Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Setting!
Ernest J. Gaines does make the setting a complete character in this novel. This novel takes place in the 1970s when black men and women were basically free people. The exception is that they were treated badly and had little say in things that went on. Ernest exemplifies the setting throughout the novel which creates an image in the readers mind to portray how it was back then. An example of Ernest's characterization of the setting is when he says "The one or two old clapboard houses seemed deserted, causing the place to look like a Western ghost town" (117). This along with knowing that the black folks live on a sort of plantation one would expect the clapboard houses to be occupied. Seeing that they aren't, one would suspect something was happening. Which there was something happening. The black people were tired of being pushed around so they are standing up for something.
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Yeah I'll agree with that. I really appreciate how Ernest uses imagery to help paint that image in the readers head. I also like how he uses allusions to make the connection as well. Like when he compares the deserted houses to a ghost town. He does a great job at making the setting a major part of the story.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I think Gaines does a good job of capturing how the people on a black plantation in that time period would have felt towards the oppresive white people of those areas. For example, Fix is basically infamous on the plantation for being relentless and cruel.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the setting. I like how you took the text from the book and put examples in. And you are also right about the statements in the whole community how they were treated wrong even though they were free.
ReplyDeleteagreed. Ernest goes into great detail of the setting of the story and the character's past troubles. for example when tucker was talking about his brother Silas and how he was beaten to death because he won a race to flow a field faster then a white man on a tractor.tucker goes into to such detail about that time in his life that i started to really get into this book. after tuckers part i was sucked in and i hope it gets better :D
ReplyDeletefor sure correct! but i believe they it was almost worse in the 1970's because they thought they were free but they are still mistreated even after the movement.It is terrible to think that they were still mistreated but it does make a perfect setting for this book.hopefully some people will realize how bad it was back then after they read this novel.
ReplyDelete@ashketchum2- I feel like you got off to a good start, but you didn't fully develop your reasons why the setting could be considered another character. It's not enough to explain that it is an important setting, you need explore the depths of the setting here.
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