Inman, recovering from previous wounds and extremely hungry, travels through the woods
without direction. Although he wishes to escape from human society he assumes that others will
convince him otherwise. While he is walking through the woods he meets an odd man who states
that he is sympathetic to the Federals. Inman lets the man know that he has no ties with the other
side and the man admits that he doesn’t either. The man, whose name is Potts, guides him to a
house where he can have a meal. The woman that is cooking the meal explains how her husband passed away fighting before he got to meet their baby. In return for slaughtering her hog, the woman gives Inman her husband’s clothes. After being offered to sleep in the woman’s bed, he has a nightmare that creatures are chasing him. The next day three Federal soldiers appear and Sara tells Inman to flee. Inman watches from the woods as the soldiers demand money from Sara. After noticing that Sara had no money the soldiers take her hog and three chickens and leave. Inman then follows, and murders them. He then comes back with the hog and three chickens to Sara’s house. That night, Inman watches Sara as she nurses her sick baby while singing a creepy lullaby. Inman leaves the next day.
1b. Author's Style: In this chapter the author uses flashback, imagery and allusion.
Flashback: “She told the manner in which she and John had met and fallen in love." In this flashback Sara talks about how she met John and how they had fallen in love. She is sad and crying because she misses his presence.
Allusion: “The word to the song, though were no lullaby. They linked up to make a horrible story. A murder ballad called Fair Margaret and Sweet William." It this allusion, Frazier alludes to the song Fair Margaret and Sweet William, which goes something like " I dreamed that my bower was full of red swine, And my bride bed full of blood.
Imagery: "They washed up and went inside, and Sara began on supper while Inman snacked on a plate of crackings that she had intended to add to the com bread. Since they wouldn't keep, she cooked up a kind of stew of the liver and lights, spiced with much onion and hot pepper. They ate and then stopped and rested. Then they ate again." This imagery enables the reader to clearly visualize the things they were both doing while they spent time together. It also enables the reader to have an idea of how the supper was going to taste; spicy and with lots of onions.
1c. Historical Context: “I attended the fight at Sharpsburg, Inman said. First they threw bombs among us and we among them. Then there was the charging and the shooting, grapeshot and musketball. Lots of boys died.” This statement matched the time period of the book, 1864, because two years before the battle of Sharpsburg had been fought; it also matches what Inman is saying because according to my source it is the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with a combined tally of dead, wounded, and missing at 22,717
2a. This chapter reveals that Inman is a doer of deeds. He doesnt hesistate when he has to kill the three Confederate soldiers. Inman's act of killing the confederates reveals that he conserves his warrior instincts. In this chapter once again we can see how lucky Inman is to find benevolent people that give him a hand. It also shows once again that Inman only has eyes for Ada. Even though Inman has had the opportunity to cheat on Ada, he hasn't done it, and he has stayed loyal to her.
2b. Sara is a woman who besides the fact that she has suffered so much, she is strong. Even though her husband died, and her baby is ill, she still stands to raise her baby. I can conclude that Sara is also traumatized, since she has suffered so much, she cant stop thinking about tragedy, thats why she shings creepy and horrific lullabies to her baby. One more time, Inman is affected by people's suffering. He feels pity towards Sara.
3b.
No comments:
Post a Comment