The Heart Mender: A Story of Second Chances
Page 21
Josef Newman is still healthy, happy, and somewhat amused by this whole uncovering of his earlier life. Helen is somewhat less comfortable with the idea that anyone knows the truth. Soon after I presented Josef and Helen with a first draft of the manuscript, they made plans to move and have since done so. Insisting they planned this move all along, they are happy living in Louisiana and have requested that I say no more than that.
READER’S GUIDE
The following discussion guide was designed to help you integrate the lessons found in The Heart Mender and to facilitate group discussion. Please use them merely as a guide. Stay open to where your thoughts and a live discussion might take you. The questions are divided into specific topics of interest, so feel free to start wherever you like.
On Symbolic Imagery
1. Consider the symbolic use of names in this story, particularly Helen and Josef. The Greek name Helen means “torchlight,” or “bright one.” Just like Helen Mason in The Heart Mender, Helen of Troy, who was also known for her physical beauty, was loved by more than one man. Think also of Helen Keller, a woman both blind and deaf, as was our story’s Helen (though only figuratively).
The Greek meaning of Joseph is “God will increase.” In the Old Testament, though sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph later triumphed over this adversity. In the New Testament, another Joseph became an icon of mercy by standing by a woman when he need not have.
What other significances do you find in Josef’s and Helen’s names? What other interesting uses of names are found in this story?
2. Authors often use irony to help readers understand the message they are trying to convey as characters “learn the lesson.” What ironies can you see in The Heart Mender? How are they effective or not effective?
3. Literature is full of tales that begin as something or someone washes ashore—literally a gift (or a curse) from the sea. As a literary symbol, the sea often signifies life. A sea journey might symbolize the journey from birth to death or vice versa. Discuss the role the sea (and the shore) plays in this story.
4. What archetypal, or symbolic, role does Danny play in the narrative? How does Danny touch—and change— almost every character, from his parents to Ernst Schneider? How does his innocence impact each person?
5. What other lessons can we all learn from Danny? Does he have something to teach us? Could it be that the qualities of a Down syndrome person—persistence, for example, or lack of fear of failure (see page 118)—are qualities that we might want to emulate?
On the Nature of Decisions
6. The story’s plot hinges on decisions made by characters at pivotal times: Helen chooses not to turn Josef in, for example. What other meaningful decisions in The Heart Mender can you recall? What do you think was the source of Helen’s initial hesitation, given the highly emotional state she was in?
7. Although Josef had contemplated suicide, when he found himself overboard, he chose to struggle to stay alive, even though he was wounded. Why?
8. Someone once said, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” The author identifies several “good men” in this story; at times when each could have chosen to do nothing, what might have happened?
On the Notion That “No Man Is an Island”
9. The Heart Mender takes place on an island, but the significance of an island refers to more than just a physical location. On page 156, the author refers to the John Donne quote “No man is an island.” Where is the actual island on which the story takes place? How would you describe this setting as a symbolic location?
10. The John Donne quotation was written in 1623, when philosophers were beginning to note the interconnectedness of mankind, that is, that people are not isolated from one another but instead affect the lives of others in ways seen and unseen. Donne wrote:
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less . . . Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee” (Meditation XVII).
By setting the story on an island, the author seems to want us to think of the power of individuals—to affect a situation, history, themselves, or others—yet the poem itself is about the power of community. What do you think is the true meaning of this paradoxical message?
On Democracy, War, and the Course of Civilization
11. Discuss the distinction the author makes between Germans and Nazis (pages 15 and 31). Is this something you’ve considered before, with regards to World War II Germany? The author wants us to understand that the world isn’t drawn in black and white but has shades of meaning that can be interpreted differently by each person who views it. On page 43, the German submarine commander says, “War is one thing. Murder is quite another.” How can this realization change the way we interpret current events?
12. Josef had this to say about the nature of democracy and civilization: “These nations progressed through the following sequence: from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to great courage; from great courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to complacency; from complacency to apathy; from apathy to dependence; and finally from dependence back into bondage” (page 141–42). Do you think there are parallels to be drawn (as Josef insists) to our own democracy? Where do you think the United States is on this timeline?
On the Power of Forgiveness
13. Andy Andrews strongly believes that true forgiveness mends hearts and gives people second chances. Do you agree? Can you think of other equally dynamic principles that have the power to change lives so dramatically?
14. The power of love is one alternate principle presented in the story: both Helen and Josef are willing to sacrifice their own lives to save the other. Can you think of other loving sacrifices depicted in the story?
15. How can you apply the power of love and forgiveness to your life right now? Think about it both internally, in your family and social circles, and in world affairs and politics at large.
16. Several characters in this story learned of the redemptive and healing power of true forgiveness. Discuss the principle of forgiveness—how it’s not necessary that the object of forgiveness ask for it, deserve it, or even be aware that he’s been forgiven. Discuss a time when you gave or received this kind of forgiveness.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hailed by a New York Times reporter as “someone who has become one of the most influential people in America,”ANDY ANDREWS is a best-selling novelist and in-demand corporate speaker for the world's largest organizations. He has spoken at the request of four different U.S. presidents and at military bases worldwide. Andy is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Travelers Gift and The Noticer, as well as The Lost Choice and Return to Sawyerton Springs. He lives in Orange Beach, Alabama, with his wife Polly and their two sons.
Andy can be contacted
or engaged for an event at
AndyAndrews.com
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
IN AN UNDERTAKING OF THIS SORT, THE LIST OF PEOPLE to whom gratitude is owed can be overwhelming. I am blessed to be surrounded by friends and family who have become a team of which I am thrilled to be a part. If one perceives me as a person who makes good and informed choices, it is only because of the reliance on the counsel of these people. Thank you all for your presence in my life:
. . . To Polly, my wife and best friend,
. . . to THE Robert D. Smith, my personal manager and champion,
. . . to Gail and Mike Hyatt, who gave life to my career as an author,
. . . to Brian Hampton, my original editor, whose careful eye and quick mind made this a much better book,
. . . to David Moberg, Dale Wilstermann, Emily Sweeney, Stephanie Newton,
Jennifer McNeil, and Kristi Johnson, who brilliantly oversee the publishing of my books,
. . . to Rick Spruill, Julie Jayne, Doug Miller, Tom Knight, Jeff Miller, and the rest of the Thomas Nelson sales team, who work so hard to get my books out to the masses,
. . . to Todd Rainsberger, who helped shape the narrative,
. . . to Sandi Dorff, Paula Tebbe, and Susie White, who direct the daily parts of my life,
. . . to Jared McDaniel for his beyond brilliant eye for graphic detail and the ability to continuously create a WOW factor visually,
. . . to Nate Bailey, Matt Lempert, Paul Fries, and Chad Laboy, who meticulously oversee the details of the office and my business life,
. . . to Kurt V. Besley and Brent C. Gray, who handle the legal rights to all my intellectual property,
. . . to Paul Krupin and George Uribe, who push hard in very creative ways to get the word out to and through the media,
. . . and to Mrs. Edna McLoyd, my eighth grade English teacher from Dothan, Alabama, who told me I could write.
. . . Thanks also to Scott Jeffrey for his coaching and personal attention to detail,
. . . to Zachary Smith and Nicholas Francis for their Web mastery,
. . . and to Katrina and Jerry Anderson, Vicki and Brian Bakken, Erik Born, Don Brindley, Sunny Brownlee, Foncie and Joe Bullard, Brent Burns, Myrth and Cliff Callaway, Julie and Doug Cassens, Lillian and Edward Gilley, Gloria and Martin Gonzalez, Lynn and Mike Jakubik, Patsy Jones, Nancy Lopez, Karen and Alan McBride, Liz and Bob McEwen, Melanie and Mike Martin, Mary and Jim Pace, Glenda and Kevin Perkins, Brenda and Todd Rainsberger, Kathy and Dick Rollins, Barbara Selvey, Claudia and Pat Simpson, Shannon and John Smith, Christopher Surek, Maryann and Jerry Tyler, Mary Ann and Dave Winck, Kristi and Steve Woods, Kathy and Mike Wooley. Your example and influence in my life are undeniable and very much appreciated.
Very special thanks to those whose memories and information were crucial to this story—who, because of the lives they now lead, have elected to remain anonymous.
REFERENCES
HAVING RESEARCHED THE TOPIC OF FORGIVENESS FOR MANY years, my thoughts and, indeed, the contents of this book have been molded by the works of many people much wiser than I.
Their writing and spoken words have been life-changing for many, and in order to give them proper credit and the reader an opportunity to delve further into their work, the names of these people, in alphabetical order, are presented below. Their lives and influence are greatly appreciated.
Paul Boese John Mason
Foncie Bullard Malachy McCourt
Joe Bullard Mark Muesse
Barbara Crafton John Musser
Edward Gibbon Sara Paddison
Bill Gothard Harper Shannon
Drew J. Gunnells Lewis B. Smedes
George Herbert Robert D. Smith
Scott Jeffrey Andy Stanley
Clare Boothe Luce Paula Tebbe
Carol Luebering Randy Thomas
Frederic Luskin Rick Warren