The Lit Circle book that my group read was, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. This novel tells the story of Salamanca Hiddle(Sal), a 13-year old girl who moves away from her house in Kentucky to Ohio after her mother left her and father. From here, she goes on a trip with her parents to Idaho following the path of her mother's tour bus. Along the way, she tells the outrageous story of Phoebe who befriended back in Ohio. Sal uses Phoebe's story to gain understanding about her similar experiences and uses this to guide her on the journey she takes.
The tone that the author uses in this novel is honest and reflective, while blended with some humor. Sal, who narrates the book, tells the reader her honest opinion and perspective about everyone,
…show more content…
good and bad. This makes the story more real and gives the reader a broader interpretation of characters in the book so that one can conclusion themselves with less of the narrator's influence. This is seen, for example, when Sal narrates, "At that moment, it was as if a switch went off in Mrs. Winterbottom's brain. She put her hand to her mouth and stared out the window. She was invisible to Prudence and Phoebe, though. They did not notice(Creech 102-103). Sal's keen observance of certain situations gives the reader a broad perspective and creates an honest and open tone. Sal's character is very reflective, this adds a level of depth to this book.
She uses Phoebe's story to reflect on her story and it helps her to understand who she is and how other people feel by putting herself in this third person perspective of other people's stories and her own. One example of this is, "...Phoebe was like a magnet. I was drawn to her. I was pretty sure that underneath all that odd behavior was someone who was frightened. And, in a strange way, she was like another version of me - she acted out the way I sometimes felt.(Creech 182)" This continuous reflection of herself and of different parts of her past is important for the development of her character on her journey and gives more depth for the reader to …show more content…
consider. Lastly, Creech incorporated some humor into this book, which both is interesting and a little more lighthearted; mirroring some of the characters in the book. In contrast to Phoebe's polite and formal family, the Finney family represents just the opposite and provides a humorous tone in the book. This is first described in chapter nine, "There were footballs and basketballs lying all over the place, and boys sliding down the banister and leaping over tables and talking with their mouths full and interrupting everyone with endless questions.(Creech 45)" The Finney family is very different from the families of other characters in the book, allowing readers to see their story and what type of challenges they encounter in a different way. The mood conveyed in this book is varies throughout, but one main example is a mysterious mood.
The mysterious mood conveyed in this book comes a lot from Phoebe's dramatic imagination and stories which are outrageous, but can be persuasive. One example of this is the notes left on Phoebe's doorstep, which are found every once in a while, containing a message. While this is unexplained in the first place, Phoebe's stories make it more mysterious because she imposes ideas on people including those saying that the "lunatic" left the notes and he is who kidnapped her mother. Additionally, Phoebe's perception of Mrs. Cadaver, "...whose name meant dead body? And that hair - don't you think all that sticking-out red hair is spooky? And that voice - it reminds me of dead leaves all blowing around on the ground.(Creech 22)" As outrageous as Phoebe's stories are, they even start to make Sal think twice about people, at times. The layout and foreshadowing in this book also makes it very mysterious because readers are introduced to characters and dropped into situations without previous explanation. This allows for readers people to make their own guesses about who people are and what might happen, deepening the mysterious mood of this
novel.
One internal conflict that Phoebe has is when she meets a lunatic who alters her perception of how people are. She became more paranoid. She internally acts more worried and nervous about everyone she sees. In the text on page 40 it states, “Maybe he has a knife tucked into his socks.” This shows that when the
Sal’s journey reflects that of a heroine; the journey helps her discover who she really is and she comes home to share what she has learned afterward. Sal explains, “When my mother had been there, I was like a mirror. If she was happy, I was happy. If she was sad, I was sad. For the first few days after she left, I felt numb, non-feeling. I didn’t know how to feel”(Creech 37). When her mother left, Sal had no reflection. She was forced to start experiencing her feelings independently. Sometimes to start feeling again, one needs to leave what is familiar to them. The journey she took healed this numbness she felt. Furthermore, her identity and feelings were given context through Phoebe’s story and shaped by her own reflections of the
What is the message the author is trying to convey? How does (s)he convey this to the reader?
I think that one of the most obvious symbols in this story are the notes Ms. Partridge sent to Phoebe and her family. These notes seemed to line up with problems in the story, throughout the whole story. “Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins.” (Walk Two Moons, 61). I think that this is in relation to a lot of parts. How Phoebe judged Mike when she first met him, thinking he was a lunatic, and how she also judged Ms. Patridge, because of her home and how she acted. Also, how both Sal and Phoebe judged Margaret Cadaver before they really even knew her at all. I think that Sharon Creech not only wanted a wrench to throw in but also something to think about. I know reading this book, every time, I still contemplated how this letter or that letter would fit in with the theme and the plots.
He realizes that it is not realistic to become a child again, and he begins to accept the fact that he must grow up and set an example for his sister, Phoebe. Growing up with
... contentment in being with Phoebe. The transformation can be identified at the point where Phoebe asked, “Aren’t you going to ride, too?” (Salinger 273). This exhibits that she is no longer angry with Holden, and this is when the transformation is complete. Holden replied, “No, I’ll just watch ya, I think I’ll just watch” (Salinger 274). By refusing, Holden took the role of protecting Phoebe, returning home, and starting a new school life.
...ing them how they should behave, and what they should feel. A sense of self is bigger than what one person or group of people can tell you; it is found from within. Salinger, Plath, and Heller capture ambiguity on a personal level; their characters must look within themselves and beyond the ambiguity to discover who they are. They could easily accept what society tells them, but they would be embarking on a journey of misery. They must be strong enough to resist what others tell them about war, themselves, and everyone else. The experiences are truly unique, even if they are painful. They reveal the journey of self.
...When Holden concludes that you have to just let a kid go for what they want to do, even though they might get hurt doing so, he might be saying admitting growing up is in fact significant for Phoebe and for himself. He learns that he cannot protect a child from doing what they want to do, so he realizes that he should let them be.
Firstly, I liked the way in which the author uses his experiences to relate ...
It is written in first person, which assists in figuring out the psychology of the main character, Mare Barrow. I had found the characters likeable, since they always had a story behind themselves and none were random. One would remember the character throughout the story because of the impact they had. The plot of the novel was also intriguing, giving twists and turns that one would expect in the slightest. The bold message of the story is repeated and proven several times, and it is that anyone can betray anyone. As the story continues, this becomes more
In the novel, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, Grams is bitten by a water moccasin. The water moccasin, also know as Agkistrodon piscivorus, is North America's only venomous water snake (Wikipedia.com). It tends to live in particularly slow-moving and shallow lakes, streams, and marshes (livescience.com). This snake has a distinctive blocky, triangular head and a thick body (livescience.com). The water moccasins rarely bite humans, however, their bite can be fatal (Wikipedia.com). It is important to respond quickly to bite from a water moccasin. According to the Mayoclinic.org if you are bitten by a snake you should “ 911 or your local emergency number immediately” and while waiting for medical help: 1) remain calm, 2) move away from the snake, 3) remove tight clothes or jewelry, 4) keep bite below heart level, 5) clean wound and cover with dry dressing, 6) don’t use a tourniquet or ice pack, 7) do NOT cut or attempt to remove venom, 8) don’t drink caffeine or alcohol, 9) don’t catch the snake, 10) remember what the snake looked like so it could be identified.
In the book Walk Two Moons By Sharon Creech we are introduced to a 13-year-old girl that is suffering after her mother runs away to Idaho to visit her far away from family members, leaving only Sal and her dad alone on a farm. The book takes place on a trip her grandmother and grandfather did with her across the whole country. Meanwhile, Sal tells us a story of a girl she met when she went to Euclid Ohio, the girl's name is Phoebe and she tells all of her adventures including the one Phoebe and Sal are being seen by the Lunatic. At the end what really caught me was the fact that no matter what happened there was always love.
Whenever we try to imagine the feelings or motives of a writer, we impose our own thoughts and ideas, our own biases, onto that person and their work. Perhaps in order to justify our choices or legitimate the philosophies that we hold dear, we interpret texts so that they fall into place in our own ideological frameworks. Literature, because it engages with the most important and passionate questions in life, evokes responses in readers that emanate not only from the mind but also from the subconscious and from the deepest places in the heart. Writers like Virginia Woolf ask, and sometimes answer, questions about life's meaning, about the nature and importance of relationships, about spirituality, work, family, identity and so on. It is what makes writing fascinating and the critiquing of writing something more than an intellectual exercise.
Moon Shadow is 8 years old and lives with his mother and grandmother.His father works for the white demons in the United States. He has never seen his father, but he knows he knows he is an amazing kite maker.His mother never liked talking about the demons. Later Uncle Bright Star came to take Moon Shadow to work in the land of the demons and to see his father.Moon Shadow goes to the land of the demons.Moon Shadow arrives at the company and see’s his father for the first time.He gets a gift from the company of boots. He also got a gift from his father, he got one of his special kites.On Moon Shadows first day at the company the white demons threw a brick through their window. Windrider told Moonshadow about his dream about the dragon.The company
In the letters written by Danielle Steel is said about the novel and mostly about its genre.