A Painted House
The plot line of the story includes numerous major incidents. Theyare: 1) The opening of the story and an introduction of many of the majorcharacters, including Luke, the narrator, his grandfather, and the "hillpeople" and Mexicans who will be picking cotton on their farm for the nexttwo months. This also introduces a sub-plot line that will be important tothe novel - Luke and his family's love of baseball. 2) Pappy's money woesand the hope the cotton will provide enough money to pay the workers and atleast break even in costs. 3) The first conflict with the hill people, whocamp in the front yard instead of the back, which sets the stage forfurther conflicts to come. 4) The introduction of Luke's father, JesseChandler, and his dream to own forty acres of land. 5) Introduces theKorean War, and Ricky, Jesse's brother who is fighting in Korea. Thisindicates the importance of the war to the family, and how close to home itis every night through the nightly news radio broadcasts of Edward R.Murrow. The radio broadcasts of news and their "beloved" Cardinal baseballteam are their tenuous hold on the outside world, otherwise their world isinsulated and far removed from the widespread prosperit
Hekills a young man from town, and causes trouble wherever he goes. He gotLibby pregnant, and the family has to face this while he is gone. 15) Cowboy's murder of Hank, another secret that Lukeshould not have witnessed. This theme givesa foundation to the solid American values these people reflect. He continues poignantly,"It sustained us through the summer, often our only diversion fro thedrudgery of the fields" (Grisham 259). Heis the go-between the family and the Mexicans, and the men seem to respecthim. It also signifies hisgrowth from boy to young man. This bookdid not contain as many unexpected twists as many of Grisham's other books,but Tally and the Cowboy running off, but returning the truck wasunexpected, and so was the quick murder of Hank. 7) Introduces thebudding relationship between Tally and Cowboy. The main conflict of this story is Luke's desire to leave the farm,and his witnessing so many different occurrences that he must keep secretor lie about. " Another underlying theme is the tension between the hill people andthe Mexicans. " He is compassionate and caring, and representsgoodness surrounded by the great evil of his brother. He isthe voice of the book, and the reader sees everything through his eyes. Characterization was alsoa very important technique in this novel, because the characters drive thenovel, and keep the reader turning the pages. The unpainted house is a source of embarrassment for Luke whenhe discovers even the Spruills have a painted house.
Common topics in this essay:
Baseball America's,
,
Luke Chandler,
Painted House,
Cowboy Tally,
Black Oak,
Hank Spruill,
Cold War,
Tally Spruill,
Trot Spruill,
house signifies,
painted house,
painting house,
unpainted house,
love baseball,
painting house signifies,
luke's mother,
hill people,
hill people mexicans,
influence life,
luke's father,
chandler luke's,
own forty acres,
|