It was interesting to see the presentations this week on Swallow Me Whole. It really helped me to see the deeper meanings of the story because it was personally really confusing. I especially liked the ideas of the step-father and his absence and his insignificance making him very significant to the story. The music in the story was also intriguing because I was interested in how the music affected the novel and what it brought to the story. I think it was also interesting to see the different interpretations of the white pill creature that was eating the bugs. The class seemed to have many different interpretations of what it meant and how it was related to the story. Though we did not reach a class consensus, I think everyone thought differently about the story and the creature and brought a new dimension to the story. The class seemed to have a lot of interpretations of the ending and the ideas of the bugs in general and of the relationships between the parents and the kids or lack of a relationship. Also we briefly discussed the title of the book because it had multiple meanings throughout the story and helped to show the different parts of the story and how it all flowed together.