Bloodroot, By Amy Greene Sparknotes

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Families come in all shapes and sizes. The dynamics range from an open, perfect, dream family, all the way to broken homes. The way people are treated, or are treated by their family affects the way they act throughout their lives. They grow up knowing only the ways that their families taught us, even if those things were wrong. They do not know any better, so of course they have to listen to them. In the book Bloodroot, Amy Greene tells the story of Myra Lamb’s family from different points of view, over four generations. She is a free-spirited girl who loves Bloodroot Mountain with all of her heart. Her Grandmother, Byrdie, wants to always protect her, but lets her do what she pleases. Once she meets John Odom, she gets caught up in the thrill …show more content…

Amy Greene shows how family has an immense impact on every stage of life in her book, Bloodroot. John Odom treats Myra well until they move into the house by the train tracks. John taking her off the mountain shows just how much he has held her down from the very beginning. Following the move, we see their relationship quickly plummet. On page 300, John “forced [Myra] over the table and Hollis shoved [her] dress over [her] hips,” after Myra went to the pool house looking for her other family members. He also locks her underneath their house for days on end. He continues to come home drunk and physically and emotionally abuse her. It is not understood why John does these things until his chapter. John shares how his mother used to hit him and his brother, and how his father used to beat his mother. Childhood trauma has a huge effect on how people act towards others. If they are treated poorly, they will most likely act poorly towards other people. This is because when growing up, family members are the only ones around all the time. Growing up, kids are used to the way their families treat them and do not know any other …show more content…

When John Odom came around, Byrdie was jealous. He was taking her away and she did not like it, but she still allowed Myra to do what she longed to do. While visiting Myra in the house by the train tracks, Byrdie “could tell Myra was scared to death of what [John] would do.” and asks her to come back to the mountain. Myra said no and Byrdie left it alone, even though she was worried. Byrdie always had Myra’s best interest at heart, but still allowed her to make her own mistakes. She welcomed her back when she finally returned. Byrdie and Myra’s relationship communicates how family will always be there, they will not ever leave because they love their family. Even if they do not deserve the love, there is always a special place for family in every person’s heart. Throughout the book, Johnny and Laura have a strong connection. On page 148, when Laura visits Johnny in jail, she says, “I been missing you so bad.” Typically, sisters do not tell their siblings when they miss them, but the fact that she admits it, conveys how much she misses him in his absence. Siblings are one of the most important relationships that anyone can

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