Summary
Tommy Aronson calls Katherine, because he wants to see her again. She says no, so Tom asks for Erica’s number. Katherine’s furious. Michael calls Katherine. They agree that their night together was special. Her mother gives her an article on sex in a relationship. Katherine feels better about her first time after reading it. Katherine doesn’t think her relationship with Michael will end. Erica sees Tommy. They don’t kiss because Erica likes Artie better. Erica is the one friend that Katherine cares about; she used to hang out with more girls including a girl named Janis. Michael comes over to study with Katherine because Katherine has a paper due. Jamie bothers them. Katherine gets into Michael’s car. They kiss. Katherine thinks to herself that she doesn’t want to go back to holding hands. Katherine’s grandma sends her a package filled with sexual education pamphlets. Katherine goes from being angry to being thankful. She calls her grandmother to tell her she received the package. She also calls Planned Parenthood from a phone booth. She makes an appointment. Katherine takes the train to New York. She goes to a private screening of a movie with Erica and her Mom (Juliette Small). Juliette Small is a famous reviewer. Katherine gets lunch at Basil with her grandparents. Her grandmother tells her that she is glowing. They all toast to love. Katherine doesn’t tell anyone about her appointment. She’s only going to share it with Michael. Katherine is asked a lot of personal questions by the social worker in her private session. She is resistant to have a gonorrhea culture. She gets a physical from a doctor, including a pelvic examination and Pap smear. She receives a prescription for the pill.
Things That Make Me Go “Hmm”
I realized in this section of the book that Katherine can be witty. She is also becoming increasingly outspoken. When Tom asks for Erica’s number Katherine responds, “Her last name’s Small and she’s listed in the phonebook”. Katherine is timid at times, but when she gets angry she is anything but reserved.
When Katherine is reading the article that her Mom gave her, she says that she is not interested in question three. The question says, “If you should need help, where will you seek it?” The entire article pertains to sex and relationships. Katherine’s disinterest in this question reveals to the reader that she feels comfortable and safe when she is with Michael.
I find the way that Judy Blume portrays Katherine’s Mom and Dad to be very believable. If I didn’t know better I would say that this book was nonfiction.
Katherine is a private person. She doesn’t wish to tell Erica much about her relationship with Michael.
Janis used to be good friends with Katherine. Janis has her entire life mapped out for her; when she will marry and when she will have kids. Katherine finds this to be dull. I was surprised, because I never found Katherine to be a spontaneous person.
I identified Michael and Katherine’s holding of hands to be a symbol of this book. When Katherine says she doesn’t want to go back to holding hands, I think that this foreshadows she is not going to go back to “forever” with Michael.
Katherine tends to jump to conclusions.
I liked it when Basil drew a picture of Chicken Kiev for Katherine on a napkin so that she would know what it looked like before ordering it! She felt obligated to order the dish.
Assigned Focus
Knowing Judy Blume’s motivation for writing Forever… changes my predictions for the remainder of the book. Judy Blume’s daughter asked for a book where teenagers could have sex without either of them having to die. If I did not know that Forever… was Judy Blume’s fulfillment of her daughter’s wish, I would say that Katherine gets a sexually transmitted disease. I would make this prediction, based on the fact that Michael once had VD (a venereal disease or sexually transmitted disease as they are referred to today). However, I know from reading an overview of the book that Katherine will not have to face any of the consequences of sex. There has to be some conflict coming ahead in the book. I think that Katherine’s Mom and Dad might split apart. There was some foreshadowing to this. Katherine’s mother is told by a friend she better start working out. She adds that Katherine’s dad is attractive and at a dangerous age. Artie will come out that he is gay. He has already told Erica that he is unsure of his sexuality. In addition, Artie has become depressed and agitated. Katherine’s grandpa is going to die. I predict this, because he hugs Katherine extra hard the last time that he sees her. I found it odd that Judy Blume would include this detail in the story if it did not hold any importance. Michael and Katherine will break up. I get a sense of foreshadowing when Michael tells Katherine he will not give her a second chance next time. He says this in reference to throwing water on her, but the words have a strange tone when he speaks them. Katherine may have some side effects to the birth control pill she is given. Judy Blume mentions that the social worker talks to her about the side effects. This could be for added suspense or perhaps simply detail in the story.
