Week 7- Entry B

I would highly recommend you to read Peace Like a River. I have never read a book that has such a satisfying ending. With most books and movies, once they are over, I wish there were more. I need a sequel to find out what happens to the characters after the narrative. In this book though, Leif Enger neatly wraps up the plot. He then adds a little bow on the package to satisfy the readers; he explains the characters' futures after their adventures.
I didn't expect Peace Like a River to have such an adventurous plot. The title doesn't depict a crazy trek to South Dakota to find Davy, a fugitive from the law. I was pleasantly surprised to read a book full of action and excitement. Even when the characters are cooped up inside a house the reader gets to read some action through Swede's poems about Sunny's life. After finishing this book, I wonder if this poetry paralleled the narrative. I think if it does, that's very clever.
My only confusion throughout the book was the importance of miracles. The dad seems to be able to connect with God and make special things happen around him. He couldn't do these miracles once he met Roxanna. The narrator, Rube, believes that this is because God traded the miracles for a new mother, Roxanna. I don't know why I think the miracles stopped occurring. The only explanations I can come up with are because the miracles were fantasized in the first place or Ruben's explanation. I'm not partial to either of these ideas.
I wish there were spark notes on this book so I could better understand the themes of this book. If you were to ever have a book club, Peace Like a River would be a perfect book to read. It's interesting enough that people will actually read it and there is a lot to discuss. Even if you aren't in a book club, definitely read this book! I hope you enjoy it!

Week 7- Entry A

Vocabulary-

(p 214) stave- to move along rapidly

(p 221) sheik- the patriarch of a tribe or family; chief

Figurative Language-

1. (p 223) "And what about Odysseus, rowing down to Hell with a canteen of blood to slake the shade of Tiresius?" This excerpt alludes to The Odyssey.

2. (p 226) "There was one main fissure wide as an automobile but glowing only in occasional patches with the cool radiance of a candlelit pumpkin." This simile compares the light from the fissure to a jack-o-lantern.

3. (p 302) "O be quick, my soul, to answer Him; be jubilant, my feet!" Another allusion references the Bible.

Quote

(p 307) "And I, conversely, shouldn't have lived. Though I sensed this was the case, it was only years later Dr. Nokes would explain why in detail. His forbearance is to his credit. What eleven-yearpold should be told that his lungs only recently lay in literal shreds inside his central cavity? Dr. Nokes saw this fact with his two eyes. He felt it with his fingers. Yet mere hours later it was revealed at the hospital in Montrose that my lungs had not only endured an explosive chest wound but, in fact, seemed none the worse for wear. In fact, reported a perplexed emergency-room physician, it was as though they hadn't been touched. Of course they had been touched; that was the very point."

Another miracle.

Theme-

Love your enemies.

Week 6- Entry B

I'm worried for Davy's faith. There is some foreshadowing that suggests his demise. I think if I were reading this book solely for entertainment, I would have taken no note of these harbingers. However, being on the lookout for things to write about in this blog there were a few pages that sent my spine tingling.

On pages 133 and 134, the Land family comes across a deceased crow lying in the road after being run over by a car. Dad says that he's never seen a roadkill crow. They're bright birds and avoid traffic. A little while later, they encounter another crow pasted to the road.

Perhaps, the crow symbolizes Davy. He's a very bright young man who seems able to care for himself. I just caught myself call him a young man, he's in fact a teenager only sixteen years old. His maturity level made me forget that he is only my age! I assume that the car that ran over the crow is Mr. Andreeson. He is a federal police officer who's only job is to find Davy and enforce "justice". As of now, the fed is the logical fit to match the car, but another person could appear that wants Davy dead as well. Maybe, there is no single person responsible for Davy's downfall. The car could just be the means by which Davy dies. It really doesn't matter what the car represents, the important thing is that Davy will die. I sincerely hope that this isn't the case, but I can't imagine any other need for this passage about the dead crows.

Week 6- Entry A

Vocabulary

(p 130) putrescent- becoming putrid; undergoing putrefaction

(p 135) atrophy- a wasting away of the body or of an organ or part, as from defective nutrition or nerve damage

Figurative Language-

1. (p 132) "The old man's hands looked like suet, hanging there out of his sleeves." His hands are compared to suet in this simile.

2. (p 137) "The man's face was grained as an old board and he had a dark pompadour ideally groomed even at this hour." The man's face is compared to the grain on wood in this simile.

3. (p 146) "Hope is like yeast, you know, rising under warmth." Because the sun is rising, Ruben feels more hopeful. Hope is compared to yeast in this simile.

Quote

(p 129-130) "Understand, this was done on faith alone. Keep in mind we hadn't yet heard from August Shultz; keep in mind we'd had no word at all, no hint of eye nor ear nor tingling spine as to where our boy was aimed. [...] Faith, as Dad saw it, had delivered unto us the Airstream trailer, and faith would direct our travels." I envy the Land family. They are so sure of what they are doing even though they have no concrete guidance or map leading them to Davy's current location. They believe God will tell them where to go. I commend them for their unwavering faith in God. God will guide your heart and mind to lead you to your destination.

Theme-

God will guide your heart and mind to lead you to your destination.

Week 5- Entry B

So far, Peace Like a River is very interesting. I started reading it this past week, and I've been enjoying it a lot! It puts a lot of real life situations into perspective. Family dynamics are explored as well. The narrator is Ruben Land. He lives with his father, his sister Swede, and his brother Davy. At the beginning of the book, they go hunting. Swede and Ruben (being the youngest) normally just accompany Davy and their father. Davy allows Ruben to shoot and kill a bird, so he feels like an adult. Once the family returns home, Ruben quickly finds out what being an adult really means. Davy protects the family by shooting and killing two creeps who dislike the Land family. He doesn't resent his situation because he knows that his family is more important than the law. His outlook on life is very mature for his age. He is sixteen or seventeen years old, but he seems to understand the importances in life far more than even some adults. Davy's decision wasn't a spur of the moment idea. If I was faced with protecting my family, I suppose I would shoot without thinking of the repercussions. I may regret my decision afterwards, but the logical thing to do would be to save the family. However, Davy had the gun by his bed as if he anticipated the arrival of the no-good-doers. I'm sure he thought about the consequences beforehand. I commend him for acting correctly even when the decision was a difficult one to make.

Week 5- Entry A

Vocabulary

(p 53) municipally- of or pertaining to a town or city or its local government

(p 73) meerschaum- a tobacco pipe with a bowl made of a mineral, hydrous magnesium silicate, H₄Mg₂Si₃O₁₀, occurring in white, claylike masses

Figurative Language-

1. (p 52) "This, by the way, is the only story Dad ever told us in whispers: how the tornado came cruising up out of the south, birthed from a yellow cloud [...]" The tornado is personified by being birthed from a cloud.

2. (p 52) "[...] how it touched earth at the fringe of town, a pare umbilical rope [...]" The tornado is compared to an umbilical rope in this simile.

3. (p 53) [...] and the tornado came for it in absolute maturity, no umbilical growth now but a strong slender lady hip-walking through the campus [...]" The tornado is now compared to woman in this simile.

Quote

(p 26)

The men who worked the Redtail Mine were fed up with the boss.
They swarmed around his office door like blackflies round a hoss.
"No wages these three months!" one cried. "Ley's hang the lousy rat!
He'll starve our very children, boys, while he himself get fat!"
And true enough, behind the door, a fat man shook and wept;
The wobbling bags beneath his eyes said this man hadn't slept.
A messenger had brought him word that made him feel his age:
Valdez, last night- the third straight month!- had robbed the payroll stage.

I just love the way this poem is written! It is supposed to be written by Swede who is in early elementary school. I have a hard time believing any child could write a poem like this, but I like the book anyways. This poem reminds me of some of O. Henry's short stories. He often writes about the old west, and he has similar word choice. I suppose because O. Henry is one of my favorite authors, this poem appeals to me.

Theme-

The law isn't set in concrete. There are sometimes more important matters that supersede the law. Therefore, the law can't always be followed.

Week 4- Entry A

Vocabulary

(p 48) furtive- taken, done, used, etc., surreptitiously or by stealth; secret

(p 60) benign- having a kindly disposition; gracious

Figurative Language-

1. (p 25) "The lip-like flesh writhed up and then subsided. Kino lifted the flesh, and there it lay, the great pearl, perfect as the moon." The pearl Kino finds in the oyster is compared to the moon in this simile.

2. (p 62) "But the buyer's eyes had become as steady and cruel and unwinking as a hawk's eys, while the rest of his face smiled in greeting." This simile compares his eyes to that of a hawk's.

3. (p 118) " The waving branches of the algae called to it and beckoned to it." The algae is personified as being able to wave and call to the pearl.

Quote

(p 118) "And the pearl settled into the lovely green water and dropped toward the bottom. THe waving branches of algae called to it and beckoned to it. The lights on its surface were green and lovely. It settled down to the sand bottom among the fern-like plants. Above, the surface of the water was a green mirror. And the pearl lay on the floor of the sea. A crab scampering over the bottom raised a little cloud of sand, and when it settled the pearl was gone." This paragraph is a perfect example of Steinbeck's writing style. He describes things so well that I can picture the scene in my imagination. I also loved this particular paragraph because the pearl has caused so much chaos and commotion, but the end of the pearl is very tranquil and relaxing.

Theme-

Just because you can take advantage of someone, doesn't mean you should.

Week 4- Entry B

After finishing Empire Falls, I read The Pearl by John Steinbeck. It was a fabulous book! Last night, as I lay in bed trying to get to sleep, I was listening to the Into the Woods soundtrack. If you've never seen the play or the movie, it's a twisted fairy tale using characters from many classic stories. Anyways, as I was listening to the music, I realized some similarities of themes between The Pearl and Into the Woods.

One of themes both share is the grass isn't always greener on the other side. In The Pearl, Kino tries to improve his life using "the pearl of the world". He wants to sell it and make enough money to buy a rifle, marry his wife, and send his son to school, but the pearl only brings trouble. Kino and his wife Juana are disturbed by robbers trying to snatch the precious pearl. They find themselves fleeing the authorities after murdering a thief and ultimately there baby dies in the chase. The pearl brings evil instead of the expected riches and a better way of living. In Into the Woods, characters have the same glorified feelings. They want to get better lives, but they don't get what they expected. The witch wants to be beautiful, but once she gains beauty, she loses her magic.
Cinderella's evil step sisters also realize that what they were searching for wasn't worth the effort. They were both greedy and wanted Prince Charming, but instead they got blinded by Cinderella's birds. These characters all sing at the end of act 1:

We're/I'm unhappy now, unhappy hence,
As well as ever after.
Had we used our common sense,
Been worthy of our discontents,
We'd be happy.

Both The Pearl and Into the Woods made me think about perspective and point of view as well. Jack from Into the Woods needs to sell his cow, so he trades Milky White for five magic beans. The baker makes this trade believing that the beans are nothing but ordinary. He must do this to get the cow's milk to complete a potion and become fertile to have a child. The baker's wife convinces him that the ends justify the means in this situation. In The Pearl, Kino is ripped off by the doctor and pearl dealers. I know that these people are supposed to be well off and are portrayed as being evil, but what if they needed the money for an important reason? The Pearl is told from Kino's perspective and show the richer men as being selfish, but Into the Woods portrays a similar situation from the other person's side.

You should definately read The Pearl if you like Steinbeck! It's a really quick book that really gets you thinking.