American Pastoral Page #5

audience moaned and prostrated them...

[Merry sobbing]

Why did that poor...

why did that poor man

have to burn himself?

Hey.

That gentle man and

those gentle people.

It's far away, baby.

It's far away.

- Doesn't anybody care?

- Of course people care.

[stuttering]

Doesn't anybody...

doesn't anybody

have a conscience?

- Yes, you have a conscience.

- Cookie.

Don't cry. Shh.

[sizzling]

- Do they look good, Daddy?

- You've got the touch.

If you don't end up senator

for New Jersey,

you'll make a great short-order cook.

I'd rather cook any day.

Mmm. Great.

This makes you the first Levov in history

who can prepare edible food.

[stuttering]

As long as it's hamburgers.

What's wrong with hamburgers?

It's an American classic.

I came hereto speak to you about Vietnam.

Talk about an American classic.

There's an American classic a**hole.

We abhor the political murder

of any state by another.

F***ing liar.

He's better than the guy

he ran against.

Barry Goldwater

would have buried us all.

F***ing madman.

Lyndon Baines

"Baby Burner" Johnson.

- What's going on?

- Johnson's press conference.

We don't disagree, Mer.

We're all against the war in this family.

You heartless, miserable prick.

Merry, stop. Please.

What do you care about the war?

You're just contented,

middle-class people.

Some people would be very happy

to have contented,

middle-class people for parents.

Well, I'm not brainwashed

enough to be one of them.

Merry. Dawn.

What? Don't tell me. Tell her.

Tell her to behave

like a civilized person.

- Don't tell me what to do.

- I'm your mother.

I can and I will

tell you what to do.

- I'm turning this off.

- Sure, turn it off.

The Democratic Republic of Hanoi

could just burn down

and Mom would just go on

worrying about her cows.

- Merry...

- Don't touch me, Dad.

[Dawn] I can't stand this.

You're not anti-war,

you're anti-everything.

And you're pro...

COW.

[sighs]

I don't know why

she's turned against me.

Is it her stuttering?

Is she angry because

she can't make friends?

She's made friends, all right?

The ones she's made in New York.

[sighs]

Who is she?

I thought she was smart.

She's becoming stupid, Seymour.

No. She's just a kid with a strong will,

a strong idea.

- It's not very well worked Out...

- You're defending her. She hates me.

Dawn.

She talks to me like...

I don't know what.

With no respect.

And if I ever spoke

to my mother like that,

do you know what my father

would have done?

He would have turned you

over his knee.

You think it's funny?

I have to pick her up

from the train.

I can't believe we let her go to New York.

She's 16, Seymour.

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