Margaret-Chapter 1-7 Update
6 04 2007So far this book has seemed a bit slow, I feel as though it is building up to the climax, but it’s in a lethargic way. Allison’s writing frustrates me from time to time, in the sense that I feel as though it’s constructed as a slow, warm, southern novel. And from what I’ve heard through other people and such, I anticipated a cold (and quite depressing) novel. Thus, I feel as though her style takes away from the beginning of this book, and in effect makes it difficult to become involved in. There has been on incident between Bone and ‘Daddy Glen’ and this was disturbing, to say the least.
As of right now, I see Bone has a strong character, one that has the potential to depict women in a good way. “He was hurting me, hurting me! I sobbed once, and he dropped back down and let go of me. I bit my lips and held still” (Allison 47). If Bone had been any older, then the fact that she sat there without fighting would depict her as weak. However, since she is very young (8 years old), this type of self-control shows how strong she really is. This event could depict women in two ways, one as being very weak or being very strong. I believe that if you keep Bone’s age in mind, it shows how tough and resilient woman can truly be.
I get the feeling that Anney, Bone’s mother, is a bit cowardly and dependent. I am not sure if this will continue throughout the book, but I have a notion that she will become naive, and she will begin to make excuses for him.
Reese, who is Bone’s sister, and is a bit apathetic (this probably has to do with her age) towards anything of extreme importance. I do, however, feel as though she looks up to Bone, and with this in mind I feel as if she could end up being a victim of Glen as well. So in conclusion, men are depicted as powerful creatures and in effect, this portrays women as a bit pathetic. I’m hoping that this will change and as the book continues to reach its potential climax, I hope that the women become stronger and more respectable.
I’m very happy that our group chose this section (chapter 7) as a stopping point, because I’m anticipating a big change in the pace of this novel. Ethan and Anne, do you agree that this beginning has been a bit slow, and if so, do you anticipate a change? What do you think of Bone? And Reese?
Yes, the beginning was slow, but having read farther into the book, I feel this type of pace was necessary. You learn so much about Bone and her family at the beginning of the novel, that you begin to feel like you know them personally. As you read further into the novel, this learning from the beginning of the novel comes into play, because there is little re-explanation. Instead, you are asked to focus on the events at hand with the knowledge you had learned previously.
However, considering how slow you felt the pace of the beginning of the novel, it may feel like the book doesn’t speed up much at all. I personally enjoyed the book as I got further into it.
Bone is definitely a big character. At this point in the novel, she seems quiet and reserved, prefering to observe the world around her rather than partake in it. However, even at this stage it can be seen that she has a hidden strength, which may come into play later.
Reese at this point is young, and since Bone doesn’t really focus on her as much at this point, I can’t say much about her.
Anney is the big character for me. At the beginning, she seemed like a very nice mother. However, as the book goes on (you even begin to see it at this point) I lose more and more respect for her. She does seem cowardly and weak.
- Anne
Margaret and Anne,
Interesting exchange. It appears as though both of you have been able to emotionally connect with some of the characters. I would love to talk to you about why you think you are able to connect with some of the female characters – what are the universal qualities of the female characters? In what way does Allison allow all readers to relate to the characters? I look forward to our preparations for book discussions with this novel in particular.
Mrs. P