship with Percy and the deeper meaning of their empathy link
His friendship with Percy was, in one word, healing. Him and Percy are the textbook definition of found family. They trust each other with their lives and trust that they got each other's backs. Grover and Percy not letting go of their empathy link is so complex because they know that there is someone on the other end whose life depends on their survival. They trust each other, end of story.
Annabeth, a friend or a constant reminder?
Annabeth and Grover were obviously friends, but at the same time... Annabeth was a constant reminder that he had failed. That he didn't manage to protect all three of the demigods he should have brought back to camp.
These feelings are not explored in the series, but f we read between the lines, we see that only after Thalia is actually alive again, do we see a deeper bond between Annabeth and Grover. Coincidence? I think not.
Luke's betrayal
Okay, I always talk about how Luke's betrayal affected Annabeth, but Grover was an important person in Luke's life, too.
I think Grover was hurt to find that Luke was not only a traitor, but he would have given Percy, another demigod, to Kronos so easily.
The desire to find Pan
Oh, things get interesting here! Grover's whole family tried to find Pan, but couldn't. He wished to be the one to find Pan, to show everyone that he still existed, to get the world to be a greener and better place.
He is also pretty strong, in my opinion, because he saw what happened with his uncle, he knew what happened with himself in the Sea of Monsters, but he kept on pushing until he found Pan.
Finding Pan
In case you can't tell, I'm slowly running out of characters, so I've been keeping stuff brief.
Pan chose Grover for a reason. That reason being that he was passionate, loyal and Pan knew that Grover would give it his all, and that no matter how many times he'd fail, he'd still keep on trying because that is what Grover always does.
On a happier note, let's talk about his girlfriend!!!
His relationship with his girlfriend is so cute!! They keep on loving each other, even if Grover always has to leave on different quests and she has to stand near by her tree. These cute kids (I say even though I'm 16), I love them! They're underrated.
The Battle of Manhattan
First, I don't understand why he didn't use his Panic ability. Second, he was actually a great help during the BoM. He convinced spirits of the nature to fight on the Camp's side, which is amazing because imagine if Kronos managed to get them on his side first. Nature has always been so important in wars (see WW2 for example, in Romania many soldiers were trapped in dirt where they were either sh0t or drowned in it. And there are many other battles like the one I mentioned, if you have the heart look it up).
Okay, I'm crying, now, so let's conclude
All in all, I'm sad now, so I'm gonna go recycle. You should, too. It's good for the environment, that's what Grover would want.
Now, there's not much that shows us just how much Grover's mental health has been affected, but by reading between the lines and noticing subtle details in Grover's behaviour before he was Percy's friend and before Thalia came back, it is obvious that he had been affected, and I'm sorry for watching the character count sm and not being able to go into more detail.
But this is not a proper conclusion, so I'll elaborate: losing Thalia has deeply impacted Grover as we can notice some anxious tendencies, he cared deeply for Annabeth and Luke, and his friendship with Percy has really helped Grover to cope and not blame himself. Bonus mention to him and his girlfriend being adorable!!!
The next deep dive was suggested by Isabelle V and it's the perfect excuse for me to binge watch the series again, so everyone, please grab your CHB shirts, your ballpoint pens, your Yankees hats, and be quiet on set, we shall find the differences between the show and the book, and to be a little extra - I'm going to add the movie to Isabelle's suggestion (I want us to have something to laugh at, call me a comedian - except I am not funny).
@lowri I'll try to not let you down<33
Mod
@steffy just as good as always <333
Mod
yesss, we have a lot to unpack!!! i’m waiting to get home so i can finish it:) just u wait til i start talking about grover and luke
also, if u guys reread the og series, make sure to pay attention to the way grover grows more comfortable around percabeth owed to the fact that thalia is back
Mod
Thank youuu! After already knowing the characters, you'll learn more about their trauma because Rick Riordan is a genius. There were sm moments when my jaw dropped as I was researching for this deep dive because how did I miss the tone changes before and after Thalia came back? How did I miss the disappointment? This deep dive let me even more speechless than the others!
Mod
i agree. i think kids would not even pick up on these subjects, but whatever i’m not part of the editorial team so ill keep on analysing our favourite demigods’ behaviours
You also say kids even though Grover ages slower than humans so he’s like 32 and Junipers age is unknown because I’m pretty sure she’s immortal.
i say “kids” as in the younger audience readers and “kids” when referring to juniper and grover as a grandma because i feel like i know these characters like a grandma knows her grandkids:)
In tlo, Luke calls Grover the bravest satyr he ever met.
