Summary Of A Thousand Acres By Jane Smiley

Jane Smiley’s ‘A Thousand Acres’ is a modern day representation of Shakespeare’s King Lear. The text tales a tragic story of a family of a troubling past, willingly watching each others lives decay as the tragedy unfolds. In spite of it’s similarities to ‘King Lear’, this work of literature is a work of its own. The text constructs a clear distinction of American rural Space, this is through foreground economic and social issues raised throughout the text of the perception that is driven by ones understanding of self and the world they live in.

Lennie and George’s dream is to own a piece of land to work and live where they can have cows, pigs, chicken a vegetable patch with alfalfa and rabbits. “O.K Someday – we’re going

Songtai Liu English Essay Symbols in Of Mice and Men Of Mice and Men is a novella that was written by John Steinbeck. It was published in the 1930s and it basically tells a story during the Great Depression period about of two migrant workers, George and Lennie, traveled around and look for new job opportunities; they arrived at a ranch in California and started to work at there. In fact, I found that Steinbeck used the technique of symbolism very constantly throughout the story.

On the night of when they were sleeping near the pond, George and Lennie had a conversation about their new home. George started the topic by saying “O.K. Someday--we are going to receive the jack together and we are going to have a little house and a couple of acres and a cow and some pigs and---- “And live off the fat of the land,” Lennie shouted. “And have rabbits. Go on, George! Tell about what we are going to have in the garden and about

dad,” whom “had inherited the extra farm” that Ty had farmed for six years (12). His good

George and Lennie find work on a farm "bucking barley." On this farm they meet the laborers as well as other characters of this novel including Candy (an older laborer), Crooks (the black stable hand), the boss, Curley (a short man who happens to be the bosses son), Curley's wife (a lonely woman easily excited by the attention of men), Carlson (a ranchhand) and Slim (the local authority figure). The characters in this novel all seem to want to transform their lives and are not able to do so. Curley's wife, a failed actress, is living day to day hoping that she will be able to fulfill her lifelong dream of acting. Slim, has nothing to show for a lifetime of laboring. He, just like George and Lennie, had hoped and dreamed for many years to own a piece of land to call his own. He has to live with the realization that he will probably die laboring just as he has done for so many years before. Crooks, on the other hand, has more of a sociological issue to deal with. He dealt with constant racial issues preventing him from accomplishing the American Dream. He has struggled to be treated as a human being because he has been oppressed by the white workers for so many years. The

In the beginning of the book, the two characters are sitting at the edge of a small creek. Lennie asks George to talk about what living on their own little piece of land will be like. George explains all of the things they’ll have and then stops abruptly and says, “I ain’t got time for no more.” (Doc C) George believes that they’ll never get the land some way or another and that the idea is so far fetched. This is foreshadowing that they won't get the land later in the book. Later in the story, one of their bunk mates named Crooks doesn't believe they'll get the land. He says, “ Hundreds of them. They come, an’ go on; an’ every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ‘em ever gets it….” (Doc c) Crooks thinks that Lennie and George are one of those hundred men who had a dream of living on their own piece of land, but never getting it. What crooks said foreshadows the loss of the farm dream at the end of the book. John Steinbeck foreshadows the loss of the farm dream by George's and Crooks

In Book 1 of A Thousand Acres, Ginny’s contrasting diction in her narration highlights the stark difference in the appearance versus the reality of her character. Ginny is forced by society to act like she wants to be on the farm, and in reality, she feels trapped by the farm and desires to escape. Ginny’s describes the farm with negative diction, with the wind “soughing” and the hogs “clanking,” illustrating the commotion of the farm. However, she describes the farm also as “calm and safe,” showing that part of Ginny is afraid to leave her sheltered environment. The contrast in the diction illustrates the contrast in how the farm appears to Ginny versus the reality of the farm.

In contrast, Steinbeck gave George a dream that he truly wanted for his and Lennie's own good, though he could not have due to the many boundaries in his way. George was a generally placid character, and knowing he was limited only to himself to rely on, he regarded the dream as a mere story. George was dubious of the idea until Candy offered his help that George illustrated the true hope he had of living off the “fatta the land”(Steinbeck, 60). Although in comparison to Gatsby, George’s ideas were much more realistic, at that moment he seemed to forget the burden encumbering him; Lennie’s troublesome behavior was arguably the only imposition as to why George could not have the freedom he longed for. Crooks spoke to Lennie of the many men who had the same picture of land in their minds. “‘...an’ every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ‘em ever gets it…’”(74, Steinbeck). The unlikelihood of George getting a beautiful piece of land to himself was high on its own, let alone with Lennie at his side. George allowed the idea of having money offset his true values, thus allowing himself to forget his responsibility, as well as his role to take care of Lennie.

     One manner in which this unusual place can be seen is in the women's privileged relationship to the land in the text. While Jim Burden attends school, it is Antonia who shapes and works the new land that the pioneers inhabit, going "from farm to farm" to

The plan is doomed virtually from the beginning not only because human fellowship cannot survive, but also because the image of the farm, as conceived by George, Lennie, and Candy, is overly idealized. The probability being that life, even if they obtained the farm, would not be as they envision. The fruits and vegetables in abundance, the livestock and domestic animals, and the community of people involved are unreasonable expectations.

George and Lennie work on the land and their dream is to one day have some land of their own.

A Thousand Acres, a novel by Jane Smiley, is about a father, named Larry Cook, who divides his farm between his two daughters, the third daughter didn't want to be a part of the deal, and it focuses how this decision changes the lives of everyone in the story. The main theme of the story is the discovery of who and you and the people you are close to are like, and what you can do with this realization.

Ginny was born in the year 1934 she is now 83 years old, and has experienced many things that others could not even begin to imagine. In the interview she had described these experiences that made her life all that much more interesting, thought provoking. As a child Ginny had lived on a farm she considered to be small. She described life on the farm to be quite fun, and easy because she was the youngest for her for older brothers, who were responsible for the farm work while she got to go and play. As a child Ginny said that her family had pigs, cattle, and chickens, and that the farm was spread out on 80 acres. One thing she especially loved about living on the farm was going to sit on the neighbor’s fence during spring time to watch them shear their sheep (Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off.) Another thing she loved about the farm life was that they always had electricity do to a

Once Upon a Time, many years ago their was an enchanted and truly magical place known as The Hundred Acre Woods. You may have heard of this place before. You may have also heard about the family that made this place their home. Although, I am almost certain you don’t know the whole story. Let me start of by saying this. Some people think that to be a family you have to be related by blood, but I disagree with this idea. In my opinion, a family is a group of people who have unconditional love for each other and will always stick by one another’s side, no matter what the circumstance. The “family” in which I’m referring to are not blood related. I suppose some people would view them as a “group of friends” rather than a “family”. This family consists of a bubbly bear named Winnie, a tender & timid piggy named Piglet, an organized rabbit named Rabbit, a melancholy donkey named Eeyore, an exuberant tiger named tigger (T-I- double “guh”-er), a light-hearted joey named Roo, a gentle kangaroo named Kanga (who is Roo’s mother), and last but certainly not least, wise owl, named Owl. Many believe that this story, is the story of the creation of The Hundred Acre Woods. The truth is this family didn’t have it as good as you may think that had it. Before the Hundred Acre Woods came to be the place they called their home, they had a very challenging, and both physically and mentally taxing life. They worked as slaves on a ship known as the Mayflower. Their slave driver was on a